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Post by Heather on Jun 16, 2011 0:43:12 GMT -5
Name: Chelsea HF Forum Username: Skits 1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets? -Heard about it on ferret harmony and read more about it on here. 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 want to switch them to full raw meat. Not whole prey though. I'm able to get them chicken, beef, pork, turkey...basic meats. But my dad doesn't want them to have duck, lamb etc. And for organs, anything chicken or not that expensive. 3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet? -I would like them to be healthier and less prone to getting sick. It's much more interesting for them to be on a natural diet like they should be eating rather than kibbles. 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 for sure, only whats best for the fuzzies. 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 six. Luo: Male, 4 years old, no health problems. Healthy weight but I can feel his ribs a bit. Summer: Female, 2 years old, no health problems. Healthy weight but a bit chubby. Evelynn: Female, 2 years old, no health problems. A bit thinner than my others but she's been that way since we got her. Mischief: Female, 1 and a half years old, no health problems. She's a bit thin because her previous owners fed her a small meal a day of kibble. Delilah: Female, 1 and a half years old, no health problems. Healthy weight. Yoshi: Male, 1 year old, no health problems. Healthy weight. 6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) -They were on eukanuba cat food, but for the past two days have been having ground beef soupies. On thursday I will be able to have them on chicken soupies, just need to do the groceries. 7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened? -I've tried before, but after two days my dad wasn't convinced it was the right diet for them and made me stop. He's fully convinced now so I can finally do this. 8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share? -Four of my ferts are doing great on their soup currently, Evelynn and Mischief haven't been too interested so far though. 9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer? -Every day as long as I don't have plans. 10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible). Hi and welcome to the mentoring program. In a little while your mentor (Hurricanekatt) 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 katt on Jun 16, 2011 3:04:36 GMT -5
Hi! Here's just a little about me... Name: Katt HF Screen Name: HurricaneKatt Location: Anchorage, Alaska About Me: My favorite hobby is... studying. Just kidding. I like to do different types of art including drawing and painting. I recently started making dream catchers too. I enjoy horseback riding, playing with my critters, and enjoying time with my boyfriend. And the critters of course! I just graduated in May with my Bachelor of Science in Biology. I’ll be taking a year off to enjoy myself, work on my application, and hopefully do some volunteer work in Africa before applying for Medical School in the next round. I became a mentor because...I really like helping people (hence the whole wanting to be a doctor thing ) and animals. I am a strong supporter of a natural diet and probably bore most people that I meet to death ranting about raw diet and why it is the best way to go…this way I can rant to someone who actually cares! About My Ferrets: Koda – male, Real Canadian, I got him when he was about 8 weeks old when I bought him in December 2009, Sable. I gave him raw the second he came home and neither of us has ever looked back. He is a real trouble maker and is pretty well known around the forums as such. He is my first ferret and he has forced me to learn and learn FAST! He has managed to eat several rubber objects (had to have surgery!), and is constantly finding new trouble to get into. Loves digging the carpet up, has a very serious oral fixation (if his mouth can stretch wide enough for his teeth to touch it – he will chew it), will rearrange the room to reach things, has learned how to levitate, and is an all around little monster. He is also very strongly bonded to my boyfriend and I, and can be a huge love bug. When the endless energy is finally burned off, he will curl up in our laps, give us kisses, and fall asleep. As you can tell, I have this problem where I can’t stop talking about him or taking pictures of him… He has IBD which we struggled to get control of (and finally succeeded!) with diet. Recently he started showing signs of juvenile adrenal disease and is currently getting Lupron shots while we wait for Des to arrive off of backorder. Kneai: I brought Kenai home towards the end of November. He is also eating 100% raw diet, whole prey, franken prey, meaty bones you name it! He was a tiny little bag of bones when I brought him home, but he eats like a pig and grows like a weed! He is now huge and rolly-polly! definitely a little porker - he can barely make it out of his rice box because he is so bottom heavy. lmao He finally started shedding some fur and a little winter weight in the last few weeks or so. He is a silver mitt/black roan mitt. haha He loves, LOVES toys and is a loveable, goofy little guy and has been helping to keep Koda company and burn off each others energy! He's definitely a little spaz - I thought Koda was until I got Kenai! He's a bit of a simpelton, but we love him just the same. About My Natural Feeding Experience: I've been feeding raw since December 2009 when I brought Koda home. Thanks to this forum, I was ready for a fuzzball to come home with my freezer stocked with meats! I gave him a raw chicken wing his first night home and that was the end of that! He is fed frankenprey, f/t roents, and live prey. Unfortunately, his diet is somewhat restricted because of his IBD, but we've finally got a bit of variety back in. I have been reading and learning since before I brought Koda home and learned a lot from the people here on the forum. I am always on the forum, and various websites trying to learn more about ferrets in general, and especially raw diet. My boys are healthy, energetic, have super soft fur, and smell so good that people regularly comment, asking me what perfume or spray I sprayed them (esp Koda) with! I love telling them: Thanks to a raw diet - he just smells that good naturally! When Kenai first came home he had been eating Marshall's kibble and his poop smelled...awful doesn't even come close to describing it! Now he smells much better and his scraggly coat has been replaced by a luxurious pile of fur. Type of Mentor: In Training! I feed frankenprey, raw meats, bone-in meats, ground meats, frozen/thawed rodents, live prey, and recently added (for treats and supplemental) freeze dried raw. I have never fed kibble so I can’t help a ton there on picking a good kibble… but hopefully we can get rid of it entirely anyways. My Specialty: Trouble makers! Especially only ferrets, and kits. I am excited to get to work with you and your crew!
