dibbz2000 Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 When you ferreters out there give a bunnie to ferrets, do you prepare them in anyway. Ive just been opening up the belly, but they seem to just eat a bit of the inards and leave 90% of the rest! Anybody skin them or remove guts to make them eat the meat?? Cheers Dibbz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnskevena Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 I remove the head of the rabbit where i shot him and the guts and that way i seem to have less flies around the place and give them the rest of the rabbit in the evening time and all i am ever left with in the morning after my four kits is the four leg bones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth Stalker Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Dibbz I gut them first, leaving the liver, heart & lungs, tease the fur off the hind quaters a bit to give them a head start then just throw it in & they do the rest. SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferretboy111 Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Yup, gut them first, leave the kidneys and liver etc, i know if i were a ferret i wouldnt want to eat intestines full of grass. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 I believe they would eat all the rabbit in the wild including stomach contents. Perhaps someone experienced can tell us? LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnskevena Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 A wild polecat would lurcherboy because they dont have soft owners who fuss over them too much I just remove the head and guts because it means i can fit more of them in the freezer and there does not seem to be as many flies around the hutch when i do this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 I give them a whole woodie John and its gone after two days. Greedy lickle ******* LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnskevena Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Never fed mine anything else than rabbits or the odd hare. I wonder is that because pigeons are scarce over here or i am not that great a shot with the shotgun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Never fed mine anything else than rabbits or the odd hare.I wonder is that because pigeons are scarce over here or i am not that great a shot with the shotgun BOTH? LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Never fed mine anything else than rabbits or the odd hare.I wonder is that because pigeons are scarce over here or i am not that great a shot with the shotgun Pigeons are scarce enough round here too John. Iv missed too many aswell. I take the heads of bunnys and put them into a freezer bag, makes a meal in its self. :yp: I gut them in the feild and leave in the livers, only if they are free from fluke. I also feed the odd hare, deadly feed in that, plenty of blood and protein ect, good grub. :yp: Was feeding rooks and jackdaws fresh, but now freeze them first, the ferts got a load of lice of them. :yp: . Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiercel Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Ferretboy111 Yup, gut them first, leave the kidneys and liver etc, i know if i were a ferret i wouldnt want to eat intestines full of grass. That is exactly what you should not do. Read this Post #17 and pardon the pun, digest it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnskevena Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Ferretboy111 Yup, gut them first, leave the kidneys and liver etc, i know if i were a ferret i wouldnt want to eat intestines full of grass. That is exactly what you should not do. Read this Post #17 and pardon the pun, digest it. Thats some good info tiercel.Was afraid all along to give my ferrets rabbits that were taken with the shotgun (Not that i hit too many of them with the bloody thing) Because i was not too sure how safe it was to feed them something full of lead shot and was feading them rabbits shot in the head with my 22lr and removing the head for the same reason. I feed the rabbits guts and all to them during the winter but take em out in the summer as the bloody things are a magnet for flies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiercel Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 johnskevena. A good substitute food in the summer is culled day old chicks. Most pet stores that sell reptiles will stock them. They are used as food for Snakes ETC. Another good source of food in the summer months are Starlings that the cat has killed as they are small enough to be eaten in one go, but give the ferret everything it needs food wise. Also you can give them Mice and Rats. Remember throughout the summer months Ferrets do not really need a lot to eat. And it is better to give them a complete meal as in vitamins, protein, calcium and roughage all of these are in a whole small animal. Also red meat has more feeding value than white, so in the summer try to lay off the red meat and feed white. That way you do not get obese ferrets. Tiercel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Excellant informaion there TC NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferretboy111 Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Its a domesticated animal, their food habbits change through evoltion etc, if you want to feed them the intestines then go for it, i just know that when i feed any of mine them they dont eat it. They get all their rougage from the fur organs etc, I dare say once we ate intestines, doesnt mean that we are being diminished of nutrience because we dont anymore. We probably will never know the right answer unless a doctor or someone researched into whether the intestines give any nutrient value atal to a ferret. I feed mine day old chicks occasionally, they eat the lot, and they love them, intestines and all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigbob Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 I gut the rabbits open the chest right up to the neck then open up the pelvis for my ferrets .And put the guts into a bucket for fox bait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferretboy111 Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Sounds good to me Big bob, wish i could do something more interesting with the guts, but atm its just going in the ditch, spose the foxes and rats get it. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 I rarely feed rabbits to ferrets, I mainly feed shot pigeons, crows, squirrels, etc and I never gut any of them. Like tiercel, I believe that the ferret gets all its essential elements by eating the whole creature, as it would in the wild. What it leaves, I remove. Never feed a ferret a prolonged diet of liver and hearts (pigs liver/bullocks hearts etc), this can cause them to have serious bone defects and will certainly lead to the birth of deformed kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Liver and hearts are very "rich" meats, whether they are diluted by mixing them with dried food, I wouldn't know. Perhaps someone else would care to comment. There was a study done by Kings College quite a few years ago on ferrets. It appears that they do not get many of the illnesses/diseases (especially cancer) that other mammals get. One of the extracts I read was concerning diet and strongly advised against feeding items that were rich in calcium, like liver, hearts and milk. It also criticised the old fashioned ferret diet of bread and milk, which resulted in small , poorly conditioned ferets, that suffered bone disorders, still born kits and severe gastric problems. I always vary the ferrets food and keep it as near to natural as I can. However, I have heard some very experienced ferret keepers speak highly of the dry complete foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Well said Cranfeild. I had problems with complete food, they came out in a rash and wemt bald in places. The vet said too much vitimins added in it. I have stoped the ferret complete and they seem better of it. I do feed rabbit though and they seem fine on this, Another food which is ment to be very good for them is, dead mice, bought from pet shops that sell snakes and snake breeders. Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 I have mentioned before, that the only reason that I don't feed ferrets lots of rabbit, is that I have always believed it encourages them to lay up. I will freely admit I have no scientific evidence to support this theory, but I believe it, so thats good enough for me. From a nourishment point of view, complete rabbit is excellent ferret food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibbz2000 Posted August 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Boy, you guys really know how to answer a question! :o Ive started giving mine whole rabbits now with just the belly opened up a bit. By the looks of thier faces at dinner time they appreciate it. Cheers for all the excellent info guys :o Dibbz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FERRETBOY Posted September 1, 2006 Report Share Posted September 1, 2006 Its a domesticated animal, their food habbits change through evoltion etc, if you want to feed them the intestines then go for it, i just know that when i feed any of mine them they dont eat it. They get all their rougage from the fur organs etc, I dare say once we ate intestines, doesnt mean that we are being diminished of nutrience because we dont anymore. We probably will never know the right answer unless a doctor or someone researched into whether the intestines give any nutrient value atal to a ferret. I feed mine day old chicks occasionally, they eat the lot, and they love them, intestines and all. Hi all i feed mine the hole rabbit minus the guts some one told me a while ago not to feed the liver to the ferrets as it can be poisenous but they all seem ok, in summer their main diet is alpha ferret food i bit pricey but they love it and look well on it,with the odd rabbit chucked in. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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