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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 15:02:40 GMT -5
Just a few more things that I have gotten clarification on. Teeth. What the other mentors are saying is to just keep a close eye on them. With some commercial grinds they tend to stick to teeth worse than others (they didn't give me any examples...) so I think if we can get a BI a few times a week, intro of gizzards, and then with the mice and all we should be ok, HOWEVER always keep an eye. If you fee like they are getting some build up, it would probably be best to add in a weekly, or maybe bi-weekly, brushing routine. Also, I almost forgot about a weekly update. I know we will communicate more often than that, but it would be helpful to have a weekly log to keep track of them both, here is the basic guidelines we mentors like to use: 1. Ferret's name: 2. Ferret's weight: 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. 4. Stools on various proteins. 5. Activity levels: Some of these can be approx (except the weight) like with average daily intake. And as long as you are comfortable with knowing what is normal in stools, you can just give an average there too. Feel free to post pics of anything! Poos, meals, etc, sometimes a visual is easier to address. Also a Weekly menu of what both boys are eating. This is usually done for the NEXT week, but if it is easier to do it for the previous week, what they eaten, that's fine too. We have wiggly room to make adjustments. We also like to see a pic of them at least every couple weeks to make sure they are keeping a healthy weight. You can more often if you have concerns. Here are some examples of the pics that are helpful: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/4342/type-picture-new-switchesI hope I have answered all of your questions so far! It's a lot of info at first, but once it becomes routine it will be easy!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 16:49:06 GMT -5
Freezer space does make a difference unfortunately in getting things in bulk at a good price. Is this something you are going to look into in the future? It's not a requirement, but makes life a whole lot easier! The great thing about the minces is that it is essentially a balance meal, as if they are catching a live mouse/bird in the wild, as far as balance. The only difference is you may need to add some kind of bone supplement to adjust to more runny poops. You can use both egg shell or bone meal to repair loose stools due to switching. I was told that sometimes the ferret does need a higher bone, because many commercial grinds are geared to cats and cats get very constipated on the amount of bone a ferret eats. So you may want to look into having that handy for a day to day supplement. On the days they are getting whole mice or chicks or chicken wings, it should not be so much an issue. Also, another thing that was brought up is, what is the taurine level in the grinds that your feeding? Sometimes that can be lacking and we may need to look into a supplement.
Unfortunately my house in very small and has limited space so purchasing another freezer might be a problem, however I am going to look into this and see if I can find a small chest freezer that will hopefully fit under my stairs.
So feeding them ground minces is a full balanced diet ?
When and how often a week do I feed the chicken wings etc, do I put these in with the ground meal as if I don't feed a meal of ground mince on a day then won't this mean that there weekly plan is no longer balanced as it 80/10/10 ratio of meat, bone and offal in the ground minces. I do have some bone meal it's for cat and kitten but I have heard I should use one that's is fit for humans is this correct ? There stools aren't bad at the moment.
I'm not sure how I can find out the level of taurine in the minces as the supplier just said they have a ratio of 80/10/10 and the offal is usually made up of heart, kidney, spleen, liver. They do however do a meat that's just beef and heart so doesn't have any other organs and they also do a chicken and just liver no no other organs, so to make sure there getting the taurine should I had the beef and heart to there mince once it twice a week ? I'm getting my minces form raw 2 go maybe you could have a look at there website and see what you think and what I should be ordering for a good menu if this is something you can do ?
Yes once I feel I have got a good weekly plan and there getting everything they need including the right amount of taurine etc I would be happy to remove the kibble for a week. I have removed the kibble tonight and won't be putting it back until the morning so this is a step forward , so hoping I can feed raw at night and kibble during day for a while and see how it goes for a few months then if all goes well I will consider removing the kibble for longer but do it in stages.
They don't appear to have any problems with eating any of the proteins offered so far they eat it all, there not keen on eating hearts though as I bought some to chop up and add to the minces each day as felt this would make sure they were getting enough, but they were not keen, also can I feed heart each day or should it be so many times a week considering there mince should have heart in. I can get taurine supplement of the raw 2 go website so would you recommend doing this as there not keen on the hearts and I'm not sure how much is in there meats, or would this be overdosing them ?
The freeze dried treats I get from Germany, Frettchen 4 you online shop, they say they are 100% raw so should be ok ?