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Post by katt on Jun 16, 2011 3:11:02 GMT -5
Let's start out with a detailed rundown of your diet and feeding schedule. Exactly what are they eating, how often do you feed them, do you feed in meals or free-range feed (leave food in the cage), etc... Also, to start out you are going to want a blender or food processor for making soupies, some canned pumpkin or squash baby food, and boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or breast tenders work really well to start with).
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Post by skits on Jun 16, 2011 13:10:27 GMT -5
Hi Katt it's nice to meet you! That's great that you can get to go to africa to volunteer, good luck Your gang definitely sounds like they keep you on your toes. ;D I feed mine two meals a day, morning and night. They get soupies of ground beef, some water, and some eggs in there as well. I'm going grocery shopping today so I will pick up the stuff you mentioned while I'm there.
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Post by katt on Jun 16, 2011 13:30:40 GMT -5
Perfect! It will be easier to switch them over since they already have a bit of a taste for raw. Are they currently eating the soupies only? For their next meal, blend a little chicken into the soupies, and add about a tsp of pumpkin. This will help to firm up their poops a bit while they are on the soft-food diet part of the switch. See how they take to that, then start adding in more chicken and less beef and egg. The beef and eggs are good, and we can definitely add those back in later too. But chicken is the easiest bone to start on, and a nice and mild flavored meat. We want to get them eating chicken, get them used to the flavor, then the texture of raw meat, then bones. Meanwhile adding in other meats. Your crew are all adorable by the way. I am pretty sure I have seen you around on the ferret.com forum, yes? Or maybe I just imagined it... lol
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Post by skits on Jun 17, 2011 18:14:39 GMT -5
Yes they are only eating their soupies. I went out to buy the chicken and pumpkin but couldn't find any pumpkin. I blended the chicken in their soup though and they love it. I'll look for pumpkin next time I'm out. At what point can I just feed cut up chicken pieces? And thanks, I've only been on ferret harmony and holistic ferret though.
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Post by katt on Jun 17, 2011 18:53:32 GMT -5
Oh. Huh. Oops. I must jsut be remembering from when you were on the old forum. Go ahead and offer them some chunks and see how they take it. Some ferrets are more stubborn than others. It never, ever hurts to try to push them to the next step faster - you can always go back to slow and steady and keep trying new things as you go. With 6 I am sure you will find you have a fair mix of switching "styles." The first part is getting them used to the taste, then the texture, increasing the size, then adding bones, and finally smoothing out the rough edges to be sure they are getting the right proportions and variety. Some ferrets will take longer than others and need a little more TLC along the way, while others will jump right into it. If they will eat the chunks, then GREAT! If not, no worries. Keep trying, and meanwhile we will make the soup thicker (more chicken puree rather than soup) and start adding small chunks. Then you increase the chunks (and size of the chunks) and decrease the soup until they are eating plain chunks. Give the chunks a try and let me know what they think of it. If they go for it then we can jump ahead a whole several steps.
