A Quick Question

[bunnybuster 1]

just a quick question lads how often do you feed your ferrets ? ive got 2 gills and a hob in the same hutch, more often than not fed on meat / rabbit, pigeon, crows the odd squirrel and moles. Im finding they are waisting food dont get me wrong i dont pile there hutch with it. just how do you tell when their hungry ??

[stinkers 102]

I feed mine in the evenings and when its dry food i put enough in that there is still some left next day. When fresh meat i put in half a rabbit and see how they get on.......i measure a cereal bowl of dry food and there is lways a little left over in the morning.

[hideandshoot 13]

I would keep reducing their rations until they have cleaned-up their last meal by the time you next feed them. Usually feed them each day, but if there is still food remaining from their last meal (and if it's still edible) then I wouldn't give them any more. Carnivors have evolved to eat when they kill, so don't worry too much about slightly over feeding one day or slightly under feeding the next. Their overall condition will tell you if you've got the balance right. Make sure they get fresh water each day though.

[The one 8,522]

Your needing to work out what will feed them in one sitting and cut and freeze the portions of rabbit ,pigeon and crows to suit mate its no so important just now in the cooler weather but as soon as it hots up the meat will go off quickly and your not want any left lying about in the hutch to attract fly's

[lifelong cumbrian 1,829]

They will not always want the same ammount, like humans, dogs or anything else if you are working hard you need more food to sustain it. If they are not getting worked much and not burning it off they will need less. If they have not cleaned up the next day give them slightly less and slightly more if they have cleaned up, i feed half a rabbit a day for my 3 jills and a hob which is about right for them when they are getting plenty of work.

[bunnybuster 1]

cheers lads, seems i have been giving them a hole rabbit between them and its going off before they finish prehaps, i read somewhere that ferrets need to be fed every day but mine dont seem too. think i should start feeding them like i feed my dogs enough to keep them at a healthy weight and slightly more after days outing.

 

thanks for the replys much appreciated

aaron

[Flacko 1,755]

Feed everyday if needed you will know how much they need by handling and condition they look some will keep taking and storing don't let food stockpile up in sleeping quarters but make sure plenty fresh water always ther

[The one 8,522]

Im putting a rabbit in for six ferrets and sometimes they dont clean it up ,you needing to start halving the rabbits you put in .Then work from there

[fitchet 788]

  On 31/01/2013 at 10:37, The one said:

Im putting a rabbit in for six ferrets and sometimes they dont clean it up ,you needing to start halving the rabbits you put in .Then work from there

 

2 of my hobs can eat a whole rabbit between them in a day. When all of mine where together in a court i used to give them a couple of rabbits aswell as biscuit. But mine get worked alot and actually look alot leaner than most peoples ferrets.

[pmatty77 26]

I was told to miss feeding them the odd day as in the wild they would not make a kill every day not sure if anyone does this?....they are natural hoarders anyway, as when i lift the bedding theres usually a bit of food they have hid

[ferret100 47]

Constant food available for mine, ad lib dried food and evening meat. Ferrets hoard food when their stomach is full, a natural instinct to stash a future food source for if times get hard. Regardless of instinct, ferrets have a very high metabolism and typically eat every few hours. Measure their food so only a few bits remain daily when you replace it. Wild animals hunt and eat successfully or starve to death. Ferrets and dogs aren't wild animals and haven't been for thousands of years, so they don't depend on eating when they/or what they kill nor do they have the chance kill and eat prey at will, so the feeding nature of wild animals shouldn't be replicated for domesticated animals. Atb.

[The one 8,522]

  On 31/01/2013 at 21:24, pmatty77 said:

I was told to miss feeding them the odd day as in the wild they would not make a kill every day not sure if anyone does this?....they are natural hoarders anyway, as when i lift the bedding theres usually a bit of food they have hid

 

Do you miss the odd day ?. i dont so my animals dont ,ferrets are small energetic animals and have a high metabolism rate and i think a empty belly affects there work rate

[joe14 98]

Everyday, throw anything out the next morning what they dont eat. And if im im feeding raw i take biscuits away..