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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2015 0:32:14 GMT -5
Hello,
I am a ferrent of 3 males (age range 7mo to 5mo old). They are on a high protein kibble and I am looking to supplement with vitamins. I was using Furo tone and Furo Vite. I want to change to something better for them. Any suggestions on what to use and how much/how often.
Thanks.
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Post by raynebc on Feb 8, 2015 0:49:56 GMT -5
Furo/ferretvite is very sugary and Furo/ferrettone has preservatives suspected to be carcinogens, so both of them are discouraged. When I still fed kibble I used a liquid soluble multi-vitamin (8 in 1 Vita-sol), but getting kibble wet doesn't help it stay fresh. It would be better to change to a nutritionally complete kibble, or preferably, a raw diet.
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Post by Celene on Feb 8, 2015 1:03:26 GMT -5
Salmon oil is great for ferrets and they go crazy for it. It's like a healthier version of ferretone. Ferrets also love raw eggs (the whole egg whipped together or just the yolks on their own). During shedding season egg yolk is also great for preventing hairballs. Finally, freeze-dried raw treats are awesome and healthy. Make sure it's 100% meat with nothing else (like vegetables or grains) added. My personal favourite is Orijen and I think Stella & Chewy's is also a popular choice. |
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Post by Celene on Feb 8, 2015 1:06:56 GMT -5
Oh also dump the ferretvite in the garbage IMMEDIATELY. It's basically poison and puts your fuzzies on a fast track to developing insulinoma. Ferretone is less immediately dangerous but many people avoid it since it uses BHT as a preservative which is carcinogenic. Also the main ingredient is soybean oil which isn't good for them either. The second ingredient is cod liver oil which is high in vitamin A - not dangerous on it's own but vitamin A builds up in ferrets' systems and can cause toxicity in larger amounts. Tiny dabs of ferretone used sparingly will probably not kill them, but you can also give olive oil or coconut oil which is cheaper and much better so there's no reason to really risk it  |
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Post by RedSky on Feb 8, 2015 8:12:28 GMT -5
Treat wise here we use salmon oil (great help with cutting nails, a little blob on their tummies and they are so distracted I can cut them all without a wiggling ferret to deal with) or for dry treats we use dehydrated duck that is sold as cat treats.
I don't buy or use any sort of vitamin supplements, since I feed what should be as close to a natural diet at possible they shouldn't be short of anything.
Edit: I wanted to say that since my guys are struggling with eating some of the bone in things and Mako has lost some weight I have bought some human grade bone meal to mix in with some supermarket mince meat to top up meals.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2015 8:28:23 GMT -5
My group loves coconut oil. They go crazy for it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2015 20:35:21 GMT -5
Reading this I wonder if anyone uses Hemp oil? I read it is better for us humans than olive oil and I never seen Salmon oil here in the uk. I do use a multi vitamin malt paste by beaphar which she loves and will do anything for a lick of this.
Although a good quality food should eliminate the need for extra vitamins but I only give this as a treat when she does what I am telling her to do. it works :thumbsup:
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Post by Heather on Feb 12, 2015 22:33:00 GMT -5
Hemp oil is not considered a good oil alternative for ferrets (think marine fish oil if you don't want to use salmon oil) Remember to try and use a protein oil rather than a vegetable oil. What is good or proven beneficial for us, isn't usually good for ferrets. Any studies that prove a product is beneficial for humans isn't necessarily good for our ferrets
ciao
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Post by RedSky on Feb 13, 2015 6:14:30 GMT -5
@gandalf99 I'm in the UK too and found a few 100% salmon oils around, I ended up buying online from fish4dogs, I got a great big bottle for cheaper than the ones I found on amazon and I quite like the company. They are always really helpful if you need to contact them and stock some great treats (although for dogs, never tried any with the ferrets). I ordered just the oil this time and I think p&p was free or if not was so little I didn't think about it.
I've seen the malt paste, it's not great for ferrets, my biggest concerns with it are the milk and milk derivatives and the malt. Also if it's the one I'm thinking of it contains vitamin A??? If you feed a balanced diet and give this daily I would be worried about a build up of vitamin A in their systems, along with the other vitamin this contains. I might be wrong and this is the wrong one, but it does contain milk and malt along with some other questionable things.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2015 13:34:23 GMT -5
fish oil and freeze dried raw cat food are slyiet's favorite treats. if you do freeze dried make sur eyou look at whats in it. there are a few that are made with plant matter
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Post by msav on Feb 15, 2015 14:13:50 GMT -5
All my ferrets love stella and chewy's Carnivore crunch. The only think I don't like in it is Pumpkin seeds.
I will sometimes give them Instinct freeze dried raw bites. (chicken) It has some veggies so I don't like to give them much. I do give them freeze dries chicken (pure bites not simply nourish) Pure bites a are freeze dried raw not freeze dried cooked like simply nourish.
I do give mine coconut oil and salmon oil once a week, They also get eggs once a week during shedding seasons.
Be careful with vitamin supplements as you could end up giving them too much vitamins. Vitamin A in particular with ferrets that are given too much ferretone/ferrevite.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2015 14:45:09 GMT -5
You said your ferret is on a high protein kibble------just check and see if it has peas in it---this is giving ferrets kidney stones.. Some have died, others had to have operations to remove them. It is a very sad situation. I am the kibble police  |
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Post by FerretsnFalcons on Feb 15, 2015 17:03:47 GMT -5
My fuzzies love freeze-dried chicken liver treats, but just like Ferretone, don't feed too much because of high Vitamin A content. You can make your own treats too, I think there's a thread about making your own jerky. I have also given them live superworms and crickets, which is a lot of fun for ferrets who like chasing things (so pretty much all ferrets, lol). My Katie knows to go for the head and crushes it instantly, she's a vicious little weasel.  Of course, if you don't want to have to deal with supplements I'd recommend a balanced raw diet, but I know not everyone can do that. I switched my ferrets to raw and they are doing so much better now, if you want to see before and after pictures, I've posted them in my "My Furry Family" thread. Oh, and if you haven't already, posting pictures of your fuzzies is a MUST.  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2015 8:03:00 GMT -5
Ferrets can eat superworms??  I didn't know that. I already have them at home because I also own a bearded dragon |
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Post by RedSky on Mar 12, 2015 8:09:40 GMT -5
Mine won't touch the mealworms I have (I breed my own for the hamsters and my gerbil, they all love them). I was all excited thinking they could help keep the population down, but no, no interest at all.
I've gone back to quickly killing them and then putting them out in the garden for the birds.
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