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Post by lee on Dec 3, 2016 19:11:00 GMT -5
I always gut my rabbits but I was told by an old timer that you don't need to gut them, he said he always left his as they were because he believed that the ferrets would eat part of the guts and it was good for them. Does anyone have an views
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Post by unclejoe on Dec 3, 2016 19:29:14 GMT -5
It seems natural that a predator would eat the entire prey. They guts contain nutrients that aren't found in the meat. Most raw feeders include organs in the diet to balance it.
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Post by FerretsnFalcons on Dec 3, 2016 19:40:40 GMT -5
I always gut anything I feed Sunny (except for mice and chicks) because he will not eat the guts. It's a lot less messy to just throw them out instead of having them strewn everywhere. Rabbits have huge intestinal tracts compared to animals like mice or rats, and I imagine that most ferrets would not eat them. If they puncture the digestive tract the contents will spill everywhere and it's the most foul-smelling part of the animal. Do you know if your ferrets will eat the intestines, if given the chance? If they won't, then no sense leaving them in lol. From a nutritional standpoint it doesn't seem that the digestive tract offers any benefits when consumed. In the end it's up to you to decide what to do, but I would just continue gutting them. You don't NEED to gut them, but it's less messy unless your ferrets will eat every part of the intestinal tract.
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Post by Heather on Dec 4, 2016 0:21:54 GMT -5
Any of the ferrets I've had will not eat the "guts" basically the stomach, intestines and gallbladder, even my mink won't eat it. She leaves me this nice little pile of critter guts. The ferrets aren't so polite, they like to throw their critter innards around. I clean everything except mice and chicks, it just saves me having to clean up after the little sods. ciao
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on Dec 4, 2016 14:11:00 GMT -5
I gut everything---mice and rats as well.
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Post by lee on Dec 4, 2016 16:44:20 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. I always do gut my rabbits but never pigeons. I sometimes might gut a chicken if it's a large one. I just wanted to get other peoples opinions. Thank you
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