Eating less ?

[Deleted]

I just recently switched my two (female) ferrets on a raw diet, maybe 2-3 weeks ago
they would eat raw as if they were starving, i'd feed them maybe 3-4 ounces at 6 a.m and 6 p.m, it was all minced. I expected them to eat more because they were detoxing and such, so i wasn't worried about that

But now, it seems like theyre eating less, and becoming less interested in eating! It also seems like theyre sleeping a lot more. Is this all part of the detoxing stage? They smelled really bad at first, but that seems to have gone down now. 

They both will eat chicken, beef, lamb, pork, and turkey. One of them will eat eggs and salmon oil.

Last night, I gave them chunks of beef heart, beef chuck, and chicken thigh. They ate only a little bit at first, so I left it out. When i woke up, it was all gone (and not stashed anywhere, so it was definitely eaten)

I fed them breakfast and they did the same thing; wasnt interested at first and very slowly ate it over time.

For dinner today, it was turkey neck. Bea, who usually will dig right in, wasnt interested at all! She licked the turkey neck a little bit, I tried to coax her with some salmon oil and she licked it up and ran back to bed. 
Darcy did the same thing, except later she chomped on it a little bit, making a pretty small dent. 

I have been cutting the meat pieces so that theyre bigger chunks, could that fill them up more than the tiny minced pieces? 

I just worry too much, any input would be nice 

[raynebc]

When they have to eat larger chunks, it makes it more work for them and they're less likely to gorge like with soup/ground raw. Depending on their age, they may not eat more than a couple ounces each per day once they've settled into their new diet. Just keep track of their weights, it may change as they lose fat and gain muscle, but any fast and dramatic drop in weight could be an issue to consult a vet about.

[Sherry]

It is likely they have also reached their "drop" point. All ferrets when first switched to raw eat and eat and eat. It is almost like they have to "catch up" on missed nutrients. Once that happens appetites can cut almost in half to a more normal level.
Most female ferrets will consume an average of 1-3 oz a day each.

[crazylady]

Hi Sherry is correct in what she is saying because they are eating meat its pure protein so a little goes a long way lol it is also quickly converted to muscle you may find they slow down at this time of year as breeding season is nearly over and they try to retain there energy by sleeping more all of my ferrets have a tendency to dump meat in a clean corner but when I go back next morning it is all gone they like to eat from dusk to dawn I guess its simply a built in mechanism for survival they eat in the dark because they feel safe and less likely to attract predators ( no one has told them there are non in the house lol) good luck take care bye for now
Bev