jessicadelage
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questions about ferret food (kibble)
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Saturday, December 20, 2014 4:44 PM
I am trying to figure out the best way/food to feed my ferrets when I get them. I am going to be feeding kibble and everywhere I have asked questions I only get attacked for not feeding raw. From doing research I have have seen some contradiction things. I have seen that ferrets need high protein but I have also seen that if the food is above 40% protein I should mix it with a lower protein level food to even it out. I have also seen that I should feed more then one food (for different reasons). I have seen great reviews of some foods and then other people saying horrible things about the same foods. Here are my questions: Do I have to feed more then one food? If yes, do I mix the two foods together or change between the two foods? I was thinking of feeding EVO ferret food. The "Nutrient Analysis" seems to match most of the food charts I have seen and it doesn't have all the extra stuff that is not good for ferrets in it. What food would be good to mix with it (if I need to)?
<message edited by jessicadelage on Saturday, December 20, 2014 4:46 PM>
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unclejoe
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Re:questions about ferret food (kibble)
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Saturday, December 20, 2014 6:50 PM
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Hi. There is a growing movement to feed carnivorous pets raw, and for good reason, but it's not for everyone. It's s important to balance nutrition, as you said, and that means different parts or whole prey. I don't advocate either way, as I have seen the same issues in raw fed ferrets as kibble fed (though not every ferret), but some of these, like insulinoma, though they may show up later in life due to not feeding ANY carbs or sugars. If you're going to feed kibble (We do, but add raw meat as a supplement), it is best to feed several varieties, in case one is recalled or becomes otherwise unavailable. Ferrets can be picky eaters and may not readily change foods without a struggle. Two popular and highly rated kibbles, Evo and Wysong Epigen 90, both had issues earlier this year. Evo was recalled due to salmonella contamination related to processing equipment, and Wysong introduced a new formula which caused digestion issues (diarrhea). As far as I know, no ferrets or other pets were harmed by the Evo, and the recall was voluntary after some test samples were found to be contaminated. However, Evo was unavailable for several months. As for the Wysong, the company responded quickly to customer complaints and went back to the old formula. ( I believe they removed flax seed after it was suspected of causing the problems.) Whiskandbowl followed both issues pretty closely and can correct me if I'm wrong. We feed a mix of 3 kibbles together. If you feed one and want to switch, you may want to add the new food to the old slowly over a couple weeks, or store them together so they start to exchange smells and flavors. As a rule, look for higher meat based protein and fat content and lower carbs. My advice is to avoid peas and other legumes, which is why we stopped feeding Evo before the recalls. .
THE DOOKS OF HAZARD
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wenmister
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Re:questions about ferret food (kibble)
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Sunday, December 21, 2014 8:18 AM
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I feed variety of foods to my ferrets and they are not picky eaters. My furkids enjoy eating different type of foods.
<message edited by wenmister on Sunday, December 21, 2014 8:19 AM>
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jessicadelage
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Re:questions about ferret food (kibble)
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Monday, December 22, 2014 9:45 AM
Here is all the ferret foods I can get. These ones seem like the best: EVO 8 in 1 Ultimate Advanced Nutrition Diet Ferret Food (chicken & rice formula) ZuPreem Premium Ferret Diet Food This one has pea as the third ingredient: ZuPreem Ferret Diet Food This food has Corn Gluten Meal & Corn Syrup in the first 6 ingredients: 8 in 1 Ultimate Advanced Nutrition Diet Ferret Food (soft-moist) These foods have corn as the second ingredient: Kaytee Living World Extrusion 8 in 1 Ultra-Blend These foods have corn in the first 5 ingredients: All 3 Marshall foods All Living Things
<message edited by jessicadelage on Monday, December 22, 2014 9:47 AM>
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TomHeretic
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Re:questions about ferret food (kibble)
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Monday, December 22, 2014 12:14 PM
Can you order food online? That is what I have to do to get good ferret kibbles, but my staples are actually cat kibbles. Orijen 6-Fish, Orijen Cat and Kitten, and Nature's Variety Instinct Duck are a part of my current mix along with Zupreem and Wysong Digestive support. The high end cat kibbles are way easier to find locally but I have to order all the ferret specific stuff.
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unclejoe
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Re:questions about ferret food (kibble)
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Monday, December 22, 2014 12:28 PM
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Evo says it's 87% meat products, which is great, but pea fiber is the 7th ingredient. Still, ingredients are supposed to be listed in order of percentages, so it should be a lower content than some other foods. Compare ingredients to Evo cat food, They are similar and the feline version may be a bit cheaper. ZuPreem Grain Free contains peas, but not the regular Ferret Diet. 8 in 1 Ultimate Crunchy formula doesn't contain corn, if that is available. We used to mix Evo, ZuPreem regular and Ultimate Crunchy, but they suddenly stopped eating the Ultimate a couple months before the first Evo recall.
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jessicadelage
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Re:questions about ferret food (kibble)
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Monday, December 22, 2014 2:04 PM
I could order food but I would prefer not to. I wouldn't want to run out of food while waiting for a late package or a package that got lost. Also with the shipping it would be very expensive. I haven't ever seen 8 in 1 ultimate crunchy anywhere but the 8 in 1 Ultimate Advanced Nutrition Diet Ferret Food (chicken & rice formula) seems to be the exact same ingredients.
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unclejoe
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Re:questions about ferret food (kibble)
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Monday, December 22, 2014 2:57 PM
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Check you pm. Food is so much cheaper online than in stores that it more than makes up for the cost of shipping, if any.
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naturalbirdslove
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Re:questions about ferret food (kibble)
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Friday, May 11, 2018 5:29 AM
If you want to feed your ferret high protein based kibble, then you should give Wysong Ferret Epigen 90 – Dry Ferret Food. It comes with complete diet food. Your pet gets high protein, organs, meat, more nutrients, and minerals. I am feeding my pet ferret this product, and it gives the best result, my pet is healthy and shiny.
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