Ferret Weights

[rosspti 2]

I got two new hob kits recently from the same litter (i.e. brothers). They were born mid june and are about 11 weks old now. I have been feeding them on Alpha kibbles as was my best friend who bred them. They'll be on whole rabbit later on once the weather cools down and the flies die off.

 

I have been feeding them daily with two small handfuls to share. I thought they were growing away nicely. This weekend they were reunited with another brother for the first time in 3 weeks on a ferreting trip. We weren't working them, the younguns just came along for the trip. My friend and I were both amazed at how much bigger mine were. A little bit fatter maybe, but generally 10 to 20% bigger.

 

Now as I keep mine together, I think they compete for food more. When I feed them they always stuff it right down as if they are starving, and its all gone in minutes. My friend is keeping his on its own, and he says it just eats a kibble now and then. I am going to cut mine back a bit cause I think working animals should be leaner (not starving just fit!). Now, I had the pick of the litter (4 hobs 3 jills to choose from). I wanted hobs, and I chose these as they seemed the most active and bright.

 

I wander if they are stuffing because they are afraid the other will get it all first, or whether they are just always going to be bigger. I am going to cut back the feed - but wander if there is an ideal weight for age, etc.? The feed says to feed ad lib, but if I did that they would get HUGE. It says if you are worried about weight to cut back to 5% of body weight per day. I think I will do that.

 

Any thoughts on weights, feeding, etc.?

 

ATB

[stubby 175]

when feeding dry, I tend to put more than enough in, as youngsters need feeds throughout the day, rather than wolfing down as you have explained, Ive always found that if young are competing for food and wolfing it down, they then tend to take longer to teach not not finger bite, those that have access to dry 24/7 show no interest in fingers

[welshshrek 0]

Hi i agree with stubbys comment on giving them a little more food than they need as they will graze during the day..the fact that your ferrets are a little bit bigger than the others from the litter means very little other than they are getting what they need nutriant wise and this will gradually work it'self off through exercise. atb ..

[rosspti 2]

OK chaps, I've been hunting shooting and ferreting for about 15 years now (since I was 12). Well, actually I was taken out car-following the hunt from before I could walk!!!

 

However it's been a while since I had my own personal ferrets. I have for a few years relied on friends' ferrets who I have invited along to my land, or gone to their land. I make my own nets, etc. and have my own land to go on - but it's been a long time since I had kits cause when I went away to Seale Hayne (college) I had to get rid of my old ferrets and passed them on to a very good home.

 

Anyway... So I am going to take your advice, as experience ferret keepers, and see how this plays out. If what I have heard is correct, and I can see that there is good theory and experience behind it, then I think this should work.

 

At the moment I give a couple handfuls a day and they wolf it right down and then wait for the next feed the next day. They always seen hungry even though they are looking a lot bigger than their brother who just takes a nibble now and then. I think that as he is kept on his own, he doesn't feel the need to compete for food. That way there is always some left in his bowl - and he probably eats less as a consequentce!

 

I will take your advice and put in more than plenty of food and see what happens. I have no doubt that they will stuff it to begin with, but after a while I hope that they will calm down and realise that there is plenty available and just have a nibble when they need it. (Hoping that feed more = eat less)

 

So lets see what happens. I have faith in you fellas!

 

Does anyone have any idea, though, how much they should be getting through? I think I will weigh out a load and put in the hutch now, and then weigh each load as it goes in and that way I can keep track over how much they eat in a week - making sure I keep plenty of food in there all the time.

 

Fingers crossed Stubby and Welshshreck!

[ferret-boy 44]

I JUST GIVE THEM CAT FOOD (DRY) AND GIBE THEM WHATS LEFT OVER FROM LUNCH ATB:)

[Guest shadowz]

I would leave a bowl of food in there 24/7 and u will find they will quickly regulate what they eat.

kits should eat many times during the day as their digestive system is so short.

