Meet Your Mentor

[katt]

Name: Sherry

HF Screen Name: Sherry

Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

About Me: I am an almost 60 year old woman with my own housecleaning business. I got into ferrets about a decade ago, and have learned a LOT since lol. I like reality TV shows, and watch a LOT of Netflix. I volunteer with the local ferret rescue on the hotline for surrenders/adoptions/fostering.

I have 2 cats, and 6 ferrets, all raw fed. Cats being the spoiled wee things they are eat only grinds.

I have been married to the same man for 26 years now





My favorite color is.... Red

My favorite food is.... Pasta

My favorite holiday is.... Halloween

My favorite hobby is... Reading

I like to listen to... Irish rebel music

I collect... dragons

Something about me you might be suprised to know...I worked in health care for 21 years in long term care with the elderly and LOVED it.





I became a mentor because: I believe in a species appropriate diet for ALL animals.



About My Ferrets: Over the years I have had 16 ferrets and have lost 10. Thankfully only 2 have had confirmed insulinoma. Most however were lost to various cancers. One to uncontrollable IBD.



Type of Mentor: Senior Mentor. Mixed. I do partial switches, grinds, frankenprey, and whole prey.



My Specialty: Exceedingly stubborn ferrets lol

[katt]

Name: Heather

HF Screen Name: Heather

Location:

Type of Mentor: Senior Mentor.

Specialty: Supervisor of the Mentoring Program

[katt]

Name: Katt
HF Screen Name: Katt
Location: Anchorage, Alaska

About Me: I have a Bachelor's degree in Biology, and will be graduating from medical school in 2017. I am a firm believer in supporting my facts with valid scientific references as much as possible, and always keep an open mind to change. You never know when new information will be stumbled upon and you will need to adjust your outlook/approach accordingly. We are never done learning. I spend a lot of time reading and researching to learn more about ferret health (and humans too...considering my career path), and try to create articles explaining the science behind some of our ideas on the forum in ways that anyone can understand and share. Information should be shared and spread for all to learn from.


My favorite color is.... Green

My favorite food is.... Chocolate

My favorite holiday is.... Christmas

My favorite hobby is... You mean...besides studying? I love to read, paint, draw, make dream catchers, rock climb, and ride horses.

I like to listen to... Just about everything.

I collect... Books, Foreign Coins, "Trail of the Painted Ponies" figurines

Something about me you might be surprised to know... I hate surprises. haha


I became a mentor because... Our pets cannot make their own choices, it is our responsibility to provide them with a proper, balanced, healthy diet so they can live healthy lives. Raw diet is what our little carnivores are biologically designed to eat, and the more ferrets I can help switch to raw the better. I love teaching and working with people, as well as helping people and their animals. I believe in passing on whatever knowledge I have, and always continuing to learn more myself. What better way to learn than to teach?

About My Ferrets:
Koda: male, sable, Real Canadian, I got him when he was about 8 weeks old in December 2009, Sable. I gave him raw the second he came home and he immediately ripped into it and started hissing to keep me away from his tasty prize! Neither of us has ever looked back. He is a notorious trouble maker and is well known around the forums as such. He was my first ferret and forced me to learn and learn FAST! He has Pica and eats anything he can get his teeth on. As a result he has had 2 emergency surgeries for blockages. He has IBD, which we struggled to get control of (and finally succeeded!) with diet. He was diagnosed with adrenal at 18 months and was treated first with Lupron, then Deslorelin which he currently gets every 6 months. At around 5-6 years old he was diagnosed with heart disease. Despite all of his problems, he is strong and full of trouble. I have little doubt that he never would have survived this long, much less with so much spunk still, had he not been on a proper diet.

Kenai: male, Silver/Black Roan Mitt. I brought Kenai home towards the end of November 2010 when he was about 7-8 weeks old and immediately put him on a raw diet. He was diagnosed with adrenal disease at 2 years old and is on the Deslorelin implant every 6 months. He loves toys that make noise, and the rice box, and is a loveable, goofy little guy! He doesn’t learn very fast and is much less physically adept at things. He figures things out at his own pace, it just takes a little longer. Despite that however, he is an absolutely outstanding mouser.


Type of Mentor: Senior Mentor. Full switches only! I feed a frankenprey and whole prey diet - raw meats, bone-in meats, ground meats, frozen/thawed rodents, live prey, and occasionally freeze dried raw and commercially ground raw. I have never fed kibble so I can’t help with picking a good kibble. I absolutely do NOT do partial switches.

My Specialty: Trouble makers! I focus entirely on full switches to raw – no more kibble! I "specialize" in ferrets with IBD and food allergies, many of who may need to do food trials. I do just about any type of switch including switches to Frankenprey, whole prey (live or f/t), and commercial raw (whole and grinds) but I will NOT do partial switches. I also run the Mentor Training program behind scenes.

[katt]

JAson

[katt]

Name: Celene Hoag
HF Screen Name: ckozee
Location: BC, Canada

About Me: I have had ferrets for 8 years, and absolutely love these guys! Outside of ferrets I am very crafty and love to work with my hands, whether it be making jewelry, crocheting, embroidery, sewing, etc. I also love music and playing the piano.

My favorite color is: That glow-in-the-dark yellow-green-whiteish kind of colour.
My favorite food is: Chocolate and avocados! (Not together.)
I like to listen to: Rock, punk, hardcore, blues, ska.. Depends on my mood.
I collect: Ferrets! (Duh)

I became a mentor because: Raw feeding completely changed the health of my ferrets, and I want to help educate others about ferret health and care, including proper nutrition.

