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Post by Heather on Aug 28, 2014 21:27:05 GMT -5
Name: Mari HF Forum Username: Mari 1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets? I have two cats who live on a raw diet. Older one is turning 9 on September 1 and she have never eating anything but raw. Since I got my first ferret this year I immediately thought about feeding raw for him. So I started googling about feeding raw to ferrets and made it here! 2. Please describe the type of diet you would like assistance in switching your ferret(s) to. Be sure to include if you are interested in feeding whole prey (live or frozen-thawed) and if you are wanting to FULLY switch to a natural diet or PARTIALLY. If you are unsure what kind of diet you want to put your ferrets on, please express that and we can help you find the best type of natural diet for your ferret. I would like to feed 100% raw and frozen-thawed whole pray. I need help getting the weekly menu balanced. 3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet? I want to see my ferret as healthy as he can be and (beeing a raw-foodist myself ) I know, that natural, raw diet is the best way. I got my boy August when he was 1,5 year old and he have been eating bad quality kibble all his life. I want to fix the possible damage this diet has caused and offer him only the best from now on. He swiched to raw overnight here with me and I'm very happy to say that he likes to try new things and eats raw and whole pray (I have given mice and chicks). Only thing is, he eats very little amounts and I would like to get him to eat more (for example chicken wings- he onyl eats 1/2 small chicken wing a day if I don't give anyhing else). 4. Do you understand that switching your ferret to a natural diet can be a lengthy, arduous process? Its not an overnight switch. It can be a commitment of several weeks or even months. Your HF Mentor will be more then happy to assist you in switchng your ferret(s) to a natural diet, but you need to be equally as commited. If you aren't willing to tough out a potentially lengthy switching process, or if you have major life changes approaching (baby on the way, moving, starting school, getting married/divorced, etc) then it might be a better idea to wait on switching your ferret's diet until you have more time. Are you willing to make the commitment? I am willing to make the commitment 100% and I have all the time in the world for my little boy. I am also getting a new ferret kit this autumn and I want to learn-learn-learn to do everything right with him also and give him the best diet. 5. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names? Ages? Genders? Do they have any health problems? Are they overweight? Underweight? How long have you had each ferret for? Currently I have on ferret, a 1,5 year old boy named August. I don't know about healt problems, but truth is that he was eating very poor diet before I got him. I think he is in normal weight. I have had him 3 weeks. 6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) Do they already eat some form of soup? I currenyl feed raw. I also give him mice, sometimes chicks. I don't give any supplements, only half a tablespoon of olive or fish oil sometimes with food. I would like to get help with making the weekly menu plan to make sure he isn't lacking. 8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share? I am not sure I can have a mentor because I am already feeding raw and he is eating it, but I would really like to get help with making the weekly menu right and would love to have someone smarter to comment. 9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer? Every day. 10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible). Hi and welcome to the mentoring program . In a little while your mentor (Gfountain), will introduce herself and you can get started on a new adventure in natural ferret care and diets. Please remember to post regularly (daily or as per arranged with your mentor) so that your mentor can assist you move along safely in this adventure. If you experience computer difficulties or are going to be away, please notify your mentor and most of all relax and have fun :boing:. Your mentor is here to help you on this journey. ciao
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2014 13:17:56 GMT -5
Hello! Thank you very much! My boy August had his first whole FROG today! He cought it himself this morning and ate a little bit. He seems to like it. He is probably going to eat the rest overnight. I will check tomorrow morning. Tomorrow he is having organic lamb heart and lamb liver.
