Rodentpro Shoppers- Hypothetical expense breakdown

[Deleted]

I'm looking into getting 2 ferrets and went down a rabbit-hole while doing some research on what they should eat. I was all for the whole prey method, but I’m getting blown away by the price. I was wondering if someone could check my hypothetical shopping list and see if maybe I’m getting something wrong.

Based on these forums, it seems ferrets eat between 2-6oz a day, depending on age, season and sex. So let’s say I have two, eight-month old males eating 5oz a day in the spring.

As I understand it, I need to provide 3 different proteins.

I looked at Rodentpro.com, which seems to be reputable and recommended, and came up with the following menu based on the weights/oz of their feed. I chose the feed that seemed economical to buy in bulk, but let me know if anyone shops there and thinks otherwise.

OUNCES FOR REFERENCE According to Rodentpro.com
Hairless Large Adults- 0.6oz-0.8oz each
Large Pinkies- 0.1oz
Small Rabbit- 24oz
Extra Small Chicks- 1.5oz

Daily Menu:
2 Hairless Large mice (=1.6oz)
Piece of Rabbit (=1.5oz)
1 Small Chick (=1.5oz)
2-3 Large Pinkies (0.3oz)

=4.9oz total

Monthly Order:

2 Small (approx 24oz each) Rabbits= $8.00 each, 2 for $16.00 total
60 Large (approx 1.6oz each) Mice= 50 bag for $35.00 total
30 Small (approx 1.5oz each) Chicks= 25 bag for $10.00 total
90 Large (approx 0.3oz each) Pinkies = 100 bag for $30.00 total

That’s 91.00 for one ferret, 182 for two.

There’s some wiggle room in here since they don’t offer 60 or 30 bags, so I'm under a few mice and chicks. Let’s add another bag of 25 chicks @$10 between 2 ferrets to make sure I have enough food.

182+10.00= 192.00

192+30.00 Shipping= $222.00 per month.

That is a lot of money… plus buying a new freezer.

There is a commercial raw brand called Rad Cat at my local pet store that sells for about $11.50 per 24oz container.

If I fed them this, and let’s just say they are eating approx 4oz each daily (8oz total) to keep the math simple, I’d be going through about 10 24oz containers a month, which brings me to $115.00, minus tax. Considerably more if they are 5-6oz eaters. 

Am I missing something? I’m awful at math, and I don’t really expect anyone to take the time and research my work, but does this amount sound correct for 2 ferrets shopping at Rodentpro?

[LindaM]

Pinkies and chicks are all baby animals, and can be given as a treat once in a while, or about no more than one meal a week usually. Baby animals aren't fully developed nutritionally, compared to adult animals, so they can't be fed as meals really.

If you have adult ferrets, a female will eat average 1-3oz in a day, and a male will do average 2-6oz (generally 2-4oz, but some do 3-6oz) a day, but kits are tummies with teeth and will easily surpass those amounts and need food available at all times (8 months old they are still doing some developing). And when first getting ferrets to eat raw, if they haven't before, even adults will start off eating a lot more at first, and then mellow down to those listed ranges. Most of us also free-feed, meaning we put out a morning meal which lasts the ferrets until the evening meal, and then put out the evening meal to last until the next morning meal, versus someone who puts out a bit of food and then take it away. After feeding for a while, and you consistently end up with a little remaining in the bowls right before you switch to the next meal, then they're getting enough. Completely empty bowls mean someone might not have eaten their fill.

A lot of us just buy certain things from the Asian markets, which work out cheaper. I can get a whole, skinned rabbit for $3.99/lb. Whole duck, defeathered for $2.89/lb. Chicken hearts $1.25/lb, etc. Those were cheaper than prices I found online for them.

I do a split diet of frankenprey, rehydrated FDR, and commercial Frozen Raw. I can tell you, I easily spend $100 on just my FDR and Frozen Raw from Stella & Chewys. The frankenprey is much cheaper by comparison.

