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Post by katt on Nov 3, 2013 14:50:42 GMT -5
Were also looking into Angora ferrets from south Carolina ferrets, waiting for the kits to be born for 2014 so its just a plan right now no set date, (were going to road trip to get him/her) there isn't a difference in food needs is there?
I highly recommend AGAINST getting an angora. They are bred based on a genetic defect (angora is not a naturally occurring form) and they have a very long grocery list of expensive and life threatening health issues. You have to be able to brush them every day and clean their genitals daily. They are very prone to hairballs. They have shortened nose bridges causing very high rates and high risks for respiratory issues and are also prone to eye problems. They often have been bred to selfs, which causes several other health issues. They have compromised immune systems (aka they are prone to getting sick easily and often and will have a harder time fighting off illness once they are sick), they often have allergies, and seem to be very prone to lymphoma (very sad, very deadly). There are huge reproductive issues and very high kit mortality. It's not uncommon to breed 4 litters to get maybe 4 or 5 kits out of all the litters. They are prone to cleft noses, which causes its own set of issues... Shall I continue?
In addition to the health problems and extremely high cost of medical care and daily care that come with owning an angora, you have to consider the costs of owning a breeder ferret too. You have to consider neutering the ferret - do you have a vet who is experienced in ferret alters? Do you have the $400-$1000 for the surgery? Are you willing to let the ferret go through one reproductive cycle before neutering, and are you prepared for what that entails (the ferret will have to be housed separately from your ferrets, jills run the risk of becoming deathly anemic of you don't get them the jill jab in time, hobs smell VERY strongly and pee on everything and roll in their pee...). If you aren't going to neuter, are you prepared to pay for a Deslorelin implant every year to chemically castrate the ferrets, and still be prepared for the possibility of not being able to house it with your current babies? Oh, and they poof (like a skunk, but it clears away quicker).
I am not trying to be harsh, but it is very important to be educated and aware of these things before making a decision. Angoras have serious issues.
Also, no offense, but you already have financial difficulties; several times you have not had the money to purchase needed foods or vet bills - how are you going to pay for the angora itself, much less the vet bills for all of the health issues, and the cost of neutering and/or Des? Do you have the space and money to set up an entirely separate cage area for if/when you need to separate them? Time has also been a big problem, you have a very hectic schedule and hardly have time to come on here - are you going to have time in your schedule for the extensive daily grooming that is required for an angora? It is vital to do it daily. Again, I am not trying to be mean but these are VERY important things to consider.
Another thing to add... The breeder you are discussing has a very bad reputation - worse than ferret mills. I have heard that every angora they produce has distinct and often severe deformities, and they have very serious health issues. Not to mention a breeder, in California (where ferrets are illegal) is already a huge red flag - how are they getting medical care and check-ups and pregnancy care by a veterinarian when they are in a state in which owning ferrets is a felony? I have heard very, very bad things about that particular breeder.