About My Ferrets: I have two teeny adorable girlies, Mocha and Nova. They weight 1.4 - 1.7 pounds depending on the season, but they little bodies are packed with personality! Mocha is a huge drama queen, and super sassy. Nova is a little princess, but she's a little scaredy cat and jumps at her own shadow. Both are sweet and cuddly as can be.

Mocha left, Nova right

Ziggy is my big DEW boy. We have only had him for a year, but love him to pieces! He has boundless energy and some behavioural issues (mostly he likes to try and eat the girls), but he is super loving towards humans and gives us lots of kisses when he isn't busy bouncing off the walls.

Ziggy

Type of Mentor: HFF Mentor

My Specialty: Difficult and fussy ferrets, IBD/allergiesSaveSave

[katt]

Name: Klarissa Simpson
Age: 23 years old
Home: Ontario, Canada
HF Screename: Klarissa
Facebook Name: Klarissa Simpson
Instagram: rawfedfurryfiends

About Me:

Favorite color: lime green and/or dark purple

Favorite food: Just one? I love all food, but forced to pick it'd be between Sushi or a really good veggie burger with bacon & cheese.

Favorite holiday: My husband's birthday - not technically a holiday, but every year we go camping for a week.

Favorite Hobby: Again, just one? Another two way tie. 1) Spending time with my family - I visit my parents every weekend & it is always the highlight of my week.  2) Training dogs - I love dogs, but I really love the way they communicate & I've naturally always been good with dogs. Training dogs is like my meditation

Something you might be surprised to know about me: I am a tree hugging, Prius driving, earth lovin’ nut I work extremely hard to reduce the carbon footprint of my family, including my furry, four legged children.

I became a mentor because: Feeding raw is something I feel very strongly about - I take my role as pet parent very seriously & part of that is an appropriate diet. I want to help others do the best for their ferrets too

I'm going to school for veterinary medicine, and I want to challenge the status quo of feeding kibble. Raw feeding also has other benefits: it has a smaller environmental footprint than kibble and it can help the local economy.


My Fuzzbutts!


Bear (f), 4 y/o, Albino

Bear is my oldest & alpha ferret. She maybe be small, but even my biggest furboy won't cross her. However, she is a benevolent leader & an absolute sweetheart with people. She was a picky switch - set in her ways, and got even pickier when I got other ferrets. She just wanted to be held & hand fed.


Willy (m), 3 y/o, marked white; Waardie & Deaf

Willy’s previous owners rehomed him the day after his bonded brother died. When we got him home he went off food altogether, and we spent a week tricking him to eat his kibble before starting his switch since he was very depressed. But once he started raw, he never looked back. He is a lazy & loving chunky monkey


Fredzia (f), 2 y/o, marked white

I have been fortunate to have a long line of easy switches, Fredzia was the first in this trend. She never ate kibble, once she stepped foot in my home. Went right to chunks & whole prey her first week with me. She is an evil super genius, and likes to lay claim to the ball pit & keep other ferrets from entering. She is a little sass master - a ferret after my own heart. She is a perfect match for me.


Riker (m), 6 mos, Sable Mutt

There was no switch with Riker. He is the only ferret that I've had since kithood, and naturally took to raw. Riker is a jerk. I mean that affectionately, but it's true. He is going to do what he wants, when he wants. He isn't trying to be bad, but he isn't going to let rules get in his way of enjoying life either. But, he is always the life of the party.


Harley (f), 1 y/o, marked white; Waardie & Deaf

Harley was a fluke, she switched like a kit. I suspect her previous owner, a lizard & snake enthusiast fed her the odd insect or whole prey treat. Harley is Riker’s “girlfriend” & partner in crime. From the second he laid eyes on her, he has been in love. It is the cutest thing I've ever seen. She is incredibly, smart & determined wee thing.


Type of Mentor:

I feed frankenprey prey, local raw grinds, and whole prey.

I am familiar with freeze dried raw.

I am familiar with kibble, that said there is only one kibble I will support (Orijen) if one must absolutely feed kibble. I cannot help with other kibbles.

[katt]

Name: Maja
HFF Screen Name: maja01
FB name: Maja Conc
Location: Mirna, Slovenija, Europe

About Me:
I am a long time ferret owner, in few months will be 15 years since I got my first ferret, Kuna. I am a founder & president of Slovenian Ferret lovers association wich mainly deals with education of ferret owners, prospective ferret owners, vets, ... Also we take care of abandoned and unwanted ferrets in our country. We also work closely together with our colegues from Croatia.
I also ran a nonprofit organisation for exotic species for few years.
In "my free time" I study veterinary medicine in University of Ljubljana and I volunteered for a while in our faculty's clinic for exotics. Somehow ran out of spare time so I just help them occasionally now. I am also a student of A.C.A.N.
Beside my work with animals I do some graphic design projects and I work as a nutritional coach.

As you may have noticed ... english is not my mother language, that's why I sometimes tell things "aound", or invent some weird words Because in a foregin language is sometimes hard to express all your feelings I may sometimes sound harsh ... And I guess I am a bit dyslectic - it does happen that I mix some letters or mystype some words.  

My favorite color is… All of them. As log as they are vivid. But ok, if I have to pick just one, than green.
My favorite food is… chocolate
My favorite holiday is... I don't really care about holidays
My favorite hobby is... my ferrets and other animals, healthy cooking and from this year on (bought a house last year) organic gardening
I like to listen to... pretty much everything, except jazz and folk music
I collect…[/b] nice moments
Something about me you might be surprised to know... I am 39. I studied architecture first, but I quit after the second year and started to work as a graphic designer.


