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Post by mjbez on Apr 16, 2012 11:25:02 GMT -5
Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and am planning on switching my 3 ferrets to raw. (I have signed up for the menorship program, but have a few questions until I get a reply) Q 1- I am considering switching my ferrets to commercial raw first. I will be going to price out different brands today. Can I start them out on this instead of soupies? (I was thinking about just blending up one of the medallions, since they seem pretty balanced) Q 2- I have 2 ferrets with a history of some rectal prolapsing (one just started when I switched them to evo.. i thought i was doing somthing good... and the other one had a history of it many months ago, it seems much better now but I beleive it was linked to her adrenal gland disease) Q5- I was wondering.. If i feed my fuzzies 2 times a day, do I need to keep the meat in their cage until next feeding? I am kinda grossed out about letting them drag raw food around into their blankets and such.... I do currently clean the cage with a vinegar solution but it would still be messy to have raw chicken etc in their hammocks and beds! Can I feed them out of the cage for a certain amount of time? I feel that is a long time of no eating between meals then... Im just not sure how to go about this...  Q4- I worked out a quick menu (This is not necessarily my final menu, but it was an idea) Can someone tell me if they think this is balanced/ healthy? Mon AM- commercial raw Mon PM- bone in meat Tues AM- commercial raw Tues PM- half organ meal (50liver/50other) and half muscle meat meal Wed Am- commercial raw Wed Pm- bone in Thurs Am- commercial raw Thurs Pm- repeat Tues Pm Friday Am- commercial raw Friday PM- bone in Sat AM-heart Sat PM- bone in Sun AM- bone in Sun PM- muscle meat I plan on using chicken, pork and beef for sure. I also will look for other meats such as venison, lamb, rabbit. I am not sure on availability but will try to vary their diet as much as possible  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2012 12:06:59 GMT -5
Hello & welcome!! Glad to have you aboard  Q 1- I am considering switching my ferrets to commercial raw first. I will be going to price out different brands today. Can I start them out on this instead of soupies? (I was thinking about just blending up one of the medallions, since they seem pretty balanced) You could use a commercial raw patty as a soup if that's what you plan on feeding. Just know that commercial raw is expensive Q 2- I have 2 ferrets with a history of some rectal prolapsing (one just started when I switched them to evo.. i thought i was doing somthing good... and the other one had a history of it many months ago, it seems much better now but I beleive it was linked to her adrenal gland disease) What was the reason for the prolapse? Diarrhea or constipation? Because raw gives you full control over the diet, these issues can usually be fixed with a small modification in diet. Constipated usually means too much bone, and diarrhea would mean too little. By tweaking the foods, you can usually get the stools to a good place. My Pixie had bad stools on EVO Q5- I was wondering.. If i feed my fuzzies 2 times a day, do I need to keep the meat in their cage until next feeding? I am kinda grossed out about letting them drag raw food around into their blankets and such.... I do currently clean the cage with a vinegar solution but it would still be messy to have raw chicken etc in their hammocks and beds! Can I feed them out of the cage for a certain amount of time? I feel that is a long time of no eating between meals then... Im just not sure how to go about this...  I wouldn't let my fuzz have no access to food during the day. Most ferrets don't drag their meat around into their bedding or sleepy areas. I have a FN 142, and the top area is a food eating area. It has no bedding (beside a shelf cover). There is a towel where I put the food bowls, and the upper shelf has a separate feeding area for Dixie who gets nervous when other ferrets eat around her. The lower section is bedding, litter box, etc. Alternatively, you could buy some freeze dried and leave that during the day, but freeze dried doesn't offer the hydration benefits of raw. It sucks water out of the body. Q4- I worked out a quick menu (This is not necessarily my final menu, but it was an idea) Can someone tell me if they think this is balanced/ healthy? Mon AM- commercial raw Mon PM- bone in meat Tues AM- commercial raw Tues PM- half organ meal (50liver/50other) and half muscle meat meal Wed Am- commercial raw Wed Pm- bone in Thurs Am- commercial raw Thurs Pm- repeat Tues Pm Friday Am- commercial raw Friday PM- bone in Sat AM-heart Sat PM- bone in Sun AM- bone in Sun PM- muscle meat That looks good. Does the commercial raw have hearts in it? Organ meat? |
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Post by Sherry on Apr 16, 2012 13:05:12 GMT -5
Hi, and welcome only changes I'd make to the menu is to cut one of the organ meals. They be getting a portion every day with the commercial raw, so don't need a full organ serving otherwise. Also- keep an eye on stools, since 3 bone meals with 7 commercial raw might be too much. Unless the bone meals you feed are something like thigh or drumstick. Those aren't overly bone heavy. |
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Post by Heather on Apr 16, 2012 14:28:22 GMT -5
What type of commercial are you planning on feeding? Some are more balanced than others. I know that sounds really stupid but it's true. There is no really balanced diet except the one that you create for each of your wee ones individually...now that being said you can do that using commercial diets...it just requires you to be a little more knowledgeable about what's in the commercial product and how it affects your little one. I use commercial grinds along with other meats, frankenprey and prey. I use one brand of commercial grind but within that grind some meats are heavier on bone, while others have a bit more organ meats, others are light on bone. By using all of the above, you can balance your little ones' diet and prevent a recurring prolapse. If you're going to use commercial grinds by all means use the patties and mix it up into a soupy. I find that my guys do not drag the commercial grinds around, it stays in the bowl, whole meats that's an entirely different story  . If you're squeemish about them dragging food around, make up some feeding dens. Many of the little ones use those very well. ciao |
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Post by mjbez on Apr 16, 2012 14:29:52 GMT -5