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Post by katt on Nov 3, 2013 15:27:14 GMT -5
Well weve been mixing all 3, we make six 2 pound bags of wings/thighs/leg/neck chicken, chicken breast, pork chunk, and beef chunk. And every day they get half in the am, neck or thighs midday and the other half at night. There is always some left over that I have to throw out too. But I don't feel like that's right, just a gut feeling. Okay, it is best not to mix the meats like this, otherwise how can you get the proper balance? You can't monitor what they are each eating (one ferret might be eating all of the beef while another might be eating all of the chicken...one ferret could be avoiding all of the bone pieces and end up with a serious calcium deficiency). Why not separate them into meals? I use sandwich sized ziplock bags an portion everything out before putting it in the freezer. Other people use Glad tupperware. Marcellus has been weird, he lost a half a pound, but has been eating normally, and novak has a hack/cough ive been giving egg once or twice a week cause he has been licking a lot so I assumed furballs. No change in there activity there as playful as ever, bubby beats up the cat (playfully, nothing worrysome) and novak is so bottom heavy you should see him run lol. Marcellus is playful and bouncy but seems thin in the hips, and hes got an obsession with ramen noodles, he rips my packages off the shelfs! lol How old is Marcellus again? Could he be adrenal? What do his poops look like? I would consider getting him checked by a vet. Hollowing out behind the hips is commonly seen in IBD, adrenal, and other health issues that can be very subtle in their symptoms. The weight loss is concerning, ferrets are good at hiding their illness so any symptom that shows is often a sign of something more serious going on. Half a pound is a LOT for a ferret. Are you sure he is eating? Is he eating everything (meat, bones, liver, heart)? Is his fur thinning at all? Has he shown any signs of sexual aggression or being more aggressive or enthusiastic than normal in play? Can you catch him pooping so you can see what his poop look like? kniffins closed so its hare today and grocery store meat now. But heres my idea of what I think would work. this is what were ordering from hare today on Monday (4th) Rabbit Chunks [small pieces
Beef Kidney, 2 lb Beef Lung, 2 lbs Rabbit Organs, 2 lb Duck Pieces 3 lbs Duck Pieces Ground Chicken Feet, 1 lb Chicken Necks, 2 lbs Adult Quail, 8 per bag Whole Carcass Ground Cavies, 1 lb.
Duck Hearts, 2 lbs Plus whatever I can get from the grocery store so chicken, pork, and beef
For a menu I wanna incorporate all of these, they seem to be getting fed up with the same ol same ol :/ Is that even possible?! haha
Yes, they can get tired of the same old. This is another reason why alternating meals instead of mixing them all together is good. Sunday- am: duck heart pm: 1/2 chicken liver, 1/2 beef kidney and lung mix
Monday- am-rabbit chunks pm- ground cavies (this includes bone in it does this count as edible bone?)
tuesday- am- 1/2 chicken heart 1/2 chicken liver pm- chicken necks
Wednesday- am- duck pieces pm- quail (bone in)
Thursday- am- chicken wings pm- pork bits
Friday- am- chicken or quail bone in either leg thigh pm- rabbit chunks
Saturday- am- ground chicken feet/ beef chunks pm- duck or rabbit chunks A very good start to a menu. Good job. Do the rabbit chunks have bone? What about the duck chunks? If not, then you do not have enough bone in the menu. The ground cavy and feet do count as bone-in, yes. Be aware that the Cavy may be heavy on the hair and need to be diluted with another meat (it may not be, but I know their ground rabbit is very hair heavy and fed on its own can cause constipation). IF you could clarify for me which meals have bone and which do not, I can give you a better idea on your balance. The heart and organ balance looks fantastic. For the ground cavi and feet these include bone but does this count as bone in meal? They haven't quite mastered the whole wing yet, were also going to be buying feeder mice and hopefully moving up to rats. The mice we can feed live to novak he kills them quickly and efficiently, Marcellus is so-so he kills them but not as quick yet he gets confused as to where to bite and got nipped once :x so we haven't tried since then. Bubby im not sure, but I have faith lol the rats will always be pre euthanized there to big of prey and im not risking my babies lives or faces. Im trying to find more bone in meats, but the hare today website is limited.They aren't eating whole wings yet? What do you mean? Last you told me they were handling whole bones well. Are they not eating the wings, not finishing the bone, or what is the problem they are having with it? If I know better what exactly they are having trouble with I can give you better info on how to approach it. How do they do with necks? Mice are fantastic to feed. Rats though should never EVER be fed live, so that is good that they will be pre-euthanized. Hare today actually has a decent selection of bone-in meats, perhaps you are looking at the wrong page? Almost all of their grinds have a bone-in option, and they offer stuff like rabbit pieces (bone-in), rabbit heads, duck necks, whole quail, etc. If you are going to be purchasing whole prey also, you may want to check out rodentpro.com. Like HareToday though you have to order a LOT to make the shipping worth it, but their prices are good per prey animal.
