|
Post by rebel135 on Jan 22, 2012 20:20:52 GMT -5
hi just found the hff.need help figuring out how much to feed to the newest member of our family,we already feed raw to the cat since he was weaned he weight 12 lbs. he gets a mix of whole animal grind,thawed out mice/chicks and what ever poor squirel didn't put on his runners .so the ? is how much do we feed pepper he is 6 month old and oh my to funny. ;D
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Jan 22, 2012 20:46:25 GMT -5
I would gather Pepper is a 6 month old ferret? Basically, however much he'll eat. Although there is the odd exception, especially with favourite food- it's seldom a raw fed ferret will overeat. They generally self regulate. And welcome to the forum Is he eating raw already, or are you just switching him?
|
|
|
Post by rebel135 on Jan 22, 2012 20:51:56 GMT -5
he is on raw already we got him a week ago and every time he was out he was finish up the breakfast so we feed them togther he seams to be happy,just worried he may be eating to much ?
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Jan 22, 2012 20:53:42 GMT -5
When they first start on raw, they'll eat you out of house and home! It's like they are making up for the nutrition they weren't getting before. Add to that you've still got a growing ferret on your hands, and WOW ;D Let him eat And I forgot last time- we need pictures!!!
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Jan 22, 2012 20:58:27 GMT -5
Hi there....let that wee baby eat whatever his little furry heart desires and as much as he would like too. At 6 months, he should be tucking away as much as he can eat (you may want to feed a bit heavier on the bone too, in comparison to the kitty). ciao
|
|
|
Post by rebel135 on Jan 22, 2012 21:30:37 GMT -5
how much bone does he need ? and should i worry about chicks i have read they can cause blockages?
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Jan 22, 2012 21:34:59 GMT -5
Chicks are candy and offer little to no nutritional advantages. Treat them like candy and you will be fine. You need adult bone to make calcium. For kits I feed bone daily, if their tummies will tolerate it I feed bone at every meal. Some cannot tolerate this amount so you have to back it off until the stool is loose enough. I would feed bone at least daily. You can also add powdered egg shell (1/2 tsp to 8oz of meat) They also require a bit more liver too. ciao
|
|
|
Post by rebel135 on Jan 22, 2012 21:43:05 GMT -5
i fed my cat liver twice a week . beef heart three night and chicken necks for lunch every day ,rat pups three to four times a week is this ok does the fuzzbutt need more cause he only will eat with the cat? is olive oil ok cause the cat gets that every day for fur balls?
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Jan 22, 2012 21:58:28 GMT -5
They would both benefit from adult rats vs the rat pups (just that an a pup hasn't had the time to acquire all the nutrients to cover the two carnivores needs). Olive oil is ok, pumpkin works better for hairballs...you can mix the two. Have you thought of alternating it with fish oil as both species would benefit from an oil they can actually digest. Have you tried other meats? Pork, beef, turkey? The more different types of proteins you use the better their dietary needs are covered. Have you tried using kidney, lung or brain as an organ too? ciao
|
|
|
Post by rebel135 on Jan 22, 2012 22:19:21 GMT -5
the basic whole food mix is rotateed daily between chicken,qual,rabbit,beef,and lama. fish oil? salmon? how much ? is it better to go whole prey cause the cat and cat always eat that first? the deit i have been feeding for four years to our cat was setup for me by my old vet in alberta . now the vet here says i'm asking for trouble feeding this way but also says my cat is the healthest cat he's seen in along time so i must be doing somthing right he's coming 5 .ok off topic so any ways audult rats /mice can the ferret eat something that big he's so little?
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Jan 22, 2012 22:43:21 GMT -5
Certainly! It will just take him a bit longer to go through it ;D I will generally leave whole prey out for a couple of days. Whole meats(drumsticks, wings, larger chunks, etc) for up to about 24 hours. And your new vet is anti raw. Ignore it You don't have to go all whole prey if you don't want. He can eat the bone from the chicken, quail and rabbit and then a couple meals of rat/mice. Try to think 8-9 meals a week of consumable adult bone, 4-5 meals muscle meat(at least one has to be heart), Approximately 2oz liver and 2oz other organ for one meal. The final meal would be whatever you like.
|
|
|
Post by rebel135 on Jan 23, 2012 9:32:23 GMT -5
thank you i feel better about what and how much an as for the vet i'm tring to find a pro raw vet because in my opion raw is the only way to go.omg i forgot how much i love fuzzbutts,i had 3 when i was a kid but died an early death dew to lack of proper info.thank heavens there is this forum once again thank you for the help. if anyone knows of a pro raw vet i live in ottawa
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2012 13:05:36 GMT -5
Welcome! I hope you can post pics of your fuzzbutt soon! And congrats on making the switch to raw - your fuzz (cat and ferret) will be forever grateful
|
|
|
Post by rebel135 on Jan 24, 2012 23:19:03 GMT -5
hi every body we just rescued a two ish year old sable boy today he was bruoght into the pet store around the corner from us he has bin eating crappy cat food and has no idea how to drink water from a bowl .I worry about broken teeth on water bottles . so what im asking is how do i switch him to raw/whole prey , and is a water bottle a bad idea ?
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Jan 24, 2012 23:43:17 GMT -5
Water bottles are not a great idea as they cannot get enough water from them, so the chance of dehydration is even higher than normal. I had a couple of wee ones turned into me who had only known water bottles but they drank readily from bowls when they were presented with them. As far as switching the wee one to prey, go into the nutritional section and check out the threads there. You can also go in and read some of the switching threads in the mentoring program. You cannot post there as the threads belong to the people whom the threads are assigned to but they're open to anyone wanting to read through them. You can also read through the threads in the archives which has all the people who have graduated. These are locked but they're open for anyone wanting to read through them. You can also apply for a mentor if you want as well. ciao
|
|