Wanting to switch

[skits]

I really want to switch the ferts to raw but I would have to convince my dad first so I have a few questions.

1) What are the pros and cons of raw feeding?
2) What kind of meats should they be fed daily? Like, what does everyone usually feed on a weekly basis?
3) How much should be fed for each ferret, and should they have some all day round or are they fed at certain times of the day (example: morning, afternoon, night.)
4) When they are fed example a chicken leg, do you put in the entire leg or do you have to remove anything before hand.
5) Do their poops smell less once they are switched?

My ferrets are all under two years old with the exception of Luo who is four. They're currently on eukanuba cat food and they're poops are really smelly and not looking as well as I would like (I never thought I would say that about poop ;D)

EDIT: Also, I'm not wanting to have them eating whole prey. Just because I don't want to have to see a mutilated mouse in my cage.

[Sherry]

Not a problem about the whole prey ;D You can feed a balanced diet without it

Jun 13, 2011 15:41:03 GMT -5 @skits said:

1) What are the pros and cons of raw feeding?

For me, the pros are an overall healthier, happier ferret. I have fewer vet visits, if they get sick or injured, they have many more resources to call upon internally. Good example is my IBD boy, Boris. He's had diarrhea pretty much since last November. He is STILL not considered dehydrated by the vet, in spite of the fact he's lost 1/2 his body weight before we finally started him on pred.
Frankly- a kibble fed ferret wouldn't have survived that without sub q fluids. A ferret(or a cat for that matter) is kept borderline dehydrated on kibble, since they cannot drink enough to make up for it.
They enjoy their food- they actually get REALLY excited about meal times . Dental health is AMAZING- even the vet always comments on their nice white teeth
Odds are I'll be able to completely avoid insulinoma with the ones I started on raw young enough. Maybe even with some of the older ones. But if the older ones DO get it- I'll be able to control it for quite a while with diet alone, before having to resort to meds.
Coat is soft and luxurious. Their tails smell like grape koolaid ;D They smell like warm corn chips. No musk odour at all.
They have lots of energy. No run, run, run for 30 minutes to an hour, then crash.
They are more alert, and inquisitive.
You can tailor the diet to the individual ferret.

CONS
Frankly, for me, there aren't any. Although some have a problem if they are able to stash their food.
If a raw diet is fed improperly- it's far more dangerous than kibble. Balance is all important. But that's not hard to do.
Of course, you are going to get that old myth about salmonella poisoning, but ferrets are built to handle those bacteria. And yes, they do shed it in their stools. But as long as you are washing your hands after cleaning the litter boxes, you are fine
As for prepping their meats- if you can safely fix your own supper, you can cut meat for a ferret ;D

Jun 13, 2011 15:41:03 GMT -5 @skits said:

2) What kind of meats should they be fed daily? Like, what does everyone usually feed on a weekly basis?

You can feed practically anything you can call meat! And any cut you like As long as it's unaltered(spiced, salted, smoked, etc), it's fair game.
I feed twice a day. If they've not finished their previous meal, I just add less for the next one. I leave meat chunks out for up to 24 hours. If it's bad, they won't eat it anyway.
I tend to feed the same meat morning and evening, but try to switch it up daily. You are aiming for balance over the longer term. They don't need a fully balanced diet daily.
They need a minimum of 3 different proteins, but more is always better
I feed bone in meats 4 days a week, muscle meats 2 days a week, organ meat one meal per week(for some, I split that over a few days), and the other meal whatever you like. Most will do bone in meats, to help firm up the organ stools.
Leaving out the whole prey, I feed chicken, pork, beef, lamb, goat, turkey, duck, quail, rabbit . You can also feed goose, bison, elk, venison, ostrich, basically whatever you can find.

Jun 13, 2011 15:41:03 GMT -5 @skits said:

3) How much should be fed for each ferret, and should they have some all day round or are they fed at certain times of the day (example: morning, afternoon, night.)

That really varies. It depends on health, age, activity level, gender, season, temperature, etc. As well as on the individual ferret.
My females will eat as little as an ounce a day, up to about 4 ounces a day. My males from 2 to 6 oz a day.
Most feed twice a day, morning and evening. And most ferrets will eat more at dawn. So I add more to the evening meal, that way they can eat before I get up in the morning.

Jun 13, 2011 15:41:03 GMT -5 @skits said:

4) When they are fed example a chicken leg, do you put in the entire leg or do you have to remove anything before hand.

You can just toss in the whole leg once they get used to eating larger pieces. Hooking it to the side of the cage with a shower hook is a good idea. Keeps it in one place, and stops one from playing keep away with the others ;D You can easily leave a piece this size in for up to 24 hours before removing it.

Jun 13, 2011 15:41:03 GMT -5 @skits said:

5) Do their poops smell less once they are switched?