I became a mentor because...
Because I have a great respect for this forum and it's mentoring programe and I think this is another way I can help more ferrets and their owners + I am sure I will learn some new stuff during it

About My Ferrets:
I have been ferret owner for almost 15 years. Except my first ferret and four of my current crew, all ferrets I had, were rescues. I also did (and I still do) a lot of fostering. Last year I have been trough some hard times - I have lost four of my fuzzies in four months - and I decided it is time to change some things. I got two ferrets with pedigree from Hungary and to breed the ferrets I want - healthy, longlived, polecat-like ...

Now, at the time of writting, I have 7 ferrets:
- Iorek, 2 yrs and 4 mths old castrated male. He is one of the "earless babies", brother of Dorena's (Natalija's) Malak and Petra's Huritt. The whole litter was brought to Zagreb's zoo to be fed to snakes, since the eate each others ears out of hinger (mom had not enough milk) and were worth nothing to their "breeder". They were rescued by croatian ferret society and are all in their permanent homes now. He is the craziest ferret (ok, my first ferret was maybee worse) I ever had. His motto is to enjoy every single moment in his life. He is a bouncig, flying, jumping lovely whithis little furrball.
At the moment he lives together with Drdra, but gets play sessions with the intact boys)
- Drdra, 1 year and 4 months, intact female, she comes from a breeder in Hungary (Diamond Ring kennel). She is a high % hybrid, her father is 1/2 polecat and 1/2 hybrid with m. sybirica, on mother side there are also quite some polecats too ... I took her, because I liked the way she looked. I told her breeder I can pretty much handle every ferret or ferret mix, since I had three stone martens for few years (it is one of those still painfull stories, I will write it down ... once).
She is was she is expected to be. Stunning in look and quite special in her behaviour. She is easly scared of new sounds, people, animals, ... and she needed quite some time to got fond on me. She is not near like ferrets, I have to treat her in a way different manner. I would say with respect and patience. For sure there is an influence of the fact, that I got her quite "old" (for a hybrid), she was 3,5 months old when I got her. I have a breeding contract for her, but at the moment I think I will not breed her - she is way to skittish and wild. Well, since I have learnt to never say never, I will not swear - maybee she will change (I doubt - and I don't care, I am fine with her as she is), but for sure will not breed her this year.
- Gusztav, 1 year 4 months, intact male. He is also from Hungary - not from same breeder as Drdra is, he is from Nostrofuretti kennel. He is also a hybrid (around 27 %) and is from english/hungarian/polish line (only short fur, dark sable colours) and I think he would be a dream ferret for most ferret owners. He is super socialized, very good looking "little" man. He is my lovely teddy bear. I plan to breed him next year (I will get him a girlfriend this year).
(At the moment he lives with Vega)
- Vincent Vega, cca 2 yrs old male. He was surrenderd by his previous owners due to some hard personal situation and I decided to keep him for a V-hob, since he is one of the sweetest ferrets I have ever met. The first day he came I was able to give him kisses (yes, I am one of those who do this) and remember ... he was intact male. He also clicked instantly (ok, after few hours) with Gusztav and others.
- Gucci, cca 7 yrs old spayed female. She is my foster who will stay at my place until the end. She was surrenderd together with her friend Lei by their owner due to moving. Leia was a year older and had quite a list of helath problems when they came. First plan was that they stay with me only until we re-evaluate Leia's health problems and get her in some better condition, but she had to many problems, so they stayed. For Gucci on the other hand moving was quite a stressfull event and she needed more than a month to relax and start playing. After Leia was euthanised after few months, Gucci again fell into a depression. I even had to syringe feed her for more than two weeks. Now she lives on her own - separated from my other ferrets - she feels the best this way.
Gucci is "adrenal" and has des implant.
- Frida, 6 months old female. She comes from same ferretry as Gusztav, from Hungarian Nostrofuretti kennel, but they are not related, they come from different lines. She is a low % hybrid, she has a true polecat amnog her relatives, but most of her ancestors come from hunting line (only short haired dark sables). She is a really sweet but hyper girl.
She will be used in my breeding programe, most likely she will be paired with Gusztav next year.
- Alice, 6 months old female. She comes from England and comes from english EU polecat line (but by my experience english captive EU poleys are far from true continental EU poleys). She is very big for a girl of her age and very dark. Her breeder did really good job socializing her. Due to law regulation she came here when she was four months old, but pretty much every ferret owner can handle her. She is hyper, but sweet.
She will also be used in my breeding programe, I just have not made final descision about when will I breed her and with whom.
Beside this permanent crew I have different fosters. After every one of them I say I need a little break and state that I will not foster for a while, but ... well I still do.

About My Natural Feeding Experience: My ferrets were on combination of raw and kibble for a long time. The first ferret I had (way back) was switched to raw after she was diagnosed with insulinoma. And she was a real kibble addict and it took me few monts/a year to switch her over. She lived three more years after the initial diagnose was made.
After I got Iorek I switched my crew at the time to mostly raw. But after a last year's events I decided to change the way I keep and feed ferrets to the most natural approach ... They are all fed just raw and whole prey and they are kept in natural conditions (outside natural enclosure and outside covered terrace).

Type of Mentor: I am a mentor in training. But I have quite some experiences with all kind of ferret illnesses, ferrets of all ages and characters. I feed mine frankenprey and whole prey.

My Specialty: I guess I can handle pretty every ferret and his/her charater or speciality ...

