hender 39 Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 I found the same with the dry aswell put a lot of weight on them and they were crapping loads,think they do a lot better of a pure meat and bone diet,drys got filler in like rice and wheat which ferrets can't digest. Quote Link to post
pie-eater 377 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 I feed rabbit wood pigeons corvids and squirrels. In the summer i feed at night and take te remains out in the morning before t gets to warm. I wouldnt consider the dry food. 1 Quote Link to post
stinkers 102 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 I found the same with the dry aswell put a lot of weight on them and they were crapping loads,think they do a lot better of a pure meat and bone diet,drys got filler in like rice and wheat which ferrets can't digest. Agree they can sometimes crap a lot more on dry foods, depending which food i give them. Curretly using James Wellbeloved and they dont seem to crap as much on it. Quote Link to post
Country Joe 1,411 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 They can put weight on feeding dry, you just balance it out,and watch the amount you are giving them. Quote Link to post
jazz_11 5 Posted January 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 She could maybe gain a few more marks by explaining reasons for a feeding plan, why it would be beneficial and why it may need adjusted for individuals? General factors considered include dietary requirements, digestive rate, age, body condition, entire/neutered, general health, level of exercise and environment. Issues such as food hygiene, bacterial poisoning, dental health and exposure to parasites is also worth a mention as well as specific dietary components. How much info does she need to put in for this feeding plan? Atb. hiya mate thanks for the reply thats spot on. the more info the better. i didnt even think of most of the factors that u have mentioned with regards to bacteria and things... Quote Link to post
huntingladjohn 14 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 during the winter i feed them mostly flesh rabbit, pigeon, crow, magpies, and i get all the left overs my butcher was goin to throw out. in summer i give them complete with a little bit of meat just to make sure they get some protein and calories if im working them. Quote Link to post
huntingtom 0 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Hi mate I have two ferrets one Jill albino and a male polecat and feed mine tinned dog food, they get fed 3 times a day and have a bowl each. I give them eggs now and again for a treat. Or milk and bread. They also get scraps instead of dog food like chicken, beef etc. Quote Link to post
ferret100 47 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Hi mate I have two ferrets one Jill albino and a male polecat and feed mine tinned dog food, they get fed 3 times a day and have a bowl each. I give them eggs now and again for a treat. Or milk and bread. They also get scraps instead of dog food like chicken, beef etc. You are joking....tinned dog food???? Milk and bread??? You must be on a wind-up... Quote Link to post
rob190364 2,593 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Hi mate I have two ferrets one Jill albino and a male polecat and feed mine tinned dog food, they get fed 3 times a day and have a bowl each. I give them eggs now and again for a treat. Or milk and bread. They also get scraps instead of dog food like chicken, beef etc. You are joking....tinned dog food???? Milk and bread??? You must be on a wind-up... as ridiculous as that sounds when I first got into ferrets many moons ago everyone I knew who had ferrets used to feed them bread and milk! I think it was just something that got passed down, it was almost like the standard thing to feed ferrets, bizarre when you think about it because it actually contains virtually none of the nutrients that they need and lactose which doesn't agree with them.......but strangely, none of them seemed to suffer for it, either condition, lifespan, energy levels, they seemed to do fine on it, weird! I'm talking when I was a very young kid there by the way. I then went on to feeding them dog or cat food, either tinned or dried and again, they did fine on it. From what I've seen it's only recently that people have actually started feeding dried food that is specifically designed for ferrets, until about 4 or 5 years ago I can honestly say I'd never seen 'ferret food' in any shops, as in james beloved or alpha or whatever, it just wasn't available........or if it was I'd never seen or heard of it anyway! I'd be interested to see what other peoples experiences are of that and what they truthfully used to feed their ferrets on back in the day. Quote Link to post
ferret100 47 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 She could maybe gain a few more marks by explaining reasons for a feeding plan, why it would be beneficial and why it may need adjusted for individuals? General factors considered include dietary requirements, digestive rate, age, body condition, entire/neutered, general health, level of exercise and environment. Issues such as food hygiene, bacterial poisoning, dental health and exposure to parasites is also worth a mention as well as specific dietary components. How much info does she need to put in for this feeding plan? Atb. hiya mate thanks for the reply thats spot on. the more info the better. i didnt even think of most of the factors that u have mentioned with regards to bacteria and things... We'd all like to see your missus do well, so any questions, jusk ask and we'll do our best to help. Atb. Quote Link to post
ferret100 47 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Hi mate I have two ferrets one Jill albino and a male polecat and feed mine tinned dog food, they get fed 3 times a day and have a bowl each. I give them eggs now and again for a treat. Or milk and bread. They also get scraps instead of dog food like chicken, beef etc. You are joking....tinned dog food???? Milk and bread??? You must be on a wind-up... as ridiculous as that sounds when I first got into ferrets many moons ago everyone I knew who had ferrets used to feed them bread and milk! I think it was just something that got passed down, it was almost like the standard thing to feed ferrets, bizarre when you think about it because it actually contains virtually none of the nutrients that they need and lactose which doesn't agree with them.......but strangely, none of them seemed to suffer for it, either condition, lifespan, energy levels, they seemed to do fine on it, weird! I'm talking when I was a very young kid there by the way. I then went on to feeding them dog or cat food, either tinned or dried and again, they did fine on it. From what I've seen it's only recently that people have actually started feeding dried food that is specifically designed for ferrets, until about 4 or 5 years ago I can honestly say I'd never seen 'ferret food' in any shops, as in james beloved or alpha or whatever, it just wasn't available........or if it was I'd never seen or heard of it anyway! I'd be interested to see what other peoples experiences are of that and what they truthfully used to feed their ferrets on back in the day. There is a difference between survival and optimal health. I can't speak for others, but just because an animal 'survives' on a diet it's given does not mean it is neccessarily beneficial. There is enough available and established knowledge nowadays to confirm tinned dog/cat meat and bread/milk is not in any way a suitable nor substantial diet for ferrets. NOT having a go at you...but to those who believe it is suitable. Thankfully Science, including Nutrition moves forward. Beneficial research regarding ferret welfare and health is scarce in comparison to other species, mostly because the majority of people consider ferrets to have little life value. Again NOT a go at you, just expressing an opinion. ATVB. Quote Link to post
rob190364 2,593 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 no dont get me wrong, I'm not saying its ok to feed it to them, its just knowing what I know now I'd have thought they'd die of malnutrition within weeks on bread and milk! funny how times change though. re. tinned dog food, it's far from a suitable diet for a dog, never mind a ferret IMO......natural food all the way for both! Quote Link to post
ferret100 47 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 no dont get me wrong, I'm not saying its ok to feed it to them, its just knowing what I know now I'd have thought they'd die of malnutrition within weeks on bread and milk! funny how times change though. re. tinned dog food, it's far from a suitable diet for a dog, never mind a ferret IMO......natural food all the way for both! Re: tinned dog food, I feel most sorry for the people who actually have to taste-test the stuff......couldn't pay me enough for that job! Quote Link to post
hender 39 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Don't see why people would feed bread and milk these days,even if you don't catch much for them to eat you can go to a supermarket and buy reduced chickens,liver,mince etc.for a reasonable price.at least there getting protein and calcium which I can't see them getting from bread. Atb Quote Link to post
hender 39 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Don't see why people would feed bread and milk these days,even if you don't catch much for them to eat you can go to a supermarket and buy reduced chickens,liver,mince etc.for a reasonable price.at least there getting protein and calcium which I can't see them getting from bread. Atb Quote Link to post
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