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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2013 23:24:56 GMT -5
Its nature's vatriety raw instict it has bone organ and muscle meat well good news rose and smokey both chowed down on wing tips I cut up before making dinner for us Bandit chewed a bit but didn't actually eat it
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Post by bitbyter on Nov 17, 2013 9:28:38 GMT -5
(dance) He'll come around. It will just take time. If you look below, this is how my other mentee's outline what they are eating and their weights. The amount they eat is twice a week and the weekly ferret weights just add on to the end so it is easy to see any fluctuation. For yours, you can just add how much of what they are eating as a group if you feel they are all getting equal amounts.
Ziva & Janie:
November 4th: Jane: 2 ounces of CGH (Bone) Ziva: 2 ounces of CGH (Bone)
November 5th: Jane: 2 ounces of Chicken Leg Quarters (Bone) Ziva: 2 ounces of Chicken Leg Quarters (Bone)
November 6th: Ziva: 2 ounces of Chicken Livers (No Bone) + 1 ounce Pork Kidney (No Bone) Jane: 2 ounces of Chicken Livers (No Bone) + 1 ounce Pork Kidney (No Bone)
November 7th: Ziva: 2 ounces of Chicken Leg Quarters (Bone) Jane: 2 ounces of Chicken Leg Quarters (Bone)
November 8th: Jane: 2 ounces of Turkey Wings (Bone) Ziva: 2 ounces of Turkey Wings (Bone)
November 9th: Ziva: 2 ounces of Chicken Hearts (No Bone) Jane: 2 ounces of Chicken Hearts (No Bone)
November 10th: Ziva: 2 ounces of Duck Breast Meat (No Bone) Jane: 2 ounces of Duck Breast Meat (No Bone)
Weights:
Jane: 737 g (25.9 oz) / 737g (25.9 oz) / 760g (28.80 oz) / 730 g (25.75 oz) / 750g (26.45 oz) / 760g (26.8 oz) / 774g (27.3 oz) / 802 g (28.2 oz) / 811 (28.6) / 794g (28 oz) / 27.5 ounces / 28.3 ounces / 28.2 ounces / 29.3 ounces / 29.1 ounces / 30.4 ounces / 29.9 ounces / 30 ounces / 29.8 ounces / 30.1 ounces / 29.8 ounces / 30 ounces
Ziva: 899g (31.7 oz) / 910g (32 oz) / 921 g (32.48 oz) / 910g (32 oz) / 910 (32 oz) / 910g (32 oz) / 890g (31.3 oz) / 910 g (32 oz) / 927 (32.6 oz) / 848 (29.9 oz) / 29.5 ounces / 30.1 ounces / 30.4 ounces / 31.4 ounces / 32.5 ounces / 32.9 ounces / 33.3 ounces / 34 ounces / 34 ounces / 34.3 ounces / 34.2 ounces / 34.3 ounces
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2013 17:52:55 GMT -5
ok im just waiting for my fiance to get home from work they squirm a lot and refuse to sit still to get weighed so i need his help to keep them in the bowl so i can get weights as accurate as possible. and just to clarify you only need weight once a week right?
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Post by bitbyter on Nov 17, 2013 19:05:11 GMT -5
yep, once a week. Put a treat in the bottom of the bowl. They'll usually sit still then.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2013 23:49:04 GMT -5
ok so today we did weights Smokey 2 lbs 10 oz Bandit 2 lbs 9 oz Rose 1 lb 9.5 oz
food: Nov 16: 13 oz beef and organ/commercial plus a handful of wingtips (we were at my mother in laws house i didnt have a scale for the wing tips)
Nov 17: 10 oz commercial/ beef and organ
Nov 18: 8 oz beef/organ 4 oz pork organ and wing tips/organ they are not finished with the pork and wing tips mixture i normally count it in the morning when i get up for work since they eat at night but i figured i would post now with their weights and add whatever else they eat tonight to my next post or i can post it tomorrow before work
they are officially all on chunks there muscle meat is about an inch cube give or take wing tips are about 1/2 inch chunks organs are mostly about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch
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Post by bitbyter on Nov 20, 2013 10:29:57 GMT -5
Ok, keep this in mind. Ferrets use their front teeth for killing and tearing their prey (long pointy teeth). Their "molars" or side teeth are more like the serrations on a pair of serrated shears. Their top back teeth sit just outside their bottom back teeth. Therefore they work like scissors.
