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Feeding your Ferrets (kids) Natural food Expand / Collapse
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Posted 4/27/2007 9:46:38 AM
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Last Login: 5/2/2007 7:43:32 AM
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I have been feeding my three kids (known as the 3 Naughties) live food for about a month. They also get a kibble food while they are in their cage. I started to feed live when my kids started to act board and lathargic. Kibble food is really just filler and doesn't meet the nutritional or psychological needs required for great health. I also own a snake, so mice are bought on a regular basis.

I do love all animals, but it is a reality that carnivores eat meat. I tried frozen but they were not super excited about it. They would eat it but it was like giving kids veggies. I gave them a live mouse to see if they would like that. The mouse ran, and I think that triggered the hunt response. They chased and caught it...it was quick. Since then they have become more active and I think they really like the hunt and natural food. I believe that the ferrets kill in a quick manner and that the mouse was dispatched in the most humane way by nature's law.

Store bought Turkey, chicken, and meat is okay. I believe that it is not a great substitue for live prey. Often the meat has hormones or lacks the organ meat where the vitimins and nutrition lie. Raw eggs as well as baby chickens also suppliment the mice and the kids love it. Rats are more viscious and I would serieously re-consider feeding live. Also local butchers carrey pre-killed whole rabbits, another good natural food. I think that letting them exhibit natural hunting behavior is healthy and breaks the bore of eating kibble. Their personalities have not got more mean and they are not "viscious" as people offten say. If you read any lititure on Polecats in Europe, they eat rabbits, mice, rats, birds, eggs and lizards. Natural food is what they eat and kibble, while being food, is not what ferrets need.

ferretfunk

Post #6119
Posted 4/27/2007 11:56:58 AM


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Last Login: 9/15/2007 8:43:51 PM
Posts: 608, Visits: 2,191
Hey there, just wanted to say I feed naturally do. So do JosiesMom and TheSlappy and MaryMary too I believe. Other then these peeps there aren't many natural feeders here, but the yahoo group is a great place for natural feeders if you are interested, I'm a member there too.

---------------------------------

Love, Giuli

Check out my pictures/videos of all my "furkids" by clicking on the links below!

http://lugnutandhendrix.myphotoalbum.com (The cats album is also here)

http://samsonanddelilah.myphotoalbum.com

http://willowandweezie.myphotoalbum.com

http://apollopuppy.myphotoalbum.com

Interested in natural feeding? Join NaturalFerrets! (Just click on the button below)

Click here to join NaturalFerrets

Post #6123
Posted 4/28/2007 1:40:36 PM


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Last Login: 8/15/2007 2:20:13 PM
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I natural feed my ferret as well.

-----------------------------------------------------------


Please support the cause of legalizing ferrets in California by adding this page:

http://www.myspace.com/legalizeferretscalifornia

Sign the legalizing petition as well:

http://www.petitiononline.com/CAferret/petition.html
Post #6129
Posted 4/28/2007 5:32:48 PM


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Last Login: 9/15/2007 8:43:51 PM
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OMG, doh! [:O] How could i forget about you! Sorry! I am such a dork.

---------------------------------

Love, Giuli

Check out my pictures/videos of all my "furkids" by clicking on the links below!

http://lugnutandhendrix.myphotoalbum.com (The cats album is also here)

http://samsonanddelilah.myphotoalbum.com

http://willowandweezie.myphotoalbum.com

http://apollopuppy.myphotoalbum.com

Interested in natural feeding? Join NaturalFerrets! (Just click on the button below)

Click here to join NaturalFerrets

Post #6130
Posted 4/28/2007 6:32:16 PM


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Last Login: 4/15/2008 6:23:33 PM
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Critter,

Good for you! I whole heartedly agree that natural whole prey is best for ferrets!

Don't forget to offer your guys invertebrates too! Josie dines on Superworms, crickets and even nightcrawlers! I've even offered her goldfish and minnows but she much prefers sushi salmon, tuna and yelow tail![]

I too agree that the ferret dispatches the mice quickly, much quicker than any cat I've ever seen kill a mouse ( and I've seen that a lot from my farm life). The ferret pounces, grabs and crunch! Most mice don't even get out a squeak!

This recent pet food recall ought to help open folk's eyes to the unnatural way humans are tending to their pets.

I have had pet rodents too and understand some folks aversion to feeding another pet a pet. But the feeder mice I use are not raised as companion animals anymore than the hamburger I eat was from a pet cow.

To each their own. I don't force natural feeding on anyone and don't  get irritated when folks think I am being cruel to feed live prey. I do however inform them about the HUGE differences I have noticed since I switched her to whole prey!

Kudos to you and all who allow their ferrets to eat what they normally would! []

Cheers!

JosiesMom

Josie made me do it! I had to build this just for her! www.vanityferret.com []

Post #6132
Posted 8/3/2008 6:49:45 AM


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Last Login: 9/24/2008 7:16:04 AM
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HI!
I feed raw too. Both whole preys and frozen parts of animals, like chicken wings, chicken throat, liver from all kind of animals, chicken-stomach and so on. They love it and I love to see my ferrets so healthy and happy. I tried to give them a rabbit once and they liked it. Have to find some that are not brought up like the one i bought last time, he didn't look that healthy...

Some people in Sweden has started their own micebreeding to serve their ferrets with nice fresh food.

Loving and living with ferrets
Post #7682
Posted 9/22/2008 7:30:57 AM
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Last Login: 12/30/2008 7:03:37 AM
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None of my 21 furries will eat raw.  Only a very few will eat fresh-cooked.  I have been feeding Evo by Natura.  Has anyone heard of it?  Anyone feeding it?  What do you think?
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