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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2011 21:04:26 GMT -5
Well, we have wanted to go raw, but my figures came up with about $80/month. I must be doing something wrong? (We have 5 ferrets. 2 boys/3girls)
We are feeding them Marshalls, I figured almost anything would be better than that. And our budget depends. For Marshall we were getting 7lbs for $23 per month. So ideally somewhere around that, unless it's a larger amount of kibble.
I know it makes sense to buy something more nutritious for more money since it's better, but we have taken a very large cut in our budget. The boyfriend has even considered getting rid of them, but I tell him if they go I do too. Soooo he keeps them.
I just hate feeding them Marshalls, but everything that's supposedly better for them is crazy expensive like Wysong or Evo even.
I even would like Totally Ferret Active Formula, but it's too expensive for our budget too. I don't know. I feel like I'm not giving them what they need health-wise...I don't want to get rid of them, but if I can't even get the right kind of food then...yeah.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2011 21:44:01 GMT -5
What grocery stores do you have around? Any Save-a-lots? Or other discount grocery stores? Maybe Kroger? I get super cheap meats there
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2011 22:16:26 GMT -5
Kroger, yes. So you can buy just about any meat for them from Kroger (raw and unseasoned of course).
Otherwise Meijers and Marsh are the only other grocery-type stores near us.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2011 22:35:04 GMT -5
Yes. Chicken is usually a good staple. Usually around $1 a lb for whole chickens. Pork and stewing beef are my next go to meats. About $2-$2.50 a lb. Then I get extra add-ins like chicken wings and turkey necks $1.50 a lb. Then I get hearts and liver (usually cheap) $1-$1.50 a lb. If I have any extra $$ I buy Cornish game hens. For my 3 I sped about $35 a month. I don't how much your kids would eat, but a ferret generally eats about 2-4 oz a day. So you're probably looking at around 20-35 lbs a month needed in meats. This will depend on how much your kids eat daily (winter is also coming up so appetites are increasing). How much that costs will depend on pricing in your area.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2011 22:44:14 GMT -5
Thank you, Jackie. I'll go to Kroger and price out some of the items to see some approximate pricing. I think I was estimating that they would be eating more daily. So maybe this will help. I appreciate it.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 24, 2011 22:51:11 GMT -5
Also if you have any butchers in your area, maybe they'll sell the "offcuts" cheaply.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2011 1:12:20 GMT -5
I used to feed mine that before the switch. It is better then marshalls butt still not great.besides when feeding kibble you need at least two kinds mixed. My ferrets only eat raw chicken and Cornish hen. I buy whole chickens for about five bux, chicken liv for 1.50, hearts and gizzards about 1.75. One whole chicken alone lasts my two boys & two girls a week. To get more variety I feed them Stella and chewys from caseys hidden pantry, vital essentials beef nibblets and wysong ferret epigen when im broke
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2011 9:10:59 GMT -5
Well, until I am able to switch my ferrets to raw I'm really needing some help on kibble food. I can't spend more than $30 a month on their kibble right now. Roughly for 7lb bag of food.
We have Marshall's, but I want to switch them to something better. I was told Dr. F&S was good and on all the charts it says it is a good food. I know it's not ideal, but if it would be better than Marshall's then I think it would be okay to give to them.
I can't afford Wysong. I've thought about Innova Cat and Kitten Cat Food Dry or Chicken Soup for the Kitten Lover's Soul Kitten Dry Formula.
Also, for the Dr.F&S would it be alright to mix it in with Marshall's for now until we find a different kibble?
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Post by Sherry on Sept 29, 2011 9:14:27 GMT -5
Understood I've no idea what prices are in your area, but here's a chart that shows the variety of kibbles, and their make up: moredooks.herobo.com/search.php?chart=ferretCheck that out, and then see what's available, and check prices.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2011 11:43:19 GMT -5
I don't know how much EVO is, but it might still be better than Dr. FAS (even if some of the ingredients have changed).
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Post by sherik on Sept 29, 2011 14:49:36 GMT -5
I spend close to $30 on a bag of orijen, which is an awesome food. It is a 5.5lb bag. I mix mine though. They are eating orijen chicken version, orijen fish version(cause my Lily is sensitive to chicken), acana grasslands, EVO ferret, and GO natural. Which seems like alot, but it lasts a long time. For 8 ferrets it lasts me close to 3 months. But I get the huge bag of GO for something like $35. It just costs alot at first to get all that I need for the mixes. But once I have them all it lasts forever. Plus they have beautiful coats, lots of energy, and good muscular builds. I tried the raw, but I had one that would just not switch, short of putting him separate from everyone, which I just wasn't going to do.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2011 15:35:47 GMT -5
I've been doing price comparison and it seems we might be able to afford Evo cat and kitten formula. I think it's Chicken, turkey, and duck food. Thank you all for the input.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2011 21:34:42 GMT -5
I would go with a mix of orijen cat kitten with some go natural grain free duck cat and kitten and maybe some ferret epigen its only $14 for 3 lbs
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