Bonus Antler Chips

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I remember back on the old HFF, Jennifer (mustelidmusk) used Bonus antler chips (for small dogs) with her guys for some teeth cleaning since they ate mostly commercial ground raw.

Well... I ordered some to try with my crew since they will now be on mostly commercial ground (and two of my four will not let me brush their teeth) They just so happened to be popular with those two ;D

I had no idea what they were going to look like. I was pleasantly surprised! (ignore the punctures in the bag... Sari loves chewing on bags of this sort ):


Most of the pieces were halves, but there were some whole ones as well:


I expected them to be much bigger and thicker, but they are the perfect size for ferrets!



You will notice in the pictures how porous they are, which is something else Jennifer mentioned to help entice a ferret to eat them by letting it soak up some of their favorite oils

They have already become a favorite of one of my boys, Reks Sari has yet to eat one, but she is stashing them (which is a good sign ;D). Pan was weary (she would just put the front of her teeth on it as if she was deciding whether or not it was worthy of stashing ) and Bantha wasn't really impressed either (until I put olive oil on it, which made him at least stash it ;D).

Whether or not they actually will help clean their teeth (maybe the large dog chips would be better for that ), I will continue buying them since Reks is thoroughly enjoying them (he's picky when it comes to treats ).

If anyone is interested, here's the website (just scroll down a bit on the main page for the large and small dog chips... and make sure you're not getting the powder by accident ;D):
www.bonusvelvetantler.com/

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Velvet antlers are great sources of minerals. I recommend giving the antlers as treats..... I give no more than 1/4 antler chip per ferret per week. (I'm also not consistent with the treats) I also recommend giving less to growing ferrets because they do contain growth hormones. (My kids were fed a little bit of antler as adolescents, but I gave the antlers as a very occasional treat (1/4 chip every 2-3 weeks)

One thing I noticed quickly with the antlers is that their nails grow faster and do not ship, flake, and/or snag on fabric/carpeting, etc. I found the antlers are tough on carpeting (strong nails dig better ), and you may be clipping nails more often!

-jennifer

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I want to try these! Is there a danger associated with the growth hormones they contain? Why do you need to limit them for growing ferrets?

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Hm I think I'll get some of these too. Both the chips and the powder. Can the powder effectively replace egg shell or a calcium supplement?

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NO! the reason why the antlers cannot replace a calcium supplement is because an antler is too rich with nutrients and hormones to want to feed it as often as regular bone.

Think about it....an antler grows very FAST....it grows in a sigle season. this requires a LOT of blood and hormones. the Antler is then shed and must regrow the following year. That is the diffenece between an antler and a horn - horns are NOT shed.

Velvet antler has been used in TCM (TraditionalChinese Medicine) for thousands of years. It has a LOT of healing properites and nutritional benefits. HARD antler (mature antler which no longer has the velvet) does not contain all the nutrients/ and hormones as the velvet antler, which is young, soft, growing tissue. A little "velvet" goes a long way.

The reasaon why I recommend Bonus brand Velvet antler is because the Bonus elk herd is locaed in Penrose Colorado, which is isolated from northern herds which may have wasting disease. The southern Coloradoe herdshave no wasting disease. Also, the product is high quality - awesome velvet as demonstrated by the photos - so you KNOW you are getting true "velvet". Again, mature antler, which has no velvet/fuzz does not have the same nutritional benefit as the velvet.

-jennifer

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I actually just picked up something from my raw store is similar. They are called Nature's Premium Revive Pet Treats and are frozen raw.

The ingredients are" farm raised elk, ground bone, EVA (elk velvet antler), Liver and Heart.

So with the EVA and the growth hormones and what not... it IS still safe to feed once in a while as a treat, right?

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Yes, the antlers are contain a lot of nutrition - a little bit goes a long way. As long as they are fed as limited treats , they should be very healthy.

Many recommend that nutritional supplements be rotated and/or given for a couple of weeks and then withheld for a couple of weeks.

I do have a preference for Bonus brand because the herds are isolated from those up north where wasting disease has been reported (at least in some of the wild populations)

-jennifer

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Thanks for posting this! I wanted to try some velvet for the kids but didn't know which brand to go with.