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Post by katt on Feb 1, 2011 4:24:55 GMT -5
Original Thread: holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=newbie&action=display&thread=6371&page=1Name: Jackie HF Forum Username: jncf 1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets? Right here on Holistic Ferret! 2. Please describe the type of diet you would like assistance in switching your ferret(s) to. Be sure to include if you are interested in feeding whole prey (live or frozen-thawed) and if you are wanting to FULLY switch to a natural diet or PARTIALLY. If you are unsure what kind of diet you want to put your ferrets on, please express that and we can help you find the best type of natural diet for your ferret. I'm interested in commercial raw, with RMB and chunks of meat. 3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet? Because my girls already eat the freeze dried raw, I've seen the amazing transformation. They are healthy, active, and so happy. They were never like that on kibble. 4. Do you understand that switching your ferret to a natural diet can be a lengthy, arduous process? Its not an overnight switch. It can be a commitment of several weeks or even months. Your HF Mentor will be more then happy to assist you in switchng your ferret(s) to a natural diet, but you need to be equally as commited. If you aren't willing to tough out a potentially lengthy switching process, or if you have major life changes approaching (baby on the way, moving, starting school, getting married/divorced, etc) then it might be a better idea to wait on switching your ferret's diet until you have more time. Are you willing to make the commitment? Yes I am 5. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names? Ages? Genders? Do they have any health problems? Are they overweight? Underweight? Pixie - 1 year, 10 months old. Female. Recent intestinal blockage. Underweight. Teeth grinding and pawing at mouth. Trixie - 1 year, 1 month old. Female. Perfectly healthy (but a cloth muncher) 6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) Stella & Chewy's freeze dried chicken, duck duck goose, and lamb. Raw chicken soupy (some pumpkin, chicken liver, whole egg) 7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened? They are partially switched right now, but with Pixie's current health problems, I'd like to have a mentor to talk to about her diet. Pixie is more reluctant to try new foods unless it is in a soup form. Trixie is starting to eat very small chunks 8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share? I'm 18, a pre-med college student majoring in Chem/Bio. Next year will be my last undergrad year, and I'll be writing my thesis, so I really want them fully switched by then. School keeps me really busy, but my ferrets are my children, so they get priority. I've had Pixie and Trixie since they were 8 weeks old. Pixie was an only child for a while, so she is really attached to me, more so than Trixie. Trixie is kind of skiddish, but she is getting more friendly. 9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer? Constantly :-) 10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible). [/i] Hi and welcome to the mentoring program. In a little while your mentor (Hurricanekatt) will introduce herself and you can get started on a new adventure in natural ferret care and diets. Please remember to post regularly (daily or as per arranged with your mentor) so that your mentor can assist you move along safely in this adventure. If you experience computer difficulties or are going to be away, please notify your mentor and most of all relax and have fun . Your mentor is here to help you on this journey. ciao
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Post by katt on Feb 1, 2011 4:33:13 GMT -5
Hi! Here's just a little about me... Name: Katt HF Screen Name: HurricaneKatt Location: Anchorage, Alaska About Me: My favorite hobby is... studying. Just kidding. I like to do different types of art including drawing and painting. I recently started making dream catchers too. I enjoy horseback riding, playing with my critters, and enjoying time with my boyfriend. And the critters of course! I am a premed student in Alaska graduating this May 2011 with a Biology degree. I’ll be taking a year off to enjoy myself, work on my application, and visit Africa before applying for Medical School in the next round. I became a mentor because...I really like helping people (hence the whole wanting to be a doctor thing ) and animals. I am a strong supporter of a natural diet and probably bore most people that I meet to death ranting about raw diet and why it is the best way to go…this way I can rant to someone who actually cares! About My FerretS: Koda – male, Real Canadian, not quite a year old (was about 8 weeks old when I bought him in December 2009), Sable. I gave him raw the second he came home and neither of us has ever looked back. He is a real trouble maker and is pretty well known around the forums as such. He is my first, and so far only, ferret and though I have not had him long he has forced me to learn and learn FAST! He has managed to eat several rubber objects (had to have surgery!), and is constantly finding new trouble to get into. Loves digging the carpet up, has a very serious oral fixation (if his mouth can stretch wide enough for his teeth to touch it – he will chew it), will rearrange the room to reach things, has learned how to levitate, and is anal around little monster. He is also very strongly bonded to my boyfriend and I, and can be a huge love bug. When the endless energy is finally burned off, he will curl up in our laps, give us kisses, and fall asleep. As you can tell, I have this problem where I can’t stop talking about him or taking pictures of him… We recently discovered that he has IBD and I am actually working with Mustelidmusk on adjusting his diet to keep his belly aches under control. Sometime this winter I plan on getting a second ferret, I am just waiting until the right one