Post by agilegsd on Nov 21, 2006 0:34:54 GMT -5
Getting ferrets to switch to raw food is probably the biggest issue ferret owners face with the diet and is a major reason more ferrets aren't fed raw. Often owners try to switch their ferret but their ferret refuses to even try any form of raw meat. It is true that adult ferrets are quite difficult to introduce a new diet to. However, through trial and error I have created a step-by-step method to switch even the most stubborn, kibble lovin' fuzzy (or cats which are just as bad) to a raw diet.
All you need to start the transition is your ferret's regular food and some ground meat. The ground meat can be either pre-made commercial raw food or ground chicken/turkey from the grocery store.
1. Begin adding some moisture to the kibble by dripping some water over it before feeding. I like to use warm water - not too hot or cold. If your fuzzy already will eat canned food you may be able to skip to step 5 by taking away all kibble and just feeding canned.
2. Add more water to the day's kibble each day as long as your ferret is willing to eat the food. Most will eat wet kibble fairly easily and I think this is because their imprinting is more about smell than texture.
3. Once the ferret is eating the kibble with enough water to make it soggy began mashing the kibble up a little bit with a fork before feeding.
4. Slowly mash the kibble up more each feeding until the ferret is eating all of the food well mashed. The mashed kibble should look almost like canned food now.
5. Only is the ferret is eating the canned-food-looking-mashed kibble without a problem is it time for this step Now you will take just a tiny bit of the raw ground meat - maybe a pinch or two and add it to the kibble before mashing. Mash the kibble as usual and be sure the bit of raw food is well mixed with the rest.
6. As long as your ferret will eats the food with the raw meat mixed in you can double the amount of raw food added about every other day. Be sure you are mashing it up well with the rest of the food.
7. At some point there will get to be a lot of raw food in the bowl and it will no longer be hidden in with the mashed kibble. That's great as long as your ferret is consistently eating the food. Once this happens and as long as your ferret is still eating the food begin cutting back on the amount of kibble in the bowl. The kibble should be cut just as slowly as the raw is added in.
8. Cut back on the kibble until there is no kibble left in the bowl. Congrats now your fuzzies will eat raw! It should be mentioned that if at any point during this switch your ferret refuses the food go back a step or two. If your ferret decides mashed kibble is yucky go back to just adding a bit of water. I think the main issue with switching ferrets to raw is to be determined that you want to do it and that the ferrets will be switched. Don't let set backs make you give up - keep trying and they will eat raw
Now if you were using ground meat from the store to switch you will need to start thinking about what foods you are going to feed. Feeding all ground food is ok for switching but bone and organs are needed for a balanced diet. Pre made raw food (with bones, organs and meat all ground) is available but it tends to be the most expensive way to feed raw. Other options are chicken necks/wing tips, livers and hearts from any number of animals, frozen fish such as smelt, mice (live or frozen), frozen chicks or rabbit parts.
I would start with something easy and try to find chicken necks or wing tips. To switch your fuzzie to eating raw meaty bones:
1. Chop the RMB (raw meaty bone such as a chicken neck) into small parts and mix it into the ground meat your fuzzy is now eating.
2. As long as your fuzzy eats the meal as usual add the chopped RMB every day. Every other day chop the RMB into slightly larger pieces.
3. Soon you won't have to chop it up at all! Once the chopped parts are quite large try just offering the whole RMB.
In my experience once a ferret will eat raw meaty bones such as chicken necks and wing tips introducing new ones isn't hard. Other RMBs you can use would be chicken wings (all parts), chicken breasts and chicken backs. These all have some bones which ferrets can eat and some which are too large and they will leave. These shouldn't make up the bulk of the diet but can be used for variety - just remember to pick up the leftover bones before company comes An important part of raw feeding is variety so try to feed different things every couple days. My raw fed guys are fed twice a day.
Switching to mice is a bit different because they don't look like regular RMBs. With my ferrets who hesitated on mice (the older ones) I held the mouse near them and when they grabbed it to try to take it I held on. This caused the ferret to "open up" the mouse and see that it was full of meat. I wouldn't try switching right from kibble to mice unless you have a ferret who is willing to try new foods.
