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Post by tinytippytoes on Feb 8, 2011 17:48:04 GMT -5
Update on the fish. I cut away the side and all three of them decided it was good to eat. Mango was a bit more reluctant than the others but she's my picky eater. What kind of fish is that? I'm guessing they don't like the skin or maybe its their 1st time eating fish? Never considered fish before even I know its a source of protein.
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Post by bluemoose on Feb 8, 2011 18:40:07 GMT -5
The fish is tilapia and yes, it was their first fish. Tonks was eating the fin off the top when I first put it in there but I don't think the other two recognized it as food right away. Once I cut away one side, they ate the rest of it, scales and all.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2011 23:15:16 GMT -5
Wow, they sure do like that hanging chicken wing.
Blue, glad they enjoyed the fish. Will you be including as a regular part of their diet, or more as an occasional meal?
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Post by bluemoose on Feb 8, 2011 23:19:32 GMT -5
I'm thinking to make it a once and a while thing. I'm not a seafood fan myself and I hate the smell of fish. Plus I've heard diets high in fish make ferrets stink. And the whole mercury levels in fish issue.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2011 23:27:09 GMT -5
Yeah that's what I was thinking. But every now and then adds some more variety
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Post by darlene on Feb 9, 2011 3:02:07 GMT -5
I might have to see if my guys will eat some fish. That was a neat video of them eating it. I love tilapia,maybe the ferts and I will have some for dinner tomorrow,lol.
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Post by tinytippytoes on Feb 9, 2011 15:53:36 GMT -5
The fish is tilapia and yes, it was their first fish. Tonks was eating the fin off the top when I first put it in there but I don't think the other two recognized it as food right away. Once I cut away one side, they ate the rest of it, scales and all. How often do plan on feeding fish. Something I would get into once I get ferts that is! Whoops I see somebody already answered that!!
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Post by bluemoose on Feb 9, 2011 15:59:58 GMT -5
I'm thinking to make it an occasional treat, not a main part of the diet. Diets high in fish supposedly increase ferret odor (the main reason it's not recommended to get a fish based kibble for those who feed kibble). Plus fish has higher levels of mercury than other meats so feeding a lot of fish could cause a buildup of mercury in the ferret's body. Although small fish have less mercury than large fish so I plan to stick to those when I do feed fish. Also, the only fish I've been able to find are already cleaned so they're not really whole prey in that sense. Their normal diet consists of mice, rats, quail, rabbit, guinea pig, and occasionally day old chicks (although those are also more of a treat since they're not nutritionally balanced). They're all completely whole so I don't supplement any organ meats, ect. Edit: Lol yes, I did answer that above but I figured I'd give another, more detailed answer. I don't always read every post in a thread so I totally understand missing it
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Post by dookdook on Feb 10, 2011 8:31:37 GMT -5
Guinea pig hey? Do they sell such thing as "feeder pigs" or do you just purchase "pet" guinea pigs?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2011 10:19:03 GMT -5
Most people get things like that from Hare Today rather than the pet store.
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Post by bluemoose on Feb 10, 2011 12:07:31 GMT -5
Pets are way too expensive lol I get all my whole prey at rodentpro.com/ I'm not a fan of Hare Today myself. Too many of their products are ground and the one time I did order from their paltry selection of non-ground foods for the dog, the meat was all thawed by the time it got to me. Plus RodentPro has much cheaper whole prey.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2011 17:58:32 GMT -5
Whatever works ;-) I've never ordered from either, but buying from the pet store would be ridiculously expensive. Plus, you'd have to kill it yourself, which wouldn't be pleasant.
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Post by dookdook on Feb 10, 2011 19:12:55 GMT -5
OH. I was thinking feeding live guinea pig.. But that would probably be dangerous since they could harm the ferret hey?
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Post by bluemoose on Feb 10, 2011 19:35:46 GMT -5
I don't feed anything other than mice live because yes, anything larger than that could potentially harm a ferret. Plus the larger the animal, the longer it takes a ferret to kill which seems inhumane. A mouse can be killed pretty much instantly by a skilled hunter.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2011 19:38:54 GMT -5
One thing I watch with the fish is I've found fish of a certain size (like mackerel) have vertebrate that can fit over a fert's back tooth like a ring, I caught one of mine freaking out one day just gagging and coughing because the vertebrae was stuck on her tooth and she couldn't get it off on her own. Now I stick to either tiny fish like smelt where it won't be an issue, or watch for spineless scraps like salmon bellies.
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