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Post by Heather on Sept 4, 2013 22:47:19 GMT -5
Name: Natasha HF Forum Username: stinker1
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
I found out about raw fed on the facebook page and did more research from there.
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'm wanting to switch them fully to frankenprey and possibly some commercial raw if I can find some.
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
I know that its healthier for them. I've had 3 other ferrets that have had health problems like adrenal and insulinoma (they passed away) and I want to help prevent that with the 3 ferrets I have.
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 switching your ferret(s) to a natural diet, but you need to be equally as committed. 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
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 3 ferrets Alto- 4.5 years, male, back injury(hops around, weighs 1057 grams Donut- 4.5 years, male, cataracts in eyes, weighs 1060 grams Mika- 3.5 years, female, perfectly healthy, weighs 816 grams
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
They have been eating raw soup/chunks which includes chicken mush, chicken sliver chunks, chicken hearts, chicken liver, and eggshell. Also give them salmon oil, the odd time Ferretone, once a week they get to share one egg yolk and sometimes add pure pumpkin to their food.
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
This is my first switch.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
I'm having a hard time getting them to eat any smashed or cut up bone and also they don't want to eat just chunks without chicken mush with it. Their poops have been funky since I started the switch 2 months ago, but are acting just the same as always. I'm just kind of stuck here at this same stage not progressing to actual chunks or bone and I need some help. EDIT* Also am having a hard time getting the ferrets to eat raw all on their own. Sometimes they will eat ok on their own, but most times I have to spoon it at their mouths or else they will have a couple licks and they want nothing to do with it. I just don't know wheat to do or where to go from here.*
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
Every day
Hi and welcome to the mentoring program (wave) . In a little while your mentor (Cherie) 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 (dance) . Your mentor is here to help you on this journey. Please to make your experience as beneficial to you and your ferrets as possible you must report regularly, even if it's just to say there is nothing new occurring. If you do not report in, in a regular and timely fashion your space will be offered to the next applicant and you will be dismissed from the program. ciao
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2013 21:44:36 GMT -5
Location: Auburn, WA (Just south and east of Seattle)
Hello! My name is Cherie...
I became a mentor because… My first ferret, Jimmy, came to us as a mature boy at 4 years old. I had done some research into their food and was very intrigued by the raw diet. When Jimmy went to the bridge at 6 years old, I felt that it was the time to switch the others. I loved Jimmy so much and was devastated by his death. I wanted to give the other babies a better chance at a healthy life. I wanted more time with them. It was my thought that if I gave them a better diet, they might not have as much of a chance of getting those terrible ferret diseases and ailments that other ferrets get. It was at that moment, of helping Jimmy to the bridge, that made me decide to take a somewhat educated leap into raw feeding. My decision to mentor others was due to my own experience. It is scary to take that leap, no matter how much you read about it. Ferrets do not try things on their own if they have already been imprinted with what they eat. It can be very frustrating and scary. With the help of my mentor I was able to make the switch to raw successfully and fully. I know how much my mentor helped me with my peace of mind and I very much wanted to help others do the same.
About My Ferrets: I have 4 sweet ferrets:
Mickey is 4 years old, he is an albino, very sweet and is a seasonally backward boy. He was recently diagnosed with adrenal disease but is doing well having had his first DES implant in June 2013.
Daisy and Yogi came to us when my Jimmy (DIP) was getting up there in age. I didn’t want my little Mickey to be alone whenever Jimmy went to the bridge. My husband and I went to the local shelter to visit a pair of bonded fuzzies who were fairly young. At 9 months of age, they were exactly what I wanted to join our family. Daisy is a petite little girl, weighing in at just 1.3 pounds, she is a silver mitt and loves to give kisses! My day is never complete until I get kisses from my little girl! Yogi is a sweet and loveable little boy. He’s a very soft sable with a caramel coloured mask. He is a very sweet boy who loves to follow me around the kitchen, explore the house and get lots of kisses.
My newest little one is Lily Justine. She is just a little kit, when I got her she was 18 weeks old. She was saved by the shelter when the poor little girl was returned to PetCo as a biter. She was rehabilitated by the shelter to be quite a sweet little girl. I love my little Lily and I look forward to seeing how she does having been on a raw diet since she was 18 weeks old.
About My Natural Feeding Experience: I researched raw feeding for about 9 months before I took the plunge. I utilized a mentor to help with the switch and all of my fuzzy babies are happy and healthy now on their natural diet.
Type of mentor: In Training! I feed a fully frankenprey menu. I recently switched my bunch and am excited to help you with yours!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2013 16:20:43 GMT -5
Hi! Thank your for being my mentor and helping me out. Hopefully this won't be too hard of a switch for my fuzzies. At least I got through the first step and got them to eat raw chicken on my own so far
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2013 22:28:43 GMT -5
Hi Natasha! I'm so glad to help!