[katt]

Name: Amanda
HF Screen Name: degozgrl
FB page: Amanda Guidroz
Location: Jackson, Alabama

About Me:

My favorite color is.....turquoise
My favorite food is.... anything chocolate! I love Mexican food but if I had to choose food or chocolate, it'll be chocolate every time
My favorite holiday is....Christmas
My favorite hobby is... crafts of any kind and shopping
I like to listen to... honestly, I listen to anything that isn't country. Which is funny since I live in the South and almost every station on the radio is country
I collect...owls I just love them

Something about me you might be suprised to know... I am a CrossFit instructor and I love to lift! The heavier the better
I became a mentor because...after I saw the difference in my fuzzies I just knew that this was the way I wanted to help others feed theirs. I just love these sweet creatures so much and I want to help other ferrents give their ferts the life they deserve

About My Ferrets:

1. Bonnie is my precious 3 year old girl. She was given to me with her brother Clyde bc the owner didn't want them anymore. They were kept in a small cage in these people's garage She is always following me around the house even though she's not a big cuddler. She just has to be in the same room as me and she's happy. She is a proper lady and eats very daintily and never loses her cool when she's playing with her siblings.

2. Clyde is my big honkin' 3 year old manfert and the brother to Bonnie. He is a big old teddy bear and loves to snuggle at night and rock with me in my rocking chair. He took to raw pretty quickly bc honestly the boy just loves food He is my stalker. He likes to sneak up on you and jump. The bigger the reaction he gets the bigger the war dance in response.

3. Daisy is the baby of the bunch @ only 20 months and came to me a few months after Bonnie and Clyde from another person whose children decided they would rather have a puppy She is energetic and dooks almost constantly! She is a tiny girl and weighs less than 2 lbs. She can climb almost anything. Nothing is safe no matter how high you put it and I am constantly having to amend my ferret proofing.

4. Fred was an adoption was a ferret shelter and best we can determine he is 2. He is the goofiest thing I have ever seen. He loves to perch on my shoulder to eat his food and I have to let him play in my hair after I wash it or he will climb right up my legs and onto my head! He is like a little tornado ripping through the house and he only has 2 speeds....full throttle or passed out sleeping


My specialties: None just yet but I'm working on that

About My Natural Feeding Experience:
I've been feeding raw since 2014. My experience has been great but there have been many ups and downs. I have done things I never thought I would like skinning a bunny! It has been very fulfilling to see my babies enjoying their food and looking forward to meals.

Type of Mentor: Ground Raw, Frankenprey, commercial raw

Ferrets: Bonnie,Clyde,Daisy,Fred
Doggies: Tika and Tater
Kitty: Ms. Kitty

[katt]

Name: Heather
HF Screen Name: FireAngel
Facebook name: Heather Losthermind Gorman
Location: Troy, N.Y.

About Me: I'm a mom, wife, daughter, and nurse. I work full time and am the primary care giver for my mother who at the young age of 62 had a stroke that has left her dependent on some one else for almost everything.

My favorite color is..... That depends on my mood.

My favorite food is.... Anything with sugar!

My favorite holiday is.... All Hallows Eve!

My favorite hobby is... Reading.

I collect... Blue Glass and dragons.


I like to listen to... Rock mostly but anything except rap or very heavy metal.

Something about me you might be surprised to know... I'm really an introvert and this is not my first time owning ferrets, we owned a couple many years ago but were not knowledgable enough to even know how unknowledgeable we were! Thankfully it is a much different story now.

I became a mentor because... This forum has taught me so much (and I'm still learning) and I wanted to give back.
About My Ferrets: they are all Marshall ferrets
Missy born 12/14/14 and the boss, she gets into all the trouble and teaches the others how to also. Silver mitt.
Sir born 12/14/14 and is my gentleman, he's very laid back and will let me cuddle a few minutes before he lick, lick chomps. He and Missy were in the same cage and litter mates I would think since they have the same birthday, at the small pet store and I bought them both at the same time as kits. I believe he is a chocolate Sable.
Belle is a marked white girl with red eyes, she's deaf and I'm pretty sure has a touch of waardenburg syndrome. She was born 2/14/15 and actually weighs the most currently. She is short and chubby and floppy and special lol.
George born 4/18/15 is a rambunctious ball of frenzy fun. I believe he is a dark sable milk mouth.
Loki born 11/11 rescued on mothers day 5/9/16 from a woman who said she could not afford the vet care he needed so if no one could help him she was going to have him PTS. In the first 4 months I have had him he has had 2 major surgerys, one to remove a bladder stone almost the size of his head and the second to remove the tumors from his pancreas. The second surgery failed in the respect the tumors are gone but he is still very much insulomic. He will be loved and spoiled until his time.
Keto was rescued with Loki and was born in 2009. He is adrenal and literally came to me skin and bones. He is now very furry and overwieght (giggle)

About My Natural Feeding Experience: I started them on raw within minutes to a few days of being home with me, all were kits so it has gone pretty smoothly for me, until Loki and Keto. Loki has been tough to transition to the same point as my orginal 4 because of his insuloma but he is on a full raw diet just no whole prey (actually I have only been able to progress him to grinds with stella and chewys). Keto will eat the whole prey and whatever Loki eats but no chunks of meat or wings or necks.

My Specialty: Patience and persistance.

[katt]

Name: Natalia
HF Screen Name: dorena261-Natalia
Location: Crikvenica, Croatia-Europe

About Me: Hi all, i'm a 42 y.o. EMT nurse - paramedic, working on intervention vehicle and emergency ambulance. Also, i'm a vice president of Croatian ferret association. We are saving, fostering, treating and rehoming abandoned and unwanted ferrets, educating ferret owners about illnesses, grooming, upbringing and all other stuff about them.

