Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2014 16:27:14 GMT -5
Hi folks
kinda new here. Thought would post here util I qualify for a bit of mentoring
I have two Ferret Kits at 12 weeks old called Haggis & Neeps. They are brothers and are very distinct characters and very active but cute and loveable. They are kept outside in a large two tier hutch and have evening access to my bathroom or an outside playpen which they love. I vary their toys in both hutch and pen every few days and they go for walks in my sizeable garden and get played with a lot
They were with their mum up to the day I got them from the breeder. They were handled well and their nip training had already started. Unfortunately they were fed a generic cat kibble and tinned cat food as a treat.
The day they came to me they got the brand of cat kibble I had got them as I felt it was better than any of the ferret foods I could get. Its 47% protein and 21% fat and 80% of the ingredients are quality bits of chicken, no meal or rubbish and totally grain free with minimal additives. Yeah I researched kibble like crazy b4 getting my wee guys.
I also wanted to feed some raw as I know it is very good for them. The more I have tried them with various raw meats etc. The more convinced I have become that I may as well go totally raw. The little kibble they get at the mo I think I am clearing up most of it from the floor they seem to be digging & playing with it more than anything.
I want to make sure they get a balanced diet of raw as I know it is very important to growing kits. They are as you say tummies with teeth hehe also they are poop machines. Litter training going not bad though they do find alternatives every now and then
right now down to what my guys have eaten so far. From day two of having them I fed kibble in the mornings and an evening meal of raw - which has been a bit random day to day I just took random bits out the freezer. I also discovered yesterday on the guest forum I should leave some time between kibble and raw to avoid upset tummies. Thank you a very great bit of knowledge I learned already.
so ok I skipped the soupie stage as before coming on here I thought it was only for sick ferrets. I think if I get time during the week I will make some and try it.
I started the guys the first few days on a handful of organic 20% fat lamb mince. Note all the stuff I got from supermarket some really cheap as on last day of sale.
also with the mince they got about four chunks of lamb heart and a couple of bits of lambs liver. They chomped down straight away as if they had been dying for it. Next morning - plates all empty and nothing stashed
meantime they have tackled sizeable chunks of lamb heart, liver and kidneys. They will eat supermarket lamb mince, beef mince or beef chunks. They also every few days get a bit of dried beef tripe to chew on (it is a dog treat and smelly but has nothing but tripe they just chew the ends but its great for them teething and healthy).
They have tackled on two occasions a chicken drumstick each ,with skin and only left the large bone totally stripped as they are to little yet to munch on them. They did not eat anything of the chicken thighs they got one night they ate only the skin but that was the first day I fed raw morning and night and I think they were full from snacking on chick drumsticks that morning
I tried them on a pure tinned cat food which is just pure meat in a tin I thought it would be useful if they ever got ill and it is very good quality proper meat and nothing else - they were not keen until I soaked it in chicken stock. They lapped up the stock then ate the tin overnight lol.
Yesterday they had beef mince in the morning and a little at night, they also had a wee drink of pure chicken stock and water the I left them over night with two cracked open eggs and shells.
they were so funny the snorkelled a bit it the egg, licked their faces, fought over the same egg shell they when it split went to opposite bits of the hutch to eat the shell. The rest of the shell bits they both ran about with trying to stash while stealing each others stash of shell. Eventually the settled on who has what bit of shell and lapped up the egg with gusto
Ohh almost forgot. They ate a large chicken wing each the other day and left only four clean knobbly bone ends they had munched the rest of the bones
I had eggs for brekkies this morning so n have saved the shells for future soupies
All my meat I got pretty cheap from the supermarket the wee guys also had venison steaks one night - gone fast - I had frozen a while back on last day of purchase and defrosted them in the fridge overnight on saturday aiming to eat them for sunday dinner. We ended for many reasons eating out so the week guys got 350g of prime venison - nothing left in the hutch next morning not even a stash.
I have also located a local traditional family run butcher in a village not far from me. His prices look good and he sources the meat locally. Gonna see if can get some rabbit and other meats on bone and ask if he can maybe mince a whole bird or rabbit so can have bones in it. I feel this could work out cheaper than commercial raw pet products. They are quite expensive here and cheaper if you buy online unfortunately I work during the day so cannot take frozen food deliveries and often couriers will only deliver during the day grr.
Anyways sorry for the ultra long post yet I am sure I have forgotten something, ah yes they have had once as a treat some Beaphar malt paste - it was a treat to distract from the shots at the vet. I will only use it on very odd occasions like vet visits and then only a tiny amount - they only got about a couple of licks from the tube I know its sugary so it will be only for vet visits not a regular thing.
Any advice re getting a decent menu together is awesome as I have only been kinda feeding randomly I know I have to work on a suitable menu to get the nutritional balance right scouring the posts to pick up knowledge
I am able to get live insects from a local reptile specialist pet shop and frozen chicks so would be able to but them on the menu occasionally. I cannot feed rodents of any kind (personal reasons which I won't go into publicly-no its not a phobia ) but want to work mainly on frankenprey type diet with occasional soupie, whole chicks or other birds and the odd insect.
