How much raw meat daily?

[corissakay]

We just got 3 ferrets from a person that shows ferrets. Two are 8 months old and one is 1 and a half. She kept them on a raw meat and kibble diet. So how much meat should we give them on a daily basis? Also, what are some "treats" you all like to give your ferrets? We are fairly new to ferrets, so any other important information y'all would like to share would be appreciated! I'm trying to read up on all these forms, but there are so many
Thanks for helping!

[Deleted]

I believe it's 2 to 4 ounces a day. I find it really depends on the time of year when it comes to how much they eat

[Deleted]

It fluctuates for mine from day to day but I'd say the average the two of mine eat is 4 ounces each a day right now. Some days its 3, a few days can be close to 6 each.

[Heather]

Gender helps too. My little girls don't eat as much as my boys and kits (which they are at 8 months) will out-eat any adult.
ciao

[Deleted]

Hi there,
I am new to ferrets too, but I've been feeding my dog raw for a while. I suggest you only feed raw. With the kibble mixed, their stomach gets confused and pretty much defeats the purpose.
If you look around in this forum, there are many threads about how much to feed. I usually feed Chestnut (he's 3 months old) 3 times a day. In the morning he gets meat with bones, and the other 2 feedings I mix ground meat with some kinda organs. He seems pretty happy about it:-D
I hope this helps!

[aletha]

So how long do you give them before you would take the kibble away? I have been feeding a soup diet of some raw and dehydrated cat food (i usually have to hold them to get them to eat it) , plus 24 hour access to kibble. I have been wondering if i should take away their kibble and only give them wet, how long is a good starting time? I have always been under the impression that they should always have access to food...is this still thought to be correct?
Thank you for any answers you can help me with:)

[Sherry]

Not a problem. First, for the OP. The amount of raw a ferret will eat in a day can really vary. My females eat between 2 oz a day up to 5 oz a day. That's because they vary in weight from 1lb to 3lbs.
My males average about 4 oz a day. They are similar in weight and age.
You want to give them enough to last through til the next meal time. I feed twice a day. The meat is fine sitting out. Ferrets won't eat bad meat
Aletha- that also really varies. It depends on how well they are eating the raw, what stage they are at, health, etc.
A healthy ferret can go up to 12 hours with no food with no ill effects. The problem comes with hidden illnesses that haven't advanced enough to show symptoms. Like insulinoma. If you take away food entirely from a ferret in this situation, you will likely bring on a crash.
If however, your ferret is eating enough willingly, and you are leaving enough in there to last through(they are nibblers after an initial meal), then yes, take away the kibble. They really don't need raw left til the next meal, but the same rule about "hidden" illnesses mentioned above applies.
The reason for "constant access" is simply because they cannot get enough nutrition from kibble to last them. So they have to eat constantly. The proteins in raw are more bio available than any protein in kibble, even meat based ones(which most kibbles have a lot of vegetable proteins).

[katt]

Give them as much meat as they will eat. IT is very rare for a raw fed ferret to over eat. Be sure that it is balanced properly though. I'd just ditch the kibble entirely.