Could you write a menu with the minces and chicken wings etc so I can see it visually how I should add the chicken wings etc with the minces as I think this will help me get in in my head lol!
I will email the supplier and ask them if they can tell me there taurine levels. It would be really helpful if you do know of any other places I can get the minces from that are fully balanced.
I think I have answer all your questions well I hope I have.
I live in lincolnshire uk
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 16:52:43 GMT -5
Also, I almost forgot about a weekly update. I know we will communicate more often than that, but it would be helpful to have a weekly log to keep track of them both, here is the basic guidelines we mentors like to use: 1. Ferret's name: Ollie 2. Ferret's weight: 2.12lbs 3. Ferret has eaten hopefully one bowl of meat 4. Stools on various proteins. Appear ok at the moment 5. Activity levels: crazy! Some of these can be approx (except the weight) like with average daily intake. And as long as you are comfortable with knowing what is normal in stools, you can just give an average there too. Feel free to post pics of anything! Poos, meals, etc, sometimes a visual is easier to address. Also a Weekly menu of what both boys are eating. This is usually done for the NEXT week, but if it is easier to do it for the previous week, what they eaten, that's fine too. We have wiggly room to make adjustments. I don't have a set weekly menu as such at the moment this is where I do need some help, at the moment I just get out a ground mince out randomly and feed so I do need a plan in place with the raw to go products Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/15343/ktjakes-switching-thread-abbylee22?page=2&scrollTo=215154#ixzz34w4dLFE8
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 16:55:13 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 16:58:15 GMT -5
This is last night meal.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 16:59:46 GMT -5
This is Ollie he has been on the minces a few months now, he is on the slim side and has a rough feel to his coat I'm not sure why ?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 17:04:44 GMT -5
This is Oscar. He is more solid and has more muscle than Ollie, he also has a soft, smooth, shiny coat! He is well into the raw, its Ollie that was difficult to adjust and I'm still not sure he is eating as much as Oscar. How do I know how much there both eating as I feed them at 10pm and Oscar stashes in, but most is gone in morning, so I not sure how I can monitor who's eating what and how much ? i need to place a order with raw 2 go as I'm getting low, this is there product list below, could you help me to get a weeks menu out of this so I can place order and have a menu set up ? This is is a email from them Hiya Yes our minces have bone and offal included appx ratios 80 10 10. Same meat offal used also, so chicken mince only has chicken offal, lamb only lamb offal. Lesley I asked them about there minces that say beef and heart and chicken and liver and this is what they have said below Morning Katy, The 10% offal is usually made up from heart, liver, lung and spleen.. If you were to purchase a Minced Beef & Heart, it would still contain 10% offal, but it would just be pure heart, no liver or anything else, same with the chicken and liver minces. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Many thanks, Huw Minced Beef 0.80 454g/1lb Minced Beef & Liver 0.80 454g/1lb Minced Beef & Chicken 0.80 454g/1lb Minced Chicken & Liver 0.80 454g/1lb Minced Beef & Heart 0.80 454g/1lb Minced Lamb 0.80 454g/1lb Meaty Mince mix of chicken/lamb/beef 0.80 454g/1lb Choice Chunks offal mix 0.80 454g/1lb Minced Turkey 0.80 454g/1lb Minced Duckseasonal 0.90 454g/1lb Minced Venisonseasonal 0.90 454g/1lb Minced Pheasantseasonal 0.90 454g/1lb Sample Pack 7 full packs including postage 16.00 see end of page for details Lamb Bones 1.50 1kg Beef Ribs 2.00 1kg Liver Chunks 1.50 1kg/2.2lb Kidney Chunks 1.50 1kg/2.2lb Beef Chunks 2.50 1kg/2.2lb Chicken Chunks 2.00 1kg/2.2lb Minced Heart 0.90 450g/1lb Heart Chunks 0.90 450g/1lb Best Tripe (green) 0.80 454g/1lb Tripe & Heart 0.90 454g/1lb Tripe & Beef 0.80 454g/1lb Tripe & Oily Fish 0.90 454g/1lb Tripe Chunks 2.00 1kg Turkey Necks 1.00 2pcs Chicken Necks 2.00 1kg Chicken Wings 2.00 1kg Chicken Carcass 1.50 1kg/2.2lb Chicken Feet 1.00 1kg/2.2lb Duck Wings 2.00 1kg Hooves stuffed with chicken or tripe mince 0.60 1pc Pigs Trotters (raw, of course) 2.00 2pcs Mini shanks 0.50 1pc Minced Oily Fish (salmon) 0.90 454g/1lb Pigs Pancreas 22.00 4kg/8.8lb Kitty Xtrabloom Wate 4.50 pot Kitty Bloom 4.75 50g Taurine Powder 3.50 50g pot Odourless Garlic Capsules 3.00 Green Lipped Muscle 10.00 90 capsules Pernaton Cream 10.00 125 ml Unpasteurised GoatsMilk 1.00 1 pint pouch Sample pack contains 7 full packs made up from minced chicken,beef,lamb,turkey,choice chunks, chicken & tripe,or meaty mince. May vary according to supplies. New to raw feeding packs will be made up according to your pet needs.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 17:43:12 GMT -5
Unfortunately my house in very small and has limited space so purchasing another freezer might be a problem, however I am going to look into this and see if I can find a small chest freezer that will hopefully fit under my stairs.
