Ferret diet and poop concerns.

[Deleted]

I have a few questions that seem to be concerning me lately.
Okay so within my first week of having my two new ferrets, they didn't touch chicken necks, and seemed to be eating alittle bit of kibble. I've been introducing the chicken necks every day and now they seem to be eating them little bit at a time. I also gave them mince which they loved and stashed, in their litter box ;A; Since they were doing that, i stopped using the cat litter because i didn't want them eating any of that by accident and switched to shredded non-toxic newspaper. I thought i would try that and its eased my worries so i thought i would stick with that until they get better at litter training and yuki has stopped digging in it which has made cleaning so much easier for me. [img src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.gif" style="max-width:100%;" src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.gif"] I'm probably going to try using some recycled newspaper pellets for litter in the future but before that, is it bad if ferrets digest litter when going back to eat their stashed (in litter) food? Any advice regarding that would be appreciated.

The babies have also started eating fresh chicken hearts, which they seem to adore since the first try they scoffed them down. [img src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.gif" src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.gif" style="max-width:100%;"] I've been trying new types of meats, so they eat fresh meats everyday rather than dry food.

so far they're eating,
Beef mince, Chicken necks (alittle), Chicken hearts, meat chunks (i think its beef chunks meant for soups)
And lastly the Vetafarm Dry food.

I also have a few questions on poop.
Yes... poop <.< What colour is a healthy ferret poop and should it be dry/moist/etc?
Tonight i've noticed that there was some dark poop/moist looking, and yesterday there was some with what seemed to be undigested dry food. (it couldn't have been a dry food spill since they poop on one side of the cage and the food is no where near it.) What could cause that and is it anything to worry about? It was only a once off poop though, the others seemed normal, just dark in colour and moist. Could it be because i'm feeding them mainly raw meats? Thanks! >3< Edit: I was looking at ferret poop charts on google (<o<) and i think it could be bones from the chicken necks. Any thoughts?

[Deleted]

If they aren't eating certain meats that should be included in their diet, you could just try making them a soup and chuck in some pieces of it so they give it a try
Here is the Recipe: docs.google.com/document/d/1aRms_O0F38lNSQktABNYDqievQ9GZSR4rRR6fcAcPHA/edit

You can also spread salmon oil over the meat they have trouble eating, or Scruff n' stuff method XDD Sherlock learnt to eat heart and gizzards that way.

I'm no expert on ferret poop yet, so hopefully someone will come by and help you out with that. But Be prepared to see very different looking poops when you are feeding raw, not everything is processed the same way inside of them

[Deleted]

Okay, let's start with your questions:
Okay so within my first week of having my two new ferrets, they didn't touch chicken necks, and seemed to be eating alittle bit of kibble.


Chicken necks are tough for little ones who aren't use to bones. It takes time to build up their jaw strength and so we help them along while they learn to eat bones.
Can you find Quail? A good Asian market will be your best friend. A six pack of quail runs me about nine dollars.
Or you can look for chicken wings, they are a little tougher, but also a good start. In the beginning, you want to smash the bones up for them. Until you get use to the idea, start out smashing them up fine.
Here is a before picture of quail and then after I smashed it up with a cleaver. Then I went thru and cut it into smaller pieces with scissors:




Gizzards will also help build jaw strength.
Haru and Yuki are not little babies, and should be handling bone nicely with a little help.
Remember that Bone In is the Non Weight bearing bones of an animal the size of a chicken or smaller. Think quail, chicken/duck wings/rabbit or cornish game hens to start with.

I also gave them mince which they loved and stashed, in their litter box



They are funny little creatures. Yucky litter all over their food. That's a natural instinct to keep predators from smelling their food.

This question comes up alot. Here is an old thread that discusses it. Apparently, it's harmless in most cases. I don't use litter, so let's see if anyone else has any input.
holisticferret.proboards.com/thread/4591/putting-food-litter

so far they're eating,
Beef mince, Chicken necks (alittle), Chicken hearts, meat chunks (i think its beef chunks meant for soups)
And lastly the Vetafarm Dry food.


I had to look up the Vetafarm dry food. Is it the Ferret Origins product from Vetafarm?
Since they are moving along so nicely, you want them to begin eating a balanced diet.
Move them away from the kibble and onto a Frankenprey menu. Are you planning on Frankenprey or Whole prey or both?

Borrowing from Sherry's post, here is a rundown of Frankenprey:
For new raw feeders, here's a basic rundown of what we mean by meat/bone/organ.

Meat- muscle meats, or chunks. Turkey, chicken, beef, pork, lamb, goat. Any meat containing no bone. Includes heart and gizzard.

