|
|
Post by Shay1997 on May 12, 2020 17:27:33 GMT -5
I’ve been reading a lot on how to transition to a raw diet and I have questions (maybe I missed some of the answers on the website, sorry)Im just scared that I will be doing it wrong.
My ferret (Chomper) is 4 years old and usually takes to new foods easily. The first time he tried raw chicken egg, he devoured it quickly lol
1-Do I feed the soup recipe once or twice a day when transitioning?AM-PM)
2-After feeding him the soup, do I leave kibble in his cage when I go to work?
3-Will this soup recipe fill him up until I get back from work? (9hours)
4-Can I just try to give him a small piece of raw chicken thigh before the soup? If he eats it can I skip the soup stage and start his raw menu?
5-Is it ok if I dont feed him whole prey?
6-For the variety part, do I feed chicken on monday, beef on tuesday, duck on wednesday, etc? Or do I mix them all in one meal?
|
|
|
|
Post by Corvidophile on May 12, 2020 18:00:29 GMT -5
1- feed the soup twice or more per day.
2- if he’s eating the soup very well you can remove kibble at this point, if you’re just able to eek a little into him leave the kibble in so that he actually eats.
3- it should, yes. Protein and fat take longer to digest than the carbs of kibble do.
4- sure! Easier that way if he’s willing to skip, just make sure he’s also willing to eat bone, hearts and liver at the start too, or things will get unbalanced.
5- there’s no need to feed whole prey, it’s a personal choice.
6- most people feed one item per meal simply out of ease in meal prep. Also, when you’re first introducing a new food, it’s a good idea to separate them so that you know if your ferret has a bad reaction to something, THAT’S what the item was instead of guessing which.
Hope this helps!
|
|
|
|
Post by PatienceTheVirtue on May 12, 2020 21:05:38 GMT -5
Corvidophile has it all covered, I just wanted to mention that you may have to smash the bones to get him to eat it right away. When switching my fur kids they were nightmares eating bone at first, and like with all foods had to be "taught" that the bone was part of the food too. They also have to build up jaw strength when switching, which can be helped along by introducing gizzard as one of the muscle meals.
Also, for the variety question, it's important to switch it up moreso than sticking to a schedule. Some ferrets will hold out on eating anything when they know their favorite is coming up next. So if they get used to your schedule of beef, then chicken, then rabbit, they may not eat on the chicken day once they realize the pattern means their favorite meal of rabbit is next.
Good luck!
|
|
|
|
Post by Shay1997 on May 13, 2020 12:59:00 GMT -5
Thank you for your answers!!
I am very stressed during this process and dont know why lol
|
|
|
|
Post by PatienceTheVirtue on May 13, 2020 19:25:22 GMT -5
It's a lot of information, but the good part is that you've found some of the best resources to help you learn it! Just ask your questions as they come and realize that starting this journey is already leagues ahead of where you could be. Some bumps in the road won't ruin the destination, or whatever philosophical thing people say lol. It'll all be okay |
|
|
|
Post by Shay1997 on May 26, 2020 18:49:00 GMT -5
It's a lot of information, but the good part is that you've found some of the best resources to help you learn it! Just ask your questions as they come and realize that starting this journey is already leagues ahead of where you could be. Some bumps in the road won't ruin the destination, or whatever philosophical thing people say lol. It'll all be okay Thank you! Hes going to start eating chuncks tmrw but when following the menu on the site, im unsure of how much meat to give him.. Hes around 2lbs and if I calculated currenctly that means he needs at least 91g of food a day.. ?so does this mean for each meal (2 times a day) should weigh 45.5g? Also, when it says hearts on wednesday pm, its only chicken hearts for now (enough hearts to weigh 45g? Seems like a lot) and eventually ill make him try different animal hearts (Can I mix different animal hearts in one meal)? + when I give him chicken wings or drumsticks, etc do I give him 1, 2? I dont want to thaw too much meat/not enough meat for tmrw and end up wasting Hopefully this makes sense lol |
|
|
|
Post by abbeytheferret6 on May 27, 2020 10:25:54 GMT -5
You do not need variety in hearts. I order duck hearts online---If i go to farmers markt and see chicken hearts I will get them, but like i say--- no need for variety there---it is the taurine that is important. If you want to get variety in hearts that is fine. Same goes for organ. But if your serve a lot of chicken ---I would try to find a different protein for organs.
