any tricks to getting my ferrets to eat quail

[msav]

I bought some whole quail (10 week old) My ferrets won't touch it 


I think i may have wasted money on this quail, They also don't like frogs legs either I am not surprised of that though.  They love game hen they love chicken They love duck I thought for sure they would like the Quail. I also bought some 10 week old whole chicken I fear they probably won't like it either. 

I even poured rabbit juice on it and they sniffed it and did not touch it.  

I then put the rabbit in the cage and they went crazy over it, So I know they were hungry. 

any suggestions or am I doomed to giving my ferrets a life without quail. 

[Deleted]

have you plucked it? mine didn't care for it at first either, but once it was naked, they loved it...

[msav]

I cut it open down the center and exposed the breast meat and the organs. I semi plucked it, and exposed the breast first and they still did not touch it. The quail even had a egg in her and they did not even want the egg.

[Deleted]

mine seem picky about egg, they like it in soup and alone, but if i coat meat in it, they turn away. maybe they don't like having egg on thier face and when they are ripping into meat, the sticky stuff gets all over them.

or does having egg on meat cut into the air exposure time? and does cutting it in half cut down on the 24 hr exposure allowed for whole prey?

really, my two didn't care for the quail till i plucked it and it was in thier cage for over 12hrs. also, think i read somewhere that hanging/resting fowl was an advance culinary preparation technique...

[msav]

you may have something there. as they have no problem stashing the quail. The egg was complete inside the quail. when I cut into the breast of the quail the egg popped out. It did not break open.

I will let it set out for a while and see if there is any interest after a few more hours.

[goingpostal]

I find the largest quail are less popular, I only have two ferrets so if I give a 10 week old quail I chop it in half, give a piece to each. Usually takes them an entire day (24 hours) to eat their half. I don't usually pluck them but it's fairly easy to skin if you need and that entices some. Mine have never touched the eggs in the quail, they always leave them behind.

[Sherry]

You may also have to introduce it as a new meat if they've not had it before. Best bet is going to likely be slivering some up and mixing it in well with another meat. As they accept that, just keep increasing amount as size, like with the initial switch.

[msav]

I actually have not been through an forced initial switch yet. almost everything i have given them they have accepted.perhaps they are getting older and more finicky. I think they are also getting lazy, If I give them some meat like oxtail that they have to work really hard to get the meat off they don't eat much.

[Sherry]

They are getting lazy the brats I think you are going to have to start making all their meals more difficult for a while

[msav]

Well that quail was a waste. The never did eat any of it. They sure stashed it in several places.

The next quail I will cut up and maybe mix it with something they like.

I have never fed them ground meat. It seems to me that is would not be as beneficial as being able to tear at the meat. I may try it so I don't have to waste the quail I bought

[Deleted]

on a slightly more possitive note, why would they stash it if they didn't want it all?

[msav]

yep. That is definitely positive, And that is why I left it out for them for over 24 hours. It had to go after that.

[msav]

Update:

They now eat quail. I just semi pluck and toss it in the cage whole. They ate everything but the crop and the beak.


I guess it is an acquired taste that they don't appreciate until they are older