"Raw Troubleshooting" is my new series dedicated to each component of the raw diet. Each part of the series will offer detailed information on what to feed, how to feed, and the most affordable options for that category. The second topic up for discussion: Raw meaty bones (RMB). Raw meaty bones are my favorite component of the raw diet. I love watching my ferrets tear and chomp through chicken necks and rabbit ribs, turns out it's fun for them too! Chewing raw meaty bones releases endorphins in the brain calming your ferrets as they eat. This action also stimulates the jaw muscles and scrapes plaque from teeth. They also provide calcium, phosphorus and loads of other goodies. Bone percent in the raw diet is roughly 10-15%+ but this is just the bone- not the meat attached. The meat from meaty bone is calculated in the ~80% portion of Prey Model. RMB FAQThere are a couple frequently asked questions I receive regarding feeding meaty bones that I want to touch on:
What Not to FeedIt's important we understand the difference between edible raw meaty bones and inappropriate bones to avoid breaking teeth, and feeding an imbalanced diet. Bones without proper meat attached don't count as edible raw meaty bone. Examples include:
Safe Raw Meaty BonesUnfortunately, due to the size of the ferret, it's more difficult for owners to find suitable varied meaty bone. We're often limited to poultry; chicken being the easiest to source. If your ferret has a chicken allergy, you may need to rely on rabbit and duck. Other game birds can be expensive and more difficult to find.
Choosing & Sourcing RMBLike all parts of the diet, shoot for free-range, grass fed & finished whenever possible. You'll notice that factory farmed meat will look vastly different to quality meat. This is because animals raised in tight spaces and fed an unnatural diet produce a lower quality product. The chicken wings from birds raised in cages and pumped with food will be "beefier" than wings from birds allowed free roam and a proper diet. In total, the meaty bone I regularly rotate through in the month include (with $ indicator):
If you source online, my favorite sites for meaty bone are: For a full sourcing list, check out my Raw Food Suppliers page. Q- How do you know what to feed and when? I base the meaty bone I feed by stool consistency and overall plan for that week. If stools have been looking too loose, I'll feed a higher bone % the following meal. If too hard, I'll do either a full boneless meal, or meaty bone with a lower bone % the next meal. Overall, I feed roughly 11-12 meals of meaty bone and 2 organ/offal meals in the week. Q- Wait...how do we balance meaty bones? Great question! Not all meaty bones are made the same. Some contain 10% bone, others, 75%. It's a good idea to keep a bone / meat chart handy: Charts I use 1. https://www.rawpetsrule.com/bone-percentage-guide.html and https://perfectlyrawsome.com/raw-feeding-knowledgebase/bone-content-in-raw-meaty-bones/ Meaty Bone in Pre-made Diets
End notes
Learn more: https://perfectlyrawsome.com/raw-feeding-knowledgebase/raw-meaty-bones-rmb/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzZmYoLjxA8bFUepVvHmv_A http://www.rawmeatybones.com/ https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/bone-food-values-for-raw-feeding-dogs/ https://feline-nutrition.org/the-blogs/raw-meaty-bones-adult-supervision-required https://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-raw-diets-and-cats-what-about-eating-bones
2 Comments
5/23/2021 07:44:06 am
Nearly Buy is the place where you can easily buy high-quality raw chicken and get it delivered at your doorstep.
Reply
madison
5/6/2022 02:17:35 pm
this was very useful, how do you cut the bones and meat off the bones?
Reply
Leave a Reply. |