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Post by marandart on Aug 14, 2012 14:01:22 GMT -5
Hey guys! I just joined today. I recently transferred my business of four to a raw diet, here's what they eat... Let me know if it's safe, not safe, or if I should add more variety, etc. The list is organized by most to least in quantity fed. Nature's Variety raw chicken formula Raw ground chicken NV lamb NV beef 1-2 raw eggs, beaten 1 frozen-thawed fuzzy mouse once in a long while. I eventually want to buy frozen rodents and chicks in bulk for them, and get them used to eating meat off the bone, like wings, turkey necks, and drumsticks. I only offer one mouse because I'm pretty sure my bottomless pit Zaphod is the only one who eats the mice. The others are slow to learn what food is. So what are your thoughts? Is this an ok diet?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2012 14:24:07 GMT -5
I'm in the UK, so I'm not sure, but do any of those products contain any bone?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2012 15:57:31 GMT -5
Yes, the NVI contains bone, organs, meat and taurine in addition to other vitamins and such.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 14, 2012 16:23:57 GMT -5
The only things I'd change if I could would be a) at least one more protein and b) if you could get them eating something like a chicken neck a couple times a week it would help tremendously with dental benefits.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 14, 2012 16:24:28 GMT -5
One more question- how many meals a week do you give the chicken?
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Post by miamiferret2 on Aug 14, 2012 17:07:05 GMT -5
Natures Variety has duck also. They have venison too. But I would go with duck.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 14, 2012 20:34:47 GMT -5
Frankly, if possible- I'd do both ;D Even once a week per protein adds that extra one to it!
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Post by marandart on Aug 14, 2012 21:21:14 GMT -5
"The only things I'd change if I could would be a) at least one more protein and b) if you could get them eating something like a chicken neck a couple times a week it would help tremendously with dental benefits." I need to FIND somewhere that sells necks! Haha
I feed them the chicken most of the time, usually at every meal. Should I mix the proteins from time to time, say, lamb one day and chicken another, then beef, then chicken again?
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Post by Sherry on Aug 14, 2012 21:30:12 GMT -5
Depending on your budget, the more proteins the better. Personally, if you could feed chicken say, once a day, and rotate the other proteins for the second meal of the day it would be better. Toss a smashed up chicken neck or wing once or twice a week and their teeth will be pearly white
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2012 6:07:31 GMT -5
I mix 2 flavors of NVI in each meal right now for the kids to get them used to new flavors and to make sure they are getting each kind of protein. They're getting chicken and venison today, tomorrow it'll be a puck of chicken and a puck of lamb, then after that chicken and turkey/duck. Right now 2 pucks of meat lasts me maybe 3-4 meals with 7 ferrets.
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Post by mjbez on Aug 15, 2012 12:44:31 GMT -5
Natures Variety has duck also. They have venison too. But I would go with duck. I Just want to point out that some of the NVI have ground pumpkin seeds.... The duck is one of them. I have stopped using it because of this. Just check the label and decide for yourself, just a FYI.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 15, 2012 12:57:20 GMT -5
The risk isn't ground seed. It's whole seed and seed chunks. That's what causes the blockage risk, which is what their freeze dried used to contain. From what I've read even that seems to have been changed.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2012 14:05:57 GMT -5
The risk isn't ground seed. It's whole seed and seed chunks. That's what causes the blockage risk, which is what their freeze dried used to contain. From what I've read even that seems to have been changed. Yes I have a couple of different packages of the raw boost bites (freeze dried treats) and they say ground pumpkin seed I believe. I think the flaxseed in some of their stuff would be more concerning possibly?
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Post by miamiferret2 on Aug 15, 2012 14:25:36 GMT -5
i use NV instinct and I have never found any chunks of pumpkin seeds in it. must be ground up finely just as in the Stella & Chewys. i check thawed out meat by "pinching" it with my fingers. gross but I am neurotic. i also pick through it with a fork to make sure no big chunks of vegetables or anything weird.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2012 14:44:36 GMT -5
i use NV instinct and I have never found any chunks of pumpkin seeds in it. must be ground up finely just as in the Stella & Chewys. i check thawed out meat by "pinching" it with my fingers. gross but I am neurotic. i also pick through it with a fork to make sure no big chunks of vegetables or anything weird. Not really gross... I mean think about it, it's just raw meat and a few veggies. I would rather be covered in that than "animal byproducts", "animal meal" and a bunch of random chemicals you find in kibble. If it were cooked I'd actually try some of the NVI, there doesn't seem anything too bad about it. It's mostly human edible ingredients. May more edible looking than what I see on an ice cream or bread label these days. I end up covered in raw soupy by the end of a feeding when I have to reconvince the older ferrets I'm not feeding them poison but delicious, meaty goodness. I do wince sometimes when I hear them crunching up a larger piece of bone though. Sound weirds me out for some reason.
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