Good sources of raw food?

[Agronvall]

Before I get my ferrets, I want to make sure I provide them with the highest quality possible. And that means finding the absolute BEST raw food to give them! Likewise, I give my dogs raw food...Yet, I worry about the source of it. I usually buy cuts from a grocery store, which I know may not be the best. So, I plan on giving them commercial raw until I can give them better food, such as whole prey.

Now, I know this is going off on a different subject, or should I say animal? But I am getting to my point...I have researched MANY raw food providers for my dogs, but ALL of them have proven to be VERY expensive! The shipping is usually $20-$40! And I just don't want to repeat the same mistake for my future ferrets...

I plan on taking up hunting (I have nearly completed the courses) but that probably won't happen for a while. I need to know a GOOD and COST EFFECTIVE source for both my dogs and future ferrets! Has anyone else run into this problem?

I have heard of forum members giving their ferrets commercial raw, such as Natures Variety, Darwins', Primal, ect. Would this be fine to provide for ferrets and dogs (with the inclusion of chicken bones) until I can provide them with whole prey? I am confused...Please help!

Thanks for taking the time to read and and answer. 

[Deleted]

Its great your looking and planning before you get your fuzzies, its always the best option. I'm doing the same.

I'm struggling with the same issue but I'm in the UK so I don't know how much help I'd be especially as I've not found too many options for me yet but on the forum there is a list of suppliers in various countries, have a look and try the links (i think its in the diet/nutrition section also on the holistic webpage too),plus I'm not sure if there still in business but in the usa there is an online supplier my pet carnivore, those might be a place to start. I hope you find what your looking for like I say I'm looking for the same atmo

Oh that reminds me if you know of any foreign markets like Spanish, Chinese/Asian they usually have a much wider range of raw products that are suitable for humans and usually reasonably priced so that's another possible option.

[Deleted]

Nah, meat from the grocery store is pretty much what most of us get.
You can really source from anywhere you can locate meat. Grocery/supermarket stores, meat and fish markets if you have any, sometimes farms and farmers markets will have fresh meats. Hunting would be great, I think thats a great source for meat.

Commercial raw unfortunately is pretty pricey long term. Yes, it is still a super good one when you want to first start out, but it does get pricey the longer you use it. I think for the time being, go for it. You'll have heaps of time to sort out your meat sources and gradually introduce new raw items as you go. I know many US members source from places liek My Pet Carnivore, Hare Today Gone Tomorrow, etc. Those places have raw and ground mixes available. (Ground mixes may eb a bit bone heavy for ferrets but easily fixed I believe.) Some commercial raw, like Rad Cat, can be purchased in store, or you can order online, pick up in store. It's always worth asking or looking in for local providers and see if they have those options.

[Deleted]

Due to the availability I'm looking into buying a good meat grinder going to my butcher and farm suppliers and just doing the work for myself apart from whole raw and sourcing regular supplies of organ, it'll work out easier and cheaper in the long run. If (as you should) you have done the research on the essential balanced frankenprey diet and how substitution works (complete and balanced) then actually doing it all for yourself is best option I can find personally. Especially when buying from suppliers offering ground options is only necessary as part of transition and for variety.

[abbeytheferret6]

Shipping is about 20 some odd dollars for me. I get mice and rats from Florida---Perfect Prey and South Florida Rodents. I live in North Carolina. My neighbor will give me a squirrel ever so often. He gave me some deer meat, but the babies would not eat it,so i gave it to my 2 yr old dog. I have a deer heart that i am going to make a soupie out of. We will see if that goes better. You want to freeze for two weeks all wild animals that you kill . That is to kill parasites.

If your r in USA, check Asian stores. They generally have frozen quail---about 11 to 12 dollars where i am. Makes sure all meat from grocery stores are free of salt and solutions. At farmers market , you can get chicken hearts from those who r selling chicken meat. Hearts a good source of taurine.

A guy gave me a copperhead snake that he skinned, but i could not bring myself to give it to my ferrets However, a long time back, someone on forum gave their ferrets a rattlesnake(dead, of course). I am pretty sure it was beheaded.

[LindaM]

I do a menu of frankenprey, rehydrated FDR and frozen commercial raw for my ferrets. The frankenprey part is definitely the cheaper one out of the three. My FDR and Frozen Raw cost me easily triple my frankenprey costs, so that one is indeed a pricy option in the long run. I use Stella & Chewys for my FDR and Frozen Raw, I also use some Nature's Variety Instinct, but there's a big lack in the cat varieties (only Rabbit & Chicken), and I spoke to Customer Support from NV and they said the taurine in the dog varieties are very low by comparison, so you'd still need to supplement with more heart if you want to go that route.

If you have freezer space... I suggest buying in bulk, that tends to save some money. Most common places I know of online are Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore. If you have Asian or Ethnic grocery stores near you, try those. They still sell human grade meats, have more variety of proteins for ferrets, and are rather affordable. I can easily get hearts, livers, chicken feet, whole rabbit, whole duck, duck necks, quail, frogs' legs, etc. at the Asian stores. To give an idea, the whole rabbit runs like $3.99/lb.. that's not bad, and cheaper than it would be online from most places.

And like mentioned above, just check the package or ingredients label to make sure no salt or salt solutions were added for tenderizing (most common with pork).

[Sherry]

Grocery store, asian markets, farmer's markets for my guys.