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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2012 23:16:54 GMT -5
Hurray! Nova and Bo ate something OTHER than their crappy living world kibble tonight!!! ;D They have been so untrusting about trying raw (babies are supposed to be easy : but I picked up a bag of Feline Natural freeze-dried raw tonight (the one Sherry posted about ) and they LOVE it!!! It doesn't rehydrate as well as some freeze-dried (it comes in big pellet shapes that you have to mush with a spoon) but it's actually a little cheaper than Wysong Archetypal-1 for the amount you get. It's completely balanced and has no veggies (Ingredients: Chicken (crushed chicken necks - I checked with the company), Lamb Heart, Lamb Liver, Lamb Kidney, Green Lipped Mussel). I really like that it has the kidney in it too And lamb is such a nice gentle protein! www.felinenatural.com/Anyways, I am just happy they are off that darn kibble and that I have something I can start mixing raw soup in WITHOUT getting upset raw/kibble tummies! YAY BABIES
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Post by Heather on Jan 24, 2012 23:33:46 GMT -5
Congratulations....they will come around. You've presented them with a lot of changes all at once and they're just hanging on to the things they recognize. They will come around to your way of thinking, maybe later than sooner but they will ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2012 23:52:55 GMT -5
Thanks Heather I know it's been a lot of changes for them, poor babies I just wanted to get them off that horrible food before it caused prolapse problems again.
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Post by Heather on Jan 24, 2012 23:55:28 GMT -5
Oh, I agree with you entirely. I would be doing the same thing. Food is a very important part of rehabilitation and usually the first thing that I change. No, I agree with your plan entirely ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2012 2:14:47 GMT -5
My guys LOVE that stuff...I call it ferret crack.
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Post by Sherry on Jan 25, 2012 9:42:55 GMT -5
Mine love it too ;D So glad that you've found their "in" for raw They'll take to it pretty quickly now!
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Post by tress29 on Jan 25, 2012 10:08:02 GMT -5
What would be the feeding schedule? Do you mix up a bowl and leave it for them all day? Then feed a bone meal at night? I'm still reading through everything, trying to find a raw diet that fits my busy schedule.
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Post by Sherry on Jan 25, 2012 10:16:56 GMT -5
With freeze dried, or even commercial raw, your best bet would be to give a bowl in the morning, leave some dry to nibble on during the day, and the rmb's in the evening. One thing I found that made a MAJOR difference time wise for me was to prep all the meals on the weekend. I try to buy in bulk since I'm feeding several(family sized packs from the grocer's). I chop and package in meal size servings, baggie and freeze. I've got 3 boxes in the freezer. One box for muscle meats, one for bone in meats, and one for organs. Hearts are stored separately as is whole prey. Everything goes into it's appropriate box, and I grab out 2-3 days worth of meals according to the schedule of 4 days bone, 2 days muscle(one to two meals being heart), 1 day organ. I know I feed a good variety, so don't necessarily pay attention to what I'm grabbing out as long as it fits that guideline. This way, I may spend an hour or so on the weekend prepping, but after that it's simply a matter of defrosting and serving So prepping food for 8 ferrets takes only an hour a week!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2012 15:10:12 GMT -5
I've been mostly home since getting them so I've been rehydrating fresh freeze-dried for them 3-4 times a day, but otherwise you would do what Sherry said I'll be mixing raw soup slowly into the freeze dried mush and then work them up to chunks and bones. Personally, I really like adding in the freeze-dried pre-switch step, because you don't get the upset tummies you would mixing raw soup with kibble and you know they are getting balanced raw meals with the freeze dried during the switch I will be switching them fully to raw, however since freeze dried is just too expensive to feed every morning But Mine definitely think it's crack too ;D
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Post by tress29 on Jan 25, 2012 15:17:54 GMT -5
So it's easier to transition from freeze dried to raw, than from kibble to raw? I wouldn't have thought of that. I guess that's why I'm here though!
I still need to get some liver so I can make soup. I'm gonna check other grocery stores for heart, etc. The pack of hearts/gizzards I bought at Walmart only had 2 hearts. I'll also check out one of my LPSs for freeze dried and frozen options. I know they had frozen at one other store, but that one's since closed. I've not been to the new store, but it's bigger! (And in a more trendy neighborhood! I'll have to price shop to compare with online prices.)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2012 15:26:54 GMT -5
Actually it depends entirely on the ferret. Most younger ferrets will go from kibble to raw with minimal effort (especially young kits) but these two had been through a tramatic experience so they weren't all that trusting of a "new" food. But most ferrets LOVE freeze-dried so it's normally pretty easy to get them off the kibble onto the freeze dried. You can always start out with just a chicken soup (just raw chicken and water blended up + 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed egg shell). Then once you find some liver and hearts you can add them in to make the "balanced soup". It takes a very long time for ferrets to get "unbalanced" in their diets, so feeding an unbalanced chicken soup for a few days or even a few weeks won't hurt your ferrets.
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Post by Sherry on Jan 25, 2012 15:32:07 GMT -5
The main reason I put that prerequisite up was because we were getting people who wanted to switch their ferrets, but we'd wind up waiting 2 or 3 weeks for them to pick up just the basics. Starting with what you have is fine, as long as you let your mentor know you'll be adding them in shortly Although it does take longer if they've not had the liver or heart from the beginning.
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Post by tress29 on Jan 25, 2012 15:47:38 GMT -5
Starting with what you have is fine, as long as you let your mentor know you'll be adding them in shortly I guess I should finish my mentor application then!
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Post by miamiferret2 on Jan 25, 2012 16:47:32 GMT -5
my ferret was 9 weeks when i brought him home and he took to it right away. i don't think i can get that freeze dried here in the u.s. but it sounds alot like the feline stella & chewys.
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Post by miamiferret2 on Jan 25, 2012 16:50:24 GMT -5
oh wait. it comes from new zealand? how much do you pay for shipping?
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