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Post by Adrian on May 7, 2018 19:08:04 GMT -5
Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask, newbie here. I'm currently in the process of transitioning my 3 ferrets to a raw food diet. I'm feeding them RadCat, which is a bit pricey. I have an autodelivery of chicken, beef, and venison for their 3 proteins. So far the transition is going well, barring a stubborn Ashe who's not keeping up with my 2 girls Evelynn and Nami. That's not the point of this post though! I read online in my research on rawfeeding that having a dry food/kibble available 24/7 is good. Raw food can be pricey for me, so I was wondering how true this is, and what the best brand to go with would be? Pre-transition, I fed my babies Zupreem Premium, but I recently read that Zupreem can cause kidney stones. I know Wysong is a good brand, but can be rather pricey as well. I'm okay will shelling out extra money for Wysong if it's the best option for my kiddos, but if there is a better or more affordable option then I'm all ears. TLDR: 1. Is it true that having kibble available 24/7 after transitioning is good? 2. What kibble would be best?
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Post by LindaM on May 7, 2018 19:22:35 GMT -5
Please be aware that RadCat is not considered a balanced raw diet as they do not use real bones, but use eggshells instead. Therefore, RadCat can ONLY be fed in a diet which includes other properly balanced raw meals and not fed by itself nor as a majority in the diet.
And no, your online reading is actually incorrect. Sadly, there is a LOT of misinformation or incorrect information out there on the internet. Honestly, when you are feeding raw and kibble both, it can lead to problems. Sometimes the raw-fed ferret will stop eating raw in favor of eating the kibble, or sometimes they will just refuse to touch the kibble entirely.
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Post by Adrian on May 8, 2018 0:24:27 GMT -5
That's good to know, thanks. what would you recommend to make up for the lack of bone in RadCat, if I can ask, while on the topic? edit: Did a little more research on bone and what I could do. Would adding bone meal powder work? Again, sorry if this is the wrong place to have this conversation. Thanks for your time!!
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on May 8, 2018 7:17:11 GMT -5
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Post by Sherry on May 8, 2018 9:59:15 GMT -5
TBH one of the best "alternatives" cost wise is a simple frankenprey diet. No kibble. It does take time to prepare yes. But I shop for deals and buy those. Last day sales, buys from ethnic markets, etc.
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Post by LindaM on May 8, 2018 11:50:21 GMT -5
I agree with Sherry. Honestly, all commercial raw like grinds are on the pricier side as a method of raw feeding. Frankenprey by far works out much cheaper, especially if you have some freezer storage space. Buying in bulk, buying specials/sales, or buying from Asian/Ethnic markets as mentioned above, really helps bring the costs down.
The benefit of offering Frankenprey meals in your diet, will be that if you offer several of them, it will keep your ferrets teeth clean, unlike with grinds where you need to brush their teeth for them several times each week, as well as benefit overall GI tract health. It would also solve your issue of feeding the RadCat which doesn't contain bone (and no, I wouldn't add bonemeal powder to it, instead simply have some normal Frankenprey bone-in meals or other meals of properly balanced grinds in the diet as well).
Also, just to add for education purposes, bone meal powder is only ever considered a temporary solution, it is not really meant for long-term use. Egg shells are okay for temporary use when there are no bones available, bone meal powder is a step up from that but also still temporary, and actual bone is the ideal. This is because neither egg shells nor bone meal powder (since it has been cooked) contain all of the micro-nutrients found in the actual bones.
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Post by Adrian on May 8, 2018 13:26:51 GMT -5
Ah, thank you guys. I understand. Thank you for all your advice.
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