Let's start off with a detailed description of your current feeding schedule. What are you feeding to each ferret and when, do you give set meals or free feed, etc. The more detail the better. Then I'll have an idea of where we need to start!
I'm so glad to be helping you! My hope is that we can get your sweet fuzzies to eat a well balanced diet and give you many more years with them!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2013 23:04:22 GMT -5
Ok, so right now we are feeding chicken thighs, chicken breast, hearts, chicken liver, and eggshells. So the chicken is half ground up in my food processor and half me cutting into 2" sliver chunks. I basically followed the raw chicken soup portions when I make the batch. They won't eat the chunks if there's no ground chicken on it. And even then, they don't like the chunks too much. So I feed that once in the morning in their cage, then check on it in a half hour and see that it's only half eaten so then I add salmon oil to entice them and they eat a bit more. Then I feed them 12 hour later, same thing except I have more time at night and I watch them eat and try to make them eat it all. I feed about 4-5 ounces of food each meal between the 3. Every other day I'll add a bit of pumpkin to their food and once a week I try to add an egg yolk.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2013 15:50:21 GMT -5
P.S I am going camping tonight and won't be back till Monday afternoon. I might be able to get on the forum with my phone when I'm out there.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2013 18:59:58 GMT -5
Good afternoon! Camping sounds like fun! I would love to get away for a while! So it sounds like you are offering the slivers of chicken at each meal and they are eating some of them? Do you leave the uneaten food in their cage all day until dinner time? The first place that we are going to start is to find out how much they are actually eating at each meal. When you come back from camping, please post a current weight for each fuzzy. I would like you to weigh them each week so we know that they are getting enough food. Also, weigh their food before you give it to them and then weigh what is left afterward to see how much they are actually eating. You will need to find all their stashed food too. Since you feed at least one meal in their cage, it will be much easier to find the stash spots. Additionally, lets stop the pumpkin in their food and add in egg yolks instead. Is it chicken egg yolk that you are feeding? One chicken egg yolk is fine every other day during shedding season. Are yours starting their shed yet? I know mine have so we are also doing an egg about every other day between my four. Have a great time camping!! --Cherie
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2013 20:19:54 GMT -5
Sorry I haven't written earlier like I had planned but our motorhome blew a tire and we are sitting on the side of the highway waiting for someone to come fix it Anyway....so when I give the ferrets yolk, it is chicken egg yolk that I mix with their chicken. They are still getting used to that flavour. When they eat, they do get most chunks but they prefer to lick the chicken mush first. And I do keep the food in their cage all day long so they eat throughout the day. They don't really have any stashes around the house or the cage. When I watch them eat at night in our kitchen I make sure they don't take off with the chicken. They usually just stop eating when they are full or don't want to eat anymore. And yes they have just started their shed a couple weeks ago. The reason I add a teaspoon of pumpkin is because it firms their poop. If I don't give them it, it seems like their poop is runny. I don't know why it's runny like it is, but it's usually yellowish squirty diarrhea poop. But sometimes it's normal poop...I dunno! Haha I'll weigh the ferrets when I get home (hopefully soon someone shows up to fix this tire!!)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2013 23:25:29 GMT -5
ok so here's the ferrets current weight
Alto: 1006g Donut: 1054g Mika: 796g
This was right before they ate
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2013 0:48:08 GMT -5
Just in case u wanna see the kinda poops I'm talking about
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2013 1:01:57 GMT -5
So glad you got home safely! That can be kind of scary waiting by the side of the road for help.
Anyway....so when I give the ferrets yolk, it is chicken egg yolk that I mix with their chicken. They are still getting used to that flavour. When they eat, they do get most chunks but they prefer to lick the chicken mush first. And I do keep the food in their cage all day long so they eat throughout the day. They don't really have any stashes around the house or the cage. When I watch them eat at night in our kitchen I make sure they don't take off with the chicken. They usually just stop eating when they are full or don't want to eat anymore. And yes they have just started their shed a couple weeks ago.
