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Post by joclyn on Feb 11, 2011 1:40:06 GMT -5
i have 2 girls on raw - one eats about an ounce maybe an ounce & a half for a meal and the other one eats two to two & a half ounces for a meal. yes, she's younger...she's smaller than the other one though (about 2 pounds and the other one is about 3 pounds)!
my boys range in weight from just under 3 pounds to 6 pounds and eat from 1 1/2 ounces to 3 ounces at a meal.
i feed twice a day, so, double the amounts eaten for their daily total intake.
i feed mainly prey (mice, gp's, quail with an occassional rabbit) and i supplement with raw pieces to make sure they get all the bone and organ that they need. raw meat i get at my regular grocery store - chicken, turkey, duck, cornish game hens, lamb, goat. i also give heart regularly to supplement what they get from the prey items and also give gizzards regularly - they absolutely love them!
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Post by zombieferrets on Feb 11, 2011 3:05:02 GMT -5
Wow, you have some BIIIIG ferts there, Joclyn!! Are you in the UK or are they just breeder ferrets? And 6LBS?! Dammmmn girl! That's insane. Thanks for the info. I would LOVE to get my guys up to eating prey like you're doing and just grab their stuff from the grocery store. First I have to get them used to it and then I have to get myself used to it. Maybe the other way around, I don't know. Next question: how does everyone feel about mixing in a bit of wet food with the raw? I was doing it just to get the raw a bit farther but I guess if I'm feeding them straight raw then I shouldn't do that. Is it still okay to give them some wet between meals? Orrr should I probably just avoid that? It's really good quality stuff. I have some Ziwipeak which the first ingredients are: venison meat, fish, venison liver, venison tripe, venison heart and kidney, new zealand green mussel. Next is Before Grain which is Quail and Chicken. Then I have some Evangers and it's awesome stuff. The duck is duck, water sufficient for processing, chicken, and guar gum. Pheasant is the same and so is the buffalo but with beef instead of chicken. They're all 10% protein and 5% fat. Thanks for everyones help! I know I have a lot of questions and I really appreciate everyone reading them and supporting me with this. I've been wanting to switch for a long time so I'm really excited/terrified!
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Post by zombieferrets on Feb 11, 2011 19:51:38 GMT -5
Okay! Today I picked up some Nature's Variety in the Bison, Lamb, and Chicken. I also asked them to get in some Rabbit for me. Each bag has 48 medallions in it and each medallion is about an ounce. According to the bag each of the cats should be getting 2-3 medallions a meal and according to you guys the ferrets should be getting 1-1.5 for the girls and 1.5-2 for the boys. I guess this is just to start and I'll figure out exactly what each needs as we go. That's about 30 medallions every day, though! Almost a $22 bag every day! Yeah, definitely going to have to go the supermarket route soon 'cause that is insane!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2011 20:21:52 GMT -5
To start, I'd feed as much as they want. When first switching, they will eat a TON. To make up for lost time Yes, commercial raw is expensive. How many fuzzies do you have? It shouldn't work out that bad unless you have a bunch.
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Post by zombieferrets on Feb 11, 2011 20:29:29 GMT -5
5 ferret and 2 cats and I'd like to have them all on raw. :/ I feel like 3 bags isn't even going to last me a week. I'm kinda worried now. I don't think I can afford $65 worth of food every week.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2011 20:46:16 GMT -5
The boy ferrets and the cats might eat more than just 1-2 oz. Some male ferrets eat 3-4 oz a day. So maybe commercial isn't the best option for you, due to how horrifically expensive that will end up being.
Hmm. With that many ferrets, I'd look into getting some meats from the grocery store/asian market/latin market/ etc. I buy meat on sale, buy the fattier cuts, dark chicken meats.
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Post by zombieferrets on Feb 11, 2011 20:56:48 GMT -5
Yeah, the thing is my guys don't get the whole chewing on meat thing yet. They're used to mushy and can I really mush up supermarket meat enough that they'll still eat it? Plus I want to have a mentor beforehand so I feel comfortable enough doing it on my own. I'm still nervous about if they won't chew on bone and all that stuff, which I really doubt they would.
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Post by zombieferrets on Feb 11, 2011 21:04:00 GMT -5
Oh, and for thawing is in a container in the fridge the only way? I think that's the best way from what I've heard but I'm trying to thaw some for dinner tonight and everything's still rock hard. I don't want to use the microwave but I want to get them the raw tonight. Any tips?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2011 21:04:38 GMT -5
Have you signed up for a mentor yet? If not, go ahead and do so. It can take a bit of time to get assigned one.
You can also make a thread in the nutritional section documenting your switch, and a place to ask questions, get advice, etc.
As for supermarket meats, you can chop them and put them in a blender. I'll post heathers soup recipe in a bit, after I find it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2011 21:06:13 GMT -5
Thawing - I usually feed partially frozen. If it's commercial ground, you can add some hot Water to the mush. You can nuke it in the microwave at 5-8 second intervals. You can also leave it on the counter to thaw.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2011 21:07:46 GMT -5
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Post by zombieferrets on Feb 11, 2011 21:09:40 GMT -5
I signed up for a mentor a few days back and am on the waiting list now. looking forward to having a mentor but until then Sherry just suggested to post in here. Are soups sufficient when it comes to their nutritional needs? What do you do if they'll eat soups but they won't eat bones and stuff? How can you be sure they're getting all their calcium and everything?
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Post by zombieferrets on Feb 11, 2011 21:17:31 GMT -5
Thanks for the soup recipe Jackie! are the eggshells for calcium and stuff? Is that recipe enough for them nutritionally?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2011 21:18:00 GMT -5
As far as calcium goes, that's what the eggshell powder is for. Deficiencies take quite a while to show up. You usually start with soup, work up to mush, then chunky mush, then small chunks/slivers hidden in the mush, then chunks/slivers covered in mush gravy, then just plain small chunks/slivers, and then increase the size. Once they are eating chunks, you can start working on adding chicken wing chunks with smashed bone. Then start adding variety, organ meats, etc.
Some ferrets skip some of those steps, other take a while.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2011 21:18:54 GMT -5
It can sustain a ferret for quite a while, and is sufficient for the transition period. While you're waiting for a mentor, you can start a thread dedicated to your switch. That way, if you have any questions, ihit any speed bumps, people can chime in and give you some advice. It can also help when you do get a mentor so they know where you're at
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