A LOT less! And it's much, much smaller. And so do they

[skits]

Thank you so much. I told my dad about switching them just now and his reason to not switch them was that meat was full of bacterias, I told him about all the pros and that most people on the forum fed raw and he finally agreed about it so I'm going to start the switch now.

I'm going to start with chicken soup today, and slowly make their way up. I've fed them bits of raw chicken before as a snack and they actually liked it lots so I'm sure it will work fine with them. I'll slowly move my way up with them and eventually start buying chicken hearts and other organs I can find. My freezer is going to look crazy filled with mice and rats (for the snakes), mealworms (reptiles), bloodworms (fish) and now organs for the ferts. ;D

Can they eat ground meat, steaks, etc? I'm not sure what form the meats come in, I'm not much of a meat eater.

[Sherry]

Yes, they can eat ground, steaks, etc Just don't make the regular ground meat a mainstay of their diet, because it has fewer nutrients than the chunk.

[Deleted]

If you'd like some help with the switch, you can sign up for a holistic mentor here

[skits]

Alright thanks.

I made them a soup just now and they did amazing! I made half of an ice cream tub full, it was ground meat (that was all I had in the freezer, I was so sure we had chicken legs ), 2 eggs, a bit of water and beef brought(?). Evelynn and Missy didn't bother even smelling it yet but I'll give them time. Summer, Yoshi and Luo really loved it. Delilah liked it too but she didn't want to show it so she would dig her nose in the soup, find a chunk and run away with it so she could eat it by herself.

I don't think my dad completely agrees with them eating raw meat because he keeps saying it will be expensive etc. -sigh-

Anyways, pictures.

[Sherry]

That is amazing!!! I'm so glad so many have taken to it well To reassure your dad, let him know it's fairly comparable, if not cheaper, than one of the higher quality kibbles. And it means fewer health problems

[Heather]

I noticed in your list of proteins in your freezer, was rats and mice. You can feed those to your ferrets too. Your little ones are doing fantastic. The change in your little ones once they're on a raw diet will be fantastic. Good luck
ciao

[skits]

My dad agreed to have them on raw, so this weekend we're going out and choosing out some meats for them.

I have two new questions.
1) For the ferrets who aren't eating the soup, do I feed them on the side or let them not eat until they try some.
2) Delilah has been throwing up a few times since yesterday. Is that normal? Is there something I should do to stop it?

And for the mice and rats, my dad would get upset if he has to start buying mice for the ferrets too. I don't think I can give any to them.

[Sherry]

For those who won't touch the soup, toss it in the blender to make a smooth puree. Pick one of them up, and put a dollop on the nose/lips. They will lick it off. Keep doing this off and on while they are out running about. After a while, they will start to lick it from your finger. Once they are doing that willing, offer it from a spoon on your lap.
You can also remove the kibble either during the day, or overnight, but not more than 12 hours at a time right now, and only if they are healthy.
With Delilah, is it possible she's eating to fast?

[skits]

Alright thanks I'll do that
And I think she might of. I just had put in a fresh bowl of soup, Summer jumped at it and started eating it, I walked out of the room so I'm not sure if Delilah had eaten any or something but when I walked back in she was doing the "cat hair ball choking sound" and spitting up meat all over the place. Maybe she just has to get used to it.

And last question, sorry for asking so many. For bones in their diet how do I do that exactly? Do I boil the bones and than put them in the blender when they are soft?

[Sherry]

No- never cook the bones. Unless they are totally submerged for about 24 hours, they become dry cooked, and are like eating glass for them. Not a good thing
And don't worry about asking questions!!! That's how we ALL learned
It takes many months for dietary deficits to show up, so for the duration of a switch, it's fine not to have bone. If the switch is going to take a while, you can just add powdered eggshell to the soup for the calcium
Next time you give them some soup, watch Delilah eat, see what she's doing with it. It's equally possible she's simply not used to the texture, and is doing that as a result of tasting it. I know some of mine were horrible when I was trying to get them to eat Twisting, retching, gaggin, spitting, the whole 9 dramatic yards ;D

[skits]

Alright thanks for the tip And ;D Thankfully mine aren't being too dramatic about it.

Just an update; Luo, Yoshi and Summer freaking love their new diet. They wait for me at their door everytime I get up and than set themselves around their bowls when I put them in their cage, and start eating. I caught Mischief eating too, but she didn't eat that much just yet. Delilah and Evelynn haven't touched it yet so I'm waiting on that.

[Sherry]

Start doing the "scruff and stuff" method ;D It will get them around to it a bit faster
And congrats first on the 3 who have decided this food is GOOD! And on little Mischief being willing to try it
Also, just to make you aware, they will eat you out of house and home for about 2-3 months. Then they will slow down to their normal amount. It's almost like their bodies have to make up for the lost nutrition.

[Deleted]

Congrats!!!