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Post by katt on Nov 3, 2013 15:43:22 GMT -5
For the HareToday, please let me know for sure when you order it. Also, are you going to be able to afford to continue ordering through them? What meats are available at your grocery store? I am concerned about you being able to have continuous access to the meats they need if you can't order from Hare Today on a very regular basis. Finances and cost of shipping have been repeated issues, are you going to be able to always have a stock in your freezer from HT and always order when you are getting low? This is very important to know, as well as what is available locally. What happened to the butcher you mentioned a while back? What can you get from them?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2013 16:15:20 GMT -5
whoa, well I spent over 2 hours talking to this woman yesterday, she lets the ferrets cycle then fixes them before selling, the price for fixing and desecenting is included in what you pay. She is also from Carolina, not California she had quite the drawl haha. We discussed temperament and needs, overall being in new England no matter what ferret we decide to buy its going to be either a Marshall farms, or have to order from another state private breeder. We discussed them being around and with our boys and she has a few references from people who have boughten angoras. I do realize they can have health issues, but so can our boys. It's a chance were willing to take, as for the brushing and hair care, I can handle that if I have time to brush my own hair and the cats hair, I can make time for him or her lol. I do appreciate your knowledge and opinion and will take that with me when it comes to deciding next spring, like I said its just an idea right now. Im also starting to think we should incorporate a high quality kibble again. Im not feeling secure in this raw diet with the boys, they eat the wing tip but idk who is and nobody is going for the middle bone smashed or not. Every time I feed liver, they all get black poop and severe gas, even if I space it thru the day its awful and smelly. Were financially stable as of right now, I got my pay raise and stipen, and payed off a few bills so weve been stable in that sense. I agree, Haretoday is a wonderful sight but expensive in the long run. Were down to nothing now that kniffins closed, the other butcher is basic chicken pork beef, they don't save anything they couldn't sell and feed to people, and there overpriced.
I don't know what were going to do, but im going to sit with aric and we will decide what the next step should be. I wanted the boys on all raw in the beginning. But now that I see its expensive and difficult I just don't know anymore. Id like to keep some raw in there for variety and because they do enjoy it most days, but maybe substitute with a kibble so I know there getting the taurine and other nutrients I seem to be screwing up.
Marcellus is about 4 or 5 we bought him off craigslist last November and they said he was about 3 1/2 4, ill call the vet in scarborough she specializes in ferrets and see what she recommends and let you know. And ill be back on tomorrow to let you know what weve decided.
The only bone in meats I found were in ground and like llama bones and whatnot, the rabbit is just chunks and I don't even know if the boys would eat it.
This week there eating beef, chicken thigh, and turkey leg. Im starting to get urked by the idea of all the parasites in pork, and toxoplasmosis in mice.. Im getting a lot of mixed information like some say its ok to feed raw and raw bone, others say cooked bone is fine. Some say mice are not a good idea, yet you say its excellent. Im not sure what to do with all this ! haha.