First, as far as the runny poos....Are you supplementing with eggshell or bone meal? Until they starting eating bones, you will need to give them that supplement. Once they start eating bones you will not have the runny poo issue as often. Their poo completely depends upon what they are eating. for example, organ poos will be dark and soft, often black and tarry. heart poos will also be very dark and tarry due to the blood content. Bone poos will be more firm and well formed and often have chunks of bone in them. Just think of it as what goes in is similar to what comes out the other end. I can always tell if my husband gives my babies some sort of treat. Strange looking poos! If their poo is runny, we need to supplement with powdered eggshell or bone meal until they move toward more solid foods. The powdered eggshell or bone meal gives them the calcium they need to firm things up. Try 1/4 tsp mixed into your meals. When you can get the powdered eggshell or bone meal into their diet you can stop the pumpkin. That's good if they like it because pumpkin should be kept around in the case of an emergency. But it shouldn't be a regular part of their food. Pumpkin is a "quick fix" but it is a fiber and not natural to ferrets. Best to get them off the pumpkin and begin supplementing with a bone substitute until we get them chomping on those bones!
For the shedding...a regular addition of egg (whole or just yolk) a few times a week during shedding season helps the fur get through without all the coughing and gagging. My Yogi is just terrible with the coughing and gagging. I give egg (whole) every few days and he doesn't cough and gag much at all. If I hear something, I increase the egg a little.
What we are going to try to begin with is reducing the sizes of the chunks a little bit so that they will get used to the texture easier. Weigh their food so we can tell how much they are actually eating between the three of them. The slowly we are going to increase the number of chunks in relation to the mush and then increase the size of the chunks. This is our first goal!
So now here is your homework:
1) Let me know about the bone supplement. Do you have one or can you get one?
2) Keep the same quantity of food, but decrease the sizes of the chunks. Start out with smaller slivers, just more of them to make up the same amount that they are eating now. Do this for the next several days and let me know if they eat more of the slivers that way. If you find that they are still not eating much in the way of the slivers, let me know...we can back track a little bit more.
And don't worry! We can do this. You are on the verge of the switch, we just need to trick those little buggers into accepting new textures! I often check the forum periodically during the day, even if I cannot post from work. So if you have any questions, let me know!!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2013 1:02:30 GMT -5
Was that picture following a meal with egg?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2013 1:40:32 GMT -5
I didn't add any egg today, that is just what their poops look like half the time. not necessarily that color, but they are runny. I am giving them powdered eggshell in with their food. I'll increase it then next time. Is there a such thing as too much eggshell in their food? You know what i have noticed....when I first give them their food, they like to mostly lick it, but then they must eat the chunks throughout the day because when I check after I get home from work, there's only a few chunks left. Not sure who is eating the chunks during the day, maybe only one ferret is....I know Alto isn't much of a fan of chunks because he will be eating then gets one in his mouth and he drops it like a foot away and leaves it there. I'll make the chunks a bit smaller for him. Is it normal for them to sometimes just not want to eat? Sometimes they will just take a couple licks or will just refuse to eat. And its the same batch of food as always so its nothing new. It's just weird. But I have high hopes for these lil boogers! haha
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2013 1:58:24 GMT -5
Yeah, you are going to get runny poos while they are adjusting at first and when we start adding new proteins. If you notice that their poos are getting too firm then back off the eggshell...how much are you supplementing with now? I think backing up a bit to smaller slivers will let Alto catch up to where the others are and get him eating more in one sitting. Alto did lose a little weight from your first post to todays so he might not be eating enough. ARe the chunks you are currently feeding just slivers 2 inches long and really thin or are they actual chunks? If you could take a picture so I can see what you are feeding, that would be great. I found that freezing the chicken pieces and then shaving them into slivers with a knife was easier than doing it raw....plus it saves you from slipping up and cutting yourself (I did that a few times!). It is normal for them not to eat sometimes. If they have a day where they don't get as much playing or they just feel like laying around, they won't eat as much. Also the heat, I've found, can keep them from eating as much too. They have their days, just like we do! They can also get bored with their food. Mine do it regularly...one week they can't get enough of quail..next week they don't want any of it. Oye! They sure can drive you crazy! While we are talking about finicky eaters, what types of proteins have you tried with them? Some have problems with chicken so it might be good to try a few slivers of something else. What do you have on hand right now?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2013 2:29:53 GMT -5
Yes the chunks are between 1.5-2 inches long and fairly thin... Ill take a pic tomorrow and show u. As for the eggshell, I've been adding 1/4-1/2 teaspoon per 8oz approximately. I make a big batch of food that lasts almost 2 weeks and I add it in there and freeze it. That is a good idea with slicing the chicken frozen!!! Never thought of that! My hands are always so stiff after cutting that slippery chicken haha. How many times can u feeeze and thaw chicken? I have only really tried chicken with them. I did buy some Carnivorica beef from the pet store and they didnt want to touch it, and I haven't tried it since. Duck or lamb at the grocery store is insanely expensive so I haven't tried that yet. And I haven't seen quail at my grocery store but I think we might have an Asian store in town I'm going to call and see if they have quail. I'm a little nervous with pork, but if you think it's ok I can try pork sometime.
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