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Post by Joy on Aug 15, 2018 23:27:44 GMT -5
I'm a first time ferret owner, and I am still researching better diet options for my fuzzy. He was on kaytee ferret food when I first got him, after a month of slowly transitioning he is now on wysong digestive support for ferrets. I was topping off his food dish with a few pieces of freeze dried meats, switching it up every day between duck liver, beef lung, chicken, and lamb, and feeding him a scrambled egg once a week. But I recently read an artical saying that if ferrets are fed both kibble and raw food it can lead to bacterial overload in their guts and cause problems. Would the freeze dried lead to the same issues? I know a raw diet would be the healthiest option I just dont think its for me at this time. What would you recommend to help supplement a healthier diet, safely while feeding mostly his kibble?
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Post by Sherry on Aug 17, 2018 6:57:52 GMT -5
The issue is mixing wet and dry foods. IE wet raw with dry kibble. TBH I'd be giving the fdr rehydrated twice a day if you can. You may need to finger feed at first as the texture is different, but they'll take to it sooner or later. Especially if you mix the fdr with warm water  Just an FYI, if you are giving fdr dry you are essentially feeding a VERY expensive kibble as they miss one of the huge benefits of raw. Hydration. Kibble fed ferrets(or those fed dry fdr) are borderline dehydrated all the time. By rehydrating or feeding regular raw the ferret actually becomes fully hydrated and has fewer issues than a kibbler does due to the chronic dehydration. |
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Post by Joy on Aug 18, 2018 6:10:26 GMT -5
That makes sense, I will try rehydrating the food twice a day. Would I have to wait a couple hours after he has eaten kibble to feed him the wet avoid tummy troubles? Also I was wondering if marshalls duck soup should maybe be integrated into his diet as well. Maybe once or twice a week? It's a bit overwhelming trying to figure out. Good diet for my little guy. The local petstores and suppliers dont seem to know anything about ferrets.
It surprises me how much 'ferret' supplies is actually horrible for ferrets..
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Post by Sherry on Aug 18, 2018 9:22:24 GMT -5
That makes sense, I will try rehydrating the food twice a day. Would I have to wait a couple hours after he has eaten kibble to feed him the wet avoid tummy troubles? That would be preferable yes. Remove the kibble, feed the rehydrated food and then put kibble back in an hour later. Also I was wondering if marshalls duck soup should maybe be integrated into his diet as well. Maybe once or twice a week? I'd not. Horrid stuff. It's a bit overwhelming trying to figure out. Good diet for my little guy. The local petstores and suppliers dont seem to know anything about ferrets. It surprises me how much 'ferret' supplies is actually horrible for ferrets.. They're in it for the money. |
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Post by Sparrow on Aug 24, 2018 13:53:14 GMT -5
The local petstores and suppliers dont seem to know anything about ferrets. It surprises me how much 'ferret' supplies is actually horrible for ferrets.. Its because a lot of the people buying ferrets don't actually know or understand the basics about them. They believe if its sold that its safe. I've tried to stop people from buying certain items for ferrets because I knew they weren't good, but they don't care because they think "oh that was just your experience." Its going to take a lot of work before we see changes in a lot of pet stores. Its only been in the last few years that we've seen better dog foods being made more available in stores. That's because more and more people are taking a closer look at what their dog actually eats after that huge 2012 recall. I don't know if any of the ferret gurus on the board would know if its a great supplement, but I top my ferret's Wysong with Wysong's Optimize beef heart and liver freeze-dried at least once or twice a week. |
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Post by raynebc on Aug 24, 2018 14:07:55 GMT -5
Just be careful with the treats, as they can change the balance of your ferret's diet (especially with vitamin A rich foods like liver). That treat also has several cheese and produce ingredients.
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Post by Sparrow on Aug 24, 2018 14:29:50 GMT -5
He only gets 4 cubes (and they aren't large) up to 8 a week total. If he gets it twice a week its literally one time a day Monday and one time Friday, so not all of his meals. Is that too much? He eats 1/4 c. of the Wysong kibble two to three times a day (the days where I have to go into work very early he eats three times a day).
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Post by powerwoman on Aug 24, 2018 16:54:17 GMT -5
Sort of off topic, sorry, but if you're using dry food you might also want to think about slowly mixing in at least 1 other brand. Stuff gets discontinued occasionally, and ferrets can have trouble switching to new foods right away.
Personally I'm mixing the wysong digestive support with go! fit + free, but obviously there are a bunch of options- if you can find a good quality, grain-free cat food for fair price to mix in, you might be able to save some money too! Hope this helps!
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Post by Sherry on Aug 27, 2018 10:26:54 GMT -5
He only gets 4 cubes (and they aren't large) up to 8 a week total. If he gets it twice a week its literally one time a day Monday and one time Friday, so not all of his meals. Is that too much? He eats 1/4 c. of the Wysong kibble two to three times a day (the days where I have to go into work very early he eats three times a day). If a ferret is genetically prone to insulinoma, no one knows how much is "too much". I had one raw fed from 5m of age. At that time it was believed something had to be used to replace the "non digestible" portion of the diet ferrets would get with whole prey. Namely the fur. The only thing that worked as closely as fur was pumpkin. So we gave 1/8- 1/4 tsp daily. Less than you are giving with the cubes. She developed it before 3yrs of age. Turned to pancreatic cancer. We lost her before 4yrs of age. My other 7 were fine. You won't know if your's is genetically prone to the disease until he develops it. |
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Post by Sparrow on Aug 27, 2018 20:49:18 GMT -5
Good point. I will stop feeding him the cubes. I thought this would actually help by adding some elements of raw into his diet. I tend to believe that Marshall ferrets are genetically prone to Insulinoma along with ever other ferret disease. I definitely want Taz to live the good long life he deserves.
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Post by lyles on Aug 27, 2018 21:10:22 GMT -5
Yep, one of the major things to consider is that there are no regulations for pet food/consumables.
They literally can put anything they want in it.
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Post by Sparrow on Aug 28, 2018 21:45:21 GMT -5
Yep, one of the major things to consider is that there are no regulations for pet food/consumables. They literally can put anything they want in it. Yes, I'm very aware of that as I also have a dog and I'm super knowledgeable about his food (and dog food in general). Ferret food is a lot harder because there just isn't a lot available. If it wasn't for this site, I don't think I'd know much of anything. A lot of what's out there about them is very misleading or just down right wrong. |
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Post by Hamstacraze on Jan 11, 2020 22:05:07 GMT -5
New to researching ferrets and was wondering if it Would it be safe to feed kibble in the morning and then raw at night?
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cockneyferret
Adolescent Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 253
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Post by cockneyferret on Jan 12, 2020 3:48:30 GMT -5
New to researching ferrets and was wondering if it Would it be safe to feed kibble in the morning and then raw at night? Hi, and welcome. You would still face the same potential problems with bacterial overgrowth. Cheers |
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Post by Sherry on Jan 12, 2020 10:47:52 GMT -5
Not only that, but why? Doing that defeats the main purpose of raw feeding :/
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