[abbeytheferret6]

I allow $200 a month for my 4 ferrets in whole prey. Yikes, I have never broke it down to see how much they really eat---too much for my wee brain. If i run out of something, I will go to grocery store and buy pork or turkey, which are muscle meals and need to be followed before and after with bone meals. I can get quail  readily at Asian stores near me too. I get large rats like 8 0z. This will last mine all day then at night i will give like 5 mice as one of mine will eat more than 1 mouse. Usually there is food left over or stashed under a drawer in their room after a few days of feeding.(I put ferrets in a room at night)

I gut everything and skin, and also I cut up. This is kind of labor intensive, but it does keep mine from stashing whole mice in places( free roamers here) and sometimes if the guts r left in, mine will eat just the heads. Oh yes, my ferrets have trained me. Some people have a different approach than this. If i had ferret babies, I think I would do it differently, but I am retired, so I have plenty of time.

I use Perfect Prey, South Florida Rodents, and Hare Today.
From Hare Today, I get guinea pigs,which I skin and gut(.5 lbs -1lb). GP is good for the whole day and part of next day. I can go to farmer's market and get chicken hearts as well as lamb hearts and liver(lamb in the spring).

Wished I had only two ferrets. Things would be much simpler, but got that disease called ferret math.

Maybe others have feeding down to a science.

[raynebc]

My ferrets eat a mostly frankenprey diet, but they do get mice for Friday dinner. Likewise, I have to gut and skin the mice or the ferrets won't eat much of it. Even mixed with an egg, it's not their favorite meal. Some ferrets are less picky, and getting them started on whole prey at a younger age probably would help.

[Deleted]

I don't currently do any whole prey but I'm happy to share my costs of my frankenprey diet for your reference / comparison!

I just have 1 female ferret at the moment. She eats a little over 1 oz per meal.
I'm feeding the following proteins: Chicken, quail, duck, turkey, rabbit, beef, lamb, eggs. As well as the odd stella and chewy's meal here and there just so she keeps a taste for it in case of emergencies.
I shop exclusively at a local asian market(with the exception of the stella and chewy's - Amazon) and total combined costs average out to be roughly $180 per year(including costs of baggies) to feed my girl.
If you would like a break down of cost per pound per protein I would be happy to post it later as I don't have the list on me at the moment.

Cheers!

[Heather]

Feeding whole prey is one of the costliest methods of feeding. It's the easiest to balance, you definitely don't have to think about it. Baby animals are nutritionally poor (calcium being the biggest issue)....they're a great treat but are not part of their balanced diet. The best bang for your buck, the jumbo or largest as they're often retired breeders. It means that one mouse can comfortably feed a small jill or sprite. I can't even imagine how many pinkies you'd need for that (my guys won't give these poor creatures the time of day unless they're fresh). I feed a lot of prey but also feed frankenprey and even my own grinds that I make up every couple of weeks (about 30 lbs). I've used RodentPro and found their product very good and my guys loved it.
ciao

[Deleted]

Thanks everyone. Perhaps two female ferrets will keep my costs down :}
Good info on the baby animals, will keep in mind.

[Deleted]

Prey is absolutely pricey, but it's so easy and the biggest timesaver. These days the expense is worth it to me. I paid my dues making menus and searching for meat sales and buying bulk and thawing and chopping and bagging and refreezing and thawing again...

I usually make about three orders a year, either from RodentPro or AmericanRodent.com. RodentPro will have email sales every now and then of probably whatever they have overstocked. I'm lucky that my two boys will eat anything whole, so hairless/dark/white doesn't matter. They get whatever mice or rats adult size or larger that're on sale. I'll add a couple bags of chicks plus anything else on sale for treats/variety and to fill up the box, and it usually comes out around $300 each time. Because of the shipping, it's not ever worth ordering half a box. I also feel like all my ferrets have always eaten on the low end of the ounce/meal estimation when it comes to whole prey -- that might not be true for others.

I also order from Hare-Today.com, mostly pre-ground meat/bone/organ mixes for my dogs, but sometimes also random parts or organs for the ferrets. Hare Today's whole prey prices aren't comparable to the prey-only sites.

I will also occasionally feed things like gizzards and chicken feet and eggs from the grocery store. Probably not more than once a week.

My ferrets don't leave anything behind with whole prey and they don't mind it served frozen either, so being able to serve some mice in a dish twice a day and not having to shake out their blankets for chunks of uneaten surprises later is ideal for me. They obviously prefer the whole stuff, too. Plus whole prey poops are small, dry, and odorless So worth it. I spend more time making human dinners now.