Finleytheferret's Switching Thread/Bitbyter

[bitbyter]

Great progress! Yep at this stage you basically just have to have patience and move at whatever speed they are willing to go at. Generally there can be a lot of back and forth (one day good, one day not so good) and then all of a sudden they will turn the corner and there will be no looking back.

I did finger feeding (didn't bother with a spoon) and at one point I had to stand there with my finger in the soup or they wouldn't eat it. Eventually they got the idea and I didn't have to stand there like an idiot with my finger in a plate of chicken soup anymore.

[Deleted]

Lol the finger in the soup thing is hilarious! Whatever works!

I will be doing an update on their weights tomorrow, but I have some awesome news lol. Tonight I put the liver in the cage for Cooper and Finley actually started eating it! He's eating lots, and there was one whole chicken liver. I'm so proud of him lol! Oliver didn't seem too interested but I just put it in the cage so maybe he will try it. Yay lol I am so so so proud of Finley!

[Deleted]

Sorry, I'm late this week on my update. I'm usually never busy lol but of course things have to come up while I'm doing this switch. :-p

I will do the update first thing tomorrow

[bitbyter]

No problem. Things have been going well so I'm not worrying

[Deleted]

Finley
2lbs 12oz/2lbs 11oz/2lbs 9oz/2lbs 8oz/2lbs 8oz
1.5oz (per day)
Solid but more of a light color, but I did introduce lamb to him this week.
Activity levels seem normal.
I've been *trying* to feed him 2x a day, but sometimes he only wants the first or the second meal and not the other.

Oliver
2lbs 16oz/2lbs 15oz/2lbs 13oz/2lbs 13oz/2lbs 12oz
1.5oz per day.
Normal stools.
Activity levels seem normal.
Same as Finley.

Cooper
1lb 10oz/1lb 13oz/2lbs 5oz/2lbs 7oz
1.5oz per meal.
Seem normal.
Normal activity levels.
He is eating slightly less now it seems, not sure why though. I guess maybe he was just a baby and eating a lot as they do and now he is slowing down/averaging out? Maybe haha.

Cooper's meal plan for this week:

Monday am: chicken wing
Monday pm: He had some of the boys' soupie for dinner lol.

Tuesday am: chicken wing
Tuesday snack: egg yolks (just putting this in so I remember to give them the egg yolk lol)
Tuesday pm: pork rib tips (not sure if this is muscle or bone-in, but I counted it as a muscle meat here)

Wednesday am: chicken wing
Wednesday pm: 3 chicken hearts

Thursday am: chicken drumstick
Thursday pm: pork neck

Friday am: chicken wing
Friday pm: pork rib tips

Saturday am: Cornish game hen leg
Saturday pm: chicken tenderloin

Sunday am: chicken wing
Sunday pm: 2oz chicken liver, 2oz pork kidney

I definitely would like to change up their menu for next week. I will try to pick up a few different things for them. Any tips on bone-in meats? I know you had mentioned poultry before so I'm going to see what my meat market has. I've never been inside, but my husband has and told me they literally have everything lol so I don't think I'll have any trouble finding anything. Definitely want to try to get them/Cooper to try some quail if they have it or maybe duck or rabbit.

I'm also slightly concerned about the amount they are eating/weight loss. Finley feels lighter to me lol and for some reason just seems off. He sort of "feels" skinny, but I can't feel his ribs or anything like that, he just feels lanky and not chunky/filled out like Oliver. I noticed they are all eating a bit less lol. Seems like every time I get a hold on the amount they are eating, it changes lol. Is 1.5oz a day enough? I'd like to see them eating at least 2 full oz a day but to do that I have to spoon feed them. When I just leave it for them they eat a lot less than if I was spoon feeding. Just curious. If you're not concerned about this then I'm fine lol just want to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong/they are eating properly.

Thanks again for all your help by the way. :-)

[bitbyter]

Let them eat the amount they want to eat. That is why we track their weight. In order to see any trends in weight loss. It is a bit harder at this time of year as they are naturally cutting back on food and losing weight for the summer. Keep tracking their weight as this will be valuable info for next spring so that you can compare. One way to check that they still have a decent amount of fat on them is to feel along their spine with your fingers. You should not be able to easily feel their individual vertebrae. They should just be slight bumps under a good (but thin) layer of fat. When Wilma was sick I could easily feel each individual one and there was nothing but skin between them and my fingers.

Quail and Cornish game hen are pretty much the perfect bone in meat. Rabbit is good also but remember that it is very lean so I try to feed a nice fatty meat the day after I feed rabbit. I've never bothered with duck or goose as they are too expensive here.