This means that they have to be able to work the meat around to the sides of their mouths to cut off pieces. Long narrow pieces of meat work better than pieces that are roundish or square in shape (my girls will often just ignore them).
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Post by bitbyter on Nov 21, 2013 11:32:10 GMT -5
Update? How are things going?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2013 10:22:30 GMT -5
Doing good they all ate Cornish hen last night my numbers for the pay few days are at home I get out early today so ill update numbers then. I do have a question though right now im still adding eggshell powder to most of there meals they are eating bone in meat chicken wing tips and the Cornish hens but I still want them to have variety in there meat (and my wing tips went bad really fast for some reason) we are going to an Asian market tomorrow I know that they have chicken feet is that ok to feed them,also what other types can I look for
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2013 19:49:09 GMT -5
Nov. 19: 14 Oz beef Nov 20: 12 oz. pork Nov 21: 8oz beef 7 Oz Cornish hen
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Post by bitbyter on Nov 22, 2013 20:18:45 GMT -5
Still all boneless? What size / consistency is it (if you list those as well it helps me keep track of where they are in the switch).
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2013 11:55:36 GMT -5
Sizes are a little bigger but I did make them long and skinny vs chunks Cornish hen is bone in the rest are boneless so I've been adding eggshell powder to it going to Asian market today to try to find more binge in what are good things to look for?
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Post by bitbyter on Nov 23, 2013 13:09:25 GMT -5
quail are a great size for bone in meats. They are usually in the frozen section.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2013 15:34:00 GMT -5
Well we couldnt find quail but I picked up quail eggs, rabbit, duck, chicken feet, pork neck bones and pork belly. What would be a good feeding schedule like how many bone in meals if I feed twice a day? how much bone/ organ/ muscle meat? And how do,i calculate The bone i know its a percent but is it percent of bone in meat or just bone? Now that they're eating a lot of different meats and bones i want to try and get them,on The best schedule to make, sure they are balanced
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Post by bitbyter on Nov 23, 2013 20:32:30 GMT -5
Below is an example of a standard Franken Prey diet. All amounts are based on how much your ferret eats in a day (by weight). Also, be aware that this daily meal weight will vary depending on the season. High in the fall and winter, low in the spring and summer (if your ferrets seasons are correct). To determine your ferrets current daily meal weight, weigh the food you give them, then weigh any leftovers (including stashes) and the difference is what they ate that day. Do this for a week and you should have a pretty good idea of their daily food amounts.
Monday am: edible bone in meat Monday pm: edible bone in meat Tuesday am: edible bone in meat Tuesday pm: muscle meat Wednesday am: edible bone in meat Wednesday pm: heart (counts as a muscle meat) Thursday am: edible bone in meat Thursday pm: edible bone in meat (Optional: Use whole fish instead) Friday am: edible bone in meat Friday pm: muscle meat Saturday am: edible bone in meat Saturday pm: ½ heart & ½ muscle dark meat Sunday am: edible bone in meat Sunday pm: ½ liver + ½ other organ General Diet Notes: fatty meat is better than lean, dark meat is better than light. This means that breast meat from poultry is generally not a great choice (there are better options).
Edible Bone In Meat: We phrase it specifically this way to avoid confusion. To be considered edible bone, it must consist of bones that a ferret can actually consume. Most bones from hooved animals are not considered edible because a ferrets jaws are not strong enough to break it into pieces small enough to swallow. Meat is mentioned because the intention is to not just feed bones but meat with bones in it.