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Post by skits on Jun 19, 2011 15:45:36 GMT -5
I have some pretty good news on their progress. I had gone out one morning and totally forgot to feed the ferrets as I was in such a hurry, so I called my dad and told him to feed them their soup that was in the fridge. He couldn't find it so he just defrosted their chicken pieces and put them in their cage. When I got back home an hour later, Luo and Yoshi were still tearing apart their piece. Evelynn and Delilah had eaten a bit of theirs too. I still put soup in their cage though and they seemed to still prefer the soup.
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Post by katt on Jun 19, 2011 23:37:22 GMT -5
Yay! They will probably always prefer the soup. How big were the chunks? Go ahead and just start feeding them chunks then, and try out different meats. Next step, Bones! You will need some chicken wings, a strong knife/scissors, and a hammer. Smash and cut the wings up until they are a meaty pulp. The bones should be totally pulverized and mashed into the meat. This exposes the marrow (the yummy part of the bone) and mixes it in with the meat and meat flavor a bit to make it more tempting. You may or may not have to Scruff N Stuff a few times to get them to taste the bone, but usually once they taste the marrow they like it well enough. Let me know how it goes, and if you have any questions.
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Post by katt on Jun 21, 2011 13:10:04 GMT -5
How's everything going? Any updates?
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Post by skits on Jun 24, 2011 4:20:20 GMT -5
Sorry, haven't had much time lately to get on the computer. The piece my dad had given them was a chicken thigh I think, with a bone inside too. I've been feeding them that and than their usual bowl of soup so they finish off the soup and than go to the chicken and enjoy tearing it apart. I was waken up today by a ferret shrieking really loudly and when I looked into their cage I noticed it was Delilah and Yoshi fighting for a bone with some chicken left over on it. ;D They're all able to eat a full piece as long as I cut slices through it so they have something to grab on. Summer isn't eating anything other than soup yet though, she's being a pain in the butt to switch over but she loves raw. I'll go get some chicken wings today and do what you told and see how that goes.
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Post by katt on Jun 24, 2011 15:17:32 GMT -5
Sorry, haven't had much time lately to get on the computer. The piece my dad had given them was a chicken thigh I think, with a bone inside too. I've been feeding them that and than their usual bowl of soup so they finish off the soup and than go to the chicken and enjoy tearing it apart. I was waken up today by a ferret shrieking really loudly and when I looked into their cage I noticed it was Delilah and Yoshi fighting for a bone with some chicken left over on it. ;D They're all able to eat a full piece as long as I cut slices through it so they have something to grab on. Summer isn't eating anything other than soup yet though, she's being a pain in the butt to switch over but she loves raw. I'll go get some chicken wings today and do what you told and see how that goes. I am glad you are back! I need an update of exactly what you are feeding. Chunks? Chunks with bone? whole bones? Your last post was a little confusing, sorry... Go ahead and start feeding them bigger chunks of bone and see how that goes. Also start to introduce new meats. As for Summer, she probably just needs a little TLC. Take all of their food away for the day (either at bedtime, or breakfast) then offer her a plate of boneless meat chunks. As long as you have no insulinoma in the crew, skipping meals will not hurt them, and Bob Church's (and other) research shows it is actually healthy for them to miss meals here and there. Hunger is the best motivator! Let me know how she does with boneless chunks on a hungry belly. Do not offer her soup right away, but instead try to hand feed her the chunks of she is not interested in them on her own. Some ferrets are just stubborn and need to be hand fed for a while, or even move at a slower pace. We can keep her going at her own pace while moving the others forward by hand feeding her, and/or we can slow them all down to meet in the middle a bit. Either way they will all eventually get there. There are several tricks we can try with little Summer. Let me know how she does with boneless chunks after 12 hours of no food. Depending on how she does, we will go from there.
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Post by skits on Jun 25, 2011 9:09:18 GMT -5
Oh I'm sorry. What I've been feeding them was a whole chicken breast that did have a bone in it though. What I did was take off the skin and cut through it so it's easier for them to grab onto the pieces. Than other than that, I had soup on the side for those who didn't like the chicken breast. I wasn't able to go to the stores yesterday because of a holiday here that closed the stores, so I'm going today and I'll try the boneless chicken. I'll give an update once I have that.
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Post by katt on Jun 25, 2011 11:35:41 GMT -5
I will wait to hear how she does then!
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Post by katt on Jun 28, 2011 15:42:55 GMT -5
Any updates?
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