That is basically what I have at home also. It holds more than enough and keeps my main freezer space more available and my husband happy! ;0)
So feeding them ground minces is a full balanced diet ?
Based of everything I have read about that type you feed, yes. The main thing with feeding ONLY mince is the teeth issue and having to add a bone in supplement if poops are runny.
When and how often a week do I feed the chicken wings etc, do I put these in with the ground meal as if I don't feed a meal of ground mince on a day then won't this mean that there weekly plan is no longer balanced as it 80/10/10 ratio of meat, bone and offal in the ground minces.
I am going to ask a questions to the other mentors and get back to you with this :0)
I do have some bone meal it's for cat and kitten but I have heard I should use one that's is fit for humans is this correct ? There stools aren't bad at the moment.
Great! Do you understand what to do if they become too loose? Too firm?
I'm not sure how I can find out the level of taurine in the minces as the supplier just said they have a ratio of 80/10/10 and the offal is usually made up of heart, kidney, spleen, liver. They do however do a meat that's just beef and heart so doesn't have any other organs and they also do a chicken and just liver no no other organs, so to make sure there getting the taurine should I had the beef and heart to there mince once it twice a week ? I'm getting my minces form raw 2 go maybe you could have a look at there website and see what you think and what I should be ordering for a good menu if this is something you can do ?
I looked at the website and I can't find an answer either. The great thing about taurine is you can not over do it! So, maybe just plan on having a meal of beef&heart at least once a week and then the other meals of minces should supplement the rest. My kids LOVE heart, if you ever wanted to try and buy just heart (any kind of animal) and doing a meal a week of it, that would be fine too, like I said it can not be overdosed. For now though, based on what you have in your freezer, I would do at least 1 meal of the beef&heart.
Yes once I feel I have got a good weekly plan and there getting everything they need including the right amount of taurine etc I would be happy to remove the kibble for a week.
Sound good!
I have removed the kibble tonight and won't be putting it back until the morning so this is a step forward , so hoping I can feed raw at night and kibble during day for a while and see how it goes for a few months then if all goes well I will consider removing the kibble for longer but do it in stages.
That's fine. Baby steps are ok!
They don't appear to have any problems with eating any of the proteins offered so far they eat it all, there not keen on eating hearts though as I bought some to chop up and add to the minces each day as felt this would make sure they were getting enough, but they were not keen, also can I feed heart each day or should it be so many times a week considering there mince should have heart in.
To add to above, because I addressed this above. I would try cutting up the chunks of heart smaller maybe. Sometime we have to trick them into eating it. Start very small, like the size of a nail clipping and then moving up. If we could get a whole meal of hearts a week, I feel like this would be best. Brain and tongue also have a high amount of taurine in it, if you wanted to try those. I have not been able to find brain myself, but I feed tongue every once in a while.
I can get taurine supplement of the raw 2 go website so would you recommend doing this as there not keen on the hearts and I'm not sure how much is in there meats, or would this be overdosing them ?
Like I said, taurine can not be overdosed, so a supplement would not hurt them. If it would make you feel better than go for it! We can work on getting them to eat that heart meal in the mean time.
The freeze dried treats I get from Germany, Frettchen 4 you online shop, they say they are 100% raw so should be ok ?
