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Post by kpaz on Dec 21, 2011 23:18:56 GMT -5
Hello, I'm trying to find a food scale so I can start the mentoring program in January. Hopefully I can get off to a good start before school starts back up again.
A few questions. First, I have yet to find anywhere who only sells chicken hearts without the gizzards. Can they eat gizzards? If not, my boyfriend likes them fried (yuck).
Also, what are the choices for natural diets? I know there is live/whole prey. Does that include the frozen mice? What are the other options? If they aren't eating whole mice, is it considered just a partial diet?
Also, I read something about pumpkin. Maybe I will learn more about that once starting the program, but should I buy that ahead of time? Does that mean raw pumpkin or canned pumpkin?
Sorry if these are answered in an obvious place. I'm not used to such a busy forum D:
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2011 23:42:11 GMT -5
My guys will eat gizzards no problem  You can still have a whole raw diet without whole or life prey as long as they are getting enough bone, organ and muscle meat as well as three proteins. Pumpkin helps firm up runny stools and acts like the fur of a mouse and wraps around everything to push it out so it's used commonly with suspected blockages ( as well as Vaseline, oil and some other things but is never a replacement for vet treatment). You can cook regular pumpkin then puree it to a smooth consistency (I cook it in the microwave in a bowl of water for 10 mins then blend) or you can use pure canned pumpkin, not the pie filling  |
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Post by Sherry on Dec 22, 2011 0:00:22 GMT -5
Check around various outlets near you, especially if you have any ethnic markets nearby. Any heart will work Chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, beef- basically whatever you can get your hands on My guys will eat approx 5-7 chicken hearts at one sitting. You can also supplement with taurine powder if you can't find a regular supplier for heart, although the real thing is better! Gizzards would be considered a muscle meat- mine love them. Sort of a natural "rubber" that they can eat ;D Natural diet choices can include live feeding, but certainly don't have to! You can also buy frozen whole prey like mice, rats, chicks, guinea pig, quail, rabbit, etc. You can also make an entire diet of "frankenprey". That's just raw meat, bone, and organs made up in the approximate ratio to mimic whole prey. Your mentor will help you with that You can cook and puree up whole pumpkin, then freeze it in ice cube trays and baggie it. I find it simpler to use canned pure pumpkin(not the pie filling with the spices in it). I try to give about 1/2 tsp daily per ferret when they don't have whole prey. |
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Post by Heather on Dec 22, 2011 0:07:52 GMT -5
A few questions. First, I have yet to find anywhere who only sells chicken hearts without the gizzards. Can they eat gizzards? If not, my boyfriend likes them fried (yuck). Gizzards for ferrets are worth fighting for...perhaps your boyfriend will be willing to wrestle a fuzzbutt for some. They like theirs raw though Also, what are the choices for natural diets? I know there is live/whole prey. Does that include the frozen mice? What are the other options? :)Raw or natural diets options are.... commercial grind, home grind (rmb=raw meat and bones, usually includes organ meats too), frankenprey (whole meats often bought through the grocery store or butcher), prey = mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters (I think you get the idea ) If they aren't eating whole mice, is it considered just a partial diet? :)No....they are required to consume a minimum of 3 different types of proteins, but none of it has to be prey. Also, I read something about pumpkin. :)Pumpkin= make-believe fur, sinuew and other undigestibles that a ferret might consume when eating prey. Therefore RMB+organs+pumpkin = simulated prey=frankenprey Maybe I will learn more about that once starting the program, but should I buy that ahead of time? Does that mean raw pumpkin or canned pumpkin? Doesn't matter, fresh, canned...just not pie filling. That's not good for them. Sorry if these are answered in an obvious place. I'm not used to such a busy forum D: :)You'll get used to us ;D ;D ;D ;D ciao |
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Post by kpaz on Dec 22, 2011 0:44:12 GMT -5
Thanks, everyone! This is so exciting! I will keep looking around for meats, although I don't know of any ethnic markets around here. Guinea pigs?! Does anyone here actually feed their ferrets guinea pigs? Do you just get them at the pet store? It seems so bizarre. o.O
Live feeding is legal in the US right? I was watching a video from Australia and they said that feeding live prey is illegal there. I imagine that would be more expensive.
With the pumpkin and meat will I need to brush their teeth often?
