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Post by Heather on Feb 6, 2011 22:55:54 GMT -5
Name: Taylar HF Forum Username: Tayrawrrr
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
I first learned about natural diets for ferrets right here on HF!
2. Please describe the type of diet you would like assistance in switching your ferret(s) to. Be sure to include if you are interested in feeding whole prey (live or frozen-thawed) and if you are wanting to FULLY switch to a natural diet or PARTIALLY. If you are unsure what kind of diet you want to put your ferrets on, please express that and we can help you find the best type of natural diet for your ferret.
I would like to switch my ferret to a raw diet, with frozen-thawed whole prey (mice, maybe some type of bird) once or twice a week.
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
I want to start my ferret on the healthiest possible diet for him, because he deserves to live a long, healthy life. I believe a raw/whole prey diet is the diet for him!
4. Do you understand that switching your ferret to a natural diet can be a lengthy, arduous process? Its not an overnight switch. It can be a commitment of several weeks or even months. Your HF Mentor will be more then happy to assist you in switchng your ferret(s) to a natural diet, but you need to be equally as commited. If you aren't willing to tough out a potentially lengthy switching process, or if you have major life changes approaching (baby on the way, moving, starting school, getting married/divorced, etc) then it might be a better idea to wait on switching your ferret's diet until you have more time. Are you willing to make the commitment?
Yes, completely!
5. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names? Ages? Genders? Do they have any health problems? Are they overweight? Underweight?
I have one ferret, his name is MoJo. He is 9 weeks old, and around 1.4lbs. As far as I know, he has no health problems. I just got him, so he hasn't gone for a check up, yet. But he will be going ASAP! He seems to be an average weight for his age, but I do believe he should have more of a winter weight on him.
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
Just began soupies, which he loved. But I have ZuPreem Kibble that I bought when I got him, if the soupies were a no-go.
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
No.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
Everyday
Hi and welcome to the mentoring program on our new forum. In a little while your mentor (sherrylynne) will introduce herself and you can get started on a new adventure in natural ferret care and diets. Please remember to post regularly (daily or as per arranged with your mentor) so that your mentor can assist you move along safely in this adventure. If you experience computer difficulties or are going to be away, please notify your mentor and most of all relax and have fun . Your mentor is here to help you on this journey. ciao
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Post by Sherry on Feb 7, 2011 2:06:03 GMT -5
Hello there! I'm Sherry, and I'll be your mentor for their switch First, a little about me. I'm 51, and have my own housecleaning business here in Calgary Alberta. I have 4 cats, ranging in age from 6yrs, to 17(only one would eat raw, unfortunately : . I also have 9 ferrets. Boris and Vincent came first, two brothers, a sable and albino. Then Sinnead. I got her when she was 2. She's now 5, and adrenal. She's on lupron, and I've decided against surgery for her. After that came my first deaf ferret, Lucrezia. A marked DEW. Then two foster ferrets, whom we fell in love with and adopted- Zeus and Athena, both two years old at that time. Also both adrenal, and on lupron. After that, a little abused ferret we called Willow. She was the worst fear biter I've had, although now she's becoming a sweetie . Then, Emily. 1 month younger than Willow, and those two have bonded strongly. She's the only one Willow wasn't terrified of.Suki is the last one, I swear! She was a little 8 month old darling the pet store was having a hard time selling, so were getting ready to send her back! While transitioning the first four, Boris was my hold out. EVERYTHING I gave him was poison, in his mind . Worst little drama queen I've seen yet . Twisting to get away, gagging, retching- he did all of it! Then one day- he ate it! Every single piece on the plate ! Those four haven't looked back. Although Boris would still be a kibble head if I let him. The next two for transitioning were the fosters. Until we adopted them, I could only supplement with raw. So in order not to cause unnecessary tummy upsets(mixing kibble and raw too closely can cause some problems- more about that later), I'd give them raw one day, and kibble on a different day. So, by the time we adopted, they had no problem with 100% raw diet. With Willow, I brought her home, and she flatly refused to eat the totally ferret kibble, so I went back to the pet store and got her a small bag of the crap they were feeding them there, and brought it home. I tried to give her some, but she just upset the dish. So- I tried her with some chicken breast. She ate it up! Hasn't had kibble since . Emily came to us as a raw fed ferret, so no issues there. Suki was