I have 3 cats, 4 ferrets (one of them is a „foster“ who is with me for over a 6 months and he's probably staying) and one albino african pygmy hedgehog.

My first ferret, Nyx (passed away a year ago) had almost every illness that one ferret can have. Adrenal, insulinoma, lymphoma, IBD, eosinophilic enteritis, heart and kidneys problems...

When her glucose levels began to fall, Maja01 (a person i infinitely believe when it's about ferrets) suggested to switch her to raw so i started to explore about the raw. And that was the beginning of my HFF adventure . First i switched her to raw, after that i did it with my others. She was a stubborn and picky little weasel, it took several months to persuade her to even try to eat and not to spit the food. She was driving me crazy! LOL But we did it.

I ended up in mentoring program because i thought it was a great way to learn all about raw feeding and to help other ferret owners, including ones in my country who doesn't speak English. At this moment, we have 4 official switches on our Croatian ferret forum and one successfully finished.

English it's not my native language so please feel free to ask me if there's something you don't understand. I'm doing my best to write understandable as much as i can (because google translator is not an option LOL)


My favorite color is....black and red

My favorite food is.... Mediterranean and Thai

My favorite holiday is.... any, as long i can spend it with my family and my pets

My favorite hobby is... painting, drawing, sleeping...

I like to listen to... punk, rock, heavy metal

I collect... pets?

Something about me you might be surprised to know...after my high school i wanted to enter the Academy of Fine Arts, but... with war in our country and some other bad circumstances, i couldn't. But who knows, maybe someday.



I became a mentor because... I wanted to learn all about the most natural and most appropriate diet for our fuzzies, and i wanted to help others just like my mentor helped me. I will always be grateful to my mentor Tiffany for having so much patience, especially because of the language barriers.



About My Ferrets: Let's see...

Nyx: my first one, silver female, rescued. Her previous owner told me she was 1,2 y.o. but she was much older and already with adrenal when i got her. She was biting for the first few days so hard! After a while she stopped and never bitten anyone. She was my reason to learn everything that i know about ferrets, not only their natural diet. She was so bonded with my cat, Diva, who was also a rescue. They ate together, slept together, they were inseparable. She was also very focused on people, although she wasn't a cuddler.


Baylis: albino female, got her when she was 8 weeks old in summer 2011, she was bought from a local breeder when i didn't know what i know now. She's a biter, she bites everyone except my daughter and me. She decided we are „her ppl“ and she adores when we cuddle LOL

She was the easiest switch at a time and then i knew you can switch ferrets in easy way too

She's adrenal with DES implant.


Oscar: sable male, got him as a present from one „home litter“ when he was 8 weeks old in summer 2012. Litter owners wanted the best homes for their kits and i was the lucky one to get one of them. All of us are friends, almost a family, and trying to find at least one day in a year to make a meeting. He's clumsy troublemaker and a cuddler, living for stashing.


Malak: sable male, got him when he was 10 weeks old in summer 2014. He is the one of the earless babies, brother of Maja's Iorek and Petra's Huritt. Backyard breeder had a big litter, mom didn't have enough milk and a breeder was away from home for few days, he didn't take a proper care of them so they ate each others' ears during the hunger. Since he couldn't sell them earless with infected skin where their ears used to be, he brought them to our capital zoo and left them to feed the snakes with. Our ferret association took them in our care, cured them and rehomed. They all are in their permanent homes, healthy and happy.

Malak is the sweetest one for humans and alpha to ferrets.


Cashmere aka Cash: sable male, my foster, have him for more than 6 months. He was found 1,5 year ago in the woods, in small rabbit cage with empty bowls full of feces. He had GI problems, smelly and very strange soft poops, probably the reason someone get rid of him. His previous owners had him for a year and couldn't bare the vet costs, he refuses to eat his kibble for 3 weeks and they force fed him but didn't know what else to do. Our association took him in our care and since i was the nearest, i took him „untill we find someone else“. He's on raw from the first day, it took him only 4 days to chew the bones! He also got a new name (like USA have dollars, croatian money is „kuna“(Cash) which is a name for Mustelidae too) and now he is my soft weasel LOL

I decided he will stay if he survive Oscar's and Malak's teeth. Since he have ECE (all of mine got it too), now is time for them to meet.


Type of Mentor: I am a mentor in training, i feed frankenprey and whole prey diet. I had one successful switch with grinds, but i prefer frankenprey and whole prey switches. Couldn't feed live prey and i'd like to avoid partial switches.

My Specialty: no specialty yet, but i have some experience with all kind of ferret illnesses.

[katt]

Name: Kelsey
HF Screen Name: Aftershock
Location: Idaho Falls, Idaho, US

About Me:

Why hello there! I am 25 years old, and happily married to my best friend. I currently am not employed, but that just means more time with the adorable fuzzies! I love to draw, dance, sing, and garden. I grew up on a beef cattle ranch (I still go out and help occasionally), and as a child we had a variety of different pets (I've only not liked one, and that was an iguana). I love learning and working my brain, and my little fertkids keep me on my toes.

My favorite color is: Lime green and lavender
My favorite food is: It's a tie between cold pizza, cheesecake, and baked potatoes!
My favorite holiday is: Easter
My favorite hobby is: Video gaming, hee hee!
I like to listen to: Most anything but country and opera. Techno is my favorite!
I collect: Decorative axes and steel boned corsets
Something about me you might be surprised to know: I am that morning person that people make memes about.