Hello & welcome!! Glad to have you aboard Q 1- I am considering switching my ferrets to commercial raw first. I will be going to price out different brands today. Can I start them out on this instead of soupies? (I was thinking about just blending up one of the medallions, since they seem pretty balanced) You could use a commercial raw patty as a soup if that's what you plan on feeding. Just know that commercial raw is expensive Yes it is.... I am not sure if I would keep them on the commercial, I just kinda thought maybe it could be a stepping stone. Is that a bad idea? (its also convinient for a balanced meal in a pinch! But yes, it is expensive.. about 4-5 dollars a lb!What was the reason for the prolapse? Diarrhea or constipation? Because raw gives you full control over the diet, these issues can usually be fixed with a small modification in diet. Constipated usually means too much bone, and diarrhea would mean too little. By tweaking the foods, you can usually get the stools to a good place. My Pixie had bad stools on EVO I think the prolapse was caused from the food switch. They had (and still have a bit of) grainy stools. She pooped normally otherwise, no constipation.I wouldn't let my fuzz have no access to food during the day. Most ferrets don't drag their meat around into their bedding or sleepy areas. I have a FN 142, and the top area is a food eating area. It has no bedding (beside a shelf cover). There is a towel where I put the food bowls, and the upper shelf has a separate feeding area for Dixie who gets nervous when other ferrets eat around her. The lower section is bedding, litter box, etc. Alternatively, you could buy some freeze dried and leave that during the day, but freeze dried doesn't offer the hydration benefits of raw. It sucks water out of the body. OK, thanks. I don't think that I will go freeze dried, I want the hydration of rawQ4- I worked out a quick menu (This is not necessarily my final menu, but it was an idea) Can someone tell me if they think this is balanced/ healthy? Mon AM- commercial raw Mon PM- bone in meat Tues AM- commercial raw Tues PM- half organ meal (50liver/50other) and half muscle meat meal Wed Am- commercial raw Wed Pm- bone in Thurs Am- commercial raw Thurs Pm- repeat Tues Pm Friday Am- commercial raw Friday PM- bone in Sat AM-heart Sat PM- bone in Sun AM- bone in Sun PM- muscle meat That looks good. Does the commercial raw have hearts in it? Organ meat?  |
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Post by mjbez on Apr 16, 2012 14:32:19 GMT -5
What type of commercial are you planning on feeding? Some are more balanced than others. I know that sounds really stupid but it's true. There is no really balanced diet except the one that you create for each of your wee ones individually...now that being said you can do that using commercial diets...it just requires you to be a little more knowledgeable about what's in the commercial product and how it affects your little one. I use commercial grinds along with other meats, frankenprey and prey. I use one brand of commercial grind but within that grind some meats are heavier on bone, while others have a bit more organ meats, others are light on bone. By using all of the above, you can balance your little ones' diet and prevent a recurring prolapse. If you're going to use commercial grinds by all means use the patties and mix it up into a soupy. I find that my guys do not drag the commercial grinds around, it stays in the bowl, whole meats that's an entirely different story . If you're squeemish about them dragging food around, make up some feeding dens. Many of the little ones use those very well. ciao I was thinking either using Carnivora or Natural Diet. I was wanting to get the more "exotic meats" of lamb, venison, duck etc because I can buy beef and pork and chicken on my own. What exactly is a feeding den? |
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Post by Heather on Apr 16, 2012 14:53:03 GMT -5
A feeding den can be as easy and cheap as a cardboard box (pop boxes seem to work well for this) with a hole cut in the side of it to the complex a plastic tote box with hooks to attach the meat to the box to prevent stashing. Most ferrets like privacy when they eat. If you watch the little bums at a meal you'd understand why ;D there are some awesome feeding videos out there (and I'm not talking about hunt videos either) I have a couple of tote boxes in their room that the guys can stash their meat in. Most of the time they seem to like to stash the meat in the bottom of the cat tower  I don't feed whole meat when they're outside roaming the house and their play area....they do manage to get it out here on occasion (as there seems to be a rabbit leg wedged in the tunnel going down to the play area  at the moment  ) There are a couple of threads I believe that are posted about stash boxes ciao |
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Post by mjbez on Apr 16, 2012 15:05:39 GMT -5
A feeding den can be as easy and cheap as a cardboard box (pop boxes seem to work well for this) with a hole cut in the side of it to the complex a plastic tote box with hooks to attach the meat to the box to prevent stashing. Most ferrets like privacy when they eat. If you watch the little bums at a meal you'd understand why ;D there are some awesome feeding videos out there (and I'm not talking about hunt videos either) I have a couple of tote boxes in their room that the guys can stash their meat in. Most of the time they seem to like to stash the meat in the bottom of the cat tower I don't feed whole meat when they're outside roaming the house and their play area....they do manage to get it out here on occasion (as there seems to be a rabbit leg wedged in the tunnel going down to the play area [img src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/ ![]() i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/0_0.gif"].gif [/IMG] at the moment ) There are a couple of threads I believe that are posted about stash boxes ciao[/quote] Ok. I thnk I will just play it by ear... if they start dragging food around too much I may have to try that. It will be difficult with my cage however. I have the Super Pet Deluxe Multi Floor Ferret Home and two doors are decent size (for the bottom level and second top level) but the other doors are so tiny (one on each side of the other 2 levels, rather than in the front). I may see if I can get someone to weld two more front doors.... that would be soo much easier for cleaning access. Otherwise, it is pretty tough to fit any sort of "feeding den" through the doors. (their main feeding area is with the 2 small doors They have a second feeding area with a big door but also has a litter box on opposite end.. so space is a bit tight for 3 of them to eat there |
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Post by Heather on Apr 16, 2012 15:07:55 GMT -5
Hmm, there are some really.....ugly ferret cages out there. Obviously, many of them were created with the amusement of the ferret in mind but no clue about how much work it takes to clean those cages out ciao |
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