Do they have an ingredient list on the packaging? I know in USA there is one on everything, but not sure about UK. If not then you might write them and get one. I just always worry about added sodium.
Could you write a menu with the minces and chicken wings etc so I can see it visually how I should add the chicken wings etc with the minces as I think this will help me get in in my head lol!
Looking back in posts you have beef, lamb,chicken, turkey mince as well as the chicken&liver and beef&heart heavy mince.
Monday AM: PM: Beef Mince
Tuesday AM: PM: Chicken Wing
Wednesday AM: PM: Lamb Mince
Thursday AM: PM: Chicken&Liver Mince
Friday AM: PM: Turkey Mince
Saturday AM: PM: Chicken Wing
Sunday AM: PM: Beef&Heart Mince
I didn't put an AM meal, since you are only feeding once a day, but if you wanted to 'add' it, just double up from the PM meal. On the days you have chicken wings, you can do any Mince or maybe a whole feed. You can also substitute ANY mince with a whole prey meal, (except chicks, this is really just a treat). Does this make it seem easier?
I will email the supplier and ask them if they can tell me there taurine levels. It would be really helpful if you do know of any other places I can get the minces from that are fully balanced.
Sounds good, should be interesting to know
I live in lincolnshire uk
Noted, I will see what others have to say about suppliers
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 17:56:08 GMT -5
I am going to take a look at the website and list and try to help you make up an order. I will have it by tomorrow, hopefully tonight. Also, with the pics, can you try to get ones from above or with them hanging? It allows us to see if they are too thin or not. Also, Oscar appears to have a bald stop on his hind end? Is he loosing hair? They are both too cute!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 18:47:10 GMT -5
I looked at the website and I can't find an answer either. The great thing about taurine is you can not over do it! So, maybe just plan on having a meal of beef&heart at least once a week and then the other meals of minces should supplement the rest. My kids LOVE heart, if you ever wanted to try and buy just heart (any kind of animal) and doing a meal a week of it, that would be fine too, like I said it can not be overdosed. For now though, based on what you have in your freezer, I would do at least 1 meal of beef and heart I have emailed the supplier and asked about the taurine levels, hopefully I will hear back from them soon. If I feed one meal of just the beef and heart or just heart, will this mean there missing out on the rest of the offal on this day and unbalance there weekly balance of 80 meat/ 10 bone / 10 organs liver heart spleen etc ? Shouldn't I be feeding a meal a day of this ratio ? Or am I getting it all wrong here lol!! Yes I think I understand about the stools, if there really loose they need more bone, if there really firm less bone, is this correct ? The raw to go website sells minced heart so I could order this next time and try them with it, if there not keen I will use the taurine powder. Thank you for the meal plan that really helps, so on the days of the chicken wings I also feed a mince is this correct ? Also on the days of the beef and heart and chicken and liver I need to work out if this is ok as it doesn't contain the rest of the organs like the other minces, I was told on here that as long as I feed the minces everyday with the ratio of 80/10/10 then that would be good, the beef and heart does have same ratio but the 10 % is pure heart no other organs so won't they be missing the other organs on this day ? I'm so confused Yo u are removing it correctly, about 4 hours before meal, but really you should wait to give back the kibble for a few hours also. The reason for this is raw digests faster than kibble and if there is kibble in their stomach it will slow down the raw and can allow bacteria to colonize. At the normal digestion rate this doesn't happen. So if you are feeding raw at about 10 pm, you are ok to leave kibble out until morning, over 8 hours after. The grinds are technically good for 12 hours, so if they are eating at 10 when you put the grinds in (and that it is a full meal, ie enough for them to eat in a 12 hours period) then you should not be putting the kibble back in until well after 10 the next day. This is where having two different kind of feed tricky.