another kibble head, but caging her in the daytime with Miss Emily showed her how to eat raw. That's me and mine in a nutshell The reason I started looking a raw feeding was something my vet said to me. I was, at the time, giving them small pieces of fruit for treats. She told me that was VERY bad for them, and in fact, some studies have started to link early feeding of sugars with insulinoma later in life. So- I started thinking. Kibbles are full of carbs. It's all those grains/veg/fruits in them. Those are converted to sugars by the body. To me then, sugar= potential insulinoma. So, I started checking out various diets. I had no idea what an obligate carnivore was at the time. I found out! Not much wonder there was soooo much poop in the box! I may as well have been tossing my money in there. They can't process anything that's not meat based! So I feed meat Their fur is softer, their energy levels are amazing- no mad rushes then crashing. Even my three year old's teeth are amazing. No plaque whatsoever Healing is faster, and if they do get ill, they have more reserves to rely on than when they were just kibble fed! And there is a LOT LESS POOP!!!! Yay! I'm looking forward to helping your little ones get on a much healthier diet, and having fun while we're at it ;D
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Post by tayrawrrr on Feb 7, 2011 8:37:53 GMT -5
Hi Sherry ;D I'm really looking forward to having you as my mentor!!! So far, MoJo has taken to everything really well! He ate the soupies like he was starving, poor baby So I moved him up to some chunks of chicken with a bit of oil on top, which he took to instantly, as well. I tried some ground lamb, which he completely ignored. He ate a bit when I mixed it in with his soupies, but I think he would have eaten around it if he it wasn't blended so well Plus, he didn't eat as much of the soupie w/ lamb in it as he does when it is just by itself. I'm going to give him a chicken "drumsticks" now, do you think that's okay? I don't know how he'll take to his food not being a bit cut up for him But we'll see! I'm running a bit behind today, so I'll be on later to check in! Have a great day!
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Post by Sherry on Feb 7, 2011 11:43:13 GMT -5
Alright! Let's get this baby eating what he should Right now, even if he's not overly fond of it, he really needs to be exposed to as much variety as possible. Some meats will take him longer to become accustomed to, but the more exposure, the more likely he'll eat it. Personally, I'd totally forgo soup with this little one right now as a transition means. He really doesn't need it, other than once or twice a week to keep him used to it. That way, if he need pumpkin, meds, or anything else, he can have it in soupies. Much easier for you when the time comes When you give him the drumstick, make sure to slash it well through, so he has something to grab hold of. And best to get him used to a feeding den now, or at least pinning his meats to the cage wall. Helps him with a ferret's need to stash, and helps you with cleanup! Here is a good sample menu for him. Right now, he needs to be heavier on the bone than he will later on, simply because he needs a high calcium level for good growth, etc. Mon.-bone in meats Tues.- am- bone in, pm muscle Wed.bone in meats Thurs. am- bone in, pm muscle Fri.- bone in meats Sat.- am- organ meat, pm bone in Sun. - am- bone in, pm, muscle You can adjust this according to what's available, and what his specific needs are. If it proves to be too much bone right now, then cut back one of the full bone in days(unlikely, but possible ) at least one of the muscle meats needs to be heart, or you'll need to supplement with taurine for him. Very essential in development. Oh, and if your soup you do wind up giving him has eggshell powder in it- that's a "bone in meal"
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Post by tayrawrrr on Feb 7, 2011 12:06:16 GMT -5
So for the drumstick, just cut it right in half? (And I did add crushed eggshell to his soupies I can give him some on Monday and then on Friday, I guess, to keep it in his diet!) I gave the drumstick to him and he seemed to ejoy ripping at it But yes, he did stash it after he was done! I usually feed him in a cardboard box turned on its' side, but I was running a bit late this morning I gave him the drumstick at about 9am, after we played for a bit. Can/should I leave it in for a few hours? If yes, how long? I have some turkey breasts I can thaw for his pm meal tomorrow night! Buying food for him as been a bit confusing for me, because I'm just not totally sure what I should be getting!! I have some beef steak, too, I can do another night for the pm muscle meal! I have some chicken liver, hearts, and gizzards....If I recall, He should only be getting a certain amount of liver/week? Now, about pumpkin...I did buy canned pumpkin (made sure the ONLY ingredient was pumpkin!). Should I be giving that often, once in a while, or only as needed? That concepts a little "fuzzy" to me I can usually get just about anything around here...What are some good bone-in meats to try? I saw some turkey necks but since I'm still not too sure about what bone-in meats I should be giving him, I held off on getting some!