I became a mentor because... This is probably going to sound pretty sappy, but I had wanted a ferret for four years. I had seen a man walking his two around the river one day and stopped to talk to him. He even let me pet them, they were so well behaved. I knew I wasn't in a situation for an animal though, and I waited. May 31st, 2016 is when we brought home Gator. That little ferret straight up stole my heart, hearts are his favorite go figure! I want to give back to the little creature that showed me why I never really bonded with any other animal.

About My Ferrets:

Gator: Male, sable. Birthday; March 27, 2016
Gator is my boy, my heart ferret. This boy slithered all over the other ferrets in the cage at the store as if to say, "Hey! Pick meeeeee!" My husband calls him the 'teddy bear'. He is gentle, clever, determined, a fast learner, and loves to snicker/laugh. Ridiculous fluffbucket will speedbump and wait at the baby gate until I come back. He is my only hearing ferret. He's not a big cuddler, but he will lay beside me and put his nose on me to ask for a massage. He LOVES hearts, they are his favorite. Switching him was fairly easy, but it took our boy Croc to prod him into really wanting raw.
Croc: Male, marked white. Birthday; January 31, 2016 (Neural crest (Waardenburg Syndrome) Deaf)
Croc is my special boy, and absolutely adores my husband. Croc picked us to take him home. We walked into Petco a week after getting Gator to get some litter, and there was Croc, staring at us from that glass cage. He was the only one awake, and was interacting with us through the glass. We went home to get Gator to see if they would get along, Gator wouldn't wake up long enough to take with us. So after some convincing, I hauled my husband in with me to get Croc. It was a good choice too, Gator and Croc love each other so much.
As much as I love him, he was such a pain when we brought him home. He nipped all of the time (especially feet under blankets), would not use the litter box to save his life (he would roll and play in it or dig under it instead), and would cage rage like there was no tomorrow whenever put in the cage. He took a lot of work and a lot of patience and cleverness on my part. He's very particular and slow to learn. He is the sweetest of my ferrets and will cuddle on occasion. 
Cow: Female, blaze. Birthday; June 15, 2016 (Neural crest (Waardenburg Syndrome) Partially Deaf)
Oh where to start with Cow, she is my ferret that makes me want to pull out my hair. My husband and I were visiting my step brother and stopped and a pet store that lets you actually pet the pets, and out of curiosity I checked the ferret cage. There were no levels and it was lined with newspaper. I didn't see any until I opened the door and checked under a page. Alone and passed out was this tiny little ferret that looked grey and black. I picked her up and as she began to wake up she became excited and started to bite and scratch my hands. I handed her off to my husband (that ferret was completely his choice), and she did the same to him. He looked at me with a grim look and said, "I'm not feeling it, I'm not bonding with her." paused, "Let's put her on the ground and see what she does." Super proud wife moment. So we put her on the ground, and that tiny little grey and black ball began to dance and interact with us nicely. Needless to say, we took her home. She has been the most stubborn and aggressive of my ferrets. I had to hand feed her when we brought her home, as she would not touch raw (she sure tried to eat my hand though). Straight refused. It took three days to get her eating by herself. Now she's a perfect little raw thief!

Type of Mentor: As I am just a mentor in training, I can't say what type of mentor I am. At the moment I only feed Frankenprey, but I'm hoping in the near future to start incorporating partial whole prey into my ferret's diet. I have no experience in feeding grinds or kibble.

My Specialty: I don't have a specialty yet, but I hope I can bring my creativeness and patience into my work as a Mentor.

[katt]

Name: Tess
HF Screen Name: Tessvictoria
Location: Iowa

About Me: I am a 26 year old who's always had a passion for animals. I love to use my brain and try to learn at least one new thing each day. I adore reading and clean when I'm stressed. I'm starting a new career as a pharmacy technician trainee, and I could not be more excited!


My favorite color is.... Teal

My favorite food is.... Anything pasta or pizza related

My favorite holiday is.... New Year's Eve

My favorite hobby is... being on the internet, reading, playing with the fuzz butts.

I like to listen to... Doesn't really matter, I'll listen to it if it's on.

I collect... Skulls!

Something about me you might be surprised to know... I was a vegetarian for 10 years but had to start eating meat again because I didn't understand the importance of variety in diet and developed intolerances to my main sources of protein.


I became a mentor because... I love this website, and I want to help other people switch their babies to a proper diet.

About My Ferrets:
Mauser: sable and 2 years old, she is my heart ferret. "Momma" to my business and the smallest of the bunch.
Catalina: cinnamon and a year and a half, she is my sweet independent girl. She mostly does her own thing during play time, but loves to snuggle back up to the other two at bed time.
Poppy: dew and 5 months old, she is the wild child. She thinks she's a monkey and climbs anything and everything. In general she is a total whirlwind.


Type of Mentor: Mentor in training!

My Specialty: I personally feed frankenpray, but am considering working full prey into their diet as well.

