Feed every 6 hours?

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

More than once I have read that ferrets have short digestive tracts and need to eat every 6 hours? Is this true?

 

Surely in the wild they would make a kill, eat it overnight and then that would be it until next kill?

 

I don't really like feeding dry but it's the only way of ensuring they have food available 24/7 if that's what's required? Especially in summer.

 

Thanks

 

Gaz

[rob190364 2,594]

More than once I have read that ferrets have short digestive tracts and need to eat every 6 hours? Is this true?

 

Surely in the wild they would make a kill, eat it overnight and then that would be it until next kill?

 

I don't really like feeding dry but it's the only way of ensuring they have food available 24/7 if that's what's required? Especially in summer.

 

Thanks

 

Gaz

in theory yes, in reality they don't need food 24/7, as you say they wouldn't in the wild.

 

I feed mine at night (mainly raw) and in the summer if they still have some in there in the morning I'll take it out, in winter I'll leave it in. I'd never feed my ferrets dry food, I've found it's too hard to keep their weight down when they're eating dry. And leaing dry food in the hutch during the summer will attract almost as many flies as raw meat anyway!

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Thanks for reply rob. That's what I'm gonna start doing. Just feeding raw carcass at night.

 

My hobs are piling weight on with the dry. Don't think my big hob will fit down holes soon, lol.

 

Cheers

 

Gaz

[Ideation 8,216]

I've seen the same said, about feeding every six hours.

 

Well, i try to feed mine once a day, and they eat it all pretty much in one go (one rabbit it main court and a half in each of the other two runs), and they do have a short tract, as they shit it out pretty quick If i doubled their food, no doubt, they would eat that in a day as well. And in the past i have not fed them for a day a number of times, and although very much ready to eat the next day, their health does not seem comprimised. How many wild mustalids would make a rabbit sized kill every single day? What about when nursing young etc?

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

That's what got me thinking ideation, in the wild they may get a small bird or rodent daily but a big meal probably wouldn't be. And as you say they would eat there fill and that would be that until the next time.

 

Cheers

 

Gaz

[THE GRIFF 8]

I always have dried food available for my ferrets and feed raw meat some nights as well. My ferrets aren't overweight and are fit and healthy.

The vet once told me they digest the food and water within half an hour, that's why there is no need to starve them when going in for an operation.

There are lots of different opinions on dried food, but it works for me, everyone to there own I suppose.

[The one 8,511]

I only feed my ferrets raw flesh at night and allow for one rabbit per six ferrets and i can honestly say i don't know how long it takes them to eat it as i usually remove just a bit fur the next day ..But whether they eat it in one sitting or make it last the whole night i can honestly say they look fine and can graft all day and don't run out of stamina and wont be getting any dry grub so they can eat every six hours

[DanRaistrick 53]

in my opinion, if you starve a ferret you're giving it encouragement to kill in. mine are always fed dry every evening, (unless i have rabbit in - they get one to share between two)

mine are a nice healthy weight, not skinny like some of those african looking ferrets lol. they hold a nice bit of weight on them but arent too fat, theyre nice and strong and my hob often pulls bunnys out of the holes.

 

if you have to starve a ferret to get it to kill a rabbit, then its not a good worker.

 

nice, well fed, strong ferrets are the way to go IMO. mine are a cracking set of workers and they can work all day!

 

just make sure you feed them enough once a day to make sure that they arent going hungry and get them a bit of rabbit as much as you can

[max abell 196]

As above we feed in the evening just before dark the ferrets work all the next day fine have done this for 33yrs with no problems

we always make sure we wake the ferrets up about 30mins before we box them to give them a chance to have a sh*t or else they tend to sh*t in the boxes

[joe14 98]

Mine have dry all the time, they still look forward to their meat on a night and theyre not fat.

They get chicken wings, rabbit, pheasant, mince, liver.

I feed couple of brands of dry, JWB, Vitalin, Supa ferret.

 

 

Mine have big bowls of water though with dry as obviously they will drink more than a ferret fed on all meat.

[patterdalejoel 669]

i put a rabbit in for 4 ferrets and take the bones out 2 days later and repeat, and i would consider my ferrets slightly overweight

[johnrthrfrd 223]

My lot get fed once a day they have piled weight on over the summer getting fed on dry back on bunnies, pheasants, and out else we get.

 

[Col_c88 41]

Feed mine once a night, Im pretty sure ferrets will only eat when there hungry rather than go "OHHH FOOD" and wolf it down,

 

I dont feed them the same thing all the time for the simple fact that.. how would you like to eat mash tatie every single day!.. so mine get rabbit, pigeon, phesant, mince, chicken, turkey, fish, and alpha dry, the odd egg.

 

I prefer pigeon and phesent in the winter due to the fact they use the feathers in the bed and theres never anything to take out. I spray often with flea and mite spray so theres no worries of that.. there all in great condition there fur is soft and shiny and there very active fit and healthy and happy!