Minced beef / steak

[bigphil 0]

Hi guys....

 

Ive been thinking of buying big bags of mince from the supermarket to feed the ferrets on as it seem quite cheap and easy to handle.

This will only be used when the rare bits run low, But if necessary is it ok to feed them 3/4 times a week on it. I buy 20kg bags of wellbeloved and have loads of it but keeping them on that all the time is no good for them is it? So what do you think?

 

Thanks. Any help is appreciated!

Edited December 16, 2008 by bigphil

[diggermad 154]

no worries how about you send me the minced beef instead only joking that will be fine for them dont spoil them though cheers DM

[andy s410c 61]

I give mine pet mince occasionaly,i get it from the tripe factory 20p a bag, feeds 5 ferts for a day no probs.Mince from the supermarket i suppose would be ok for a one off as you say but not as a staple could be worse "food" to give them ie bread & milk slops

[stealthy1 3,964]

There's nothing wrong with modern dry foods, in the old days it was crap, I feed rabbits when they are about, dry when they are not, I think my fezzer's prefer dry to rabbit, I prefer rabbit because its free though, never fed super market mince, think It may contain to much fat, the extra fat makes it cook better, and bulks the pack up.

[Brimmer 220]

Try the 1/2 kilo blocks of frozen meat you can get from some pets store wholesaler's. Some do beef, chicken, tripe , rabbit and lamb. (The beef and chicken seem the best)

I bring my kits up on this, with a little biscuit mixer, until the season kicks off!

[SwissTony 0]

From what I have read, the cheaper the mince, the better. It tends to have a higher fat content which is good for them.

Even more reason to buy tesco blue stripe mince.

[Kay 3,709]

Feed mine human grade mince & cheapo fatty stuff, chicken wings etc, never done them no harm

[bigphil 0]

lOVELY.........

 

Think i might go for a trip to aldi or that other cheap one (lidl or summet like that) tomorrow to see what i can pick up. Also can anybody tell me what is the best bedding for ferts? Iam using hay at the mo but i know people use shreaded paper etc, And which would be better in the winter and which is better for the summer?

 

Thanks

[Kay 3,709]

lOVELY.........

 

Think i might go for a trip to aldi or that other cheap one (lidl or summet like that) tomorrow to see what i can pick up. Also can anybody tell me what is the best bedding for ferts? Iam using hay at the mo but i know people use shreaded paper etc, And which would be better in the winter and which is better for the summer?

 

Thanks

 

 

I use shredded paper from work , just shove plenty in , they will drag out what they dont want from the bedding area & drag it back in if they need a bit extra for the cold frosty nights

[Quasar 1]

raw fresh mince is good - they love it, however, its best to go for lean or no more than 12% fat really.

 

You'll be amazed how much of that horrid fat is in mince i the cheaper packets.

 

We also get chicken carcass offcuts from the buthcers - £5 a large box, again they love em.

[The one 8,487]

Try phoning one of the dog meat suppliers mate it will be a dam site cheaper and they will deliver to your door only thing is you need a freezer .

I just use shaving for everything in the hutches as i found with shredded paper they just chucked it out the nestboxes

[droid 11]

however, its best to go for lean or no more than 12% fat really.

 

I disagree.

 

Always been told to get the cheap stuff precisely because it is fattier. The reason being that ferrets have a very short digestive transit (about 4 hours) and need to get as much energy as possible from their food.

[Guest Magwitch]

Feeding fatty mince to a animal that is caged most of its life normally results in seal pup syndrome.................... but you will never beat his natural diet fed in moderation. Fit not fat..............

[Flying Ferrets 0]

that should be ok. You should not give them ox to often because theres someting in the ox fat wich will stay in the ferret and can cause kidney damage if theres to much. But once in while its good, just not as bacis food.

Minced meat has a lot of bacterias in it, but a healthy ferret will have no problem eating it. A weak ferret might get sick.

 

Dry food is not that bad, but I'm sure that meat is a lot better. Here in denmark ferrets often die from cancer in a young age, and besides for the fact that most ferrets are kept inside here, Im sure that it is also related to the food.

 

I give mine dry food, but maybe like 10-20% of their diet, the rest is BARF. I'm sure thats one of the factors in getting a healthy ferret!

[stealthy1 3,964]

however, its best to go for lean or no more than 12% fat really.

 

I disagree.

 

Always been told to get the cheap stuff precisely because it is fattier. The reason being that ferrets have a very short digestive transit (about 4 hours) and need to get as much energy as possible from their food.

 

Never thought about how long it takes to digest their food, I was taught that the fat was the waste part of the meat, maybe its good for them to eat more fat.