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Food Preparation
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 7:21 am
by Payday1897
Hey guys, I just bought my first bluey the other day and had some food food questions. First of all, this week I am feeding him kale, rasberries and organic chicken and chicken liver cat food. I take about 1 leaf of kale and tear it up and add 4 rasberries and about 1 teaspoon of cat food I then mix it up and give it to him. He really seems to like the cat food and rasberries and i think the kale consumption is accidental, but then again who could blame him. Also he almost finishes it and not much is left over so I am assuming its the right portion size. Next week I was thinking about feeding him mustard greens mixed with papayas and maybe some live food or boiled chicken.
I basically have 4 questions.
1. Is it ok to alternate food by week or would it be better if i did it more or less often?
2. Is canned papaya ok? and if not, how do you prepare whole papaya?
3. How do you prepare asparagus? do you include the stem? do you cook it first or let him eat it raw?
4. Is there any reason to mix more or less ingredients per feeding? I like the idea of 1 veggie 1 fruit and 1 meat, but the care sheet you recommend has like 20 different foods you recommend daily consumption of.
Sorry for the long post but if anyone has any suggestions I'd be glad to hear them.
Re: Food Preparation
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 8:03 am
by Drew
Payday1897 wrote:Hey guys, I just bought my first bluey the other day and had some food food questions. First of all, this week I am feeding him kale, rasberries and organic chicken and chicken liver cat food. I take about 1 leaf of kale and tear it up and add 4 rasberries and about 1 teaspoon of cat food I then mix it up and give it to him. He really seems to like the cat food and rasberries and i think the kale consumption is accidental, but then again who could blame him. Also he almost finishes it and not much is left over so I am assuming its the right portion size. Next week I was thinking about feeding him mustard greens mixed with papayas and maybe some live food or boiled chicken.
I basically have 4 questions.
1. Is it ok to alternate food by week or would it be better if i did it more or less often?
*as i know its ok to have food alternatives.
2. Is canned papaya ok? and if not, how do you prepare whole papaya?
*fresh is best. here in the Philippines, we take out the skin, slide it in hAlf, TAKE OUT THE BLACK seeds and cut it in really small portions, you can mix it up also n the blender
3. How do you prepare asparagus? do you include the stem? do you cook it first or let him eat it raw?
*im not sure about this
4. Is there any reason to mix more or less ingredients per feeding? I like the idea of 1 veggie 1 fruit and 1 meat, but the care sheet you recommend has like 20 different foods you recommend daily consumption of.
*i guess variety per feeding is best for them its like power food for them. all in one seating.
Sorry for the long post but if anyone has any suggestions I'd be glad to hear them.
Re: Food Preparation
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 8:21 am
by Tigergenesis
Payday1897 wrote:Hey guys, I just bought my first bluey the other day and had some food food questions. First of all, this week I am feeding him kale, rasberries and organic chicken and chicken liver cat food. I take about 1 leaf of kale and tear it up and add 4 rasberries and about 1 teaspoon of cat food I then mix it up and give it to him. He really seems to like the cat food and rasberries and i think the kale consumption is accidental, but then again who could blame him. Also he almost finishes it and not much is left over so I am assuming its the right portion size. Next week I was thinking about feeding him mustard greens mixed with papayas and maybe some live food or boiled chicken.
I basically have 4 questions.
1. Is it ok to alternate food by week or would it be better if i did it more or less often?
2. Is canned papaya ok? and if not, how do you prepare whole papaya?
3. How do you prepare asparagus? do you include the stem? do you cook it first or let him eat it raw?
4. Is there any reason to mix more or less ingredients per feeding? I like the idea of 1 veggie 1 fruit and 1 meat, but the care sheet you recommend has like 20 different foods you recommend daily consumption of.
Sorry for the long post but if anyone has any suggestions I'd be glad to hear them.
1. You can alternate foods daily, every other day or weekly, etc. Whatever works best for you. Just as long has you have a good variety - which means don't really on only a few meat sources, a few green sources, etc.
2. Canned foods often have added preservatives, sugars, salts, etc. Fresh is always best.
3. I serve all veggies raw - I don't cook or stem any of them.
4. Mix it however you want - just try to follow the 'correct' ratios. For babies feed more meat than greens/veggies and fruits. I I think I fed my babies about 50% meat, 40% greens/veggies and 10% fruits. For adults feed more greens/veggies than meats - I do about 50% greens/veggies, 25% fruits and 25% meats. And don't forget that greens and veggies are not the same. Greens refers to your leafy green veggies (mustard greens, dandelion greens, etc). Veggies refers to the non-leafy veggies: green beans, squash, etc. Feed them both. For each meal I offer at least one green, at least one veggies, one meat and one fruit - I just follow the ratios and I rotate for variety on a weekly basis. Because there are so many options that are considered 'safe' for daily use that's what I mostly feed and try to rarely feed any of the other categories of foods.
