Post by dt241 on Mar 16, 2019 23:41:49 GMT -5
After a lot of great help on here and some research and thinking, I think I want to feed raw to my ferret. I do have a few questions and concerns though
1) is feeding raw the BEST for ferrets? I really don’t mind feeding raw and was even contemplating on raising my own quail to have fresh meat and eggs for my ferret (but that idea quickly left as there’s probably no way I could kill it... I say I could now, but when the moment comes I probably won’t be able to then I’ll have like 20 quails in my backyard so yeah probably no... ironic cause I hate eggs and I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 8 years.) the only thing I would be concerned about is not meeting nutrient requirements (I’ve read the frankenprey diet ‘menu’ on here and it seems pretty straightforward... but obviously I can’t see how many mg of certain nutrients are in the meat that I buy). worst fear is my attempt to give my ferret the ‘best diet’ ends up slowly killing her by not fulfilling all of her nutritional needs...
2) I heard you need to have meat out 24/7, AM and PM meals. How do you keep this meat fresh...? If the meat is left out for even 30mins or so, it gets all dry and crusty and I can’t imagine that to be good or appetizing to eat?! Do you keep it in a little bit of water or what?
3) well I realized this could be dangerous (raw + kibble, hence why i’D rather just go all raw if that’s best) BUT I’ve fed my ferret small chunks of chicken breast, chicken thigh, and chicken heart and some raw beef (she’s not thrilled on beef) - it’s not ground up or ‘soup-y’ - straight up small chunks and she loves it and eats it all. Soo.. does this mean I still need to do the transition slowly for digestion issues? She never gets more than 1/2-1tsp of meat 1-2x a day (super small amounts, I’ve never let her have more than that since she’s on kibble diet). But if she has no problem eating raw meat, then can I just go straight into raw?
4) should I be worried about any risks or concerns with raw feeding? I believe natural is best, and I cook my dog’s food a couple times a week (severe medical problems so not raw for my dog, but I still take time to prepare and cook it) so I’m no stranger to preparing food for my pets (and my dog eats every 2-4 hours except at night when he sleeps the night away so I’m also used to being there for my dog). Are there any DOWNSIDES to feeding raw??? I know bones contain a lot of phosphorous... do ferrets get kidney disease? My dog has a failing kidney (and more..) which is why he is on a strict diet and I’ve had to watch out for ‘best recommendedfoods for dogs’ Cause since he’s so not healthy that could make him very sick because of his medical conditions.
5) how often to change the type of meat? The diet says I should have 3-4 different types of meat a week. So how often should I change the meats? (For example, if I use chicken, turkey, and rabbit for 2 weeks, should I change the rabbit out for beef and quail - etc etc).
6) is freezing the meat / frozen meat (not seasoned, just plain raw obviously) okay too? It doesn’t need to be killed then refrigerated and eaten quickly aka it can be frozen until ready to eat (and thawed of course)?
there are a lot of Asian markets and Hispanic meat markets around me, so I think finding the meat shouldn’t be hard at all.
1) is feeding raw the BEST for ferrets? I really don’t mind feeding raw and was even contemplating on raising my own quail to have fresh meat and eggs for my ferret (but that idea quickly left as there’s probably no way I could kill it... I say I could now, but when the moment comes I probably won’t be able to then I’ll have like 20 quails in my backyard so yeah probably no... ironic cause I hate eggs and I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 8 years.) the only thing I would be concerned about is not meeting nutrient requirements (I’ve read the frankenprey diet ‘menu’ on here and it seems pretty straightforward... but obviously I can’t see how many mg of certain nutrients are in the meat that I buy). worst fear is my attempt to give my ferret the ‘best diet’ ends up slowly killing her by not fulfilling all of her nutritional needs...
2) I heard you need to have meat out 24/7, AM and PM meals. How do you keep this meat fresh...? If the meat is left out for even 30mins or so, it gets all dry and crusty and I can’t imagine that to be good or appetizing to eat?! Do you keep it in a little bit of water or what?
3) well I realized this could be dangerous (raw + kibble, hence why i’D rather just go all raw if that’s best) BUT I’ve fed my ferret small chunks of chicken breast, chicken thigh, and chicken heart and some raw beef (she’s not thrilled on beef) - it’s not ground up or ‘soup-y’ - straight up small chunks and she loves it and eats it all. Soo.. does this mean I still need to do the transition slowly for digestion issues? She never gets more than 1/2-1tsp of meat 1-2x a day (super small amounts, I’ve never let her have more than that since she’s on kibble diet). But if she has no problem eating raw meat, then can I just go straight into raw?
4) should I be worried about any risks or concerns with raw feeding? I believe natural is best, and I cook my dog’s food a couple times a week (severe medical problems so not raw for my dog, but I still take time to prepare and cook it) so I’m no stranger to preparing food for my pets (and my dog eats every 2-4 hours except at night when he sleeps the night away so I’m also used to being there for my dog). Are there any DOWNSIDES to feeding raw??? I know bones contain a lot of phosphorous... do ferrets get kidney disease? My dog has a failing kidney (and more..) which is why he is on a strict diet and I’ve had to watch out for ‘best recommendedfoods for dogs’ Cause since he’s so not healthy that could make him very sick because of his medical conditions.
5) how often to change the type of meat? The diet says I should have 3-4 different types of meat a week. So how often should I change the meats? (For example, if I use chicken, turkey, and rabbit for 2 weeks, should I change the rabbit out for beef and quail - etc etc).
6) is freezing the meat / frozen meat (not seasoned, just plain raw obviously) okay too? It doesn’t need to be killed then refrigerated and eaten quickly aka it can be frozen until ready to eat (and thawed of course)?
there are a lot of Asian markets and Hispanic meat markets around me, so I think finding the meat shouldn’t be hard at all.