Picky picky picky

[Deleted]

So I am really interested in raw feeding my kids. Not only is it natural for them to eat raw meat, but my vet recommended it. (She is super involved in the diet of all my fur babies)

I have been looking at the Frankenprey balanced diet. 
I have easy access to multiple proteins, including whole frozen mice. 

Here lies my problem. 
I'm trying to mix raw meats with the kibble I was provided to kind of ease the three into their new diet, but the little turds eat around all the meat, and I haven't even attempted the whole mice yet.

Any suggestions? Is there something that I should try? Is there a secret to the raw diet?

 

[LindaM]

Mixing raw with the kibble can lead to a bacterial overgrowth inside them which then has to be treated with antibiotics from the vet, so that's not the best choice. Granted they eat some of the meat even that is. But it is something to just remain aware of though.

Best thing to do will be to sign up for a mentor on here to help you with the switch, they will also teach you valuable information concerning raw feeding.

In the interim, if none are willing to try a little sliver of meat as is, (I think one of your babies is already a year old, yes?), then you can make a raw soupie to try with them. Recipe:
holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/145/raw-soup

Try and do your raw meal a few hours after removing their kibble, and until you are getting progress on the switch put the kibble back a few hours after a raw meal, or if one of them really didn't eat from the raw, since you have 2 kits and they always need food available. The kits will generally also switch the fastest out of all of them, the adults tend to be a bit more difficult, but definitely still doable.

You can use a drizzle of salmon oil to lure them to trying out the raw soupie, of a crumble of FDR (Freeze-Dried Raw) treat on top, or a drizzle of raw egg if they already eat raw eggs. Keep in mind there is a limit to how much salmon oil and how much egg they can have each week.

To get them started at first you can do a Dab'N'Grab. See a ferret and grab them, dab the soup on their gums and let them go. Do this every 5 minutes for about a 20-30 minute session or whenever you can during the day, just be persistent about it. Once they are willing to lick it off your finger, you can see if they'll eat from the bowl by themselves, or not. If they don't want to yet, you can try offering with a spoon until they do.