When you say a full meal enough for them to eat in a 12 hour period, do you mean the food needs to last the full 12 hours so they can come back to it through the night or enough so fill them for 12 hours if they eat it all at once ? Also how do I know Ollie is eating it as when i put it in he didn't have any and it's now 1.45 am and I have just seen Oscar having some but Ollie is in bed, obviously I can't sit up all night to see if Ollie is going to eat some, if he doesn't eat any this will mean he will go all night without food which would be really bad for him wouldn't it ? Ok yes I will try and get some pictures tomorrow. Yes the bald spot on Oscar is from where he was shaved, basically I got him from a rescue where apparently he was bitten by another ferret the lady at the rescue shaved him where he had been bitten but did not take him to vet, she rehomed him to me with the injury, it has cost me a lot to get him treated and it did not look like a bite!! It healed up but seems to be appearing again I took him to the vets on Monday and I am using cream to heal it again, it's nowhere near like it was when I got him. Unfortunately his fur doesn't appear to be growing back. I did post some picture some time back on here of his injury as I don't believe it was caused by a bite and as its beginning to appear again all be it tiny mark I not convinced. However the vet doesn't think it is a tumour as she says it would have healed in the first place, I am concerned though as it completely healed up from pic below to nothing and remained healed from January to now, now he has a tiny little red mark so I'm worried its starting again :-( Below is a pic of the original injury when I got him back in January from the ferret rescue centre, it nothing like this now.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 18:55:45 GMT -5
This is what they say one there website re the raw treats I feed. The ingredients on the package is in German as this is where I get it lol
1. Frettchen4You Schmackofatz Chickensticks Our Chickensticks are made of pure Turkey breast which Comes in human consumption Quality. We do not buy cheap meat for our products. That way we can guagrantee the high Quality of our articles. When the meat is processed most all of the water is gently removed by drying it with hot air. The result of 100g fresh meat after processing is about 10g Schmackofatz which Comes with the taste of 100g meat. You can imagine why ferrets love that concentrated taste even more than fresh meat. It is the ideal treat for your ferrets and you never have to worry you will feed them somethign they should not eat.
2. Frettchen4You Schmackofatz Beefsticks Our Beefsticks are made of pure bovibe heart in human consumption quality. We buy the meat at the butcher and not at sources for cheap meat in low Quality for animal Food usage.
3. Frettchen4You Schmackofatz AeroCubes > NEW < Fresh bovine lung cut into small ferret mouth compatible squares make the source for our new AeroCubes. You can offer These cubes to your ferrets whenever you like. Ther are no additives added and just liek our Schmackofatz items you will feed only pure meat just without the water which fresh meat comes with.
25g Schmackofatz Beefsticks
The natural and healthy treat for ferrets made from 100% pure bovine heart. You may feed your ferret as much of this treat as you like. It is made from pure meat only and does not contain any additives. Comes in PE zipper bag.
Protein: 76 % Fat: 14 % Ash : 3 %
Composition: 100% Bovine heart, no additives.
You can store this product at a dry and cool place in closed original packaging until the declared use before date..
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 19:02:24 GMT -5
I have translated the German via Google and it just says on the packet ingredients is crude fat 5% crude protein 84% and crude ash 5% it doesn't list anything else. Reading what I have posted above for their website do I need to email them and ask about sodium or does the above mean it doesn't contain any ?
i received this email regarding the treats I feed
Hello Katy, we do not offer any freeze dried treats. All our treats (Schmackofatze) are 100% pure natural without adding anything at all. Our treats are dehydrated at low temperatures appx. 70°C. We do not add anything, only the water is removed to about 3% remaining humidity. That makes the treats last without the need to add conservatives. All meat we use for our treats is human consumption meat. If there is any sodium in our treats it is the natural sodium from the raw meat we use. We do not add nor remove anything from the meat we use for our treats (except the water). Please keep in mind that the declaration of any pet food or treat only shows that what is added and does not give you the analysis of that was is contained in the food. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us again. Best greetings Dee
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 4:32:00 GMT -5
I got this this morning from raw 2 go, so I think I need to add taurine to be on the safe side
Hiya
There is no added taurine in our minces, or added anything at all actually. Just meat/bone and offal.
We do sell taurine for those who wish to add it, some cat owners believe there is sufficient natural taurine in meat, others add the supplement just in case.
The choice chunks is large minced up offal, heart, lung, spleen, kidney, liver (small amounts of liver). Cats do enjoy the choice chunks.
Not sure how experienced you are or if your cats are already raw fed so I have attached out cat guide for you.
