# Ferret's and feeding defrost/frozen foods



## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

Someone said to me i should be able to feed my ferret defrosted Chicks, is this right?? Surely it will make him kinda like a hunter?? He is just a pet you see and i dont want him going "wild" But i would liek to give him some sort of treat, at the minute i am looking on livefoods direct for my rep food order and will add some chicks to the order if its ok for him to have if not, can anyone recommend anything else as a treat??


----------



## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

you can feed them chicks but i would stick to the dry food half the mess and no smell... it would turn him into a hunter as all ferrets are hunters even if you think there arnt!

there love eggs raw still in the shell wil keep a ferret happy for hours there almost look sad when there finally crack them


----------



## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

ok im not gonna give him any then, lol
what if he eats egg shell??
i would like to try him with that


----------



## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

he wont eat the shell he wil break a whole in it and lick the insides out but the shell wont hurt him in fact its good for them


----------



## weelad (Jul 25, 2006)

i might have to try this :smile:


----------



## TIMMAY (Jan 29, 2007)

I have been involved with working and pet ferrets off and on for the last 10 years. Feeding whole dead animals is probably the most natural and healthy way of feeding ferrets. The vast majority of ferrets i have had contact with (pets and workers) have been fed at times in this way, and their temprement has never suffered. The only problen with feeding dead chicks is that they are of relatively low nutrional value to say an adult rabbit, and i understand that the feathers can cause problems by 'sticking' in the intestine. This is not to say do not feed a ferret chicks, just do it sparingly. Thawed frozen rodents may be a better choice, and if you know anyone that can supply you with whole fresh rabbits, then you will be on to a winner.


----------



## weelad (Jul 25, 2006)

so if i buy a frozen chick just defrost and give it to them?


----------



## TIMMAY (Jan 29, 2007)

To be honest only ever used relatively freshly killed foodstuffs, but would imagine that you just defrost em and feed em.


----------



## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

cool, but i wouldnt like to cut the animal up, i mean a whole bunny, lol
so would i just give him the whole thing for a couple of hours and then take away what he doesnt eat??


----------



## TIMMAY (Jan 29, 2007)

yep just give him the whole thing, may take him a while to work out what it is at first, perhaps get one that has been gutted first to begin with, so he can smell the meat? If he lives indoors, i suggest that you do this outdoors. In the winter as carcass is often left in a hutch for a couple of days. however i would suggest give him half a day with it, then remove whats left. One other thing, a dead fresh rabbit may have ticks/fleas on em looking for a new home, not normally a problem, but something to think about.


----------



## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

oh i wasnt saying you couldnt my ferrets (workers and pets) used to be fed on full rabbits and stuff i am just saying its messy and smelly and some people might not want to do it


----------



## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

i flea him regularly with cat frontline, so should this keep them away??


----------



## TIMMAY (Jan 29, 2007)

Won't keep ticks off, try your frozen mouse supplier, they might be able to sort u out with frozen rabbits which should be tick and flea free.


----------



## Layla (Feb 12, 2007)

You can get wild ones and freezer them for a day so all the ticks and fleas jump off. My ferrets occasionally get chicken wings (raw) etc but the are wonderfully healthy on a mix of ferret foods. The mainly get Excel, vitalin and JWB. 2 of my ferrets wont eat anything but dried food. Their teeth are wonderfully healthy and to my knowledge so are they. The 'fur and feathers' diet is good for them if its done properly. Wild is best though rather than bought in one sense as the wild animals have all the nutrients inside them. However they also carry parasites and of course as mentioned fleas etc.


----------



## Robbie (Dec 4, 2006)

You don't really need to feed anything other than ferret mix, eggs/milk now and again and some meat.


----------



## Layla (Feb 12, 2007)

milk....no. They are lactose intolerant. If you have to as a treat you can give them cat milk.


----------



## weelad (Jul 25, 2006)

isnt it only goat milk they should have.................


----------



## lekkie (Aug 13, 2006)

although fresh meat is excellent for ferrets and will do them a world of good if you buy james wellbeloved ferret food theres no need to buy other animals it has everything your ferret needs and more my ferrets always had wellbeloved and they were always happy and healthy with no health complaints whatsoever they died naturally at healthy old ages personally i dont believe in feeding one animal to another animal unless its necessary


----------



## Robbie (Dec 4, 2006)

Egg/Milk/Bread mix is a traditional gamekeepers ferret dish for the times when they can't go rabbiting. I've had ferrets well over 10 years and have never had a problem feeding any of mine this, regardless of age.

Should say that I don't ever offer excess volumes of milk as it can give them diarrhoea.


----------



## Layla (Feb 12, 2007)

No offence but its an old fashioned diet. Its gives them the squits because they shouldnt be fed cows milk.


----------



## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

robnissmith said:


> Egg/Milk/Bread mix is a traditional gamekeepers ferret dish for the times when they can't go rabbiting. .


yeah 50yrs ago 

all the gamekeepers i know now feed dry or pheseant, rabbit, duck, partridge, woodie if there donnt want to ffeed dry didnt know anyone still fed bread and milk


----------



## Robbie (Dec 4, 2006)

And feeding liver is somewhat of an iron overdose but still vets will advise you offer it a couple times a month.


----------



## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

We used to feed ours exclusively on chicks, chickens, quail, rabbits and rats.

