Step 4: Adding Chunks
Now that your ferret is eating raw soup, it is time to start incorporating chunks into their diet. Before and during the the process of adding slivers and chunks, start mixing less water into the soup when blending it so that it becomes a thick puree. When the soup is nice and thick, start adding slivers of meat. It may be helpful to review our Standardized Sizing for Meats. Begin with small pieces of chicken (or other protein), cut to a sliver size and mix the slivers into the soup. You may need to Scruff N Sample a few slivers, and/or hand feed a few meals before your ferret gets the idea.
– Adding a little fish or salmon oil can help to entice picky, stubborn ferrets.
Once they eat the small chunks, congratulate yourself! Now it is time to slowly decrease the soup, and increase the chunks both in size and number. Eventually they should be eating medium to large sized chunks of raw meat with little to no soup. Again, you can use any of the tricks previously discussed to help move them through this step.
IMPORTANT – Don’t Forget the Calcium!
As you decrease the soup you will need to sprinkle the powdered eggshell/bonemeal over their chunks until they are eating whole bones. Try to maintain 1/2-3/4 tsp per 10oz of meat. You can judge whether you are giving enough by their poops. Hard, dry poops means that they are getting too much calcium; soft poops means they are not getting enough.
Feeding Grinds?
See Transitioning from Commercial Ground Raw to Frankenprey
Move on to Step 5