I chop all veggies and greens up finely with a food processor (makes it harder for them to pick around). Try to wean off the baby food as soon as possible so you don't get a stubborn skink that will only eat baby food. Also watch the organ meats as they are often high in purines and can lead to kidney/gout issues if fed too much.
If your bluey is eating all that you offer him/her, then feed more the next time until you determine how much he/she will eat - unless you have an overweight bluey that needs it's quantity restricted. I let my blueys all eat as much as they want - especially since several of them go off feed during the winter.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 8:54 am
by Payday1897
Thanks for the info. So basically I'm not doing to bad and thats reassurring for a new pet owner. I should add a veggie then to the mix eh like asparagus, squash, or green beens. I guess i'll start looking for new cat food without livers, but it was the only organic i saw at the grocery store. Also, do you suggest throwing everything into a food chopper and making it real fine or keeping it chunky? one more thing about aspargus, should i just take a stalk and rinse it off and chop the crap out of it and feed it to him in the mix? or should i cut off alot of the stem first?
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:32 am
by Tigergenesis
Canned cat/dog food is not a requirement - so don't feel you have to use it. It would be best to use a variety of high quality live feeders as the meat/protein portion of the diet - kind of along the lines of it's best to follow as natural a diet as possible. If using canned cat/dog food look for all natural, organic foods that use human grade quality meats, w/o preservatives, additives, etc. Many of us agree that Spots Stew is among the best and makes a great base for their diet.
I just toss the greens and veggies in the processor and make the pieces pretty small...about the size of a grain of rice. It depends on your bluey and if they pick around - if so then you need to go smaller.
As far as asparagus....I don't know much about it, but whatever parts people eat then give that to your bluey.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 3:49 pm
by suez
Tigergenesis wrote:Canned cat/dog food is not a requirement - so don't feel you have to use it. It would be best to use a variety of high quality live feeders as the meat/protein portion of the diet - kind of along the lines of it's best to follow as natural a diet as possible. If using canned cat/dog food look for all natural, organic foods that use human grade quality meats, w/o preservatives, additives, etc. Many of us agree that Spots Stew is among the best and makes a great base for their diet.
I just toss the greens and veggies in the processor and make the pieces pretty small...about the size of a grain of rice. It depends on your bluey and if they pick around - if so then you need to go smaller.
As far as asparagus....I don't know much about it, but whatever parts people eat then give that to your bluey.
can you tell me what is spots stew please
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 3:54 pm
by Tigergenesis
Not sure where you are located, but here is a link:
http://shop.halopets.com/product1.cfm?S ... gory_ID=14
It's an all natural cat/dog canned food that some of us use as a part of our blueys diet. I use the canned cat original. Some use the dog food. It can be found in some health food stores (in pet section) and pet stores.
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 12:34 am
by Leigh
I tried the blended method and had total refusal, mine only eats big bits, I have to stick the greens to his favourite foods
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:46 am
by Drew
looks like my BTS doesnt like his cat food so much.. its beef based. i cant find chicken based here in the Philippines. should i change brand?
and Spot's stew isnt available here in the Philippines too.. any suggestions?
if i mix cat fod with other green, fruits and veggiews would he/she go for it?
thanks
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:52 am
by Tigergenesis
Drew wrote:looks like my BTS doesnt like his cat food so much.. its beef based. i cant find chicken based here in the Philippines. should i change brand?
and Spot's stew isnt available here in the Philippines too.. any suggestions?
if i mix cat fod with other green, fruits and veggiews would he/she go for it?
thanks
cat food mixed in with their food often gets them to eat their greens, veggies, etc. What about using cooked meats and/or live feeders?
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 9:02 am
by Drew
Tigergenesis wrote:Drew wrote:looks like my BTS doesnt like his cat food so much.. its beef based. i cant find chicken based here in the Philippines. should i change brand?
and Spot's stew isnt available here in the Philippines too.. any suggestions?
if i mix cat fod with other green, fruits and veggiews would he/she go for it?
thanks
cat food mixed in with their food often gets them to eat their greens, veggies, etc. What about using cooked meats and/or live feeders?
i will try cooked chicken and live feeders.
thanks thanks
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 3:25 pm
by Payday1897
Another question,
1. On a day I plan on feeding him a pinky mouse should I feed him anything else along with it or at another time during the day or should that be the only thin ghe gets for that day/ 2 day feeding period?
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 3:42 pm
by Blotch
to answer that I'll say this: I fed one of my eatserns a pinkie the other day - then I fed her a normal serving of fruit, veg, meat and she took it all. It was a pinkie RAT too - not a pinkie mouse, so it was quite bigger.
Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 4:42 am
by Zach
Typically, a live mouse will suffice for one meal.
Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 11:30 am
by Jenn
Sometimes I feed them mice by themselves and other times I use them as an extra to the meal. About 2/3 of my guys will eat a plate of veggies by themselves (some of my others need a little incentive like pureed fruit over them) so I'll give them the greens/veggies and then when they finish that I pop in the mice. My guys get 2 small-medium sized mice.