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Post by gfountain on Sept 4, 2014 14:54:04 GMT -5
Oh, wow, I didn't know this was up yet! My name is Gina. My bio is here if you want to read it. I understand that you're already feeding raw and just want to make sure your menu is balanced. So how about if you start off by posting a sample menu and we'll go from there. Frog! How exciting! I've seen some of your pictures and I envy you being able to let your little guy run free like he does. I can't let mine off their harnesses when we're outside.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2014 16:25:58 GMT -5
Thank you Gina I am already feeding raw. I am very blessed that August is eating raw very well. I would really like to feed more whole pray, so far he's has mouse and chicks (and now the frog! ). I have been talking to some local farmers and soon I get to try whole pray quail. I tried adult rat, he began to eat it but suddenly started to throw up and I haven't tried anymore. I think maybe adult rat is just too big for him, he seems to be a bit scared of the big pieces and usually doesn't even bother to try. I bought a rabbit leg from farmers market the other day and it was HUGE. He ate a little bit flesh but never touched the bone, it was really tough. My biggest problem is bone/calcium. It is very hard to get the balance right, because August only eats bone in chicken wings(even then he doesn't eat the whole bone but just the softer part). He eats mouse to, but the bones in it seems so soft, there isn't even that bone cracking sound when he eats mouse. I am not sure if he gets enough calcium from them. At first I blended the whole chicken wing up but he started to eat less and less of the soupies so I don't make them right now anymore. I know ideal would be to feed one bone in meal a day, but for us it would mean he'd only be eating chicken wings every day Because it takes August whole day or even a day and a half to eat the whole thing. I have been adding egg shell powder when he's not eating bones. August eats very little, but is very active. He's favoire foods are quail eggs and fatty, rich duck egg yolks. Last weeks menu was: Monday: 1 small chicken wing in the morning 1 day-old chick in the evening Tuesday: Lamb meat duck egg yolk with egg shell powder Wednesday: 3 turkey hearts Thursday: 1 whole chick wing (I gave it to him in the morning and he finally finished it early next morning) Friday: 1 chick 2 mouse Saturday: Beef mince with egg shell powder Sunday: Calf liver and kidney In addition he ate some flies, a big wasp, and some earth worms. I am also buying rabbit fillet from a supermarket and adding it his diet but it's yet another boneless meal. I don't know if the added egg shell powder is enough. This week so far has been: Monday: 3 baltic herrings Tuesday: Lamb meat quail egg with egg shell powder Wednesday: Chicken wing He also had 1 mice but after eating he throw up so this doesn't count. Thuesday: 1 whole frog ( I am really hoping he eats the whole thing) Here's some video clips I took yesterday in the forest and in our garden. August is going to see the vet Saturday. I have some concerns about him throwing up more often lately and also I discovered that during sleeping he leakes a little bit of urine. I'm worried about that.
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Post by gfountain on Sept 4, 2014 17:16:34 GMT -5
AHHHHHH... August is a cutie!! Such a happy, bouncy baby! If I let my ferrets loose like he is, I'm pretty sure they would run away and hide from the big big world. I love how he jumps at the camera like "c'mon Mom, put that thing down and let's PLAY!"
Before I get into the food stuff, how much does August weigh? Is he whole or neutered?
The throwing up could possibly be just from eating too quickly. Unless it happens frequently or other symptoms appear, I wouldn't worry too much. But leaking urine during sleep is worrisome. I'm glad he's going to the vet. Let me know what he says.
As far as not eating bones, we can work on that and get him to eat them. Ferrets are lazy little buggers and will try to get by without eating the hard stuff if they can. He really needs to eat bone for all the nutrients in it; egg shell just doesn't have all the nutritious goodies that bone does.
OK, last week's menu.. I have a couple of questions and comments, just to become familiar with his eating habits.
Monday: 1 small chicken wing in the morning 1 day-old chick in the evening (Adult prey is more complete nutritionally than juvenile. Day old chicks are generally considered a snack or treat.)
Tuesday: Lamb meat duck egg yolk with egg shell powder
Wednesday: 3 turkey hearts (This is all he ate all day? No evening meal? Not criticizing, just clarifying)
Thursday: 1 whole chick wing (I gave it to him in the morning and he finally finished it early next morning)
Friday: 1 chick 2 mouse (Adult or juvenile? Does he usually eat 2 mice at a meal? But only 1 chick at a time?)
Saturday: Beef mince with egg shell powder (Again, only one meal? When you say mince, does that mean this has offal and bone included?)
Sunday: Calf liver and kidney (One meal?)
In addition he ate some flies, a big wasp, and some earth worms. (LOL, gross... I think we can consider these as snacks!)
