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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2017 0:55:14 GMT -5
Hopefully this is the right place for this question lol. I found some jarred duck fat at my local grocery store. The one and only ingredient is duck fat; no preservatives or additives. How much/how often should/could i give this to Theo? Will this help prevent hairballs and help promote a healthy coat? TIA
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on Jun 3, 2017 7:21:55 GMT -5
Because of no additives and preservatives, I would keep fat in refrigerator. I have not done any research on this though, but I know fats can go rancid. I even keep my salmon oil in fridge.
About your question,I will let others answer that. I know there are all kind of oils in hairball preventions.The forum,however promotes using eggs. 2 a week in shedding season( this may even go up to 3---not sure) I would offer more than 2 during the week if a ferret can't eat a whole egg at a sitting. And of course, 1 egg a week when not in shedding season--meal or snack.
Now getting a ferret to like eggs--some do and some don't. It will take a little work if not. I have better luck with a little on finger then teaspoon feeding one of mine. I have even warmed up an empty plate in microwave and stirred egg around with finger to make sure no hotspots for enticing. Some ferrets are suckers for warmed food:)
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Post by Sherry on Jun 3, 2017 7:23:07 GMT -5
I know a number of our Australian members use this as a treat for nail clipping etc. I wouldn't personally make it a regular part of their diet, rather just as a treat.
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Post by Thérèse on Jun 3, 2017 8:56:10 GMT -5
I do give my ferrets duck fat as a treat. Everyone on here mostly uses salmon oil as a treat but here in Aus I couldn't find any that wasn't flavoured (even those that said all natural in big letters on the front, when I checked the ingredients had citrus or some such thing, guess the argument is that citrus is natural but it's not natural to salmon oil). Consequently when I saw the duck fat I gave it a try and my ferrets love it. Have been using it some years now and every ferret has loved it. I only use it as a treat because that is what I wanted it for. Something that was so yummy and also a rare thing that they would come running for. Don't know how good or bad it might be as more than a treat.
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Post by LindaM on Jun 3, 2017 14:02:46 GMT -5
Fats can definitely go rancid over time or in bad temperatures, and while ferrets get their energy from fattier meats, there is a thing as too much fat obviously. I would also go the raw egg route that Abbey suggested, many of us use that as our hairball prevention.
You can give either the entire raw egg in a single sitting, or portion it out through the week and save remainder in fridge. When whisking together the white and yolk (since you should never give white by itself), if the egg is cold from the fridge, the white tends to clump into big glops and this seems to freak some ferrets out. I try to let my eggs sit on the counter for a while to warm to room temperature, and then whisk up their eggs. I also have one who despises white and refuses a whisked egg, but will happily eat the yolk by itself, so that one only gets the yolk when I give eggs.
Weekly Egg limit: 1 raw chicken egg per ferret (double in shedding season) OR 3 raw quail eggs (around 5 during shedding season). Quail eggs I give whole with shell, as my business likes to shatter and crunch through the shells on these by themselves, chicken egg shells on the other hand tend to be too hard.
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Post by Thérèse on Jun 4, 2017 7:06:20 GMT -5
Yes, forgot to say I do keep mine in the fridge. Like butter it can sometimes be quite hard straight from the fridge but as I usually just finger scoop a bit up the heat from my finger softens it some. I also sometimes put a small amount in a little container (about the size for dipping sauces) and leave it out a little while and then I have a liquid to use without spoiling the whole container.
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on Jun 5, 2017 7:43:53 GMT -5
Just a note about fats and passing hairballs.
I get guinea pigs from Hare Today and noticed that guinea pigs have a concentration of fat on the back of their necks. Yesterday, I gave my Phoebe that fat and she passed some small wads of hair(looks like compacted and flat cotton). She is not a great egg eater. I teaspoon feed her but about two spoonfuls, which is all she will eat at a sitting. she will eat some off saucer--but not too enthused about it, yet.
When my Abbey(DIP)ate some of my phone protector, I did part of the protocol with her. I think it was making her sick because she went and stuck her head in a box after the last dose I gave her. I started giving her fat off chicken, and that helped her pass bits of rubber. Well, I attribute the fat to helping.
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Post by msav on Jun 5, 2017 9:43:11 GMT -5
I feed duck fat right off the Duck. The duck fat you buy in a jar is rendered (Cooked)
Locally I get my Frozen duck at the supermarket, a larger duck is about $20.
Mine love duck fat. I give them a few slivers as a treat. When I cut up the duck and portion it I cut the extra fat up into slivers and freeze them. I pull them out and occasionally give it to them as a treat.
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