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Post by katt on Nov 4, 2013 18:00:54 GMT -5
I just wrote a very long post and it got deleted. I'll sum it up, but I am low on time. RE the angoras put it this way. A long time rescuer of ferrets (has been in rescue for over 20 years) who takes in many severe cases, works closely with breeders, and HATES Marshall's Farm said they would rather buy a Marshalls kit than an angora, especially from that breeder. It is your choice, but it is important to be fully informed. I am just passing the info on. That is all. Im also starting to think we should incorporate a high quality kibble again. Im not feeling secure in this raw diet with the boys, they eat the wing tip but idk who is and nobody is going for the middle bone smashed or not. Every time I feed liver, they all get black poop and severe gas, even if I space it thru the day its awful and smelly. Were financially stable as of right now, I got my pay raise and stipen, and payed off a few bills so weve been stable in that sense. I agree, Haretoday is a wonderful sight but expensive in the long run. Were down to nothing now that kniffins closed, the other butcher is basic chicken pork beef, they don't save anything they couldn't sell and feed to people, and there overpriced. Livers poops are SUPPOSED to be dark and slimy. By strethcing out their liver across the day, you are simply prolonging those poops. Feed a single organ meal, and follow it up with a bone meal. By the time they finish digesting the liver the poops will clear up. You HAVE your three proteins. There is nothing wrong with feeding a diet of chicken, pork, and beef. As long as you can give them a full meal of organ (preferably a meal and a half) and a meal and a half of heart (OR 500mg per ferret daily of taurine), and 7-9 bone in meals (chicken), then you are solid. The reason they aren't eating bones is a) you are mixing it with other boneless meats and ferrets are lazy - why eat bone when they can not eat it?, b) you need to give them more time to learn how to eat it - meaning you need to Hand Feed the bone chunks until they start eating them on their own, like I said before. I don't know what were going to do, but im going to sit with aric and we will decide what the next step should be. I wanted the boys on all raw in the beginning. But now that I see its expensive and difficult I just don't know anymore. Id like to keep some raw in there for variety and because they do enjoy it most days, but maybe substitute with a kibble so I know there getting the taurine and other nutrients I seem to be screwing up. No one said you are screwing up, not sure where you got that idea. I cannot recommend feeding a diet of kibble and raw. Kibble causes insulinoma. Kibble and raw digest at different rates and can cause serious GI upset if fed too closely together. SOME raw is better than none, but you need to separate raw and kibble meals by a few hours. Is it more expensive? Not if you buy in bulk - buy a whole chicken instead of a pack of wings, buy discount meat - it's perfectly fine for ferrets. And not compared to the health bills. Insulinoma and dental cleanings are far more expensive than meat. Is it difficult? Sure. We have a disclaimer on the mentoring program sign up for a reason. But you are ALREADY PAST THE HARD PART. You are THERE - why give up now? It is your choice, feeding raw is not for everyone. But I don't understand why you would come all this way and just give up when you are already there. All that is left is to make sure their diet is balanced and push them a bit on the bone. That's it. You are all but done. Marcellus is about 4 or 5 we bought him off craigslist last November and they said he was about 3 1/2 4, ill call the vet in scarborough she specializes in ferrets and see what she recommends and let you know. And ill be back on tomorrow to let you know what weve decided. He is the right age for adrenal. I suggest doing a Lupron trial to see if it helps him. The only bone in meats I found were in ground and like llama bones and whatnot, the rabbit is just chunks and I don't even know if the boys would eat it.Ground bone is just fine. Not as good for the teeth, but fine for their diet. Not sure why they would have any problem with rabbit chunks when they eat chicken, beef, pork, and turkey chunks just fine. You just have to get them used to the new taste. Same with any new meat. This week there eating beef, chicken thigh, and turkey leg. See? You have FOUR proteins there, that is more than the minimum 3 right there. I really don't see what the problem is? There is NOTHING wrong with a diet of beef, chicken, and pork. And when you can toss in some turkey or other meats if/when you find them. Im starting to get urked by the idea of all the parasites in pork, and toxoplasmosis in mice.. Im getting a lot of mixed information like some say its ok to feed raw and raw bone, others say cooked bone is fine. Some say mice are not a good idea, yet you say its excellent. Im not sure what to do with all this ! haha.Whoever say cooked bone is fine is an idiot. Sorry, but it is true. Raw bone is FINE to feed. Raw bone breaks and is smoothed by their stomach acids, it acts as a brush that cleans and stiumlates the intestines. Cooked bone SPLINTERS and is extremely dangerous. You do not need to worry about parasites unless a meat has been recalled. For one, if you are buying meat made for human consumption it is VERY closely regulated by the FDA - foods used to make kibble on the other hand are not at all well regulated. Pork is perfectly safe, ages ago there were issues that have LONG since been resolved - if anything pork is safer than other meats because the FDA has cracked down so hard and very, very closely monitors pork production. WHY would mice not be good? What do you think they eat in the wild? They are meant to eat whole prey, it's what they do... Read around the forum. We have TONS of supporting data for all of this. Scientific articles, articles from Bob Church the Nation's LEADING ferret expert, info from vets... If you can't believe all of that, then I don't know what else to tell you.
