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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 11:03:16 GMT -5
In a few weeks, we will be adding 2 new babies to our family. I think I want to feed whole prey, for the most part. What is the best starter whole prey food? Are small hairless mice a good starter food? Are the hairless as good as the normal?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 19:40:57 GMT -5
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Post by Sherry on Jan 7, 2015 22:43:26 GMT -5
First- do they even know raw is food? If not pretty much anything you offer will be snubbed. Most ferrets have to go through a raw transition before switching to whole prey, unless they are tiny babies
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Post by bitbyter on Jan 7, 2015 23:27:16 GMT -5
If they have never had raw, your best bet is to transition them to a raw soup first. Then start introducing whole prey. Mine had no issues with rats or guinea pigs but it took a long time for them to accept mice. Not sure why. In the beginning with whole prey, cut them open a bit but make sure not to cut into the digestive system.
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Post by Heather on Jan 7, 2015 23:36:57 GMT -5
Agree. Older ferrets unless hunting and even then may only hunt and kill without eating have a hard time dealing with the whole food thing. The problem is ferrets fixate on the diet they're first weaned onto. Ferrets start to become more difficult to switch at around 9 months. By then they will have become conditioned by the foods that they've been raised on. In the wild it would be a safety thing....for us it becomes an issue of getting them to eat foods. This can be as difficult as getting them to eat a different kibble (why so many feed a mixture) much less changing taste and texture when you feed raw and prey. I'm not saying it can't be done, just that it's going to take work and commitment. It is easier to switch to frankenprey and then to prey. You can try going straight to prey but it's going to take a lot of work and ingenuity on your part. Remember that if you do go to prey, that you still need multiple prey types to cover their dietary needs.
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2015 8:09:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the suggestions! They do not know what raw food is, I am sure. I was hoping that at their young age the switchover will be fairly easy. I am guessing them about 8 weeks old. I can start soups if I need to. My cat eats raw. I fix her ground chicken with liver mixed with TC Feline mix to make it balanced. Since this food is supposed to be balanced to mimic the composition of a mouse, (it has the bone meal, taurine, etc) would it be ok to use for my soup? Has anyone ever tried it?
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