Why?????

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

 

 

as iv only a small freezer so can keep that many rabbits ect ect so i feed mine on ( i have a bowl with 2 partments in) on side is winalot dog food, then the otherside is full to the brim with alpha ferret feast, is that ok? or not ?

No mate to be blunt lol. Get rid of the winalot. If its for kits depending on how old they are, get cheap frozen value mince. As its frozen you can just pour out what you need and obviously leave it a bit to defrost. Also chicken thighs, wings are really cheap once taken out of the box and cut up just put them into sandwich bags and freeze dont take much room up at all. I cut wings into 3 with secateurs for my adults.

I wouldnt put meat in all day. See what they eat and just make up bags of chicken, mince for em for each day and leave in the fridge through day.

Mine get tinned cat or dog meat to make the dry go further.

 

I've been slated for it before but they are all happy and healthy and bouncing.

 

It probably makes up about 20% of their diets. 50% raw and 30% dry. Something like that.

[The one 8,477]

Ive seen kits that have been reared with out a complete meat diet they turned out like wee seals and the entire litter was put to sleep , Tinned cat food and dog food is 90% water and i only feed that to my dogs in a emergency no the ferrets , dry grub for ferrets is made for them and there eating habbits but because its so expensive folk try to thin it with dry cat grub etc

 

Each to there own , years ago i raised a litter on mince and they weren't right after they where put on rabbits they started walking and moving about better instead of shuffling

[willum 89]

Am feeding 7 kits and a Jill at mo on dry 8 quid a week it costs me but hey ho they are full of it and doing well am keeping 2 or 3 back have been let down by 2 people meant to be having the others just aswell I made a new hutch 2 day lol

[The one 8,477]

Last year i had 12 kits and 13 this year off the same jill and hob kept the jills i wanted rehomed the rest , from 4 weeks on ward they where eating two full rabbits a day .But i wanted jill kits and was prepared and put rabbits by for them

Edited August 11, 2013 by The one

[GreyRake 108]

Give mine good quality ferret kibble and odd meats from the supermarket through the summer. Could do with getting a bigger freezer...

[Leeview 791]

 

 

If they're being fed crap, why dont you take them and give them a better home?

 

BB if the kits are being fed crap IMHO the parents are also going to be fed this same crap Why? If the parents are working (as claimed) flesh should nt be a problem to get hold of all year round

Y.I.S Leeview

 

Hunting is instinctive behaviourIf only that was TRUEnot innate behaviour. Ergo, if you are picking up kits, diet should not affect your hunting with them in theory Early nutrition is vital to youngsters development. Skeletally a ferret is fully grown at 18weeks So how is feeding them up in the last few weeks of growth beneficial?. I understand there are other elements to it, but I would also like to point out that my ferrets are from a hunting background, and are effective and brilliant workers, but because I don't shoot or lamp as much as I would like, they sometimes get dry ferret food, not fresh meat Ferrets are carnivores. Especially in the summer, and with my time constraints,??? I can leave them for the odd day without having to worry about flies,How do wild animals cope with flies? they just get on with them being part of life surely? and only need to check on them once or twice briefly. Basing a ferrets capability on it's diet is a little harsh, considering it may be the owner who is incompetent in looking after the animal... People have different methods, and if you think yours is the best, then you would take the kits on and pump them full of meat in order to get them to be better workers...Read what I have already put in the 2nd+3rd line and for that very reason I would nt be taking kits(or a pup for that matter) from such a poor start in life it would be a no hoper.

 

 

Now before anyone replies saying they have had kits from such dry fed litters and they turned out brilliant workers IYO

Could they of been better, reared on a flesh diet as nature would of intended? In the wild carnivores dont get dry food, in zoo's they dont feed lions and tigers kibble/biscuits they fed them flesh and sod the flies

Y.I.S Leeview

[Country Joe 1,411]

I know what your saying leeview, in the bad old days when a lot of ferts were fed bread and Milk, and the odd Rabbit in winter,

now this was bad, and glad it has stopped, but I would have been giving Kits brought up this way, and i had some cracken workers.

Would they have been better workers reared on meat, who knows?

Edited August 12, 2013 by Country Joe

[The one 8,477]

Why do ferrets have big teeth because there carnivores they would eat meat in the wild we only feed dry for the convenience of the owner not because its best for the ferret

[Alcatraz 16]

I started this post to show how difficult it can be to find a good kit ie diet and handling and from good working stock and its bin intresting to read people's opinions on this subject.. I use J.W dry and meat through the summer reason being ive seen the results in so many ferrets over the years that still work at 8 years old and I know ferrets that have being feed on cat food live to 5.they may live longer this is based on what ive witnessed. So no I wont buy a kit that has being brought up on cat food and this is my point the minute I put on my classified ads no cat food feed I get nooooo replys which worries me. Has the day of a good breeder gone due to cost or am I that unlucky...

[staffs riffraff 1,068]

Them 2 Jill's I got off you GAZ1989 are doing great mate got a nice silver hob in with them about a week older they never leave him alone lol

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Them 2 Jill's I got off you GAZ1989 are doing great mate got a nice silver hob in with them about a week older they never leave him alone lol

 

Glad you are pleased with them mate. They all seem to be doing well.

 

Have they stayed nice and tame?

[dunkers87 5]

Feed mine on dry and there cracking little workers. Its not really convenience for the owner as its costing £9 a week but at least you know with proper dried ferret food the ferret is getting a complete diet. Like certain oils/vitamins/minerals.

[Leeview 791]

Feed mine on dry and there cracking little workers. Its not really convenience for the owner as its costing £9 a week but at least you know with proper dried ferret food the ferret is getting a complete diet. Like certain oils/vitamins/minerals.

 

So where in the wild do they get "certain oils/vitamins/minerals"? From what they kill and eat to survive

£9 a week to feed a ferret/s dried? Id be buying rats to feed the ferrets for £9 and know they would be getting a natural diet.

 

 

 

plenty of pet shops sell frozen rats/mice as food for reptiles and funnily enough I've never seen reptiles being fed on dried food

Y.I.S Leeview

[Leeview 791]

I know what your saying leeview, in the bad old days when a lot of ferts were fed bread and Milk, and the odd Rabbit in winter,

now this was bad, and glad it has stopped, but I would have been giving Kits brought up this way, and i had some cracken workers.

Would they have been better workers reared on meat, who knows?

 

All in the past Joe but we were told that was the way to do it back then

If you went to see a litter of pups fed on slops would you be confident in taking one and producing a world beater? or take one to get it out of there out of pity

Y.I.S Leeview

[Tiercel 6,986]

I have never understood why people are against tinned dog food. They say it's 90% water, which may or may not be true in exact percentage wise.

 

Yet bone is 20% water and muscle is 75% water so not a lot of difference there.

 

TC