[katt]

Name: Linda
HF Screen Name: LindaM
Location: Saratoga Springs, Utah, US


About Me:
I was born in sunny South Africa, where I have lived for almost all my life and my family still remains. In early 2015, I permanently relocated to the USA to marry and live with my husband John, who is an American. I am very blessed to be married to my best friend after being friends (transcending time and distance, thank you modern technology) for like 10 years before we got married. For now we just enjoy our furkids while we plan for human kids to come in the future. I will be applying for American Citizenship in the coming year and we are very much looking forward to be done with all government paperwork.
I am a graphics designer and artist, and am currently enjoying being able to work from home on commissions and freelance projects. I have held several management positions in businesses over the years, and while I am deeply thankful for everything they have taught me about people skills and handling difficult situations, I find that my heart always returns to art. I enjoy all kinds of arts and crafts and endeavor to try as many as possible. My current home office will be set up to accommodate this desire. I am also very experienced in computers and enjoy building them and keeping my own computer (a high-end gaming & design rig) up to date. I am also bilingual, speaking both English (preferred) and Afrikaans fluently.
I grew up with my grandparents on their estate until my grandfather's death when I was 12 and had practically a zoo of animals growing up, kindling my deep love for all animals. My dream as a kid was to grow up to be a vet, but after an incident that we had to take my one Jack Russell to the vet to get her side stitched up and I got to see some of her insides on the way there, I decided I may not have the stomach and steel for it as a profession one day. As an adult now, I do my best to do extensive research on any pets (I call them family members) I own so that I can provide them with the best possible lives.

In my free time I enjoy playing some computer games or reading a nice book.
My favorite colors are... Lime, Turquoise and Purple.
My favorite food is... malva pudding with custard (Traditional South African dessert).
My favorite holiday is... one that I can peacefully enjoy without any family drama occurring, haha.
My favorite hobby is... computer gaming, but I also love reading and arts & crafts.
I collect... decor from other countries and cultures, most notably Indian & Moroccan.
I like to listen to... Indian & Scottish music or whatever else reflects with my current mood.

Something about me you might be surprised to know... I am incredibly OCD. To the point where it can highly interfere with my art sometimes and can make reaching deadlines difficult. It can sometimes also make me seem like a snob, even in my most down-to-earth moments. It is something I try to work on daily to get better at handling.
I became a mentor because... I really want to give back to this community. My life and those of my ferrets are all the better for having found this forum. It has changed me and them profoundly, and we will never look back. My ferrets are living the high life and I would like to help others put their little floofs on the same path of health and happiness.

About My Ferrets:
All of my ferrets are entirely raw-fed, and have a 300sqft bedroom dedicated to them in which they free-roam completely, but are also allowed free-roaming of the downstairs morning till midnight when they get closed in their room until morning again.

Loki: Male, Champagne/Sandy. Birthday on May 31, 2015
Loki, ferret of mischief and trickery, was our first ferret. My first tumble into the world of ferrets and into a furry family member regularly making off with my possessions. I made so many mistakes in the beginning with this heart ferret of mine before I found this forum... the learning curve was definitely steep, and I will always remember my horror and confusion as to why a ferret would need a pair of scissors in their stash.
My Loki had been a sad story when we first got him, as he'd been abused in the pet store. It took a lot of patience, work and love from me and hubby to get him past that. Having had to rehabilitate him from fear biter status into the sweet, loving boy he is today taught me two things. Firstly, I despise people who think it's good to hit, smack, kick, shake, and squeeze ferrets, or flick their noses or pinch them. Secondly, it is ALWAYS worth it to try and rehabilitate a fear biter, no matter the blood, tears and scars. Often you will end up with the most loving creature in the world and who will trust you infinitely, because you proved to them that you are different and can be trusted and will stand by them until the end.
Loki's favorite toy is a squeaker snake that he has in three different colors, orange, purple and blue. He also loves to play with balls when playing with us.
He is a lover of food, and will at times overeat.. turning himself into a fat little tubber of a ferret. Surprisingly, he is also the most picky out of the lot of them and the one who will give the most trouble with a new or unliked protein.

Athena: Female, Albino. Birthday on June 19, 2016
Athena, ferret of war, wisdom and crafts, was our second addition. She very quickly became the alpha, and retains that position, ruling over everyone in our home with an iron paw. She fully lives up to her name, showing incredible intelligence and craftiness to get her ways, and you do not want to mess with her when she's in war dance battle mode, none of the boys have beaten her yet.
Athena was a little snot when we first got her and she absolutely adored biting my husband's toes whenever she got the chance, even if she had to make that chance. She'd left him plenty marks and bruises. We had to work with her, and using the sin bin method of discipline, she finally got the message, even if my husband still thought she hated him. It has become very obvious in the last months that she actually truly adores my husband, and loves to be around his desk for the chance of getting picked up or walk around on his shoulders.
Athena loves new toys and blankets, she will hoard everything and arrange them as she sees fit for the boys to enjoy. All soft toys belong to her and she gets first pick at who may touch what and take it where. She also enjoys making biltong (think natural air-dried jerky) for her and the boys by stashing some raw in places where they can dry properly and she and the boys can then enjoy them as chewing treats.
Athena is sometimes frustrating when it comes to food, but we just let her be now. She knows what it is food, and she will eat when the time suits her or she's not too busy doing something else. She used to give me mini heart attacks when she refuses to eat, even from a spoon, only to let me catch her later in that day stuffing her face with food.
Ares: Male, Sable. Birthday on August 16, 2016
Ares, ferret of war, is Apollo's birth brother, they are littermates. My husband and I adopted him and his brother, both 7 months old, out of a home where they were certainly neglected. My heart broke for these little boys and we took them straight home with us. My husband hated how comfortable they were in their cage.. like it was the only thing they had ever known. In time, they got used to being allowed roaming morning till midnight, and started cage rages when hearing me awake in the morning. That was the best part for us, to see them finally standing up for something in life.