I give about 3 chicken hearts a piece to my ferrets --- I give 2 duck hearts a piece to them when serving duck hearts--- yea, there is a little waste. Sometimes though they will come back and eat at it for lunch if given for breakfast. Sometimes if given for supper, they will eat at it late at night--- then again they may leave some---but that is alright for me.
Now mine can't eat a leg drumstick---usually weight bearing bones are too dense. The purpose is for them to consume the bone not just gnaw at it---you know for the calcium.
Give one chicken wing. Mine can't even eat the drum on the wing---so i give the lower part and give the drum wing to dog but you can try. I would cut drum off so ferret can get to all the pieces better---but that is just me.
|
|
|
|
Post by Shay1997 on May 27, 2020 13:04:35 GMT -5
You do not need variety in hearts. I order duck hearts online---If i go to farmers markt and see chicken hearts I will get them, but like i say--- no need for variety there---it is the taurine that is important. If you want to get variety in hearts that is fine. Same goes for organ. But if your serve a lot of chicken ---I would try to find a different protein for organs. I give about 3 chicken hearts a piece to my ferrets --- I give 2 duck hearts a piece to them when serving duck hearts--- yea, there is a little waste. Sometimes though they will come back and eat at it for lunch if given for breakfast. Sometimes if given for supper, they will eat at it late at night--- then again they may leave some---but that it is alright for me. Now mine can't eat a leg drumstick---usually weight bearing bones are too dense. The purpose is for them to consume the bone not just gnaw at it---you know for the calcium. Give one chicken wing. Mine can't even eat the drum on the wing---so i give the lower part and give the drum wing to dog but you can try. I would cut drum off so ferret can get to all the pieces better---but that is just me. Thank you. When you give 3 chicken hearts, does that fill them up until the next meal? |
|
|
|
Post by abbeytheferret6 on May 27, 2020 17:01:25 GMT -5
Yes. You know chicken hearts can be small. Sometimes there are bigger ones---adjust amount as u see fit. I think best to have a little left over then you know they got full--- and if they get hungry around lunchtime they will have a little something there until supper.
I keep editing and adding to this (LOL)
My boy does come hunting me around lunch sometimes.
I have rinsed food left from breakfast under really warm water to like freshen it up for a lunchtime snack. I have given quail eggs for snack until supper sometimes too. But do not feel bad if you work long hours--- just give a little extra for breakfast.
|
|
|
|
Post by sbric23 on Jun 20, 2020 6:02:41 GMT -5
New furbaby mom here with my two guys, Mojo and Sosa. They will eat the muscle and organ meat, but when it comes to the bone in they won't eat it. They basically put it in stash spaces and leave it. I tried blending up the bone in meat slightly, making it mushy and they did eat it but I don't think it's the same as them ripping the meat from the bone. Will this hurt their diet and if they don't warm up to eating meat off the bone, what should I do?
|
|
|
|
Post by abbeytheferret6 on Jun 20, 2020 7:02:04 GMT -5
They are getting their calcium and you know it is like feeding grinds---which some people do exclusively. Just keep encouraging that bone. If you go to an Asian store you will find quail in their frozen dept. They are small bones---about 10.00 to 12.00 for six cleaned birds.You can try them. Sometimes it takes a while for them to get use to things. The benefit of gnawing and chewing the bone is that it keeps teeth cleaner than feeding grind.
|
|
|
|
Post by sbric23 on Jun 20, 2020 16:45:54 GMT -5
They are getting their calcium and you know it is like feeding grinds---which some people do exclusively. Just keep encouraging that bone. If you go to an Asian store you will find quail in their frozen dept. They are small bones---about 10.00 to 12.00 for six cleaned birds.You can try them on that if you want. Sometimes it takes a while for them to get use to things. The benefit of gnawing and chewing the bone is that it keeps teeth cleaner than feeding grind. Thank you I well give the quail a try. 😁 And keep up with grind for them. |
|