Lesley
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 10:26:12 GMT -5
So looking over the raw to go, I would stick to basically what you have been getting. Get as many different proteins of minces as possible. The only thing I would avoid is the ones that are mixed (ie Beef and Chicken) because if someone develops an allergy than it will be harder to find out what it is to. I also think you should get enough to feed a mince with only heart as the ofal at least once a week. Seeing the emails that you got back from the suppliers just tells me that they don't ADD any extra taurine. SO, I think, just to be safe, you should either supplement a few times a week OR do at least one meal a week of just hearts. I see that you can get it minced, maybe that is a good option for this order and if they start to eat it well you can get chunks next time. Also, I would suggest getting some necks of different varieties. These are a great bone in meal that many ferrets LOVE. It is a smaller bone that is easier to chew. You may have to break it up and chop it at first, but out goal is to just be able to toss it in there as is and they enjoy it! The duck wing might also be good for this, they are long and a bit thinner bone. Just adding some variety from just chicken legs. The feet, although not much meat, might be a good treat. I get duck feet when I buy my whole duck and they sometimes eat it, sometimes not. Just another good thing for their teeth although its not a full meal. The tripes I was told to avoid, not because they are not good for them, but because they are stinky and most ferrets wont eat them. Here is more of a list:
Minced Beef Minced Lamb Minced Turkey Minced Duck/Venison/Pheasent (when in season!) Minced Beef & Heart Minced Chicken & Liver Minced Heart (and later chunks) Chicken Wings
Also suggesting: Turkey Necks Chicken Necks Duck Wings Chicken Feet (for a healthy teeth treat) Taurine Powder (if wanted)
And I am not sure about prices, so don't worry too much if it's too much this time around. Maybe get an order of chicken necks with your minces this time and try the turkey ones next time. These are all just suggestions to give your guys lots of variety. Feeding them one protein long term will not hurt them nutritionally (although some proteins are found to be higher in certain nutrients than others...) we want to variation to avoid an allergy. If all you are feeding is chicken and they become allergic than it is harder to just toss some beef in there. They will not recognize the new protein as food, so we want them eating as much new things are possible. It's much easier to take away than add!
Also, here is the answer to the question I was getting a confirmation from senior mentors on...
When and how often a week do I feed the chicken wings etc, do I put these in with the ground meal as if I don't feed a meal of ground mince on a day then won't this mean that there weekly plan is no longer balanced as it 80/10/10 ratio of meat, bone and offal in the ground minces.
Great question! I like to think of the whole raw feeding on a meal to meal basis. If you feed your ferrets a raw meal 2x a day (every 12 hours) then you have 14 meals a week. That is where that % comes into affect. 10% (1.5 meals) heart 10% (1.5 meals) organ - which should consist of about half liver, half other organs 50-65% (7-9 meals) containing significant amounts of EDIBLE bone (e.g. chicken wings, turkey necks, bone-in GCH, etc) The remaining meals (approx 15%) are all non-heart, boneless muscle meat
So, for example if you are feeding grinds for all 14 meals you have a 100% balanced meal. But if you are adding in bone in, we have to be careful about how much so we don't mess with the %s. So, because we have that 2 meal (7-9 meal) that we can play with, then we can safely add 2-3 meals of bone in a week without throwing this off balance. Whole mice are equal to the mince in being fully balanced. Also, you mentioned that you had some mince that had less bone in and more organs. You can plan on feeding these a few meals a week also to make up for the extra BI meals. Also, the mince it seems is meant for cats which don't require nearly as much bones and ferrets, so adding a BI meal extra a few times a week might actually be a good thing. It's all about the poops with ferrets. I often have to hold off on an organ meal because their poops are a little too runny and give a BI meal. I just make sure that organ meal is fed later in the week. With you, if their poops are a bit runny, maybe toss in a BI meal (neck, wing) for the next meal. Or if its a bit too firm, plan on giving them that heavy heart mince (heart always makes my guys have more runny poop). You are lucky with mince in that it is ALREADY BALANCED! So really, as long as you don't over do it on the BI meals, you should be fine. And of course adding in that extra taurine, however you want to do it, I think wont hurt a thing.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 13:03:24 GMT -5
I have emailed the supplier and asked about the taurine levels, hopefully I will hear back from them soon.
Talked about this earlier, but I think adding either an entire meal of taurine or a supplement is a good idea. Just in case.
If I feed one meal of just the beef and heart or just heart, will this mean there missing out on the rest of the offal on this day and unbalance there weekly balance of 80 meat/ 10 bone / 10 organs liver heart spleen etc ? Shouldn't I be feeding a meal a day of this ratio ? Or am I getting it all wrong here lol!!