This method of switching works so well even on older ferrets because you are introducing the raw food in phases. To start you introduce moisture where the ferret is used to dry, second you add a different texture, after that just a hint of a different smell, then a different but now somewhat familiar smell, followed by a different but now somewhat familiar texture. Doing this tricks the ferret into accepting raw food as the norm instead of something totally weird and new.
As for cost I feel it is comparable to what it costs to feed a quality kibble or a bit cheaper if you are good at finding deals. I bought 100 frozen mice at a reptile show from RodentPro for $19.00 but the petstores sell them live for $1.25 and up. So if you are interested in whole prey I'd suggest doing a Internet search of reptile shows and see if there are any close by. There is one every month about an hour from me. Chicken necks and wing tips can be bought bulk if you have freezer space for as little as .30/lb. You may find meat distributors in the local phone book (they supply to restaurants) to buy bulk from. If there are any butchers near by they may be willing to make a good deal with you on scrap parts. Beef hearts are great when you can get them - I cut them into chunks and even just one feeds ferrets multiple meals. I buy chicken/beef liver and chicken/turkey hearts most often at the grocery store but have ordered five pound bags of chicken hearts from a distributor. You can also check into your local 4H by calling your county extension office. They may have ideas of where you can buy rabbit, chicken or beef and names of local places which do slaughtering. I don't feed organic to any of the animals and they do quite well so organic is not really a must. After years of feeding raw I am just starting to introduce whole prey. You can feed raw and have good results without having to feed whole prey.
Another consideration is that I have close to no vet bills since feeding raw. I have not had a ferret develop insulinoma since switching to raw. My ferrets are in good general health and don't tend to get sick. Their teeth are kept healthy by the food they eat so they don't need a vet for dental cleaning. In that way raw feeding for me has been much cheaper than feeding kibble.
All you need to start the transition is your ferret's regular food and some ground meat. The ground meat can be either pre-made commercial raw food or ground chicken/turkey from the grocery store.
1. Begin adding some moisture to the kibble by dripping some water over it before feeding. I like to use warm water - not too hot or cold. If your fuzzy already will eat canned food you may be able to skip to step 5 by taking away all kibble and just feeding canned.
2. Add more water to the day's kibble each day as long as your ferret is willing to eat the food. Most will eat wet kibble fairly easily and I think this is because their imprinting is more about smell than texture.
3. Once the ferret is eating the kibble with enough water to make it soggy began mashing the kibble up a little bit with a fork before feeding.
4. Slowly mash the kibble up more each feeding until the ferret is eating all of the food well mashed. The mashed kibble should look almost like canned food now.
5. Only is the ferret is eating the canned-food-looking-mashed kibble without a problem is it time for this step Now you will take just a tiny bit of the raw ground meat - maybe a pinch or two and add it to the kibble before mashing. Mash the kibble as usual and be sure the bit of raw food is well mixed with the rest.
6. As long as your ferret will eats the food with the raw meat mixed in you can double the amount of raw food added about every other day. Be sure you are mashing it up well with the rest of the food.
7. At some point there will get to be a lot of raw food in the bowl and it will no longer be hidden in with the mashed kibble. That's great as long as your ferret is consistently eating the food. Once this happens and as long as your ferret is still eating the food begin cutting back on the amount of kibble in the bowl. The kibble should be cut just as slowly as the raw is added in.
8. Cut back on the kibble until there is no kibble left in the bowl. Congrats now your fuzzies will eat raw! It should be mentioned that if at any point during this switch your ferret refuses the food go back a step or two. If your ferret decides mashed kibble is yucky go back to just adding a bit of water. I think the main issue with switching ferrets to raw is to be determined that you want to do it and that the ferrets will be switched. Don't let set backs make you give up - keep trying and they will eat raw
Now if you were using ground meat from the store to switch you will need to start thinking about what foods you are going to feed. Feeding all ground food is ok for switching but bone and organs are needed for a balanced diet. Pre made raw food (with bones, organs and meat all ground) is available but it tends to be the most expensive way to feed raw. Other options are chicken necks/wing tips, livers and hearts from any number of animals, frozen fish such as smelt, mice (live or frozen), frozen chicks or rabbit parts.