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Post by katt on Nov 4, 2013 18:14:36 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2013 0:00:34 GMT -5
Just pointing out, but Angora ferrets are way more trouble then they're worth. Better sticking with Marshall ferrets, THAT is how bad they are in health.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2013 10:23:44 GMT -5
thank you, I have to get in touch with the vet. Ive been out straight the past few weeks. Well they wont touch turkey I left a bowl of bits in there twice this week and they wont touch it. Its going to be hard to find heart now that kniffins closed. Ive been giving them there usual raw during the day and at night when there out and playing I leave kibble, because they keep hiding meat all over my house and I find it weeks later all green and stuck to the floor.
I also found those tiny chickens, the whole ones at a super Walmart, thawing it out now and gonna try that out. I do want to keep them on raw, but its so mentally frusterating! I constantly feel like im doing something wrong and it drives me nuts! Ill probably order a little less from haretoday, just what I NEED and purchase the rest local. I found duck to at that superwalmart but its 16 bucks a bird..
Id like to keep it to chicken, duck, venison, sometimes beef and then heart liver cavi and probably another organ
Im going to sit down with aric tonight, come up with a solid plan and be back on ASAP
Thank you guys
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2013 14:02:30 GMT -5
Ok we are going to continue with raw, we have come along way and would be foolish to turn back now. Im placing a small order with haretoday for organ, cavi ground and a few other items like heart and liver since there so hard to find here, and I can continue buying chicken and such at the grocery.
Thank you guys for all your information I finally got internet coming to the house, so I will be going over some of those websites you sent to get a better feel on things, and calm my nerves lol
Friday I will send some pics of the boys, weights, and another worked out menu adding a few more days of bone particularly after liver (:
talk to you soon!
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Post by katt on Nov 15, 2013 1:52:47 GMT -5
Ok we are going to continue with raw, we have come along way and would be foolish to turn back now. Im placing a small order with haretoday for organ, cavi ground and a few other items like heart and liver since there so hard to find here, and I can continue buying chicken and such at the grocery. Thank you guys for all your information I finally got internet coming to the house, so I will be going over some of those websites you sent to get a better feel on things, and calm my nerves lol Friday I will send some pics of the boys, weights, and another worked out menu adding a few more days of bone particularly after liver (: talk to you soon! I am glad to hear that you have decided to continue. Raw diet really is the best thing that you can do for your ferrets. I will check for your update tomorrow.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2013 12:07:08 GMT -5
Hellllo,
So im ordering today from haretoday lol but in the mean time there eating cubed chicken pork and beef (all separated this time) chicken feet marrow from these pork bones we got, and another Cornish game hen.
Marcellus is 2.5 pounds, playful as ever still a little thin in the hips but not as prominent as before. Still have to call the vet, just been out straight as usual. Doesn't seem to give the time of day to the cat
Bubby is like 3 lines over 2.5 pounds ( I cant read numbers for crap lol) not quite 3 pounds, a bully to poor zed lol he chases her all over the place and muckles ahold of her scruff like he would to novak or Marcellus, they don't mind but zed gets fed up and stays up high on her cat tree hahaha. VERY smart has learned to open cupboards (and of course taught the other 2) wont stay out of my Tupperware haha
Novak is as big as ever, a line over 3 pounds, when he runs its obnoxious hahahah active he loves gunnin it from one side of the room to the other trying to get you to chase him (: Also loves zed<3 he kisses her and chases her daww its so cute lol
I cant get pictures on from work computer so those will have to wait very sorry!
