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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2011 23:01:20 GMT -5
So this past week Pixie had a LOT of GI issues after a large liver meal. Lots of gas and tummy rumbling. So I think that she is going to have to have several small liver meals a week instead of one large one. I am also in the process of collecting some money to buy some mice and rats. So I came up with this menu - what do you all think? | DAY | AM | PM | | Mon | Mice (bone) | Pork (no bone) | | Tues | Rats (bone) | Beef (no bone) | | Wed | Mice (bone) | Chicken OR CGH (bone) | | Thurs | Rats (bone) | Turkey (no bone) | | Fri | Mice (bone) | Pork (no bone) | | Sat | Rats (bone) | Beef (no bone) | | Sun | Mice (bone) | Chicken OR Turkey (bone) |
Would this style of diet provide enough liver and heart? I just got some fish oil + cod liver oil supplements which I'll be using, as well as taurine supplements. I also worry about it not being enough bone. I normally feed 8 meals of bone-heavy meats. Turkey necks, chicken wings, backs ribs. Lots of bone. However, whole prey is something like 15% bone. I might try to do some math to see if it's enough. Eventually I'd like to start adding more whole prey (small quail, maybe some GPs). Another question - trying to see how much this is going to cost me  . Do ferrets consume the same amount of whole prey (in oz.) as they would regular meats? So if my girls eat 6-8 oz a day, they'd need the same in whole prey? |
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Post by Heather on May 31, 2011 0:35:25 GMT -5
For your prey to add up to your calcs it has to be adult, juveniles are a portion of that. If your little one is having huge difficulty handling the organ day....divy it up into smaller portions, mix it in with the daily meal. I feed organ meat 7 days out of the week....some of my guys hate it, and when I had Ghenghis it was too rich for him. Those portions split through the week worked very well for him and the others. I feed a bit heavier than prescribed but not by much. Prey, though balanced isn't if you're feeding more than one ferret (unless you can guarantee that each is only going to eat their own meal). The dominant ferret will eat the choice pieces...those pieces are often organ meats meaning that the rest of the business gets shorted. I find that with prey, my guys eat more. Right now, my girls eat 1 to 1.5 mice, my boys double that....Minion 3x that. Minion ate a whole adult rat by himself the other day  So your calculations go out the window when feeding babies. ciao |
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Post by Heather on May 31, 2011 0:36:23 GMT -5
Oh, I forgot to add....I'd up your bone content a bit too
ciao
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Post by Sherry on May 31, 2011 9:27:55 GMT -5
As you know, Heather- I don't feed a lot of whole prey. It's more a weekly snack for my guys d/t cost factors.
But if she's feeding 7 meals of adult mice and rats, and 2 extra bone in meals, why would she need to up the bone? I know(now) that the dominant ferret will eat likely eat the organ meat first from the larger prey, but wouldn't they all be eating the bone daily?
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2011 9:40:32 GMT -5
Well the plan would be for each ferret to have her own mouse/rat so no one misses out on anything  I might feed separately if I have to so they I know each is eating everything. If I feed 7 whole prey meals, would I need to add any organ to the schedule? |
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Post by Heather on May 31, 2011 15:07:17 GMT -5
If you know exactly what is going into them...no.
As far as the bone content...check their stools. If they're ok, then the bone is probably ok too.
ciao
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2011 15:26:54 GMT -5
Sounds like a plan I can always add more bone (they love the stuff) I just don't want to overdo it. I cannot wait to get them eating whole prey. I'll probably start a thread to document the whole prey switch. Pixie will be a tough one, I can already sense it! Another question - This diet is 50% rodent (25% mouse/25% rat). Is that okay? Right now, their diet is probably 40-45% chicken, so I would think it'd be okay. Those are the only affordable whole prey right now. They'd have a total of 7 proteins (mice, rats, chicken, turkey, CGH, beef, pork) but the focus would be on mice and rats. |
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Post by Heather on May 31, 2011 16:05:09 GMT -5
I think it should be alright. You've got other meats in there as well.
ciao
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Post by goingpostal on May 31, 2011 17:21:55 GMT -5
You might want to consider either making the whole prey the dinner meal or just having whole prey days rather than breakfast every day. Mine love mice, rats not as much probably because I feed large ones and they have to put more effort in but they will gorge and eat as many mice as possible. Not sure what size rats you are feeding but a large rat used to be gone in under a day with four, but now takes two days without Koda around. But they would still eat that weight in mice in a day.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2011 19:09:16 GMT -5
I was planning on using the smallest adult rat - not sure how many oz they are but my girls eat 2-3 oz a day.
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So your calculations go out the window when feeding babies.
