Brttnay03's Switching Thread/HurricaneKatt

[katt]

Feed them as much as they will eat. There is no set amount, it's different for every ferret. Over time you'll get to know how much they eat and it will become more second nature. Keep in mind that their eating will slow down after a few months of being on raw. Also, in the winter they will eat about double what they do in the summer. A good rule of thumb is to always feed enough so that there is a little left over at the end of the day. Then you know they got their fill. If he eats and empties the plate, how do you know he was full? He very well could still be hungry. Ferrets on a balanced raw diet will not overeat. There are of course exception to the rule but it is very, very uncommon. They are pretty good at self regulating.

If you can get the basic meats from the grocery store, you can always supplement with the more expensive meats. For example I love to give my boys rabbit, but I can't always afford it. I get it when I can, and then that is more variety that they get that month. I'll get a whole rabbit and cut it up and then I can stretch it out over time so they get a little here and a little there. You can do this with a variety of different spendier meats and they will get that little bit of added variety on top of their usual foods.

[Deleted]

Okay thanks this morning there was a lot of black, runny poop all over the cage so /someone/ must have eaten the liver and probably all of it it seems. I didn't get the chance to see if Alfred ate any but I will put a little in when he's awake today.

[Deleted]

I separated them just for tonight while i was at work so I could see who's been eating what. They both got liver, pork neck and a heart. Batman ate everything from the bowl, as I had suspected, and Alfred ate everything but the liver although he did lick the eggshells off the surface.

Batman, the messy one that he is, dragged his eggshell-covered liver all over the cage and managed to get it everywhere ;D I don't know if he's just a messy ferret or I'm just not used to having a kit haha

[katt]

Ferrets can be messy, but some are definitely worse than others.
If he doesn't seem to care for the liver, you can hide it in a soup. Take any kind of soup he likes, and blend some liver into it. Gradually increase the amount of liver while decreasing the other meat(s) until it is mostly to entirely pureed liver. AND/OR:[\b] You can slowly add chunks, and increase the chunks while decreasing the soup. Essentially like a mini-switch. This can be used to introduce any new flavor he isn't sure about. Doing more hand feeding will give you a better idea of what he does and doesn't like. Briefly separating them on occasion is a good idea too to check in on who is eating what.

And yes, organs and heart can both cause dark, soft stools; liver particularly.

[katt]

Just popping in for an update today.

I may not be around on Monday, just a heads up. My interview is Tues (for Med school) so Monday night after work I am going to be a bit busy panicking and trying to study up on last minute healthcare tidbits. If you have a question that you want answered before Tuesday, please send Heather or Sherry a PM. I'll be here today, Sunday, and Tues for sure though.

[katt]

Any updates?

[katt]

Just checking in. I probably won't be on again until after my interview tomorrow.

[katt]

Any updates?

[Deleted]

So so so sorry. Last weekend was moving weekend an I've been workin overtime as well to pay extra for all the expenses. Lots happened, specially tonight. Boyfriend put Alfred back on Marshall's (he was very lethargic, couldn't walk and boyfriend gave him Marshall's) he apparently ate for 5 minutes straight before giving up and walking around normal. I feel terrible because with the moving I haven't been able to keep a very close eye on them and from what I saw, he was eating, but apparently he wasn't. Batman is still the same little raw star and eating everything I put in front of his face.

I feel so bad for Alfred ): I may just have to end up going back to the beginning with him? He was eating chicken just fine -this I know, this I strictly watched and made sure. When I tried them on pork Alfred was peeing and pooping fine and had normal energy up until tonight. He was still peeing and pooping fine which made me think he was eating but he hardly moved.

It's been about ten minutes since he had the Marshall's and he wandered around the room for five minutes before he found a place to go back to sleep. He doesn't respond when we try to wake him up when we come around either. The only time he wakes up is when we lift him up and stand him up (but this just started today)

I want to take him to the e-vet but with all the moving fees we won't have enough until our next paycheck (which I've been working overtime so the next one will be a fatty) me and the bf have been eating at work and skipped grocery shopping to keep feeding the animals. We would have more money but the apartments we moved out of stuck us with hidden fees (close to 600 dollars) they had never too us about. Needless to say, it's been a tough week and I feel like crud. I will try to keep you as updated as possible for the next week I am going to try and find a vet nearby that has experience with ferrets as the only ones I know if are strictly dog/cat. Although I think it was just the lack of eating I want to be sure.

