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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2017 13:15:26 GMT -5
is it normal for my ferrets who hav ebeen changed over to raw food to have black tary poop and very loose poop and runny etc for the first few days ? there poop very smelly also
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Post by LindaM on Sept 17, 2017 13:33:47 GMT -5
When first switching to raw, you can expect what is called Detox Poops. These are nasty and often range all over the place when it comes to consistencies and colors too. And yes, they smell really bad, but it's all for the bigger goal.. poopies that you can almost not smell at all. Detox poops tend to persist for a few weeks, usually 4-6 I believe.
Also, something to keep in mind. Heart meals and Organ meals tend to produce black, tarry/soupie looking poops in general, this is usually due to the higher iron/blood content in those meals as compared to muscle or bone-in meals.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2017 14:50:35 GMT -5
what are the benefits of raw
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Post by LindaM on Sept 17, 2017 15:46:34 GMT -5
Plenty. There are more depending on the type of raw you are doing too. I'll try to list as best I can.
Hydration - Carnivores are horridly lazy and bad at drinking enough water because they are designed to get most of their needed moisture from their food. Feeding raw provides them that moisture, unlike kibble which dehydrates some and provides no moisture at all. Which is why we say a carnivore on kibble is always toeing the line of dehydration and off much worse when sickness strikes. You should see bigger pee-pee puddles on raw, as they will be properly hydrated and can afford to lose more liquid than before.
Energy - Raw will provide your ferrets with more, and healthy energy from the fats they get out of the meat vs. carbs from plants or sugars which leads to insulinoma. Fattier cuts and darker meats are preferred above something like a light meat (eg. breast) as it provides more energy.
Speaking of.. Prevent Insulinoma and other stuff - If started early enough, you can prevent insulinoma, a major nasty that comes from kibble feeding (all those carbs and sugars and indigestible content), and even the best kibbles on the market can contribute to it over time. Kibble also tends to have certain ingredients that can contribute to kidney and bladder stones related to diet, such as peas and sweet potatoes. With raw, you avoid this.
Dental & GI Tract Health - If you offer a raw plan that includes bones to crunch (Frankenprey & Whole Prey only), then the bones will keep their teeth clean, scraping off tartar and plaque, it also cleans out their GI tracts and keeps it in optimal health.
Prevents Overeating - This one varies on the type of raw. A ferret eating raw will usually regulate themselves with how much they eat, and not overeat. But if you offer a raw that's very easy to just slurp up like grinds, they can still overeat.
Healthy Coat - Coats tend to improve quite a bit on the raw diet, and giving salmon oil as a treat also encourages lovely coats.
Eye, Brain, and Heart Health - Taurine is a major player in providing health to the eyes, brain and heart. Ferret bodies cannot made taurine unlike some animals, thus they need to get it from their diet. Hearts provide just this and is very important.
Smaller, Less Stinky Poops - Because raw is the natural, proper diet for a carnivore, it means they can use more of what is given to them. With something like kibble, which includes plant material which is indigestible to a ferret, their little bodies have no use for it, and thus there is more waste to get rid of.
Easier to single out a problematic ingredient - So, if your ferret has IBS/IBD, or a sensitivity to an ingredient or protein.. it's much easier to find the culprit in a raw diet, as it's usually a single thing at a time, in kibbles.. well you've seen the ingredient list.. good luck singling out which is the problem so you can avoid it.
I may be missing some, but those are some right off the bat when it comes to raw.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2017 16:17:41 GMT -5
sounds fantastic for them
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2017 12:29:37 GMT -5
Another question I have for you is how often should I feed them ? Are there certain times I should stand by or do I should just make sure they have raw food in there cage at all times
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Post by LindaM on Sept 18, 2017 14:47:00 GMT -5
How old are your fuzzies? Do any of them have health concerns, eg. Insulinoma?
Mine are all healthy and adults, so we feed 2 meals a day. An AM and a PM meal. It also depends on what raw plan you offer, as I know the whole prey feeders can even get away with feeding just once a day depending on what they throw in there, bigger animals last them longer so they can eat multiple meals from say a rabbit for example.
Kits and sick ferrets require more meals than just the general 2 per day though, and need to be fed more often.
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