comes along, and fidgeting with Koda's diet in the meanwhile. Kneai: I JUST brought Kenai home about a week ago. He is already eating 100% raw diet, whole prey, franken prey, meaty bones you name it! He was a tiny little bag of bones when I brought him home, but he eats like a pig and grows like a weed! He is already almsot as big as Koda! He is a...mutt I guess. He's like half silver, half chocolate...or something. haha He loves, LOVES toys but hasn't figured out the whole stashing thing yet. Instead, he just runs around the room in random circles carrying his toys around. He is a loveable, goofy little guy and has been helping to keep Koda company and burn off each others energy! About My Natural Feeding Experience: I've been feeding raw since December 2009 when I brought Koda home. Thanks to this forum, I was ready for a fuzzball to come home with my freezer stocked with meats! I gave him a raw chicken wing his first night home and that was the end of that! He is fed frankenprey, f/t roents, and live prey. Right now he gets mainly lamb, rabbit, and rodent because of his IBD, but we are working on adding different meats back into his diet one at a time. I still consider myself fairly new to raw diets compared to a lot of the other people on this forum who have been doing this for years. However, I have been reading and learning since before I brought Koda home. I am always on the forum, and various websites trying to learn more about ferrets in general, and especially raw diet. Koda is healthy, energetic, has super soft fur, and smells so good that people regularly comment, asking me what perfume or spray I sprayed him with! I love telling them: Thanks to a raw diet - he just smells that good naturally! Kenai just started on raw and is much pickier than Koda. I am starting to see some of the benefits of the good diet in him too, but he still has some kibble-stink to filter through his system (his poopies still stink a bit lol). When he first came home he had been eating Marshall's kibble and his poop smelled...awful doesn't even come close to describing it! Now he smells much better and is improving each day. His coat is already much softer and less scruffy, and he is growing and putting on meat like a champ! Type of Mentor: In Training! I feed frankenprey, raw meats, bone-in meats, ground meats, frozen/thawed rodents, live prey, and recently added (for treats and supplemental) freeze dried raw. I have never fed kibble so I can’t help a ton there on picking a good kibble… but hopefully we can get rid of it entirely anyways. My Specialty: Trouble makers! Especially only ferrets, and kits. I am excited to work with someone with 2 ferrets! Also, I have been through the whole blockage issue (unfortunately) with Koda. What a nightmare! So I can totally sympathize with that whole issue! It sounds like we have a lot in common, I am really excited to work with you and your girls
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Post by katt on Feb 1, 2011 4:39:32 GMT -5
Jackie: Yeah, they snub it when it's by itself as well. Okay, good point. I think alternating is a better idea. Thanks! They don't mind raw egg, plain or with other stuff. I think I'll offer some with breakfast No luck yet. I've checked all the supermarkets for hearts and another organ, but I've not found anything. I'm going to call them today and ask if they ever stock them. ************* Katt: Don't stress Too much if you can't find it. You might check around for some uppity pet stores too to see if any carry commercial ground (usually has organ and bone too) and whole prey, rabbit, etc. Another option is say "whole" chickens with the guts intact. Do you have any Asian markets around or other ethnic markets? Those are great places to find "strange" meats. ***************** Jackie: The girls did good with the gizzards. The ate a good amount of them. I'm doing chicken thigh bone in today. ********************* Katt: Good girls! Any luck with the organs and hearts yet? Maybe look for an Asian market....
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2011 6:08:26 GMT -5
I should be getting paid this week, so hopefully shopping this weekend. I have a couple places I want to check out. Wish me luck. My goals are 1 other protein in large quantities, some bone in meats, heart and kidney.
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Post by katt on Feb 1, 2011 16:51:37 GMT -5
I should be getting paid this week, so hopefully shopping this weekend. I have a couple places I want to check out. Wish me luck. My goals are 1 other protein in large quantities, some bone in meats, heart and kidney. *good luck!* Here are some good meats to look for esp in oriental markets or specialty pet stores that carry commercial ground (other than pork, beef, turkey, chicken): duck Cornish game hen rodent f/t lamb rabbit goat pheasant quail venison goose Buffalo - similar to beef in flavor/nutrition chicken feet=great bone source raw eggs and powdered egg shell I know I am missing some too.... You need 3 different protein sources min, but the more the better. Two sources (min) of organ and bone are ideal. Also, see if you can find other organs such as kidney or spleen as you want the organ content of the diet to be at least 50% liver (from 2+ sources if possible) and 50% other organs, from whole prey, kidney, spleen, yadda yadda. I think that brain technically counts as organ, but I personally would be afraid to feed brain (like beef/pork brain) to my critters. If you can find some whole f/t chicks though that makes a great treat and they have brains...albeit small ones.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2011 16:58:40 GMT -5
Thanks for the list! I'm going to print it out when I go shopping so I can keep in mind what to get. I think I'll stick to mainly fowl (quail, pheasant, hen, etc) because from what I've seen, it's cheaper and usually comes whole so I get the bones and all (sometimes organs, too!). The girls also love chicken, so I'm hoping they enjoy other fowl equally as much.
