Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2013 19:00:54 GMT -5
I am the ferret mom to Freeman (5 years old in August), Joy (2 years), Penny (2 years), Love Bug (one year)...all Marshall Farm rescues from Texas Ferret Lovers Rescue in Balch Springs, Texas. Sophia is my first privately bred ferret from Quantum Leap Ferrets in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The breeder closed her ferretry last Spring (2012). Sophia was a bit unsocialized and was a moderate biter when she arrived. I worked with Robin Landes through the AFA and learned how to correct her biting and achieved control in two weeks. Privately bred ferrets are very different that a Marshall's Farm ferret. It has been a true learning experience. I have 40 years of animal husbandry raising experience and my first job was working for my vet clinic mostly in surgery. I also have a surgical tech background and 180 hours of medical college courses. Throughout my life I have owned: fish, hamsters, dogs, cats, parakeets, peach faced love bird, pure bred chickens, raised peacocks and pea hens, a dairy calf runt. I think that covers it. I also have a fondness for dairy cattle and horses. My last dog was 17 years old and had an oral cancer. She was put to sleep and I was for the very first time in my life without a pet for several years after she passed away. Mostly due to the fact that apartments around where I live do not allow pets. I rescued my first ferret, Lizzy ( a Marshall Farm Petco jill) from my son. He lost his job in the recession in 2008 and I took over her care. That's how I got started. Boy, I just did not know anything! Through raising so many animals though and working for the vet who raced grey hounds and fed raw, I did know that the most important aspect of animal husbandry was to feed a species appropriate diet...no matter what the animal is. I had heard about feeding ferrets raw but that was about it. After a year of owning Lizzy, I found the HFF and started reading and thinking about. Being a single mom I was unsure I would have the time to devote to food preparation and funds. Sophia had been in my home for two weeks when I was sitting at the table eating a hamburger I had cooked. Sophie jumped up on the table ran up to my hamburger, in my hand, took the biggest mouthful of meat and ran off like lightening! It all happened so quickly I didn't have time to respond! Well no one needed to tell me that my ferret wanted meat! None of my Marshall Farm ferrets climb (well they did not at the time, Sophia has since taught all the girls all of her very athletic tricks!)and never showed interest in anything other than kibble with deveined calf liver I had learned to make for sick ferrets. So I am here to complete my switch to raw and work through some places I have gotten stuck. I am stuck on spending far too much money on frankenprey (meat from the grocery store), and commercial frozen raw. I did make a large order from Hare Today Gone Tomorrow of prey, but I did it all wrong, too soon and just ruined prey. I usually feed a commercial raw frozen plate AND a raw meat plate at 6:45 a.m. and 7 p.m. I use the menu Sherry developed to prepare a complete and balanced meal through the week. I have had a difficult time finding organs in the grocery store and have ordered an organ tube of meat from Bravo. I'd really like to feed a high quality, organic menu to them. Their favorite raw meat is quail, and fresh Buffalo roast from Central Market. Sincerely, Lindsey