Some examples are: any bone in Chicken (thighs, neck, wings, frames, etc), quail, rabbit, turkey (necks, ribs, and wing tips, other bones are to hard), duck (neck, ribs, and wing tips), cornish game hen, pork tails, pork riblets (also called rib ends), etc.
NOTE: NEVER FEED COOKED BONES!! Cooking bones changes their structure and makes them extremely dangerous for an animal to consume. NOTE: Try to limit chicken wings and frames to two or three meals a week. They are great sources of bone but are low in other nutrients (such as taurine). Whole Fish: Fish is an optional bone in meat choice that is very nutritious for your ferret. Some suggested types would be canned Sardines packed in water (with nothing else added), Whole fresh Sardines, Whole Fresh Mackerel, Fresh Wild Salmon (bone in), Fresh Herring, etc. Oily fish are generally better than non-oily.
Muscle Meat: is exactly that. Any non-bone in meat that you can get your hands on that doesn't have any added salt (saline), enhancements (usually refers to added salt) or smoked meats.
Some examples are: Chicken (gizzards are a favorite), turkey, duck, lamb, goat, beef, Cornish game hen, venison, elk, rabbit, etc.
Muscle Dark Meat: Dark meat is not wholly based on colour. Generally dark meat refers to any muscle that performs repetitive motions for long periods of time. Heart falls into this category (is not considered an organ) and is absolutely necessary for your ferrets health. Heart is very high in Taurine (as are most dark muscle meats) a vital nutrient that is required for their health (ensures eye and heart health). Do not substitute Heart for any other meat unless you have real world numbers on taurine of various meat types.
Some examples are: any heart meat, beef tongue, leg meats. Various organs are high in taurine as well but we won’t mention them here for the sake of simplicity.
Organs: are necessary to maintain your ferrets health. Organs usually require some work during the switch to convince your ferrets to eat them but they absolutely MUST be part of their diet to remain healthy.
Some examples are: Liver, kidney, thymus, pancreas, testicles, lung*, stomach**, gall bladder, brain, spleen (most ferrets hate spleen), uterus, etc.
*Lungs are not technically an “organ” as far as diet are concerned because they don’t excrete. However, they are high enough in various other nutrients (especially iron & taurine) that they are beneficial enough to be included as an organ. **Cow’s Stomach is also known as “Tripe” and it comes in two forms. “Dressed” tripe is washed and limited in nutritional value. “Green” tripe includes some of the animals stomach contents. It is highly nutritious but smells horrendous and most ferrets won’t eat it (typically most dog’s love it). Pig’s stomach is also sometimes called “Paunch” and is fine to feed as an organ. Chitterlings (pork intestine) has similar nutritional value to Dressed Tripe. Fat: is an important part of a carnivore’s diet as it is their major source of energy. Generally it is a good idea to always choose fatter rather than leaner cuts of meat when purchasing (you might have to trim up pork belly a bit as it is so fatty). Also, for poultry, always leave the skin on as it is a major source of fat. Make sure to cut the skin into small pieces as sometimes greedy ferrets can bolt a long piece of skin and end up vomiting it back up.
A Note On Variety: Variety in a raw diet is extremely important for a number of reasons. The first is to ensure the greatest range of nutrient levels (different animals have different nutrient concentrations). The second is to ensure your ferrets have a flexible palate. By feeding a variety of meats, they get used to a wide range of tastes and you won’t run into any feeding issues if one of your sources dry up or you get short changed on an order (or it is delayed) and have to use something else as a stopgap.
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Post by bitbyter on Nov 23, 2013 20:37:19 GMT -5
Rabbit is a great bone in meat as is Cornish Game Hen. Chicken wings work as well. Right now you have two growing kits and they are all gearing up for their first winter so they are eating like pigs (they usually put on more weight for the first first winter than any other). Just to let you know they will probably not eat this much in the long run. BTW we still need to establish their individual weights.
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