About how many ounces does he eat in a day?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2014 18:03:55 GMT -5
OK, last week's menu.. I have a couple of questions and comments, just to become familiar with his eating habits. Monday: 1 small chicken wing in the morning 1 day-old chick in the evening (Adult prey is more complete nutritionally than juvenile. Day old chicks are generally considered a snack or treat.) I am thinking that maybe it's not a good idea to give those day-old chicks right now at all, because he is eating so little anyway and he takes this chick as a whole, big meal and doesn't want anything else after. I think when we have his menu balanced and him eating correctly, then it's time for snacks like that. Tuesday: Lamb meat duck egg yolk with egg shell powder Wednesday: 3 turkey hearts (This is all he ate all day? No evening meal? Not criticizing, just clarifying) Yes that was all he ate that day. I gave him a chicken wing along with the hearts but he didn't touch it until next morning. He finished the final heart only in the evening that day. Thursday: 1 whole chick wing (I gave it to him in the morning and he finally finished it early next morning) Friday: 1 chick 2 mouse (Adult or juvenile? Does he usually eat 2 mice at a meal? But only 1 chick at a time?) 2 adult mice, but they are small in size so he is capable of eating two in one sitting. But he only eats one chick per meal or sometimes even just a half.Saturday: Beef mince with egg shell powder (Again, only one meal? When you say mince, does that mean this has offal and bone included?) This is just muscle meat minced, no bone included. I gave him this meal in the morning and it lasted until next morning. It wasn't a big portion though. He only eats a few bites and then leaves it.
I am going to start weighting all the meals from now so you could have a clearer picture. Sunday: Calf liver and kidney (One meal?) Yes, he didn't even touch anything else that day. In addition he ate some flies, a big wasp, and some earth worms. (LOL, gross... I think we can consider these as snacks!) About how many ounces does he eat in a day? So far I have only weighted the portions of liver but I am starting to weight every meal from now and I will add here August's current weight first thing in the morning. And Gina I apologize if I have any misspellings. English is not my native language but I promise to give my best! I really loved your bio and I am very happy to have you as my mentor!
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Post by gfountain on Sept 4, 2014 19:23:54 GMT -5
Don't worry about mistakes in spelling. Your English is fantastic, but I'm glad to know it's not your native language. I'll try to avoid using any slang, but if you don't understand something, be sure to ask! If you don't mind my asking, where are you from?
My first suggestion was going to be start weighing everything, but you beat me to it. If you weigh the portion before you feed him, then weigh the leftovers, you'll get a good idea of how much he's eating in a meal.
What kind of diet do you want him on - frankenprey, whole prey, or a combination? That's a decision you need to make. Also, what proteins (different kinds of meat) do you want him to eat? Those are things that you'll need to decide depending on what is available where you live. Once you know what your goal is, we'll start working on getting him there, but the first thing we need to do is get him to eat whole bones.
Some bones WILL just be too big for him to crunch, like the rabbit leg bone. But chicken wings, Cornish game hen, whole mice, rats, quail, guinea pigs... those he should eat with no problem. You said he's eating the softer parts of the chicken wing. Do you mean the wingtip section? My fuzzkids think that's the best part of the wing! If that is the part he eats with no problem, let's start him on the next section. Separate the wing at the joints, into 3 sections. Put the first and third sections aside. (You can freeze them for later.) That middle section has 2 long bones in it. Use kitchen shears and very carefully cut those bones in half lengthwise. That will expose the yummy marrow and hopefully he'll decide to go ahead and eat it. If not, we'll go back a step and smash some bone for him, but I'm hoping that since he already eats some bone, we can skip the smashing step.
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Post by gfountain on Sept 4, 2014 19:25:16 GMT -5
Once you let me know whether you want him on frankenprey or whole prey, and what proteins you want him to have, we'll start working on a basic menu.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2014 5:08:25 GMT -5
So August's current weight is 41.6 oz.
I would like him to eat a combination diet of whole pray and frankenprey. I am currently cheking websites where I could order more whole pray, because out local pet store only sells mice, chicks and rats. I live in Estonia.
I made a soup this morning of 3.5 oz whole chicken wing, 0,74 oz lamb liver, 2,68 oz lamb heart and 2.82 oz of water. I made it in half and served him 3.52 oz as one meal and also added 1 quail egg on top to make him happy. He ate a little less than a half of it and I left it on so hopefully he will finish it during the day. I think I will freeze the rest for later.
In the morning I didn't find ANY frog leftovers anywhere in his room so I'm pretty sure he ate the whole frog! I am so happy!
