|
Post by Heather on May 5, 2013 22:38:54 GMT -5
Name: HF Forum Username: CherieHolmgren 1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets? Holistic Ferret FB page 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 am interested in a frankeprey diet. 3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet? I want my babies to live longer and more healthy lives. I lost my first little man in February and I do not want to go through that again until my babies have lived a long, long time! 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, I am! 5. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names? Ages? Genders? Do they have any health problems? Are they overweight? Underweight? How long have you had each ferret for? I currently have three ferrets. Mickey is albino, 4 years old, male. no health problems. he's a reverse season boy so he's putting on a bit of weight right now. Yoghurt Von Fuzzybutt (Yogi) is just shy of a year and a half old, male. no health problems but i could see him being a candidate in the future. He's slow to wake and isn't as active as the others. He'd rather nap. He's sleek and fit. Daisy is Yogi's wee little cage mate (they were adopted together to keep Mickey company). Daisy is also just shy of a year and a half old, female. she's tiny! no health problems, I would like her to gain a little weight as she's just so small! 6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) They are currently eating Rad Cat Turkey. They receive some n-bones and duck jerky as treats. I'm attempting to introduce other meats to them, with mixed reactions. What I have on hand is: natures instinct bites - duck, Primal - lamb grind, chicken pieces and chicken gizzards, as well as many tubs of the Rad cat turkey. I also purchased a cornish hen today and have it thawed. Might give that a try tomorrow. Oh yeah, also a bag of ziwipeak venison. 7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened? No, this is the first time 8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share? I am concerned about my babies' teeth so i would like very much to get them eating bones asap! I over react when anything happens to them and I get disappointed when they don't eat. hehehe I guess I'm a normal ferrent! 9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer? every day 10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible). I will try to upload picts, but I'm not really sure how to do that here. did this work? Hi and welcome to the mentoring program (wave) . 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
|
|
|
Post by Heather on May 5, 2013 22:41:44 GMT -5
Got weights today on Yogi and Daisy! Their first visit to my vet was October 21st, two weeks after I got them. At that time, Yogi weighed 1.2 kg (2.64 lbs) and Daisy was .76 kg (1.67 lbs). Today 4/23/13: Yogi weighed .94 kg (2.07 lbs) and Daisy was at .68 kg (1.49 lbs). During this time we went from Winter fur to the spring thaw so I figured that they had lost some weight. But that seems like a lot for Yogi. I need to get him to gain some weight now. Thought I'd update! I'm going to take Mickey over to the shelter for his weigh in...probably in a week when I'm on vacation. I owe her a visit anyway! Thanks! --Cherie
|
|
|
Post by katt on May 11, 2013 12:15:46 GMT -5
Location: Anchorage, Alaska Skpye name: hurricane.katt – I am on Skpye a lot so feel free to pop in and chat, or ask questions you want a quick answer to. 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 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 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 foreign objects, and is constantly finding new trouble to get into (his nose has a rubber detector in it). He had to have an emergency blockage surgery, which (we believe) ended up being the catalyst that resulted in his IBD. He loves digging the carpet up, or more recently chewing it, has a very serious oral fixation (if his mouth can stretch wide enough for his teeth to touch it – he will chew it), he 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. He has recently had a second blockage surgery, and this week he will be getting his second Des implant for juvenile adrenal. He's been a handful, that's for sure! Kneai: male, Silver/Black Roan Mitt. I brought Kenai home towards the end of November 2010 when he was about 7-8 weeks old. He is also eating 100% raw diet, whole prey, frankenprey, 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 and is slimming up, but he is still a clumsy critter. 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 simpleton. He has trouble finding the potty box a lot, and he doesn’t learn very fast. He also is much less physically adept at things – he has trouble climbing and getting into/onto/out of things. He is sloooowly figuring out how to control his floppy body, but he definitely has some developmental delays. 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 poops were HUGE and 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 and commercially ground raw. I have never fed kibble so I can’t help with picking a good kibble… My Specialty: Trouble makers! I focus on full switches to raw – no more kibble!
|
|
|
Post by katt on May 11, 2013 12:16:23 GMT -5
Sorry, I completely misses that this thread had been set up! Let's start off with a detailed description of your current feeding schedule. What are you feeding to each ferret, when, do you give meals or free feed, etc. Then I'll have an idea of where we need to start!
