Post by catznfertz on Jul 26, 2011 22:18:23 GMT -5
I have been raw feeding my 7 cats for about three years now, and got my older ferrets Linus, Schroeder, Pigpen and Peppermint Patty switched to raw about a year and a half ago. I never was able to get them beyond the raw mush stage, since they were all 5+ at the time and Linus was insulinomic, but I figured it was way better than kibble and just kind of left it at that. We got Franklin about a year or so ago, and he switched directly from Marshall's mush to raw mush, but never showed any interest in anything that had to be worked for, especially since everyone else was eating easy glop.
A week and a half ago, the ferret bug hit again and I brought home Lucy, a teeny weeny little sable ball of fire, and the next weekend I brought home Chuck, a chunky little laidback cinnamon boy. Within 3 days apiece, they were eating ground raw like the big kids, but since I had them caged separately from the others, I decided to try adding some little bitty strips for them to chew on. Clean bowls, and they haven't looked back.
In the past 10 days, these guys have graduated from soaked kibble to eating good sized chunks of real live meat, bones and everything! So far they've had chicken, turkey, pork, duck and quail, and tonight they had their first fuzzy mouse! Granted, they're not eating whole chicken wings and necks, or big furry mice just yet, but I an totally impressed with what these kids will do. I figure it's just a matter of time before they're tackling the big stuff.
All of my older ferrets, including young Franklin, have horrible teeth from not getting the flossing/scrubbing action of actually chewing their food. I am having to brush their teeth to try to cut down on the buildup they are getting, and will probably have to have dental work done on at least Frankie.
But if these little newbies keep up with what they're doing, I shouldn't have to worry about nasty tartar buildup, or having to supplement with Taurine, or wearing out my meat grinder. If I had had any idea it was so easy to switch baby ferrets, I would have kept Franklin separate until he learned to chew, instead of settling for letting him eat what they oldsters get. At this point, I'm sure the older set will never eat "real" food, but it's a learning process. At least now I know how painless it is to switch babies as opposed to grown up, stubborn @ss weasels!
Anyway, not very often that people post with success stories, and people I know in real life just look at me cross-eyed when I get excited about what my babies had for dinner! So I thought I'd share with some folks who know what it's like...
Amanda, 7 Kitties and the Peanuts Gang
A week and a half ago, the ferret bug hit again and I brought home Lucy, a teeny weeny little sable ball of fire, and the next weekend I brought home Chuck, a chunky little laidback cinnamon boy. Within 3 days apiece, they were eating ground raw like the big kids, but since I had them caged separately from the others, I decided to try adding some little bitty strips for them to chew on. Clean bowls, and they haven't looked back.
In the past 10 days, these guys have graduated from soaked kibble to eating good sized chunks of real live meat, bones and everything! So far they've had chicken, turkey, pork, duck and quail, and tonight they had their first fuzzy mouse! Granted, they're not eating whole chicken wings and necks, or big furry mice just yet, but I an totally impressed with what these kids will do. I figure it's just a matter of time before they're tackling the big stuff.
All of my older ferrets, including young Franklin, have horrible teeth from not getting the flossing/scrubbing action of actually chewing their food. I am having to brush their teeth to try to cut down on the buildup they are getting, and will probably have to have dental work done on at least Frankie.
But if these little newbies keep up with what they're doing, I shouldn't have to worry about nasty tartar buildup, or having to supplement with Taurine, or wearing out my meat grinder. If I had had any idea it was so easy to switch baby ferrets, I would have kept Franklin separate until he learned to chew, instead of settling for letting him eat what they oldsters get. At this point, I'm sure the older set will never eat "real" food, but it's a learning process. At least now I know how painless it is to switch babies as opposed to grown up, stubborn @ss weasels!
Anyway, not very often that people post with success stories, and people I know in real life just look at me cross-eyed when I get excited about what my babies had for dinner! So I thought I'd share with some folks who know what it's like...
Amanda, 7 Kitties and the Peanuts Gang