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Post by gfountain on Sept 5, 2014 14:42:46 GMT -5
So he weighs 2lb and almost 10oz. That's a good healthy weight. That's what my boy weighs but August looks shorter and chunkier than my Slinkee. Is August neutered? 3.52 oz of soup is enough for an entire day. Most male ferrets only eat 3-5 oz per day, depending on their age, size, season of the year, and whether they are whole or neutered. Soup is only good for 6-8 hours so if he hasn't eaten it yet, it may be soured. It also doesn't keep very long in the refrigerator, so freezing it is your best option. The easiest way is to freeze it in ice cube trays, then pop them out and store them in a baggie or container. Then you can just thaw what you need. I'm really glad he ate the frog, BUT in order to avoid possible parasites, all wild game should be frozen before he eats it. That includes frogs and fish. Freezing kills all the live parasites as well as any eggs, spores, or cysts. There is some debate as to how long it needs to be frozen in order to be safe. The standard rule has been 2 weeks, but more recently, it was found that it needs to be frozen solid for only 48 hours, so in the freezer for at least 3 days to give it time to freeze and remain frozen for 48 hours. I'm not really sure which is best, but to be on the safe side I try to freeze for at least a week before feeding wild prey. That is not to say that he shouldn't hunt and eat, but to be safe the prey should be frozen before he eats it. Now getting it away from him after he kills it... that could be a problem. I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help on sourcing whole prey online, but I'll ask the other mentors and see if anyone has any suggestions.
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Post by gfountain on Sept 5, 2014 15:24:15 GMT -5
We're almost ready to get into the menu planning, but one more thing I need to know is what ratio of whole prey to frankenprey do you plan to feed? Mostly frankenprey with just a few meals of whole prey, or mostly whole prey with just a few meals of frankenprey?
There is a ton of information about raw feeding on this forum, but sometimes it's hard to find exactly what you need right when you need it, so I've assembled a lot of the important stuff into one document so it's easy to find. The next few messages are going to be a massive information overload. I want you to read through it, but DON'T stress about it and don't try to remember it all at once. I just want it to be easily accessible if you need it.
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Post by gfountain on Sept 5, 2014 15:28:57 GMT -5
Welcome to the world of raw feeding. Since you’re here, you already know that raw feeding is the healthiest and most natural way to feed your fuzzbutts. There are several types of raw diets that are commonly fed. Many ferrents use a combination of these methods to provide a balanced diet. Obviously, the MOST natural way to feed would be to let your ferrets hunt for themselves like they do in the wild, but who wants to just turn their beloved pets out into a field and tell them to ‘go find dinner’ without having some kind of backup plan! Controlled live feeding is a great way to mimic this behavior and can be used to supplement any raw diet. While it is a personal preference and must be done with caution, IF the ferret is a good hunter, and provided the live prey is no larger than a mouse, controlled live feeding is great enrichment for a ferret. The biggest downfall to feeding live (besides owner squeamishness) is the limited prey options that are small enough to be safely fed live. Pre-killed whole prey is the next closest to ‘all natural’, and is probably the easiest way to feed a ferret. Each whole prey meal is completely balanced in and of itself, so there is no need to measure and weigh (and worry about) what they eat when feeding a whole prey diet. In addition, whole prey poops are awesome - they are complete little fur- or feather-covered packages that are easy to clean up. However, whole prey can be expensive and some of us can’t feed anything that still has a face attached. A commercial grind or mince is another type of raw food that is available. The company simply takes a carcass and grinds it all up together – meat, bones, and most organs (usually not fur or feathers). Grinds are packaged in many different ratios and you must rely on the company to accurately report the contents and percentages of organs, heart, etc. in the grinds. Many grinds include added plant material (veggies and fruits), so careful research must be done to provide a completely balanced diet. Also, there are no “dental hygiene” benefits with commercial grinds so teeth must be brushed frequently, and again, it can be very expensive. And that brings us to frankenprey, a big word that simply means feeding a balanced diet with “grocery store meats”. It is possibly the most complicated method of feeding in the beginning, because it requires thought on the part of the owner, but once the initial learning curve is mastered, it is no more difficult than any other type of raw feeding. With all of these options, it’s easy to choose a method, or a combination of methods, of feeding that works for you. And once you understand the basics of ferret nutrition and establish a routine, you’ll discover that it is very simple to feed your ferret a balanced, healthy raw diet.