[Deleted]

When I first got Cooper he was really young and very skinny, and I remember being able to feel his spine and it freaked me out a little lol so I understand what you mean with that. Finley is the only one that looks skinnier. Oliver looks chunky as usual and Cooper is gaining and looking beautifully chunky as well lol. But I can't feel any individual vertebrae on Finley as you mentioned so that's good.

I grabbed a meat cleaver yesterday! Nothing fancy, just a simple, 6-inch standard one, but I can't wait to try it out lol! It's kind of scary looking though lol, it's now the largest knife I own!

This isn't food related, but Oliver's fur is looking a lot better these days, I'm assuming because of his new diet. It was very yellowish before, and today I noticed most of the yellow is gone and it is nice and white again. Yay!

[bitbyter]

It's amazing how quickly you start to notice changes in their coat and smell. Once you start doing it, it's so obvious that a raw diet is better for them.

[Deleted]

Today I put pork pieces in their soup and Oliver really seemed to like it. He ate about 2oz in one sitting. Finley was a bit skeptical so I just put it aside and will try to get him to eat later.

Also, I've noticed these days Cooper is wanting to eat one meal a day instead of two. I think his growth spurt is over now and he's regulating now, maybe? Does this mean I have to change his menu plan? Sometimes he only eats the am meal, and other times he only eats the pm meal.

And last, lol, I have a sinus infection and just got antibiotics today. This is the first time I've been sick around them. I've heard we can pass things to them. Just curious. I've been trying to handle them minimally just in case.

[bitbyter]

For Cooper, just combine it into one meal and reduce the amounts to whatever he is eating. So put the morning and evening meal together in a bowl and just leave it with him for the day.

They can catch the flu and bronchitis from us. They cannot catch the rhinovirus (human cold). So unless you are very sure of your diagnosis I'd be as hands off as possible. Wash your hands lots before handling them or their food / water and no kisses for a while. If they do get sick with something respiratory it is important to vet them as many vets proscribe antibiotics right away to prevent pneumonia (which can progress very rapidly in ferrets).

[Deleted]

Sorry for the slow moving post, I've had this stupid sinus infection hit me pretty hard lol. Thankfully it's clearing up now, though! Finley actually ate more of Cooper's chicken liver today, so that's good! Should I try giving him something else whole or continue with the chunks in the soup?

Finley
2lbs 12oz/2lbs 11oz/2lbs 9oz/2lbs 8oz/2lbs 8oz/2lbs 7oz
1.5oz (per day)
Some lighter colored poops, more orange is color, but I also introduced a new protein this week (pork rib meat).
Activity levels seem normal.
I've just been leaving the food available for them. Sometimes one or the other comes up to eat it, and then at night I leave some in their cage.

Oliver
2lbs 16oz/2lbs 15oz/2lbs 13oz/2lbs 13oz/2lbs 12oz/2lbs 10oz
1.5oz per day.
Normal stools.
Activity levels seem normal.
Same as Finley.

Cooper
1lb 10oz/1lb 13oz/2lbs 5oz/2lbs 7oz/2lbs 9oz
1.5oz-2oz per meal.
Seem normal.
Normal activity levels.
Going to try putting his meals together in one this week.

Cooper's meal plan for this week:

Monday: chicken wing (1oz) & pork neck (1oz) (2oz total I think so I'll day 1oz of each? I'll have to break out my new cleaver for this hehehe! Let me know if this is right/okay please lol)

Tuesday: chicken wing (1oz) & pork rib tips (1oz)
Tuesday snack: egg yolks

Wednesday: chicken wing (1oz) & 2 chicken hearts

Thursday: cornish game hen back (has pieces of ribs) (1.5oz) & pork neck (1oz)

Friday: chicken wing (1oz) & chicken gizzards (1oz)

Saturday: chicken drumstick (1oz) & pork rib meat (1oz)

Sunday: chicken wing (1oz), 1oz beef liver, 1oz pork kidney (gonna try to get another organ this week before Sunday)

[bitbyter]

if you think one is ready to jump ahead, give it a try. It can't hurt to try!

[Deleted]

Gah bad news. My daughter was just diagnosed with the flu, and I know you mentioned they can catch it. Should I take any precautions? She doesn't play directly with them or anything but they do try to play with her toys often. Definitely don't want them to catch it!

[bitbyter]

Ok, yes they can catch it and it is nothing to sneeze at . Until she is better, wash your hands before you touch ANYTHING of theirs, toys, water dish, cage, food, etc (that goes for the other family members to). If any of your ferrets start to show signs of a cold (runny nose, eyes, sneezing, cough) they NEED to see a vet. The danger isn't really the flu but it can very easily and quickly progress to pneumonia. Many vets automatically proscribe antibiotics to ferrets with the flu just as a preventative for pneumonia.

[Deleted]

Thank you! Hopefully we get through this with nobody catching it!