Ares, contrary to his name and his abilities to fight, has remained a huge cuddle-bug and will often be found cuddling one of us, or sleeping next to us or on our feet, even going so far as to claw when he desired to be picked up and held or had been put down too soon for his taste. I really feel he would live in our arms if he could get his way.
At first, Loki seemed like he was going to refuse ever accepting Ares and it broke my heart more, because I would never separate brothers from one another, even if Apollo was accepted right away. Luckily, Ares wormed his way into Loki's heart and they are best of war buddies, tussling around every morning.
I started Ares and his brother on raw the very day they came to our home, and we have not looked back since. He is by far the least picky of my four, and will eat without any issue 99% of the time.

Apollo: Male, Sable. Waardenburg Syndrome/Neural Crest; Mostly Deaf. Birthday on August 16, 2016
Apollo, ferret of athletes and health, is Ares' birth brother, they are littermates. My husband and I adopted him and his brother, both 7 months old, out of a home where they were certainly neglected. In part, I feel that this neglect may have been due to Apollo being a Waardie (ferret with Waardenburg Syndrome/Neural Crest). He is mostly deaf, I would like to say partial, but he is very hard of hearing, and I can't say entirely, because sometimes it seems that he can hear a bit. I see his WS/NS more akin to a child with autism. He is different from my other three, and he definitely learns and understands things in different ways, but he is not unintelligent at all and often seems to have moments of incredible intelligence or cleverness.
Apollo has to be started off at every meal, just to make sure the food isn't poisoned, you know? We have to dab, rub or hold some of the food in his face before he will start eating, after that he may go back for a snack later in the day, but it has to be repeated at every meal time. It just seems to be one of his little intricacies that we don't ever expect to go away.
He has an intense hatred for latex gloves and will go for the kill if he sees you wearing any. It has been one of the few moments that I have actually gotten bitten pretty hard by him and where he refuses to let go.
Apollo is absolutely my husband's heart ferret and can often be found nesting in blankets under hubby's desk.
About My Natural Feeding Experience: I have been raw feeding my ferrets for about a year now. There is nothing I believe in more, than offering them a natural diet of raw. A carnivore should not have anything else, least of all dry kibbles. The differences I can see in my ferrets since I started, have ensured that I will never go back. My business have soft, fluffy coats. They have clean teeth and ears. They smell sugary sweet and more than once I have been asked if I use perfume or a fragranced soap on them, people are surprised when I tell them we do not bathe and that it's all thanks to proper diet.

Type of Mentor: Mentor in training!

My Specialty: Frankenprey, Commercial Raw Grinds, and Freeze-Dried Raw

[katt]

Name: Leanne
HF Screen Name: MermaidSirena
Location: Tallahassee, Florida, US

About Me:
I have my bachelor’s degree in teaching the visually impaired, a masters in elementary education and I am working on my doctorate in education (teaching the visually impaired specifically but you don’t earn doctorates that way). I am 47 and have been working at the Florida State Department of Education for 8 years, the last two I have been a senior director leading a team of 17 people to assist all school districts in following policies and procedures for special education and investing any complaints regarding the following of those. I deal with angry people most of the day and those are our customers. My family, which of course includes my animals, is my relaxation. We have two small dogs and two ferrets. The only interaction they get with each other is between the barrier of their designated spaces. I have two boys (19 and 16) who both love the ferrets and help with their care.

In my free time … what free time??? I keep the household running, work full time, teach two evening classes at FSU, and am working on my doctorate. If I get a moment my husband and I relax with a movie at home or jump in our hottub and relax.
My favorite colors are... Purple and brown
My favorite food is... steak, lobster and ice cream
My favorite holiday is... Fourth of July which is my anniversary!
My favorite hobby is... pysanky eggs and reading
I collect... way too many things. Past things: mini dragons, fluer-de-lis, old fashioned keys. Current: seahorses and bees
I like to listen to... 60s, 70s, 80s and today pop music and country

Something about me you might be surprised to know... I am a grandmother of 7 with one on the way. My husband gifted me three girls (ages 9, 11, and 13) when we got married. I have really enjoyed being a part of their life and have graciously become Maga to five and Grammy to two. Soon I will be Grammy to three as one little girl is due at the end of May!

I became a mentor because... I love helping people. It also gives me a purpose on the board. I am actually really excited to have more to do while perusing the links.

About My Ferrets:
All of my ferrets are entirely raw-fed, and our living room is dedicated to them in which they free-roam when someone is home. This is most of the time as my husband is retired and my teenagers are homebodies when not in school. I do have a rule of “caged at night” (I have a fear of fires) so I can rescue them in case of an emergency. They are often found in their cage on their own as it has their favorite hammocks so I don’t think they really care much about evenings.

Ghost: Male, Albino. Birthday on July 10, 2017
Ghost is my first ferret in over 15 years. He is my first ferret with albinism which is kind of ironic since my career is working with children with visual impairments. I got Ghost just days before the hurricanes hit Florida and I am so glad he was with us during the terrible storms. We started with kibble as that is what we went home with, but I love research and immediately found HFF and was hooked on healthy. He is a happy guy with a big jello butt! He loves Branch and lets Branch bully him without care even though he is so much bigger.

Branch: Male, Black Roan Mitt (or so I’ve been told). Adoption on November 5, 2017 (said to be two years old)
Branch is such a sweetheart! He came to me eating Kitten Chow but the family I adopted him from wanted only the best for him. They wanted me to adopt him so I could give him a friend and so I could get him to eat a better diet. We started on soup and he took to it right away. We had to build to bone-in meat but he is there and loves it. He would rather be held and petted than play, but can run and tussle if in the mood.

Type of Mentor: Mentor in training!

My Specialty: I feed Commercial Raw Grinds, raw meat from a butcher, and meat from hunting friends