One thing you must remember is that with ferrets and their food, we have to speak in generalities - feeding raw is not an exact science. Our goal in feeding raw is to replicate as closely as possible what a ferret would eat in the wild with the correct balance of meat, organs, and bones, but how can we determine EXACTLY what that balance is? Because the difference in bone mass and the size of organs even between two animals of the same size and the same species can vary tremendously, we cannot set a DEFINITE ratio for our prey model and say “This is it; this is the exact amount of meat/organ/bone my ferret must have to be healthy.” Even if every single prey specimen were identical in proportions, who is to say that every single wild ferret would eat every part in exactly the right amount, especially with larger prey that cannot be consumed by a single ferret in one meal. So we get as close as we can to ‘natural’ by using a prey model that has been used for decades, a rough average of many species of prey animals - 80% meat, 10% organ, 10% bone. This prey model was originally geared toward dogs and cats who generally do not need as much bone in their diets as ferrets, which is why we say ferrets need 10-15% bone, depending on their poops. (This will be addressed later.)
Because of the different vocabulary used when discussing the different kinds of diets, there has been some confusion regarding the correct balance of a raw diet. Whole prey is easy. Each prey animal is a completely balanced meal, so there’s no need to think about numbers. Commercial grind companies use a ratio to determine the amount of meat, organ, and bare bone in their foods. (An ideal commercial grind would be approximately in the ratio of the prey model, or 80:10:10.) Frankenprey feeders don’t just toss a bare bone to their pets, but rather give them bone with meat attached, what we call edible bone-in meat. This terminology is where the confusion lies. Because the bone is served with meat, the percentage of bone-in meat is about 50-60% of the total diet (as opposed to the 10% of bare bone in the prey model). This SEEMS to be in conflict with the prey model ratio, but if you were to pick apart a frankenprey menu and weigh and measure every single thing separately, you would find that the ratio of meat to organ to bone would be very close to 80:10:10.
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Post by gfountain on Sept 5, 2014 15:32:36 GMT -5
Below are a few of the things you will need to know as a raw feeder no matter which method of feeding you choose to use. All of this information is located in various places on the forum, but I’ve tried to condense some of the basics here for reference. This seems like a lot of information, but believe me, once you get into the actual planning and feeding, this becomes second nature. First, raw food MUST be served RAW. I know that sounds like a really obvious statement, but I’ve heard from several people that they feed raw meat, but they cook it. (I know. I don’t understand that statement either, lol.) Cooking destroys many natural vitamins, minerals, and proteins in the meat and bones. In fact, cooked bones are extremely dangerous because they can splinter and perforate the stomach or intestines. Raw bones do not splinter; they break cleanly. They pass through the intestinal tract safely and the clean edges are actually smoothed by the stomach acids. They come out the other end a little rubbery feeling, and rounded with no sharp edges. (This video shows the effect of a stomach acid on bones. video ) Raw meat is safe for ferrets to eat. A ferret’s digestive tract is very short and bacteria doesn’t have enough time to set up camp in there. And, surprisingly, raw food can be safely left out for several hours at a time, depending on the ambient temperature: “Soups” - 6-8 hours (for soup recipe, see below) Grinds - 8-12 hours Chunks - 10-24 hours depending on the size (larger chunks last longer) Bone-in meats - 12-24 hours, again depending on the size Whole prey - up to 48 hours With soups and grinds, in general, trust your nose - if it smells off, it likely is and should be tossed. You will find that the bigger chunks of meat typically go through a few stages. During the ‘safe’ hours it will dry up and the surface may feel tough or leathery; it is still safe to eat at this point. Then it goes through a stinky, greasy phase during which most ferrets will not touch it. This is usually when it gets tossed because it smells awful, but occasionally a piece or two will get stashed well enough and missed. These pieces continue to dry out and become fairly odorless, making what we call ‘ferret jerky’. Most ferrets can’t resist this and will eat really nasty looking stuff with relish. If they’re eating it, it’s either not too far gone, or it has been successfully stashed and jerkified. Raw soup recipe 8 oz raw skinless/boneless chicken 1 oz raw chicken liver (about half a liver) 1 oz raw chicken heart (about 2 hearts) ½ tsp. eggshell powder Water to thin Blend all ingredients until soupy. Freeze in ice cube trays (rubbed with olive oil for easy removal) to make easy-to-serve portions and reduce waste. Chicken is the most common protein to start a switch with, but any protein can be used.