You are like me and see numbers and if they are not adding up then it doesn't make sense! Just think of it this way, animals in the wild, for various reasons don't get all they need all the time. Granted, we have the ability to control this, but I am just saying to not worry. Eventually, maybe you can try feeding a meal here and there of kidney or pancreas or other organs. I saw that was available at raw to go also. For now though, I have been told by several senior mentors that daily minces with a few meals of BI and heart and a whole is FINE. :0)
Yes I think I understand about the stools, if there really loose they need more bone, if there really firm less bone, is this correct ?
Absolutely correct! You can adjust this with a meal or adding suppliments (ie eggshell or bone meal), what ever is easier.
The raw to go website sells minced heart so I could order this next time and try them with it, if there not keen I will use the taurine powder.
Ideally the actual hearts would be easier for you, but yes the powder is a good supplement
Thank you for the meal plan that really helps, so on the days of the chicken wings I also feed a mince is this correct ?
As the AM meal? Or along with? I would give them just the wings so they have to eat it first, but we want them to be able to have plenty to eat, so maybe add the mince later if they are eating all the wing. One wing each should be plenty of food though.
Also on the days of the beef and heart and chicken and liver I need to work out if this is ok as it doesn't contain the rest of the organs like the other minces, I was told on here that as long as I feed the minces everyday with the ratio of 80/10/10 then that would be good, the beef and heart does have same ratio but the 10 % is pure heart no other organs so won't they be missing the other organs on this day ? I'm so confused
It is a little daunting! But just remember the numbers are there as a GUIDE, if they are a little off here and there it isn't going to hurt them! As long as they are getting plenty of heart and their poops are not too firm or loose then we are ok. Please let me know if you are still confused about this, I can ask one of the senior mentors to explain it. Maybe hearing it a different way will help. We are here to help you in making a healthier life for your babies, so don't feel bad about anything! :0)
When you say a full meal enough for them to eat in a 12 hour period, do you mean the food needs to last the full 12 hours so they can come back to it through the night or enough so fill them for 12 hours if they eat it all at once ?
In theory (aka the wild) they should be eating it in one sitting, but I don't think any ferret does that. With raw, they can go longer without meals because they are getting more from it.
Also how do I know Ollie is eating it as when i put it in he didn't have any and it's now 1.45 am and I have just seen Oscar having some but Ollie is in bed, obviously I can't sit up all night to see if Ollie is going to eat some, if he doesn't eat any this will mean he will go all night without food which would be really bad for him wouldn't it ?
Honestly there is no way to know for sure that one isn't eating more than the other. That is why it is important to have a bite or two left over when it comes to the next meal. That says everyone got their fill. They best way to monitor that everyone is eating is through observation (anyone acting funny, nott the norm), weight (hence the photos I asked for, also if someone is loosing at an alarming rate not typical of the season or age), and lastly poops. Granted, we wont always know who pooped what, but there are ways we can run trials if we are worried about something. So if poops are ok, both seem active and happy, and no one looks skinny, chances are that they are both eating! And to add to them not eating all night. One, raw fed ferrets get more out of their food so they can eat less and less often. Second, your ferrets are young so going without eating for longer periods isn't as dangerous. Now if your ferrets were older or we had health issues like insulinoma, then we would worry about meals being skipped.
Ok yes I will try and get some pictures tomorrow. Yes the bald spot on Oscar is from where he was shaved, basically I got him from a rescue where apparently he was bitten by another ferret the lady at the rescue shaved him where he had been bitten but did not take him to vet, she rehomed him to me with the injury, it has cost me a lot to get him treated and it did not look like a bite!! It healed up but seems to be appearing again I took him to the vets on Monday and I am using cream to heal it again, it's nowhere near like it was when I got him. Unfortunately his fur doesn't appear to be growing back. I did post some picture some time back on here of his injury as I don't believe it was caused by a bite and as its beginning to appear again all be it tiny mark I not convinced. However the vet doesn't think it is a tumour as she says it would have healed in the first place, I am concerned though as it completely healed up from pic below to nothing and remained healed from January to now, now he has a tiny little red mark so I'm worried its starting again :-(
I was finally able to read through some of your older posts and that is a weird 'injury.' I agree, it doesn't look like bite. Based off what everyone one else suggested and they fact it's back I would think tumor too. Weird. Unfortunately I have no advice to give you there other than vet, but definitely keep us updated on that one.
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