Bone in- meat with consumable bones. Any non weight bearing bones chicken sized or smaller. Exceptions are neck and tail bones. Some ferrets CAN eat the weight bearing bones from things like rabbit and chicken, but most won't bother with them. It will sometimes work better if you smash the thigh/leg bones from chickens.
Good examples are: chicken necks/wings/spines, turkey wing tips/ribs/necks, duck wing tips/ribs/necks, pork rib ends/riblets, some will eat pork neck, ox tail, most adult whole prey(rabbit/mice/rats/quail/gerbil/hamster/guinea pig).

Organ- liver, spleen, brain, lung, thymus, pancreas, kidney, etc. Any part of the body that secretes.

Average weekly menu would be:

7-9 meals consumable bone
3-4 meals muscle meats[at least 1.5 of which NEEDS to be heart (heart should be about 10% of the total diet)]
1.5 meals of approx 2oz liver and 2oz other organ.(This can change over time depending on how much your ferret eats, but is a good starting point. Total should be about 10% of weekly diet)

A bare minimum of 3 proteins are needed to cover your ferret's basic nutritional needs.
This can change depending on YOUR ferret. Some do better with a bit less bone, some need a bit more. You'll be able to determine what your ferret needs as time passes and you become accustomed to raw feeding.

Yes... poop <.< What colour is a healthy ferret poop and should it be dry/moist/etc?



The ever popular poop question. We're all poop obsessed here. Don't ever worry about asking questions about poop, posting pictures of poop or discussing poop patrol.
During a switch, they will have some funky poops. You may see different colors and different textures and different shapes.

Loose poops can be firmed up with some dried eggshell powder or Bonemeal powder.
Dry poops can be helped along with some oil. 1/2 tsp every 3 days, no more.
Seedy poops mean undigested fats.
Organs poops will be loose and dark.
Eggy poops look like egg.
Get use to looking at their poop. It can tell you alot about what is going on with them.
I'll link the Poop Chart for you. Yep, we have a poop chart and I see that you found it. It's still nice to have it on this thread.

holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/2469/poop-chart

I hope this helps. You're off to a nice start.
:wave3:

[Deleted]

Thank you both! Its alot of information and very helpful! >3< In less than 3 weeks i've learnt alot of new things regarding ferrets. closetcreep, I'm going to give the soup a try this week. I don't know why i didn't think of that sooner, its a great idea for introducing new meats as well! I'm sure they'll love it

poncesmom, Such a long and very detailed post. Thank you for sharing your ferret knowledge, i'm very grateful! ^^
I never knew it was a natural instinct to put their food in the litter box. Its quite interesting and really smart now that i think about it. I've also noticed that Yuki hasn't put his food in his litter today. (I think he's found another stashing spot for that ) I'll be sure to check out that thread later tonight! ^^

As for the dry food, yes Ferret Origins is correct.
It's this one:

I needed to give them some kind of dry food since the breeder i got them from, had them eating kitten dry food. I actually planned on putting them on the raw food diet since its the healthiest choice for them but since they started on kibble my vet recommended weaning them little by little. That probably also answers my own poop question ahahaha. They don't seem to be eating the kibble now though, so i might pull it out all together an continue with raw meats. ^^

I always had a feeling that the colour, texture/consistency of the ferret's poop would have been from what i've been feeding them over the week but those first time ferrent anxieties creeped up on me. But I guess in a way, those anxieties are a good thing since it drives me into finding reasons or answers, so in the long run i learn how to care for my new little fuzzy butts. >3< My roommate caught me yesterday googling ferret poop which wasn't as awkward as i had originally thought it would have been. In fact, she even learnt a thing or two on the topic >3<
Thanks again! ^^

[Deleted]

Ferret poop on kibble is very different than on raw.
Kibble has to add filler so that the meat holds it's shape. So, you have bigger and smellier poops on kibble. They don't digest all the filler and it is literally waste.

Once you have them on a natural diet, they will smell less and their poops will be smaller. Plus the change in the fur is amazing. It goes from coarse to soft and silky. Ferrets on raw often smell like grape koolaid. We call it Grapetail.

If you will allow me one small note: These are the ingredients in your kibble:
Lamb, beef liver, chicken bioflavour, pea flour, vegetable oil, soy protein, calcium, lysine, methionine, selenium, beta-carotene.

Vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, C, D3, E, H, K and
Minerals: Copper, cobalt, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, zinc.

I don't see any Taurine and that is essential for Ferrets. Also, peas have been linked to kidney stones.

You seem to enjoy doing research and I love that. You might enjoy reading a little info on finding a good kibble.

It's helpful to learn how to look at the ingredients on a bag of kibble. I know you plan on switching them and the sooner, the better and the easier. Until you do, I'll link this info on learning to look at kibbles. It can help you find a better quality kibble. At the least, it's good info for understanding more about their nutritional needs.

moredooks.herobo.com/search.php?chart=ferret