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Post by christina127 on Oct 2, 2009 16:24:56 GMT -4
I'm feeding my Ferret Rickey a mix of Marshall's and Hartz Ferret food.. What brands of food would you sujest me to feed him??
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Post by Tressie on Oct 2, 2009 18:00:13 GMT -4
It's always a challenge to find suppliers for good quality ferret food. Marshall's isn't great because it contains corn and Hartz is not good. Innova EVO Ferret or Innova EVO Cat/Kitten (essentially identical) are good choices. If you go to FLSAC's website you'll find a blurb on what to look for and a link to a comparison chart: www.flsatlanticcanada.org/foodchartOrijen Cat food (for cats & kittens) is a good choice or any HIGH quality kitten food, preferably something that doesn't contain grains. The recommendation generally is that you feed a blend of foods to your fuzzkids rather than one single food. First, it helps to give some variety in your ferret's diet. Secondly, if your food is ever unavailable for any reason, you won't have to deal with trying to introduce a new food to your ferret. There are a number of other higher-quality cat and ferret foods that you can use in your mix that are not on their own a nutritionally complete diet. As long as the primary ingredient in your mix is one of the better quality foods listed in the comparison chart. Here's another link to a comparison chart that lists cat food choices for ferrets: www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.htmlDr. Benoit has told me that he has found some ferrets on Marshall's won't ever switch, however, I have never had a ferret come in as a foster who hasn't been switched from Marshall's. It just takes time. Most people aren't patient and expect the ferret to love the new healthier choice right away. It takes on average 3-4 months to switch over. For one thing they have delicate digestive systems and switching too quickly can cause a lot of GI upset. Start by mixing 1/10 of the new food to 9/10 of the old one - gradually increasing the proportion of new food to old food. I feed a combination of Innova EVO/Totally Ferret/Totally Ferret Hypoallergenic (that I order from U.S. not available in Canada). As ferrets get older they don't tolerate high protein as well and ferret experts like Dr. Williams, recommends lowering the protein level after 3 years of age. Hence I feed a combination of high protein and lower protein. Tressie Tressie
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Post by christina127 on Oct 2, 2009 18:15:24 GMT -4
Thanks.. My dogs have 2 switch food often.. so i no about switching foods.. vet wont make up there mind what i should be giving them... any ways i'l look into the foods u sugested..
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Post by Johnny and Demon on Oct 2, 2009 19:41:37 GMT -4
Oh just a suggestion in case your ferret seems to not really like his new food .. add a bit of ferretone... They LOVE the taste ! Thats what I did for my fuzzbutts
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Post by airy on Oct 5, 2009 9:12:56 GMT -4
The brand I would suggest is Ultimate 1-8, that is what my ferrets eat and they love it. As for Marshalls, I bought it for mine once and they did not care for it, they only ate it because they knew they had to eat, I could tell they did not enjoy it because their food would last a lot longer in the dish than their regular brand(Ultimate)..and plus the big thing that indicated to me that they did not care for it was that they ate with their eyes open, I find if my ferrets are really enjoying something that they are eating, they eat with their eyes closed, like they are savoring every bite lol, I think its really cute.
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mindy
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Post by mindy on Oct 5, 2009 10:16:55 GMT -4
ultimate 8-in-1 has raisin juice in it i used to feed that food as well until i found out about the raisin juice. raisins are toxic to ferrets (as well as dogs and cats) so i switched food.
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Post by christina127 on Oct 29, 2009 20:12:32 GMT -4
i was at the pet store "Patches" and they had Raisin ferret treets!!! isn't that harmful to ferrets?
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mindy
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Post by mindy on Oct 29, 2009 20:48:05 GMT -4
yes, raisins are poison to ferrets. i just got some cat food from patches today
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Post by christina127 on Oct 29, 2009 20:54:05 GMT -4
i was there today and bought my doggies & Rickey some treets and Rickey some litter.
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Post by christina127 on Oct 29, 2009 20:55:43 GMT -4
yes, raisins are poison to ferrets. i just got some cat food from patches today What food do you feed your Ferret and where do you get it to?
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mindy
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Post by mindy on Oct 30, 2009 7:19:03 GMT -4
i am feeding go! natural grain free chicken, turkey, and duck right now. i get it from a pet store in deer lake. they order it in for me. i know there is a pet store in corner brook that keeps it in stock. but those places are far from you. the guy in corner brook was willing to put it on the bus for me so he maybe able to do the same for you. i don't think that patches has go! but you can always check to make sure. i think there is another pet store in grand falls, isn't there? also, in gander there is a pet store called pet central who sells orijen. that is a great food too. both of the foods are cat foods and they are grain free. they are about $40 for 10 lbs but that amount of food for one ferret will last a LONG time. it lasts my 2 ferrets a couple of months and right now they are eating like little piggies fred is about 4 - 4 1/2 lbs right now. actually right now i have orijen mixed with go!, i just remembered i think that i will keep this mix as long as i can get the food. it is always better to mix food in case one is not in stock when you run out. that way the ferret will be used to another kind of food too so there is no tummy upset. but, if you can only get one kind that is fine too as long as you keep an eye on home much food you have. you have to make sure you get more in plenty of time just in case they have to order more in for you.
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Post by christina127 on Oct 30, 2009 8:51:14 GMT -4
my dad goes to gander often. i'll see if he can buy a few bags of food so i wont worry about running out any time soon.
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mindy
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Post by mindy on Oct 30, 2009 10:05:39 GMT -4
my guys really love orijen don't forget that when you are switching rickey over to the new food you have to mix it in with the old stuff really slowly or he will probably get a bellyache. i usually take a really long time (about a month or more) to switch foods. i start with just adding a few kibbles of the new stuff to the old stuff. then add a few more each day until eventually it is all the new stuff.
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Post by christina127 on Oct 30, 2009 13:59:08 GMT -4
Thanks for your help.. <3
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mindy
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Post by mindy on Oct 30, 2009 16:58:22 GMT -4
no problem at all! i am here to help as long as i know the answers
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Post by christina127 on Nov 6, 2009 18:13:34 GMT -4
okay just to be shure,
~Orijien Kitten/Cat Food ~EVO Ferret Food ~Go! Natural ~Innova EVO Kitten/Cat Food ~Totally Ferret ~Checken Soup For The Kitten Lovers Soul ~James Well Beloved Ferret Food
are good foods??
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Post by Johnny and Demon on Nov 6, 2009 18:52:46 GMT -4
I know that EVO Ferret Food and EVO Kitten/Cat Foods are basicly the same, and Orijen is also a good food. So for those 3, yes, they are good foods ! however I have no idea for the others Do someone knows other good brands ?
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Post by christina127 on Nov 6, 2009 19:05:20 GMT -4
they where all on the liist of foods i was linked
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mindy
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Post by mindy on Nov 6, 2009 23:55:26 GMT -4
if you get the go! natural you have to make sure you get the grainfree chicken turkey and duck formula. it is what i am feeding my guys now
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Post by christina127 on Nov 7, 2009 12:56:08 GMT -4
thanks..lol
Pets can be very complex...
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