They will quickly stop gorging on the food when they find out there is more then enough and that there

is always some in the bowl

[droid 11]

I JUST GIVE THEM CAT FOOD (DRY) AND GIBE THEM WHATS LEFT OVER FROM LUNCH ATB:)

 

So what's wrong with ferret food?

[The one 8,524]

Sure sombody posted on hear that a egg cupfull of dry grub a day is enough for a ferret

[Leeview 791]

Sure sombody posted on hear that a egg cupfull of dry grub a day is enough for a ferret

Doesn't it give guidelines on how much to feed in relation to bodyweight on the sack like dog food does? never used it so dont know

Y.I.S Leeview

[StephOC 6]

I fed dry food to my jills last year. I'm pretty sure the sack said it could be fed ab.lib. so thats what I did.

The albino may be a bit tubby, but just look how fat the polecat got! I thought she might be pregnant as was a month or so after I got her so didn't want to ration her food.... tricky situation. She didn't learn to nibble, instead kept on gorging everything!

Once enough time had passed for her not to be pregnant, I increased the amount of meat fed and rationed dry.

Personally I have no doubt that dry food of any brand is a poorer foodstuff for a ferret then a mixture of raw meats and offal. That said, mine get dry because I'm away for a couple of days a week, and I don't think it does them any harm.

[johnmac666 2]

when feeding dry, I tend to put more than enough in, as youngsters need feeds throughout the day, rather than wolfing down as you have explained, Ive always found that if young are competing for food and wolfing it down, they then tend to take longer to teach not not finger bite, those that have access to dry 24/7 show no interest in fingers

 

have to agree with you stubby i gave mine 24/7 access to food no bites etc

i give them more than two handfulls i think the recomeneded is 7% of body weight,i only feed once a day at night 7pm if i call throught the day & there is no food i dont refill until 7pm its worked for me & was told to feed this way, there is always fod in the bowl in morning when i check but usually after 2pm its all gone, like you say they realize food is availible 24/7 & feed only what they need i.e caloriific need ( i think thats the term for it !! ) im no expert but has worked for me regards john

Edited September 3, 2009 by johnmac666

[joe14 98]

Mine have bowl of a mixture of dry ferret food 24/7 and meat at night.

Ferrets have short digestive system so they eat 3/4 times a day Once they realise they have food

you will find they wont be so greedy.

[Kay 3,709]

I think ferrets fed on dry alone soon become fat , i only re introduced it recently as these kits had been fed on it , but now the sacks nearly empty its meat every meal for me , they never stop eating the dry stuff heads in the food all the time

[rosspti 2]

Definately some conflicting experiences here!

 

I bit the bullet on Stubby's advice and filled their bowl yesterday lunchtime (with 200g of Alpha Ferret Kibbles). By late afternoon I would say that less than a quarter (50g) had gone which is around 25g per ferret. But this morning, it didn't look like they had eaten anything else! Tonight I will weigh what's left in there to see what's left after 2 days' feeding. I'll top back up to 200g total and see how it goes from there on.

 

The food says to feed ad lib, but to restrict to 5% of body weight per day if they're getting too big (i.e. 5g of food per day per 100g of ferret). I know its only been a day, but they do seem to have slowed down their eating now that the bowl is full all the time. So fingers crossed.

 

A few people have reported (like me) that dry food made their ferrets too fat. I wonder how many of those had full bowls all the time, or whether they were doing what I was and just putting in a handful now and then. It might be that because their metabolisms are soo fast, that even after an hour of being hungry they just want to eat everything they can squeeze in.

 

Are there any statistics (or books) anywhere that say what an ideal ferret weight should be (for different sexes, ages, or lengths)? Also, do you feed them any differently before working? Like take food out before bedtime the night before? Once the weather gets cold I will probably take out the dry food and just keep tossing in whole gutted rabbits.

 

If anyone would like to post up their ferret weights then that would be really interesting (if you're sad like me!).

Put down the sex, age, length (from nose to arse ignoring the tail), weight, what you're feeding them on, and whether you would say they are fat, thin, just right, etc.

 

It would be good to get a national picture of ferret sizes and weights compared to what they're being fed.

 

ATB