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Post by katt on Nov 17, 2013 0:09:45 GMT -5
Good! How big of bone pieces will they eat right now? What organs are they getting right now (and how much)? How much heart are they getting right now? How old is Marcellus again? Could he be adrenal? The other two sound like they are doing great.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2013 14:41:01 GMT -5
How old is Marcellus again?
hes either 3 1/2 or 4 we got him this time last year and they thought he was either 3 or 4 they didn't know. He isn't acting weird but I saw these poos 2x now that look like wet cat litter, completely liquid with little clumpy bits but idk who in the world it is and haven't seen it since last week nobody is eating or playing any different either. Last night Marcellus was eating a chicken leg, and a chunk of marrow or bone wedged over his tooth, he yelped something fierce and we ran over had to pry his mouth open and pick it off he went and laid down after and licked his lips a lot, there was no blood or broken tooth but I think he scared himself. Bubby and novak like chicken feet lol, its really eerie seeing them carry around a foot in there mouth! I haven't seen Marcellus try any yet I offered it but he liked the leg better, even though it bit back this time haha How big of bone pieces will they eat right now? Well Marcellus can tackle a leg, and both bubby and novak can handle feet, when I give them wing they eat the tip of it but I always find the thick lower part tucked away under the stove or bureau. I ordered necks and ground cavi from hare today, necks I know they like and can eat, but novak I had to dig a neck bone out of his throat once I got scared and haven't fed them neck in a while. I gave them a marrow bone to mess with when I had to work all day, they didn't touch it much, didn't even dig the marrow out. The cavi im gonna mix with a little bit of ground chicken or something to get them used to it. That has bone just not whole OH and they eat the entire Cornish game hen as long as I cut it in half and cut the legs and wings off and open the bird up. I still also save eggshells for emergency Organs?Chicken heart and liver is it so far. I ordered rabbit organs, and beef liver they wont even go near it I just ran out of heart but I have liver my order will be here this week sometime and we have taurine pills for back up. They usually get a meal of heart a week and if they have Cornish hen they get the organs from the bag too. So like Monday ill do pork chunks before work and heart after work, and Thursday before school liver and before you told me bone in will help with the liquid poo after school they were getting chicken chunks or beef chunks but after going over a menu with you I changed to liver a meal and a half so I just add liver to another dinner with a leg or wings A friend of ours just got a boatload of deer,moose, and bear there gonna sell me some and hopefully where they bought from have organs I can have, otherwise ill just keep with hare today. We checked the trans market and they don't have organs, just duck for 14.99 which I don't mind doing once and a while. Can they have goats milk?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2013 14:44:06 GMT -5
Oh and I ordered whole quail too, not the hatchlings like I planned but the bird bird
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Post by katt on Nov 18, 2013 17:35:13 GMT -5
hes either 3 1/2 or 4 we got him this time last year and they thought he was either 3 or 4 they didn't know. He isn't acting weird but I saw these poos 2x now that look like wet cat litter, completely liquid with little clumpy bits but idk who in the world it is and haven't seen it since last week nobody is eating or playing any different either.