[katt]

I would definitely take him to the vet. Yes, we will need to go back several steps, but don't worry about that - it happens in the best of situations. It is possible that the stress of moving was putting him off his food in addition to the new diet. I would continue feeding him ag least one meal of kibble a day just for the next day or two to make sure he is eating and let him start to settle. Take the kibble away about 2 hours before feeding raw soup, and give it back maybe an hour after. Is that somehow you can do for a few days? Kibble in the cage all day. Remove 2 hours before dinner time. Hand feed raw chicken soup for dinner - as muh as he will eat without stressing him out about it - and an hour or two later put the kibble back in. Is he showing any other symptoms? Vomiting, straining to poop, pawing at his mouth? Right now I would wake him up and feed him every few hours to make sure he is eating. Please give him kibble soup as he is probably dehydrated and that can cause it's own slew of problems. Whenthey become dehydrated they tend to also become nauseous and not want to eat/drink, which leads to more dehydration. This can lead to a VERY dangerous downward spiral VERY quickly. Please let me know hos he is doing.

What are you currently feeding Batman (in detail)? What were you feeding Alfred (in detail)?

Mistakes happen. We are only human! Try not to beat yourself up about this okay? Keep a close eye on him, keep hand feeding him every 2-4 hours (kibble and/or raw soup) and keep me posted.

[Deleted]

I am going to go to the store after I get off work to pick up more meat for the ferts/dogs. I am putting my dogs on their third protein so I will most likely be putting batman on his last as well. And also this way I can make another batch of soup. (I have livers and hearts to last me weeks plus egghells, I just need the muscle meat)

I have been feeding batman pork necks, chops and chicken wings. I gave him a meal of hearts a few days ago and he ate a whole liver by himself last week. He is eating about 4 - 5 ounces of bone-in, whether it be necks or wings, and I give him diced pork chops, no bones, for one of his meals (about 5 oz) every three days.
I am going to start balancing his food and meals more now that he's basically done. All he needs is one more protein source and another organ.

Alfred was eating along the same lines as batman. He would get the same. I saw him eating diced pork up until batman would steal them from him. Only thing I knew for a fact he wasn't eating liver. He would chew on a couple hearts, but I don't know for sure if he was eating those. He's been eating Marshall's since that night. He's still very lethargic. He sleeps all the time. I know ferrets sleep a lot, but he doesn't even wake up when I go in the room to play with batman. If I do wake him up to take him out of the cage for free roam he just finds a hidey hole to sleep in. :/

[katt]

I have a suspicion that there may be something else going on. Is he pooping? Will he eat raw soup? If so, start giving him raw soup several times a day. Hand feed him so you can make sure he eats. The raw will help him improve faster than kibble, esp Marshalls. If he was lethargic from a BG crash from not eating, he should have been feeling better by now. When can you get him into the vet? Is there any way your vet can bill you or take payments? Most won't but some will, esp if you already have a good rapport with them so it is worth asking. Another option is to sign up for Care Credit. The sooner you can get him in the better.

Please tell me if he is pooping...

[Deleted]

I have him separated in the top part of the cage with his kibble. When I get home I will check the litter box for fresh poops. The night of his crsh he was pooping.

[katt]

But has he pooped SINCE the crash? That is what is important. If not, he could have a blockage and needs a vet ASAP.

[Deleted]

Web I got home today I checked and there was fresh (at least from this morning, if not last night) in the litter box. It wasn't runny or seedy or any kind of abnormal. When I went into the room he was up and about for a little bit o drink some water but when I put him out to free roam he found a place to curl up and fall back asleep. When I gt back from the supermarket he was still asleep somewhere and wouldn't come out while I played with batman.

I'm currently waiting on the liver to thaw so I can make some soup.