Brains are great for taurine (as well as eyeballs) but I'm not sure where you'd fine those o.O
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Post by katt on Feb 3, 2011 4:50:13 GMT -5
I know you have a lot going on, so don't feel too pressured about the girls' diet right now. Keep it simple, keep them on what they are eating now. They already have a decent balance, so it won't hurt them in the long run to get a little less organ or variety, etc for just a little while. I will be here whenever you want to pop in and update, or have any questions/concerns. Just let me know.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2011 14:10:23 GMT -5
The girls have been less inclined to eat their chunks. So right now I'm feeding freeze-dried meals, rotating between chicken, duck duck goose, and lamb. They are eating a ton of it though (so far, 2 rehydrated patties and that was for breakfast). So hopefully, I'll get some time this weekend to work with them and the chunks.
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Post by katt on Feb 4, 2011 23:16:12 GMT -5
What chunks were they being hesitant about? It is possible that they are tired of that particular meat. Try offering something a little different and/or even pouring a little soupies over the top of the chunks. It's good to feed soup here and there on a regular basis anyway so they don't "forget" it is food. Then if they ever get sick they will already be used to it. Any luck finding stuff shopping? Or were you too busy with stuff to get a chance to go? If so see if you can't find some time this week and see what different meats you can find.
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Post by katt on Feb 4, 2011 23:22:32 GMT -5
What chunks were they being hesitant about? It is possible that they are tired of that particular meat. Try offering something a little different and/or even pouring a little soupies over the top of the chunks. It's good to feed soup here and there on a regular basis anyway so they don't "forget" it is food. Then if they ever get sick they will already be used to it. Any luck finding stuff shopping? Or were you too busy with stuff to get a chance to go? If so see if you can't find some time this week and see what different meats you can find.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2011 1:59:47 GMT -5
The plan is to go shopping tomorrow. I found a couple asian places, but I'll probably only get time to go to one. I might call ahead and see if I can ask what they have.
Tomorrow they are getting some pork chunks from a pork neck piece (those bones are hard! I might just cut all the meat off and toss the bone.) I also have some beef/turkey/egg soup in case they don't want the chunks. I might have some turkey neck left that I can use in place of the chicken wing for bone. I really want to get whole birds that I can just portion out myself. That way there is little waste.
BTW, we got close to ~50 lbs of chicken from a church (they get their chicken from Publix.) Now, the entire thing is already seasoned. Do you think the internal meat is okay for the ferrets? I'm worried they soak their chickens or something like that, but I don't really know.
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Post by katt on Feb 5, 2011 4:25:36 GMT -5
Hmmm I would be really concerned about the seasoning. If the meat was marinated then the seasoning could have and probably has soaked in. I would save the chicken for you guys to eat to be safe. If you give more bone one day, then it's ok to have some days without bone. So If you want to give just meat for the pork, then just give them say extra turkey necks the next day. As long as it all balances out to the right proportions. See if you can find some CGH (cornish game hen) that is a GREAT source of bone and pretty cheap too. I pay like $3 for a decent sized little hen. They are small, but it's less than what you would pay for a Small pack of chicken breast or so.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2011 11:43:40 GMT -5
Yeah, that's what I thought about the chicken.
CGH looks perfectly sized. Gotta clean then hopefully to the store!
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Post by katt on Feb 5, 2011 13:41:15 GMT -5
Have fun and good luck finding stuff! Keep me posted!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2011 20:18:02 GMT -5
So the Asian market didn't go as well as I hoped. They had pig hearts, so I got 2 lbs of those. But everything else wasn't labeled, and was pretty expensive (2.5$ per lb). So we just went to save a lot and I got some more pork, some stewing beef chunks, and some turkey wings. Got close to 10 lbs for only $17. So now they have pork, chicken, beef, and turkey. The hen there had %15 solution injected in it, so that was out. I'll check out the regular super market for some hen next time.
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