I would start with something easy and try to find chicken necks or wing tips. To switch your fuzzie to eating raw meaty bones:
1. Chop the RMB (raw meaty bone such as a chicken neck) into small parts and mix it into the ground meat your fuzzy is now eating.
2. As long as your fuzzy eats the meal as usual add the chopped RMB every day. Every other day chop the RMB into slightly larger pieces.
3. Soon you won't have to chop it up at all! Once the chopped parts are quite large try just offering the whole RMB.
In my experience once a ferret will eat raw meaty bones such as chicken necks and wing tips introducing new ones isn't hard. Other RMBs you can use would be chicken wings (all parts), chicken breasts and chicken backs. These all have some bones which ferrets can eat and some which are too large and they will leave. These shouldn't make up the bulk of the diet but can be used for variety - just remember to pick up the leftover bones before company comes An important part of raw feeding is variety so try to feed different things every couple days. My raw fed guys are fed twice a day.
Switching to mice is a bit different because they don't look like regular RMBs. With my ferrets who hesitated on mice (the older ones) I held the mouse near them and when they grabbed it to try to take it I held on. This caused the ferret to "open up" the mouse and see that it was full of meat. I wouldn't try switching right from kibble to mice unless you have a ferret who is willing to try new foods.
This method of switching works so well even on older ferrets because you are introducing the raw food in phases. To start you introduce moisture where the ferret is used to dry, second you add a different texture, after that just a hint of a different smell, then a different but now somewhat familiar smell, followed by a different but now somewhat familiar texture. Doing this tricks the ferret into accepting raw food as the norm instead of something totally weird and new.
As for cost I feel it is comparable to what it costs to feed a quality kibble or a bit cheaper if you are good at finding deals. I bought 100 frozen mice at a reptile show from RodentPro for $19.00 but the petstores sell them live for $1.25 and up. So if you are interested in whole prey I'd suggest doing a Internet search of reptile shows and see if there are any close by. There is one every month about an hour from me. Chicken necks and wing tips can be bought bulk if you have freezer space for as little as .30/lb. You may find meat distributors in the local phone book (they supply to restaurants) to buy bulk from. If there are any butchers near by they may be willing to make a good deal with you on scrap parts. Beef hearts are great when you can get them - I cut them into chunks and even just one feeds ferrets multiple meals. I buy chicken/beef liver and chicken/turkey hearts most often at the grocery store but have ordered five pound bags of chicken hearts from a distributor. You can also check into your local 4H by calling your county extension office. They may have ideas of where you can buy rabbit, chicken or beef and names of local places which do slaughtering. I don't feed organic to any of the animals and they do quite well so organic is not really a must. After years of feeding raw I am just starting to introduce whole prey. You can feed raw and have good results without having to feed whole prey.
Another consideration is that I have close to no vet bills since feeding raw. I have not had a ferret develop insulinoma since switching to raw. My ferrets are in good general health and don't tend to get sick. Their teeth are kept healthy by the food they eat so they don't need a vet for dental cleaning. In that way raw feeding for me has been much cheaper than feeding kibble.
) so you are correct that generally there should be plenty as long as the diet is balanced and varied. I believe that there was a journal sometime ago (provided to me by a raw feeder) which showed some advantages at a slightly higher taurine dose. However I don't think this is a necessity, nor is one study suffient to establish a standard. And like I said, there aren't too many people who want to go analyzing all their foods and doing calculations to propertly increase the taurine in that frozen chicken by 1% using a taurine supplment with purity X =p
Daxy is SO happy the weather is cooling off! He doesn't like the AC - it limits him to one room but when I let him go other places, he just flat ferrets cause it's too hote