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Post by nandylover on Jul 13, 2011 1:48:02 GMT -5
Okay, So I'm not a ferret owner (yet) but I believe in feeding natural raw foods on any animals. I've been lurking for a bit but I still want to ask some questions. 1. I want to do raw, not live or home made (although more power to you if you do) I've fed my other animals Stella and Chewy's and love it! I would like to feed my (future) ferret that, but I was wondering if it lacks anything like certain vitamins and what would I add? 2. Do any of you have before and after stories/pictures of switching to "commercial" raw food? 3. If I did decided to switch to "soup" is it economical in comparison to "commercial" raw and how time consuming is it to keep/make? Thanks for creating this board for those of us who like more natural alternatives!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2011 2:33:59 GMT -5
I started raw with Stella and chewys dog Freeze dried. I rotated between all the proteins. It's a great product and I saw huge improvements on it. I switched to grocery store meats due to the cost of feeding freeze dried. You will not get all the dental benefits of feeding raw with freeze dried, especially when rehydrated. So you'll have to make sure to brush their teeth. It is a complete meal, as long as you feed variety. They have a new feline freeze dried too, which has more meat and less veg. I like the dog variety, so best to buy several an rotate between them (3 proteins minimum.)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2011 2:35:50 GMT -5
Freeze dried is expensive, but probably comparable in price to commercial ground raw. With 2 female ferrets I went through aboit 2.5 lbs of freeze dried a month, or about $65-$70.
And if you add anything, I'd add taurine if feeding the dog formulas just to be safe.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2011 2:37:28 GMT -5
First off, welcome! ;D 1. I have fed my four mostly commercial freeze-dried and dehydrated raw for almost three years now, and they have done very well on it. I feed S&C (chicken, beef, lamb, and duck), Ziwipeak venison (dog or cat version), and Wysong ferret archetype-1. I use the ziwipeak as a base, and mix in one of the above proteins daily for variety. I think it's a good starter raw diet for new ferret owners, plus it's easy to switch them to from kibble ;D There's also commercial frozen (only downside with it is no teeth cleaning benefits, but you get the moisture which is good for the kidneys!) Here's the lists for brands of commercial raw: Freeze-dried holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=questions&action=display&thread=82Frozen holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=questions&action=display&thread=832. Yep ;D Testimonials holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=questions&action=display&thread=123Before/after pics holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=fuzz&action=display&thread=8713. The downside to commercial raw is definitely the price . The soup you're referring to would only be needed for the switching process, moving eventually up to whole meat chunks, meaty bones, and organs . Making the soup isn't to hard or time consuming, but you definitely won't have to do it forever. As far as commercial freeze-dried, it is more economical to rehydrate it (by letting it soak in water and making it into a soupie) because adding water makes it last much longer. Buying whole meat/bones/organs is still cheaper than commercial by a long shot ;D. Once they are eating whole raw foods, there's almost no prep. Just portion it out in baggies to put in the freezer, then pull out that days meal and put it in the fridge overnight to defrost, then serve
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Post by miamiferret2 on Jul 13, 2011 6:56:39 GMT -5
Sonny eats s & c and wysong arch 1. He loves them. Duck duck goose is his fave
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Post by miamiferret2 on Jul 13, 2011 7:01:10 GMT -5
FYI, they have added taurine to the dog formulas now too (some cardiomyopathies in dogs are being linked to taurine deficiencies as well now)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2011 11:43:27 GMT -5
Ah good to know. Glad they did that ;D
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Post by nandylover on Jul 13, 2011 13:37:44 GMT -5
Thanks! Although I kinda feel stupid now that I thought the soup was forever... You all made the complete raw sound so easy.... so, sorry if the next question sounds stupid but I just want to know... So you feed your babies raw chicken or etc and hearts of what? Is there anything else that needs to be fed on a regular basis, like vitamins? Also I remember something about eggshells. Does that have to continue? Again sorry for you having to repeat answers I just want to be a well informed ferret owner.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2011 14:02:55 GMT -5
If feeding raw meats and raw meaty bones, you feed at least 3 proteins (ex. chicken, pork, beef) but more is ALWAYS better. You also feed about 2 meals of any kind of heart (beef, chicken, pork etc) a week to ensure that they get enough taurine (VERY important nutrient!!). If you cannot get heart, you can supplement with a powdered taurine. Then you feed 1 meal of organ meat. This should be 50% liver, 50% other secreting organ (ex. spleen, pancreas, thymus, brain, etc). The rest of the feedings are split into boneless and bone-in. You should feed 8-10 bone in meals (this depends on how bone rich the meats are. Necks are very bony, while thighs are mostly meat). The rest is all boneless meats. Eggshells are used as a calcium supplement, usually during the soup stage when they aren't eating whole bones yet. I also use the eggshell if they need a bone in day and I only have boneless meats left (this doesn't happen often, but it does happen ;D). Sometimes I sprinkle it on less bony meals just to make sure they get enough calcium. It's best to always have some on hand because you never know when you'll need it. You can easily make your own by crushing up dry, uncooked eggshells in a coffee grinder. You should actually keep soup in the diet, maybe on a weekly basis, just in case they get sick they are used to the texture. Hope that answers some of your questions
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2011 14:04:38 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2011 14:05:09 GMT -5
Oh, and if you want any help with the switch, we have a great mentoring program you can sign up for when you get a fuzzy!
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