Would love to switch my ferts to a raw/whole/live

[Deleted]

Hey there!!
So I was directd to this forum via forum.ferret.com because I was asking how I can switch my little fuzzies over to a raw/whole/live food diet.

So I was wondering how should I go about this?
I found a site the other day that said, you could fast your ferret/cat/dog for a day and then start them on a raw diet with just one meat source for abotu a week and then start adding more variety after about a week of feeding.

So.... I heard I can speak with a 'mentor' about this and get a little guidance.

Also....I was wondering....would it be alright to get a live chicken and feed that to them? there is a chinese farmers market downtown everyweek and they sell live chickens for people to take home and eat or get eggs or whatever. I was thinking this would probably be the best way to ensure they are getting fresh unprocessed chicken that doesnt have any additives.

Also there are other chinese markets that sell live rabbits, frogs, fish, quail, chickens, ducks, and a variety of other animals for food.

Would it be ok to just get these live animals and feed them to my little fuzzies? or should i buy them, kill them, then give them the whole body??

I would ideally like to switch my cat and dog to a raw diet at the same time as my ferrets so that they are all on the same/similar diet.

What are your suggestions/advice?

Thanks!!!!
-K

[Deleted]

Hello and welcome!! This place is awesome and we are all very happy to have you

So since you want to get started, definitely sign up for a mentor here holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=switch&action=display&thread=61

Just fill out the form, and we should get you a mentor in no time

As for a live chicken, I think babies would be alright, but I think a full grown chicken would be too much for a ferret to handle.

Live frogs might be okay, but I'm unsure of the rest of the critters you mentioned. But you can always kill them yourself and feed that way. Those are all GREAT for ferrets (and cats and dogs too)

[Deleted]

what if i have 4 ferrets and one chicken? couldnt they all kill the chicken together? or would they just run from it? lol Thanks for responding so quickly!!!

[Deleted]

Also check out these links


General feeding guidelines for cats and ferrets
holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=meat&action=display&thread=55

Natural feeding for cats and dogs
holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=furfriends

holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=meat&action=display&thread=146


Look through the stickies here
holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=questions

holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=newbies&action=display&thread=124

[Deleted]

Aug 5, 2011 18:33:05 GMT -5 @fleapop said:

what if i have 4 ferrets and one chicken? couldnt they all kill the chicken together? or would they just run from it? lol Thanks for responding so quickly!!!

Four ferrets could probably take down a chicken, but I have no idea how aggressive a chicken would be and if it could possibly injure the ferrets

Live mice would be okay. Rats are a no-no because of how aggressive the can be.

[Deleted]

The only thing I would feed live to my ferrets is mice, and I limit that activity to one of my ferrets because my others can't make a clean, quick kill, she's the only one that retained her instincts....even then, you have to be prepared to step in and kill the animal yourself if you ferret manages to injure the animal but won't finish the job.

Rabbits, chickens, and ducks are all too large and are too capable of defending themselves, their claws and beaks could easily injure a ferret, and their size and fight would prolong the process, even working ferrets usually don't kill their rabbits, just flush them out the holes into nets for their people. It's much easier, safer, and more humane to do the kill yourself. Also cleaner, feathers can be plucked and intestines removed beforehand instead of ending up everywhere in your feeding area. Fish and frogs, they're pretty fast and slippery, it could be hard for a ferret to get a hold of the neck, I think the animal would end up injured by the ferret but ultimately you'd still have to step in, so the humane thing would also to be butcher it yourself.

Fresh is definitely best, but allowing your ferret to make the kill vs. yourself won't affect the quality of the food, and keeping your ferrets safe and having their food die as quick and humane a death as possible should be priority if you can buy live. Good luck!

[Deleted]

Thanks!!!

[joclyn]

heya, fleapop!

[Sherry]

I agree- nothing larger than a mouse for live feeding. Could they take it down? Quite possibly. Would they work together- maybe, maybe not. Would that animal suffer beforehand? Definitely yes, and unnecessarily so. And your ferrets could possibly wind up with life threatening injuries in the process.
So, I see you've signed up for a mentor already- that's fantastic! And yes, they can eat everything you've listed there. As long as it's meat, they can have it(barring treated meats, ie salted, smoked, cured, etc.)!
Read through the nutrition section, and the switching threads. Tons of info in there. If you like, you can start your own thread in the "newbie question" section while you are waiting for a mentor!