Last night Marcellus was eating a chicken leg, and a chunk of marrow or bone wedged over his tooth, he yelped something fierce and we ran over had to pry his mouth open and pick it off he went and laid down after and licked his lips a lot, there was no blood or broken tooth but I think he scared himself. Bubby and novak like chicken feet lol, its really eerie seeing them carry around a foot in there mouth! I haven't seen Marcellus try any yet I offered it but he liked the leg better, even though it bit back this time hahaIs he adrenal? He is the right age and with the weight loss it would be worth doing a trial of Lupron of getting a Des implant. Well Marcellus can tackle a leg, and both bubby and novak can handle feet, when I give them wing they eat the tip of it but I always find the thick lower part tucked away under the stove or bureau. I ordered necks and ground cavi from hare today, necks I know they like and can eat, but novak I had to dig a neck bone out of his throat once I got scared and haven't fed them neck in a while. I gave them a marrow bone to mess with when I had to work all day, they didn't touch it much, didn't even dig the marrow out. The cavi im gonna mix with a little bit of ground chicken or something to get them used to it. That has bone just not whole OH and they eat the entire Cornish game hen as long as I cut it in half and cut the legs and wings off and open the bird up. I still also save eggshells for emergencyIt sounds like they are doing great with bone. A leg bone is very big, most ferrets can't eat it without having it broken up a bit first so if Marcellus is eating leg bones that is fantastic! Also, if they are eating the feet then they are eating bones plenty big enough. Perhaps they don't like the wing bone or are being lazy since they have access to the smaller tip. Just break up the larger wing bone a little bit (one good whack with a hammer should do plenty - it doesn't have to be pulverized, just broken once to give them more of a starting point). If they still aren't eating it, but are eating the feet/legs I really wouldn't worry. If they are eating chicken feet and legs they are clearly handling bones fine. As for marrow bones, you will probably have better luck scraping the marrow out yourself and putting it on their food or in a bowl. They are usually pretty good about getting stuck pieces out. Just like we sometimes get food stuck in our teeth, they do the same. If you are around to help them, great, but they usually do well at scratching it out on their own. Sometimes they do need help though. Just remember that choking on kibble is FAR more common and FAR, FAR more risky/deadly than any choking on raw. Chicken heart and liver is it so far. I ordered rabbit organs, and beef liver they wont even go near it I just ran out of heart but I have liver my order will be here this week sometime and we have taurine pills for back up. They usually get a meal of heart a week and if they have Cornish hen they get the organs from the bag too. So like Monday ill do pork chunks before work and heart after work, and Thursday before school liver and before you told me bone in will help with the liquid poo after school they were getting chicken chunks or beef chunks but after going over a menu with you I changed to liver a meal and a half so I just add liver to another dinner with a leg or wingsI really don't know WHY you were freaking out. You have a great variety right there. Chicken, pork, beef, Cornish Game Hen, and you have previously mentioned turkey - right there you have FIVE different proteins. You have heart, and organs. The rabbit organ will help fill in some of the gaps since you have a hard time finding organs other than liver. Anything else on top of that is just a bonus. You HAVE the required minimum and then some! A friend of ours just got a boatload of deer,moose, and bear there gonna sell me some and hopefully where they bought from have organs I can have, otherwise ill just keep with hare today. We checked the trans market and they don't have organs, just duck for 14.99 which I don't mind doing once and a while.I buy duck and it costs me about $20 for a small duck. $15 isn't too bad. I buy a whole duck and then spread it out over several months. That way they still get that extra variety, but I'm not feeding them a ton of the more expensive meats. The moose and deer will be fantastic - my boys LOVE moose meat and they go nuts for caribou. The bear will be interesting, you'll have to let me know how they like it. Can they have goats milk?No. Ferrets are lactose intolerant. Feeding milk is an old, outdated habit from back before people knew better and was/is primarily used to help them gain weight. IF you are going to feed milk, a small amount of goat milk is tolerated best. A small amount won't kill them; however, ferrets are lactose intolerant and feeding ANY type of milk can cause tummy upsets and diarrhea. They don't need it, it isn't a natural part of their diet, and it really isn't very good for them so IMO why give it? Whatever you do, do NOT feed lactose-free milk though as it has a lot of sugar and is very bad for them. This article explains it all in more depth if you are interested: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/13367/why-ferrets-get-milk-kindIf you are looking for a fattening effect feed more fat-heavy meats: pork, duck, and SKIN (chicken skin etc all has a layer of fat). Pick the fattier cuts of meat when you shop (these are usually cheaper too since us humans usually don't want the fat), buy fatty beef instead of lean beef. If you cook meat for yourselves, trim the fat and give it to the ferrets, etc.
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