|
|
|
Post by katt on May 12, 2013 12:41:36 GMT -5
Just checking in.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 14, 2013 1:10:09 GMT -5
Hi! So glad I finally got your message! I thought I checked in yesterday, but apparently I did not. hehehe
I currently feed 2 meals each day. When the bowl is empty, I refill it. But basically it comes down to once in the morning and once in the evening. I feed about 7 oz at each sitting, but it really just depends upon how much they slept and ate since I checked last. The bowl I have holds 8 oz and I fill it nearly all the way up...so at least it doesn't spill as I walk it in to them. hehehe
They have been on rad cat Turkey for a little over a month-ish. For the past two weeks or so I've been adding some other proteins as they are now more willing to eat it. I always add about 1 tablespoon of pumpkin to each meal. I've been adding about a 1/4 cup or so of natures variety bites-duck as well as slivers of chicken gizzards and chicken breast. Maybe about 10 slivers each on just about every meal, except for sometimes early in the am when I'm getting ready for work. I have tried to step up the size of the slivers and found the chunks sitting elsewhere and not eaten. So I backed off and went back to the slivers.
All three are eating their mix well and I keep them with food at all times. They are caged during the day and at night and they get out to roam about half of the house during the evening after we get home from work. When they are out, I put their food bowl in the kitchen so I can observe them eating and so it is always available to them when they want it.
I suspect that Mickey is becoming Adrenal. The Shelter mom that I got all my babies from came over for a visit and I had her check him out. She's about 90% sure due to his thinning tail fur and somewhat thinning butt fur. He will be going to the vet for a complete check up next week...whenever the ferret vet has time available. I will report back before then, but I will definitely be sure to let you know what is going on with him. I've never had a ferret with any of the typical ferret afflictions, so this is a new arena for me. I think the plan is to get the shot for two months and if all goes well, he will get the implant. My hope is that if we can catch it in time, we won't have too many problems down the road.
Thank you so much for being my mentor! I'm so excited to enter the next phase of their raw feeding progression! I can't wait to hear the crunching of meaty bones!
--Cherie
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 15, 2013 1:17:18 GMT -5
Checking in!
|
|
|
Post by katt on May 15, 2013 1:37:08 GMT -5
Hey, I tried like 5 times to read your post and reply today but it was insanely busy at work today! I didn't even get a lunch break bc we were so busy AND short handed on top of it! I had the thread pulled up in my browser the entire day, but every time I tried I couldn't get past your first paragraph without interruption. Quick note on the adrenal - you need to do the Lupron for no less than 3 months. Now if you do 2 months of Lupron and then the Des immediately after you should be fine. BUT if you are just doing Lupron it needs to be 3 months. Otherwise you end up with them having a hormone surge that can cause more harm than good. It takes about 6-8 weeks for Lupron and Des to kick in as well, so keep that in mind. As for their food, the Rad Cat is a commercially ground meat correct? What proteins are they eating of it right now (chicken, pork, beef etc?)? When you tried mixing chunks into the meat before, how big were the chunks? Will they eat meat soup by chance? You are past that stage, but it's important for them to recognize soupies as food in case you end up with a sickie at any point.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 15, 2013 10:17:42 GMT -5
Oh, I understand about the busy days! I was off work last week for "vacation" and since I came back this week, it's been just like that too!
From what the shelter mom says, our vet (we have the same vet) likes to do 2 months of lupron to see if there is progress with the symptoms, then straight to the implant. Rather than going straight to the implant. I guess that sometimes it doesn't work? And they can find that out by using the lupron? I really don't know, but that does make some sense. Anyway, I'm going to call them today and see when she will have to see Mickey...and we can talk about it then. Now i worry about him constantly. And since I've been on the forum (as well as the fb forum) my head is spinning about all the different diseases and afflictions. I can't keep them all straight in my head so I worry all the time if they look like something is amiss.
Oye....the life of a ferrent!
Yes, the rad cat is commercial whole grind. They only eat the turkey of it right now. I forgot to mention before that I'm trying the Primal raw lamb as well. That one didn't go over very well the first time, but they are eating it now. All the different things I'm giving are mixed in with the rad cat turkey. The chunks were about four times as thick as a sliver....so not all that big, but enough that they wouldn't take them very well. Maybe one was missing, but as I found out yesterday, they could have stashed it in their bed...so unless I see it eaten, it hasn't been eaten. LOL So last night's dinner consisted of: rad cat turkey, 1/4 cup natures variety bites-duck, 1 tablespoon pumpkin, about 1 tablespoon of slivers of chicken breast and chicken gizzard (about 15-20 slivers of each maybe), and 2 heaping tablespoons of the Primal Lamb.... all totalled up to make about 7 oz of food then a little water to warm it up. This is pretty much their standard dinner. If I'm tired, I might forgo the slivers, but most meals they have them and they clean their bowl! YAY!!!
