How long would a whole animal last for a single ferret?

[Deleted]

How long do you think a whole animal would last my ferret? Deskinned and without the head. I plan to get a whole rabbit, duck, quail and chicken? I'm just curious..I would like to get an estimate on how much I should be getting when I do my bulk order. She hasn't had any bones yet either...Should I get extra small bone in meats just in case she can't handle big bones?

[Heather]

It depends entirely on actual weights. Animals vary in weights...how long they will last is entirely dependent on how much they weight, how you cut it up and how much you feed. A sprite/jill eats on average 1 to 3 oz per day depending on age, health and season
Ferrets have to learn to eat bone (unless they're kits). As their jaws get stronger, the better they can eat the heavier bones. This varies from ferret to ferret
ciao

[Deleted]

Would it be okay if I fed her gizzards for half or most of her muscle meat meals to strengthen her jaw?

[antismurffette]

I think they prefer you vary the meat cuts so you get the different vitamins and minerals in their diet.

You could put the wingette or whatever bone in meat in a zip lock or two and bash it with a hammer (we have a aluminum meat tenderizer, or sometimes use the rolling pin) it breaks up the bones and it encouraged my little girl kit to actually eat her bones instead of the meat around it.

[Deleted]

I agree with Heather. It depends on the weight of the animal, how many ferrets and how much those ferrets eat. I also believe you should hold off from whole animals for now and start small. Feeding bone in meats such as wings and necks is a good idea. Whole prey (whole animals with organs and all) may need a mini transition as they are. Whole animals who are gutted, de-feathered etc are fantastic for dividing up and bagging for muscle meats and bone in meats. I got a whole duck the other week, Managed to get a nice amount of muscle meat with the breats fillets, and the rest went to fleshy bone in meats.

I fed a 500 gram rabbit the other day and my ferrets eat 250grams or so all together, so for them, it lasted around 2 days.