Taking kits away

[Tazbird 0]

my jill had kits 6 weeks ago and is now looking really thin. They all have plenty of food and i have noticed that the kits are eating on there own, but i think that the jill is really struggling. Do you think that the kits are to young to take off her?

[The one 8,460]

Nope they should have been on meat since 3/4 weeks old and at 6 weeks old they should be taken off the jill and allow her a break before the working season mate .

[Coatesy900 0]

Pretty much everything I've heard says 8 weeks is the minimum.

[Malt 379]

Jills do tend to go skinny looking, mine did any way. Just keep a good supply of food with them, I supplemented the meat with a bit of dry food that I kept topped up.

[Kay 3,709]

If she is run down i would make sure she has plenty off food

[stubby 175]

as much as some ferret keepers hate dry food, I belive its neccessary with kitts, a full bowl of dry ferret food is always available, plus the evening feeds of rabbit, fed after dark to keep flies away

[skycat 6,173]

If your ferret is just getting rabbit she may need more fat in her diet: I agree with Stubby: we always keep ferret complete food in with them and the jill eats this before she eats her rabbit: its much higher in fat content.

[para1 11]

my jill had kits 6 weeks ago and is now looking really thin. They all have plenty of food and i have noticed that the kits are eating on there own, but i think that the jill is really struggling. Do you think that the kits are to young to take off her?

Started selling mine at 6 weeks mate 27 gone no problems.As all have said already plenty of food she will be fine and good luck finding new homes

[Tazbird 0]

thanks for all your advice

At the momoent i keep all the ferrets on a complete ferret food and only give flesh/meat as a treat cause of the flies, etc. She's looked great all the way up till the last couple of days, i just want whats best for both mum and kits as mum is a cracking little worker. The kits are very stong and fat, she's stopped dragging them into the nest as much, so really wasn't sure what would be best for all

[JoseiesMom 0]

offer her some high fat foods and she'd likely benfit from more calcium & phosphorous too(bones). Raw chicken backs are very high in fat and have easy to eat bones that should help bring her back up to par.

 

Cheers,

Kim

Edited August 24, 2008 by JoseiesMom

[para1 11]

offer her some high fat foods and she'd likely benfit from more calcium & phosphorous too(bones). Raw chicken backs are very high in fat and have easy to eat bones that should help bring her back up to par.

 

Cheers,

Kim

 

I've been keeping ferrets a while now and i can honestly say i have never seen them eat bones,they will strip every peck of meat but no bone?.Anything dead and raw will do the trick.

I never did like using dry until recently and i found it puts weight on quickly at least Tescos dry cat food does so now I give it to them daily along with rabbit.

[JoseiesMom 0]

Raw fed ferrets routinely eat bones- they 'll not eat all of the bigger bones from chicken or rabbit like leg and thigh bones; but practically every other bone is easily devoured. Bones are very high in protein and themarrow is full of fat, not to mention the calcium and phosphorous and other minerals.

 

Cheers,

Kim

[Malt 379]

offer her some high fat foods and she'd likely benfit from more calcium & phosphorous too(bones). Raw chicken backs are very high in fat and have easy to eat bones that should help bring her back up to par.

 

Cheers,

Kim

 

I've been keeping ferrets a while now and i can honestly say i have never seen them eat bones,they will strip every peck of meat but no bone?.Anything dead and raw will do the trick.

I never did like using dry until recently and i found it puts weight on quickly at least Tescos dry cat food does so now I give it to them daily along with rabbit.

My ferrets eat bones. I put a rabbit in with them last night, and all that was left this morning, was the skull, the pelvis, the bones of the back legs, and a few strips of fur. It's the same when I put chicken carcase in, the only bit that's left out of one of those, is the breast plate.

[para1 11]

Raw fed ferrets routinely eat bones- they 'll not eat all of the bigger bones from chicken or rabbit like leg and thigh bones; but practically every other bone is easily devoured. Bones are very high in protein and themarrow is full of fat, not to mention the calcium and phosphorous and other minerals.

 

Cheers,

Kim

 

I don't want to start an argument about bones but the only bones left would be the back bone which they don't eat and the ribs mostly gristle which they eat but there is no marrow in ribs,I still say if you feed plenty of flesh they won't eat the ribs and go so far as to say they don't need bone.

[Flying Ferrets 0]

they do need the calcium from bones if you feed only barf. My experience is that they eat the smaller bones as well as the meat, and I don't starve my ferrets to get them to eat bones.