You will see an almost instant change in coat quality when you move away from comercial foods.

Not only that but when you feed a whole chicken it is great for their teeth, helps remove plaque etc.

It is also noticable that they actually seem happier overall. Can't prove that though, just a personal observation.

IMO commercial diets are an expensive waste.


----------



## Robbie (Dec 4, 2006)

Commercial diet can be dead expencive when you have 3 or 4 businesses of them  £7 a bag, and a bag doesn't last long.
Their teeth stay much cleaner when they have large joints of meat too.


> It is also noticable that they actually seem happier overall. Can't prove that though, just a personal observation.


Yeah. I know what you mean. My jills were alot happier when they could drag something substantial back into their bedbox.


----------



## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

Yup, it would average out at 1 chick per day for each ferret. 2 chickens/quail and 1 rabbit per week.
That's less than a tenner per week to feed 25 ferrets.
Otherwise it would be £14 a day.


----------



## Robbie (Dec 4, 2006)

Indeed.
Winter was great. Spend practically nothing on feeding the lot.
All this talk makes me want to start again.
Oh and a rethink of what age I was with my first lot I have 12 years


----------



## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

so he could eat like this everday??


----------



## Layla (Feb 12, 2007)

My vets dont advise that. I think the fur and feathers diet is ok if you do it properly and also get in some wild rabbit etc so they arent just getting supermarket forced crap. Most people arent capeable of feeding this appropriately. The ferrets I have met that were fed on mainly day old chicks, some rabbit and a tiny bit of biscuit were in a sh*t state. Day old chicks are no good as a staple for them.
I have seen ferrets fed on both diets numerous times and give me the biscuit for my lot anyday. I have 7 ferrets and it doesnt cost that much to feed them. If your not willing to pay out to feed them then why have them? 
I dont think either 'side' will agree on whats best to feed them. If your around to remove any going off meat all the time then by all means go for it and use some but Id say always give them a bit of biscuit to make sure they are getting all their vits. My 7 are healthy and happy on the biscuit and thats what they shall stay on :smile:


----------



## dargos mom (Oct 18, 2006)

ive kept ferrets in the past infact my last one died only a few months ago aged 10 she always had biscuits available, but was mainly fed on fresh meat. This is how I have fed all of my ferrets and they all lived long healthy lives. We still dont know the long term affects of feeding these dried foods, but funny how there has been a increase in kidney problems as more people are moving away from the natural diets.


----------



## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

Layla said:


> My vets dont advise that. I think the fur and feathers diet is ok if you do it properly and also get in some wild rabbit etc so they arent just getting supermarket forced crap. Most people arent capeable of feeding this appropriately. The ferrets I have met that were fed on mainly day old chicks, some rabbit and a tiny bit of biscuit were in a sh*t state. Day old chicks are no good as a staple for them.
> I have seen ferrets fed on both diets numerous times and give me the biscuit for my lot anyday. I have 7 ferrets and it doesnt cost that much to feed them. *If your not willing to pay out to feed them then why have them?*
> I dont think either 'side' will agree on whats best to feed them. If your around to remove any going off meat all the time then by all means go for it and use some but Id say always give them a bit of biscuit to make sure they are getting all their vits. My 7 are healthy and happy on the biscuit and thats what they shall stay on :smile:


whats that about?? i never said i didnt want to pay to feed him i just want to give him whats best for him


----------



## Robbie (Dec 4, 2006)

There is a clear difference between those who keep theirs outside and those with the very american way of house breaking ferrets In my opinion anyway 

My friends neighbour has a Jill, who died at the grand old age of 16. She never went near dried food and I know for fact she had egg/milk/bread mix in early winter. Along with trout, salmon when season provided, rabbit, pigeon and whatever meat scraps from the table.
She was unspayed aswell.

To the point of the thread though: You can do better without the day old chicks.


----------



## Layla (Feb 12, 2007)

rach1980 said:


> whats that about?? i never said i didnt want to pay to feed him i just want to give him whats best for him


Wasnt for you x


----------



## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

Layla said:


> Wasnt for you x


oh, ok thank you:smile:


----------



## PinkSnake (Sep 1, 2006)

You can also try raw fish, mine were reared on a mixture of complete (J.Wellbeloved) raw meat (including bones), and love a treat of a freshly caught whole trout or salmon, the oil in the fish makes there coats beautiful.


----------



## Robbie (Dec 4, 2006)

> You can also try raw fish


Mine used to get freshly caught trout. Right out the river at the end of my mates garden. Used to go mad for it.


----------



## tokay (Mar 13, 2007)

yeah ive have always gave fergus an egg he loves em and its true they do almost look sad when they finally crack em open lol , also i have alway fed him on james wellbeloved ferret food he loves it , i also give him bits of chicken , lamb etc as a treat


----------



## balacollie (Feb 23, 2007)

we have been keeping ferrets for years now and have found that road kill is exerlent for them.as long as its fresh,of cause.you do tend to get some funny looks from passing cars,but who cares.if you are worried about parasites and such,just put it in the freezer for a couple of days and that will kill them all.


----------



## tokay (Mar 13, 2007)

yeah a mate of mine uses fresh roadkill for his ferrets he always freezes them for around 3/4 days before he uses it


----------