The wee guys already devour the slugs the invade their hutch on damp days they leave the odd part chewed remains in a wee heap of slime and have slimey poos - working on stopping slug invaders in a pet friendly manner
The end - well of this epic post anyways the others will be shorter as I am on a days hols and when working have less forum time as its work or ferret time first
kinda new here. Thought would post here util I qualify for a bit of mentoring
I have two Ferret Kits at 12 weeks old called Haggis & Neeps. They are brothers and are very distinct characters and very active but cute and loveable. They are kept outside in a large two tier hutch and have evening access to my bathroom or an outside playpen which they love. I vary their toys in both hutch and pen every few days and they go for walks in my sizeable garden and get played with a lot
They were with their mum up to the day I got them from the breeder. They were handled well and their nip training had already started. Unfortunately they were fed a generic cat kibble and tinned cat food as a treat.
The day they came to me they got the brand of cat kibble I had got them as I felt it was better than any of the ferret foods I could get. Its 47% protein and 21% fat and 80% of the ingredients are quality bits of chicken, no meal or rubbish and totally grain free with minimal additives. Yeah I researched kibble like crazy b4 getting my wee guys.
I also wanted to feed some raw as I know it is very good for them. The more I have tried them with various raw meats etc. The more convinced I have become that I may as well go totally raw. The little kibble they get at the mo I think I am clearing up most of it from the floor they seem to be digging & playing with it more than anything.
I want to make sure they get a balanced diet of raw as I know it is very important to growing kits. They are as you say tummies with teeth hehe also they are poop machines. Litter training going not bad though they do find alternatives every now and then
right now down to what my guys have eaten so far. From day two of having them I fed kibble in the mornings and an evening meal of raw - which has been a bit random day to day I just took random bits out the freezer. I also discovered yesterday on the guest forum I should leave some time between kibble and raw to avoid upset tummies. Thank you a very great bit of knowledge I learned already.
so ok I skipped the soupie stage as before coming on here I thought it was only for sick ferrets. I think if I get time during the week I will make some and try it.
I started the guys the first few days on a handful of organic 20% fat lamb mince. Note all the stuff I got from supermarket some really cheap as on last day of sale.
also with the mince they got about four chunks of lamb heart and a couple of bits of lambs liver. They chomped down straight away as if they had been dying for it. Next morning - plates all empty and nothing stashed
meantime they have tackled sizeable chunks of lamb heart, liver and kidneys. They will eat supermarket lamb mince, beef mince or beef chunks. They also every few days get a bit of dried beef tripe to chew on (it is a dog treat and smelly but has nothing but tripe they just chew the ends but its great for them teething and healthy).
They have tackled on two occasions a chicken drumstick each ,with skin and only left the large bone totally stripped as they are to little yet to munch on them. They did not eat anything of the chicken thighs they got one night they ate only the skin but that was the first day I fed raw morning and night and I think they were full from snacking on chick drumsticks that morning
I tried them on a pure tinned cat food which is just pure meat in a tin I thought it would be useful if they ever got ill and it is very good quality proper meat and nothing else - they were not keen until I soaked it in chicken stock. They lapped up the stock then ate the tin overnight lol.
Yesterday they had beef mince in the morning and a little at night, they also had a wee drink of pure chicken stock and water the I left them over night with two cracked open eggs and shells.
they were so funny the snorkelled a bit it the egg, licked their faces, fought over the same egg shell they when it split went to opposite bits of the hutch to eat the shell. The rest of the shell bits they both ran about with trying to stash while stealing each others stash of shell. Eventually the settled on who has what bit of shell and lapped up the egg with gusto
Ohh almost forgot. They ate a large chicken wing each the other day and left only four clean knobbly bone ends they had munched the rest of the bones
I had eggs for brekkies this morning so n have saved the shells for future soupies
All my meat I got pretty cheap from the supermarket the wee guys also had venison steaks one night - gone fast - I had frozen a while back on last day of purchase and defrosted them in the fridge overnight on saturday aiming to eat them for sunday dinner. We ended for many reasons eating out so the week guys got 350g of prime venison - nothing left in the hutch next morning not even a stash.
I have also located a local traditional family run butcher in a village not far from me. His prices look good and he sources the meat locally. Gonna see if can get some rabbit and other meats on bone and ask if he can maybe mince a whole bird or rabbit so can have bones in it. I feel this could work out cheaper than commercial raw pet products. They are quite expensive here and cheaper if you buy online unfortunately I work during the day so cannot take frozen food deliveries and often couriers will only deliver during the day grr.
Anyways sorry for the ultra long post yet I am sure I have forgotten something, ah yes they have had once as a treat some Beaphar malt paste - it was a treat to distract from the shots at the vet. I will only use it on very odd occasions like vet visits and then only a tiny amount - they only got about a couple of licks from the tube I know its sugary so it will be only for vet visits not a regular thing.
Any advice re getting a decent menu together is awesome as I have only been kinda feeding randomly I know I have to work on a suitable menu to get the nutritional balance right scouring the posts to pick up knowledge
I am able to get live insects from a local reptile specialist pet shop and frozen chicks so would be able to but them on the menu occasionally. I cannot feed rodents of any kind (personal reasons which I won't go into publicly-no its not a phobia ) but want to work mainly on frankenprey type diet with occasional soupie, whole chicks or other birds and the odd insect.
The wee guys already devour the slugs the invade their hutch on damp days they leave the odd part chewed remains in a wee heap of slime and have slimey poos - working on stopping slug invaders in a pet friendly manner
The end - well of this epic post anyways the others will be shorter as I am on a days hols and when working have less forum time as its work or ferret time first