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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2015 0:14:23 GMT -5
What causes the constant change in their color?
I mentioned I work at Petco, right (maybe)? Anyways, considering I'm the only one with a ferret, everyones seemed to have dubbed me the resident "ferret expert" :\. So a man came in and spoke to somebody, he bought two ferrets from us apparently a year ago, both were sable. And now they're completely white, both of them. He also had an albino one, which of course, is also white. He's coming back in apparently this weekend to talk to me specifically, cause he's wanting to know why their white. I have no clue! I thought it was very curious, but you say they're constantly changing, so maybe that's all it is....
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 3, 2015 12:12:17 GMT -5
Sometimes they "roan out", but I'd probably start a thread in the ferret talk section and see what people say. You'll get a good cross section of people and a better idea how often it happens and what ages...what patterns/colors are most likely to roan etc.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2015 21:45:36 GMT -5
Today I've noticed his face changing again. Unibrow thing looks like it's fading a little now..
Food wise, I brought some beef shanks. Don't even know what they are, but looked meaty. He seemed disappointed when I put that in his bowl last night, kept looking at me for more/something better. But he quickly went over and gave it a try, then ate it all up quickly! I need to get some other things to try with him... At what age do they stop willingly taking new things?
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 6, 2015 11:18:47 GMT -5
I believe it varies from ferret to ferret, but the first few months are usually the easiest to get them to try new things. Yay Fez!! I'm glad he accepted the beef. Barring any sensitivities, having red meat as a part of a balanced diet can provide extra nutrients not readily found in poultry. If he finished up his food quickly, you may need to put more in. Always try to aim for a few bites left over so you know he ate his fill. They are generally self-regulating and will eat more when they need more calories.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 11:01:30 GMT -5
If I leave him with more he's going to get super fat.. He's already getting 2-3oz each meal. Hopefully after winter he does shed a bit of weight! His coat is so shiny and soft though, very thick, like a thick undercoat like dogs have.. I was using the Furminator on my dog the other day and looked at Fez haha. On the plus side, his unibrow is already fading! In only a week, changing so fast.
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 8, 2015 15:06:20 GMT -5
Their first winter is when they are usually the fattest and fluffiest ever. Enjoy it. His appetite will likely slow down in the spring.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2015 20:13:48 GMT -5
Hoping so! 3.28 lbs this morning. He weighs more than some dogs! Haha. I'm trying my hardest to get him to stay still for good body photos... It's just not working! I do love his fur right now though, it's like I have a little husky!
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 9, 2015 11:17:01 GMT -5
He really is a beautiful little thing... So where are we with his menu...still using the same plan as before?
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 11, 2015 1:45:34 GMT -5
Also, I checked with the other mentors and the consensus is that the "open to all proteins" stage lasts till around 4-5 mos.
So tell me about this trip!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2015 15:03:49 GMT -5
So menu has changed slightly, I haven't re-written it but I'm trying to finish up some of the frozen things I've got in the fridge and add/switch some other things at the moment. Still following the same bone-in/meat/organ daily plan, but occasionally rather than a chicken wing, I'll give him a turkey neck, or instead of pork meat he might get beef shank meat. Just switching it up a bit here and there to try and introduce newer kinds of meats that he hasn't tried yet. I bought way too much chicken. I did a bunch of grocery shopping for myself over the past week and each time I'd walk past the meat stuff to see prices on things for Fez, and thought "oh that's cheap enough, we don't have that right now!" but oops, I did. I have a bunch of the same stuff now... my bad. Also, the other day I gave him his heart meal, and he only ate some of it and was ignoring the rest so I wasn't too worried, but then he wanted to come out and play and we played for hours then I went to put him back in his cage and noticed the heart was looking really off-colored after sitting in there all day... I wasn't sure if I should have taken it out or not, but I remembered the whole "they'll know when it's bad" thing, so I thought I'd leave it in and add his next meal to it and if he eats it then fine, if not that's alright... But he ate it... So I assume it was fine? It looked pretty gross! But I'm a vegetarian!
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 11, 2015 20:57:22 GMT -5
That's good that you're adding in new proteins. When you get the new menu written, please post it. I bought two turkeys at thanksgiving and I've got little baggies of turkey taking over my freezer. Lol. I also just broke down two chickens last weekend. This week, I've got 10 lbs of rabbit to break down and I need to make organ soupie.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2015 22:15:11 GMT -5
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 12, 2015 13:13:27 GMT -5
I think that's mostly baby fat PLUS winter fat. By summer, you'll be wondering where it all went. They usually lose up to 30% of their weight in the summer and the hair is thinner too. So you are moving to California? You're brave. I don't know if I could trust myself to be able to keep my ferts a secret that well. Also, you don't have to give him a whole bath (especially if he does this often)...baby wipes or a warm wet washcloth will get most of the surface crud off.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2015 18:23:56 GMT -5
I hope he looses it soon! It's kind of huge, haha. This morning I watched him try to climb into his hammock... but his belly kept getting him stuck... I do love his fur though, that should stay!! Yep, California! Haha, I'll just have to watch myself mentioning him, but I NEVER have people over, I wouldn't say I'm anti-social or anything, but just never happens. So I think it'll be pretty easy to keep him hidden. I don't want to leave him behind, a pet is a pet for life! Brought my dog here from Australia with me, not going to give up Fez for a simple little thing like the law Hehe. Oh!! Good thinking, I think I actually have some cat wipes someone gave me to try on Fez. I might have to do that! I was going to bring home some ferret shampoo today that we had in the back room for store use but I forgot. I'll have to give the wipes a try! He stinks so bad. He's very itchy at the moment too.... That's what you get for sleeping in poop!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 11:02:12 GMT -5
Hiya!
Update... He's cut back on how much he eats over this past week. I think it's due to the weather having been so much warmer compared to the past month or so. He's not eating his entire meal. So, I'm not quite sure.. Do I pull what's left over from the meal he didn't eat, then give him his next meal? Cause I've just skipped the next meal and let him finish eating the prior meal if it's still left there, and he usually does. Then when he finishes that finally, he gets the next meal. Sometimes he's still eating the entire lot, but some days not.
And what do I need to look for if he's got a blockage of any kind? I moved my couch the other day and noticed some dried up poop (would have been there more than a good week...) in a very weird shape, I'm not sure if maybe he struggled, or if my dog might have startled him mid-poop and it was him sort of running away while pooping. I did notice last night though he was pooping and only the tiniest bit came out, but pee'd too. I'm just worried if he might eat something my dog has chewed up and left bits of on the floor. I try to pick up as much of his chewed up toys as I can. Oh, and de-stuffing his bed. Fez likes to dig in his fluffy hammock thing so I hope he's not ingesting any of that. I also noticed he ate half of one of my tiny buttons on my remote control! Very small, but still, not cool! Haha.
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