I started them out on soup at the beginning of this ordeal. I wanted to make sure that they would take it if someone ever got sick. So we have that one covered. The shelter makes a soup that they freeze and we can buy cubes...I have some in my freezer as well. It's not raw soup, it's made with cooked chicken, but I wanted to know that they would eat it...and they love it!
|
|
|
Post by katt on May 15, 2013 16:05:23 GMT -5
Okay, first I would personally reduce the pumpkin. I try to think of it as a medication - they should preferrably only get it when they need it. If they are having soft stools, have IBD, have a hairball, or it's hairball season it's good to give more regularly. I try to keep it to only those situation though. IMO the less you can reduce plant material intake the better. Their is some speculation that the pumpkin helps to replace the fur and claws of whole prey, and their stomach contents. But if you feed whole prey, you will find that the intestines (stomach, small, and large intestine) are typically left behind. They don't eat them. It is up to you if you want to keep feeding it regularly, but you should decrease the amount. The suggested amount is no more than 1 tsp per ferret per day. 1 Tbsp = 3 tsp, so with 3 ferrets, they would be getting a teaspoon each per meal. If you cut back to 1/2 Tbsp per meal that should be good. Great on the soup! Most ferrets love soup textured foods, but I have come across a handful who didn't care for it and had to be taught. lol Okay as for their food, let's try this. What Rad Cat foods do you have on hand? Just the turkey? The chunks you have been trying - what kind of meat has that been? It will probably be easiest to start with turkey since that is the flavor they are used to right now. Cut a few bits of turkey up for their next meal, but make them as small as you can. About the size of the tip of your fingernail. Mix them into the ground meat so they are nice and disguised. Let me know how that goes. If they eat them (I suspect that at that size they won't even notice them), then the next meal increase the size of the chunks by about half again as big, up to twice as big. Let me know how it goes! And please at ANY point don't hesitate to ask questions. If there is anything you are unsure about, or if I was unclear, or if you are just wondering - do not hesitate to ask! That's what I am here for!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 15, 2013 20:28:35 GMT -5
Sounds good! We were having troubles with hairballs, primarily with Yogi so I replaced the ferrelax with pumpkin. I will decrease the amount though, they probably are past that stage by now.
Yes, at first Turkey was the only rad cat flavor is all they would eat. I'll go buy some turkey legs in the next day or so and thaw them out. The slivers I give them now is chicken breast and gizzards. I will let you know how it all goes! Thanks so much!!!! It might be a day or two before I can get the turkey legs purchased, thawed and then chopped for their meal but I will try it right away! I will report back with my results!
--Cherie
|
|
|
Post by katt on May 15, 2013 21:23:29 GMT -5
In the meanwhile just try the chicken breast. That is usually what I start with anyways since it is a very mild flavored meat. Chicken and turkey are very similar in taste. However, you do occasionally come across the UBER picky ferret who likes one and not the other. lol
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 16, 2013 0:43:27 GMT -5
LOL I know! They have been slowly broadening their palates. The first time I tried the rad cat, I purchased turkey, lamb and chicken. They hated the lamb and the chicken, but the turkey they ate. I tried periodically giving them tastes of other proteins but until about 2 weeks ago, they did not want to branch out. Now, they are eating the turkey as well as some chicken (the little slivers...which are more like shavings), lamb, duck and I even tried the ziwipeak venison dry food. Everything except the ziwipeak has been mixed with the rad cat. For the next bowl of food I make, I will put in slightly larger slivers of the chicken. I'll take a picture before I give it to them. I'm going to (try to) attach a picture I took of their slivers from the other day so you can get an idea of what they are currently eating. Wish me luck! hehehe
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 16, 2013 0:46:36 GMT -5
Ha! It worked! On the top of the dish is about the amount of natures variety bites-duck they get in each bowl and the lower is a mix of the chicken breast and chicken gizzard. These are on a bread plate that is about 6 inches across-ish. I'll try to take a decent picture on the next bowl of food.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 16, 2013 1:30:20 GMT -5
Well, they didn't eat much today (only about half of their bowl) so I just freshened it up and put it in their cage when I put them to bed tonight. It will all probably be gone in the morning.
|
|