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Post by gfountain on Sept 5, 2014 15:42:50 GMT -5
The amount of food your individual ferret eats will depend on gender, age, season of the year, and his general mood. It can differ dramatically sometimes and until you become familiar with his eating habits, you will have some waste. In general (and with ferrets and their food, we ALWAYS speak in generalities), adult males eat 2-4 ounces per day, adult females 1-3 ounces per day. Kits of either gender eat 2-3 times MORE food than an adult. They all eat more when they are in the fall and winter mode, less in the spring and summer mode. In fact, ferrets can lose up to 40% of their body weight in the spring. Other factors can play a role in their eating habits also, such as stress, excitement, temperature, or attitude (“I just don’t feel like eating chicken today, mom”). Being familiar with your ferret’s eating habits at any given time of the year is important in keeping track of their health. This is one of the reasons we always recommend that you keep a food journal to track appetite, poops, activity, and weights. MOST ferrets are self-regulating and will eat only what they need. This is not to say that there are NO obese ferrets, but as a rule, they eat what they need to survive and no more. A good guideline when feeding is to try to make sure there is always a bite or two left over when you feed the next meal. Ferrets, whether they are fed whole prey, grinds, or frankenprey, or some combination of the three, must have a minimum of 3 DIFFERENT PROTEINS in their diet, preferably including at least one red meat. Examples of different proteins are chicken, turkey, quail, beef, rabbit, pork, venison, lamb, goat, frog, fish, etc. Some common red meats are beef, bison, venison, goat, and lamb. Taurine is an amino acid necessary for heart, brain, and eye health. Taurine is found in muscles that are used A LOT. This is why heart is a required part of the diet. The heart is constantly working, therefore it is very high in taurine. Heart can be ordered online if you cannot find a local supplier. Other good sources of taurine if you cannot find heart are brain and tongue. Brain is VERY difficult for some of us to find, but cow tongue can sometimes be found in grocery stores in locations with a large Asian or Hispanic population. If for some reason, you absolutely cannot get any of these sources of taurine, you can use a taurine supplement (500 mg per ferret per day). The NOW brand is a good one to use because it has no fillers in it. You can get taurine in capsule form, which you can break open and empty onto a meal, or pure powder form. (500mg of taurine is equivalent to ⅛ teaspoon.) Eggs are a very healthy addition to a ferret’s diet and help in the prevention of hairballs. Generally speaking, a ferret can have the equivalent of one chicken egg per week. (I say the equivalent of a chicken egg because quail eggs, for example, are very small and it takes 4 or 5 of them to equal one chicken egg.) A whole egg is basically a completely balanced meal, designed to provide complete nutrition and waste removal for a baby bird. Therefore, ferrets can be fed the entire egg, shell and all. Whether you want to serve the egg all at once or spread it out (a little bit several times a week) is up to you. Some ferrents choose to only serve part of the egg. In this case, it MUST be the yolk - do not feed egg whites without the yolk. During shedding season, eggs can be fed 2-3 times per week to help prevent hairballs from forming. One thing to be aware of when feeding eggs is that they can create slimy, stinky poops. And speaking of poop, poop patrol is going to become a fact of your life. A raw fed ferret’s poop is NOTHING like a kibble poop. Their poops change from meal to meal depending on what they last ate. Here is a link to the ‘poop chart’ for reference. poop chart You will likely become a little (or a lot) obsessed with your fuzzy’s litter box for the next few weeks at least, and very likely you will soon be able to tell what your ferret ate for dinner just by looking in the litter box. (You can brag about this talent to your friends if you want, lol.) In addition to his activity level, a ferret’s output is the best indicator of his health. It is also how we determine if your fuzzy needs more or less bone in his diet. As mentioned earlier, the diet should include 10-15% bone. Sometimes they need a little more bone, sometimes a little less, depending on the poops. If the poops are loose, they need more bone. If the fuzzy is constipated, or poops look dry and hard or chalky, they need less bone. Blood-rich meats (hearts, organs) will cause dark, looser poops; heavy bone meals (like chicken necks) will cause drier, more formed poops that often have tiny bits of partially digested bone in them. Another thing to expect during the first few weeks is STINKY poops! Your ferret is basically on a detox from the nasty things that are in kibble. While his digestive tract gets used to processing the raw, his stools will be stinky and odd looking most days. This will all clear up and you will have smaller, less stinky raw poops before you know it!
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Post by gfountain on Sept 5, 2014 15:46:18 GMT -5
I know that was a lot to take in. The bad news is that there's more , but I want to make sure I didn't overwhelm you with information before I give you anything else.
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