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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2011 17:56:04 GMT -5
Just wondering if these guildlines: These proportions best emulate the whole prey model: 75% muscle meat 10% edible bone 10% organ meat 5% roughage Apply to feeding on a weekly, daily or monthly basis? Also if larger bone (for example beef) is ground into a powder is that acceptable for bone ratio? You should still have some whole bone for teeth cleaning right? And I was curious if anyone knew the exact nutrional analysis needed for ferrets... like percentage of fat, protein etc Thanks  |
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Post by Sherry on Mar 7, 2011 19:45:49 GMT -5
Not sure of the exact percentages, but something along the lines of 70% meat, 15%bone, 10% organ, and 3-5% roughage would be good.
I generally feed along these guidelines:
4 days bone in meats(consumable bone), 2 days muscle meats, 1 meal organ, the other meal is usually whole prey, or bone in. This consists of 2 meals per day, with enough left over for them to munch on. They also get some soupies that they can have pumpkin in.
I also feed commercial raw, with either pumpkin or squash mixed in as well. Those are considered bone in meals.
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Post by taratee on Mar 7, 2011 19:50:53 GMT -5
as for your question about bone overall i watch the poop to see if they need more or less i usually offer my guys bone every day some days they eat it sometimes they choose not to if it ever gets too loose i feed them something like a wing where they dont have much choice except to eat the bone
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2011 15:27:37 GMT -5
Hmm ok.. his stools are very firm and small and he eats one cube of a mix and a cube of alternating chicken/chicken neck at each meal. The mix is 70-80% muscle meat, 10-15% organ, and 10-15% bone. With 1lb of mix containing about 4oz of salmon, 4oz of ground chicken, 3 oz of turkey liver and 5oz of turkey hearts.
He just seems to be loosing weight. Right now I would say he is a perfect size but I'm worried about him getting smaller. Any tips?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2011 15:35:56 GMT -5
You can add more fat to his diet. Chicken skin, pork fat, pork side (unaltered bacon). Does he refuse to eat more? Feed him as much as he'll eat.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 11, 2011 22:29:18 GMT -5
You do know this is the time of year where they are dropping their winter weight? Mine have all started getting smaller and sleeker  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2011 3:06:55 GMT -5
Hmm he was pretty chubby during the winter  I'm probably just being paranoid. He eats two meals a day of 2 cubes each feeding where sometimes he refuses to eat very much and sometimes beggs for more. In any case would Chicken skin, pork fat, pork side (unaltered bacon) be available in a grocery store? I might just grab some to feed as a treat |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2011 11:02:12 GMT -5
Hmm.. Pork side is sometimes available. If you cook a lot for yourself, just remove the skin and fat from your meals and give them to your fuzzy. I have found pork fat before, but it's not a usual thing. Is he on whole meats yet? It might be tricky to get him to eat the skin/fat if he isn't used to chewing. The skin can be particularly chewy Sometimes ferrets skip a meal naturally. It happens. If he is losing his winter weight, he will look rather skinny. It can be quite a transformation. I wouldn't worry too much about it, as long as he is eating/drinking/pooping/peeing normally. |
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Post by Sherry on Mar 12, 2011 11:28:55 GMT -5
If you can get any of the above, and he'll eat them, by all means go ahead It certainly won't hurt him. But yeah, they can gain/lose up to 40% of their body weight seasonally. And I found my 3 year olds made their largest gain they've had this past winter. And now they're dropping it  I'm going to miss that winter chub |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2011 11:33:24 GMT -5
The mix is 70-80% muscle meat, 10-15% organ, and 10-15% bone. With 1lb of mix containing about 4oz of salmon, 4oz of ground chicken, 3 oz of turkey liver and 5oz of turkey hearts. Just a question - where is the bone in your mix? Are you using eggshell? Also, I would reduce the amount of the liver. 3 oz in a lb is almost 19% organ. You should aim to be closer to 10% organ. Also, 5% of the organ meat should be liver, the other 5% should be another organ like kidney, spleen, etc. |
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Post by Sherry on Mar 12, 2011 11:37:37 GMT -5
She is using chicken backs in the mix. he eats one cube of a mix and a cube of alternating chicken/chicken neck at each meal. The mix is 70-80% muscle meat, 10-15% organ, and 10-15% bone. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2011 11:39:01 GMT -5
Ahh, thanks! I missed that one  *Feels  * ;D |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2011 19:06:14 GMT -5
Wow.. I didn't realize they gain and lose so much. He did put on a fair amount of weight this winter but I figured it was because he was finally gettting older. And I will reduce the liver and feed fat as treats. He is fully switched onto whole raw. Thank you all for your advice |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2011 19:58:24 GMT -5
If you can't find another organ, just feed 10% liver.
Congrats!! I'm so happy your switch went smoothly.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 13, 2011 20:22:29 GMT -5
That's great that he's doing so well As for the weight, this year Vincent turned 3 in Nov. He is 2 1/2 pounds summer weight, normally goes to 3 in the winter. This winter, however, he actually went up to 3 1/2 lbs  That's the first time he's gained 1/3 of his normal summer weight for winter. And it's now starting to come back off again. I'm going to miss my fat, squishy winter butt ferret ;D |
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* ;D