Thanks again!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2011 0:49:57 GMT -5
Bone in meals will clean their teeth naturally from them chewing and gnawing on them. If you are concerned about cleaning you could still clean them (there are some tooth paste recipes in a thread around here somewhere either in ferret talk or holistic health care? I will try to find it for you) or you could give them some bones that they can't actually eat so they chew on them instead and that would clean their teeth -- here's the thread holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=3360 you should find an oil and bone meal toothpaste recipe in there. and yes live feeding is illegal here  or at least breeding animals with the intent to live feed is |
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Post by Heather on Dec 22, 2011 1:43:24 GMT -5
I don't think anyone would actually feed a live guinea pig (they come frozen by certain suppliers, rodentpro I believe). Most "responsible" live feeders restrict their wee ones to killing the occasional mouse as long as the ferret shows the propensity for a clean kill. If you're going to feed live, you are responsible for finishing a "botched" kill. So, if you can't take over and finish the kill, don't feed live My guys enjoy frozen mice, rats, rabbits and quail. Only Lady "B" is left of my original crew that killed a full grown rat (it will never be repeated, it was cruel and inhumane and as much as the ferrets came out the winners, the rat could have seriously hurt them) Ferrets are meant to hunt in tunnels, not in the open or in bath tubs. My guys do occasionally get the privilege to hunt, I do have a couple of serious hunters. They have to hunt indoors, in created tunnels as it's against the law to hunt using a ferret in Canada (I believe that most states do not allow you to use a ferret for hunting either). The UK still allows working ferrets and they have special gear (locating collars and GPS). There are a couple of my wee ones who wouldn't even know where to start with a live mouse   but I love my poor confused wee ones anyway ;D So, as easily that your wee one "could" be an awesome hunter, they could also think that mousy is just a stinky stuffy and not worth their time (especially if they get bitten) If you don't think you could feed live, then don't, it's not necessary. If you can't feed dead, you can certainly make a complete and balanced died without feeding prey. Prey is the ultimate diet and doesn't require a lot of thought but...it's expensive (very expensive) and finding a good supplier isn't always easy. A ferret can maintain a very healthy diet even on commercial ground. I feed commercial ground (especially some of the more exotic meats, boar, bison, venison), my own ground mix (some of my brats don't believe that liver should be a food group), frankenprey (sales are wonderful), and whole prey. ciao |
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Post by lumene on Dec 22, 2011 9:58:15 GMT -5
Live feeding is legal in the US, it just has a fair amount of opposition (mostly in the reptile industry). Also, buying frozen mice/ rats isn't 'that' expensive (I am only going to be using prey a couple times a week but I also have several snakes to feed and buy about 3-5 months for $100). Other than that, take it from those who know better than me.  |
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Post by Sherry on Dec 22, 2011 10:05:03 GMT -5
I don't live feed either Others on here do. I don't have a problem, as long as the ferret isn't overmatched Only reason I don't is I can't kill anything , and yes- if the ferret cannot finish off the mouse before it really even has a chance to squeak, then you have to do it. All of the prey I mentioned, I can pick up frozen at a local reptile supply house. I've not fed guinea pig, but from others that have, it is evidently a favourite of their ferrets ;D And no- you would NEVER feed anything that size live. Nothing larger than an adult mouse, and that only after your ferret has enough experience with making a kill with smaller mice. |
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Post by kpaz on Dec 22, 2011 10:48:56 GMT -5
Interesting...I will be sticking to non-living things, seeing as my Ellie would probably just be terrified (she is the most scaredy-cat alpha), and the boys would probably just be confused. They have chased roaches and killed/eaten them before (x.X ew!), but if anything more than a roach didn't make it out dead I don't think I'd be able to kill it. Maybe I could for it's own sake, but I'd probably cry all day afterward. I will look into frozen suppliers, though. Maybe I could do a mix of frankenprey and frozen. Thanks |
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Post by Sherry on Dec 22, 2011 13:47:27 GMT -5
If you have any reptile rescues around, they could let you know where they get their's from. But anyway- that won't happen most likely til they start to recognize meat as food |
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Post by lumene on Dec 22, 2011 14:21:53 GMT -5
What Sherry said. Also, a good place to ask about buying frozen rodents is this forum, for snakes yes, but the users can tell you what supplier is in your area. www.cornsnakes.com/forums/index.php |
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but I love my poor confused wee ones anyway