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Post by Sherry on Feb 7, 2011 14:48:50 GMT -5
That's great that he enjoyed his drumstick so much! Yes, you can chop it in half, leave it whole, whatever you like, and he'll accept. I leave large meats like that generally 12 hours +, no problem. If it's bad, he won't touch it anyway. For meats to buy- whatever's on sale I usually get the cheapest cuts I can, last day sales, etc. I also get slightly freezer burned meats from clients of mine, which just decreases my budget. These, however, I only give maybe weekly, since the nutrients aren't quite as high as fresher meats. Pumpkin, I normallly give 1/2 tsp per ferret daily, but then I do commercial raw in the mornings. You can just give it in his soupies, or even plain if he'll take it that way. Liver, no more than 2 oz per week. It's really high in vit. A. You can mix it with other meats if you like. It doesn't have to be all in one meal, it can be spread over the entire week. Mine weren't overly fond of it, so I made a liver puree, and fed it to them Bone in meats would be: cornish hen, chicken, duck necks, wing tips, ribs, rabbit, turkey necks, ribs, wing tips, almost any tail bone, pork rib ends, fish(try to stick to smaller, fresh water fish, any whole prey, commercial raw, soup with eggshell or bone meal. Muscle meats are any meat that does NOT have bone in it. Chicken, turkey, duck, beef, heart of any kind, lamb, goat, pork. As well as any other meat I've forgotten about Meats to avoid: anything altered, smoked, spiced or salted. Hope that gives you some ideas!
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Post by tayrawrrr on Feb 7, 2011 15:27:51 GMT -5
Okay, I'll try and see if he'll take the pumpkin plain, if not, in the soupie it goes! Thank you SO much for the clarification on meats--all that had me a bit confused. So now I know exactly what to look for when I go shopping! I'll check back in soon to update you
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Post by Sherry on Feb 7, 2011 17:10:00 GMT -5
Sounds good Hard to believe it's not going to take very long, and you won't even have to think about it
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Post by tayrawrrr on Feb 7, 2011 23:05:32 GMT -5
He is currently chomping away at the bone of the drumstick! ! Woohoooo! I'm so proud of my little guy! Once he's finished with the bone, should I put something in his cage for him to eat over night?
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Post by Sherry on Feb 8, 2011 0:53:34 GMT -5
Oh, wow! That's amazing, lol! Yeah, sure. If he's finished it and wanting more, go for it. At his age, give him all he wants to eat- he is a growing boy, after all
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Post by tayrawrrr on Feb 8, 2011 11:23:02 GMT -5
I put another one in for him, and it's mostly gone this morning I'm thinking about trying him on some freeze dried, only because I go away sometimes and I think it'd be easier for the times that I can't bring him, for the person taking care of him to feed. Mostly it will be my mom watching him, and she won't mind the raw, but I'd like for the freeze dried to be there just in case. Is it a good/bad idea to get him accustomed to eating that, too?
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Post by tayrawrrr on Feb 8, 2011 11:26:02 GMT -5
ALSO-- While this doesn't pertain to his diet, I figured I'd ask you, first-- about how long of a car ride do you think he can handle? If I stop every couple hours to play with him, etc? I ask because I have to go to Tennessee (I live in Connecticut...about 16 hours away! Not a bad ride, I've done it tons of times before ) for my brothers' wedding, so all of my family would be going down as well. Which is also all the people I would trust with MoJo. Also, I'm staying down for a week or so to house sit while they're on their honeymoon, and I was wondering if that would be too long of a trip for him to handle. I'll be going down in July. That's another factor to consider, too
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Post by Sherry on Feb 9, 2011 20:29:18 GMT -5
For the freeze dried, it's a fantastic idea! That's what I take along to the vet's if they have to stay for any reason As for the car ride, as long as you've got a travel carrier where you can put a litter box/paper, and a hammy, as well as a water bottle(this is the ONLY time I use these), and a place to eat, he'll be fine for the entire trip. He will, obviously, enjoy getting out and stretching his legs, but be absolutely certain he cannot escape his harness. Else he'll be gone.
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Post by tayrawrrr on Feb 9, 2011 21:22:50 GMT -5
Okay, I'll definitely look into getting some freeze dried stuff!! Thanks for the info on the trip--I'm house sitting for my brother after his wedding, so I'll be bringing MoJo with me I have been putting his harness on for a little while everyday to get him accustomed to it, he's adjusting well!! I actually was going to ask about water bottles, because he really doesn't drink from the one I have in for him, so I've been giving him water in a bowl through out the day! How do you give yours water? A bowl? I'd love to know, as I'm not a fan of the water bottles!
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Post by Sherry on Feb 9, 2011 21:54:31 GMT -5
In the house, and cage? Bowls onlly. I use croc locs, or even a parrot dish that locks on the cage bars. For the travel cage, I've used water bottles. However, I have been known to move the stopper in the spout so the water comes out for them, just so they realize it's in there! Practice with him beforehand with it. Some carriers will also have small bowls that hook onto the gate, and you can use them, if you don't have a ferret who will knock them loose.
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