Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2014 12:31:12 GMT -5
Name:
Nise ("niece", short for Denise)
HF Forum Username:
rescuemom
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
I have been feeding my pack of dogs a prey model whole raw diet for 2 yrs & 2 months now. Up until then I like many pet owners was fooled by the hype of the dog food companies & such. Then I had a rescue friend who fed her dogs raw & after asking a lot of questions & doing some research online, Jan of 2012 I decided to make the switch. 1 of our dogs had allergies (obsessively licked her paws), our seniors (turned 15 this Jan) teeth were horrid inspite of dentals through out his life ... the "high quality" kibble, haha, was getting ridiculously expensive. I found a site & learned about what the kibble ingredients really are & whats REALLY in kibble, ick. After about 2 weeks or so our dog w/ the obsessively licking stopped!! Their coats got so shiny & soft. Our seniors teeth AND breath did a 180! All their energy was better, less pee/poop, yay! The positive benefits were just amazing & vowed to never go back to raw. SO since seeing the positive benefits of feeding my dogs a species appropriate diet when I adopted Cricket (our newest member to the family, she's a rescue. She's a deaf albino <3 ) I google & learned as much about ferrets as I could & still am as I love to learn & keep learning!!!! I found that ferret are obligate carnivores & carnivores dont eat kibble. So, I want the best possible life & health for her possible so want to get her on a strictly species appropriate diet. Though w/ her use to kibble its proving difficult. Ive tried mixing a little ground beef & ground chicken w/ her kibble & no go. W/ my dogs 2 I had to fast for 3 days when making the switch but I know cats you can not fast ... so not sure if I can do that "tough love" with her OR what to try. Id love to have her on a strict prey model whole raw if I can get her there or at least partially, though would prefer entirely raw. Though feeding my pack (dogs) raw for over 2 yrs. I still dont think I could feed Cricket live food - so looking like for what I do for my pack - meats/bones/organs from my local butchers/grocery stores.
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.
Oops answered in #1
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
Oops answered in #1
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?
I totally understand as w/ my dogs - my girls I had to practice "tough love" and my cats ...2 yrs later are still a work in progress (so picky) they get raw about 3 times a week. I have 2 human sons, oldest w/ special needs ... & Im a stay at home mom so time I have .. just need the knowledge/tools to get her onto the appropriate diet.
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 have 1 female deaf albino ferret. Her name is Cricket. Unsure of her age (but would love to know if there's a 'trick' to look at whatever & guesstimate, like vets look at dogs teeth to guesstimate age). No health issues to my knowledge other than being deaf which Ive read makes them picker eaters, yay, lol. Weighed her yesterday & she was 1 1/2 lbs. From what Ive read thats right about where she should be. I rescued/adopted her from our local Petco. I have in the past rescued/adopted a albino parakeet from them. Anyhow, her story is someone found her in their garage & brought her to Petco. She was super skinny but other than that got a clean bill of help from their vet. She'd been there *Petco* in the back for 3 weeks
as they couldnt put her on "the floor". I was in there about 2 weeks ago & one of the ladies that work there knowing I do rescue & had adopted the albino parakeet told me about her & introduced us .. I immediately fell in love. (shes a Marshalls, 2 circle tat's on her right ear) ferret, which Ive since learned what that is ) so I paid a $20 adoption fee which will go to our local SPCA & home she came with me.
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) Do they already eat some form of soup?
Currently feeding the same brand they (Petco) was feeding her ....they had her on Marshalls Premium ferret kibble so I got a bag of that & a bag of Marshalls Chicken formula. No treats nor supplements as IF its true of ferrets like dogs - if fed a proper species appropriate diet supplements are not needed. However my pack does get coconut oil - awesome stuff!
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
No, first time w/ switching a ferret.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
Im a almost 35 yr old mom to 2 boys, 9 & 13 1/2. Our oldest is on the autism spectrum & born with a birth defect: Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus. They are are in 3rd & 7th grade. I grew up & still consider VA home. We are currently FL residents. (South FL, East coast) and will prob. end up settling down here. Our goal is to buy some land, at least 2 acres, & building our home OR if we find a home we like w/ land we'll go that route. I did dog rescue w/ a friend in VA for a long time - our 2 girls I spoke of above are both fosture failures, lol. Fostered & then adopted for a short time, Angel, a deaf white boxer. Before moving she was adopted to my friend & her wife who already had a boxer - energy wise they were perfect & Angel fit right in
So I am familiar w/ the precautions & such of having a deaf baby....just not one so little, lol. All about fostering, adopting, rescuing & educating folks on that. Would love to learn about not only switching her to raw but also would love to hear from other parents of deaf ferrets for tips, advice etc.......
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
All day/every day.
10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).
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Cant tell in this picture but her eyes are red. From what I can tell her vision seems to be a ok though she's a bit clumsy - though not sure if thats just a ferret thing.
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11. Have you met the requirements for this program? Do you have your scale, a place to access meats, hearts, livers, etc?
Yes, I have access to all of that as I feed my dogs raw & have for over 2 yrs.
Thanks yall!
Nise
Nise ("niece", short for Denise)
HF Forum Username:
rescuemom
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
I have been feeding my pack of dogs a prey model whole raw diet for 2 yrs & 2 months now. Up until then I like many pet owners was fooled by the hype of the dog food companies & such. Then I had a rescue friend who fed her dogs raw & after asking a lot of questions & doing some research online, Jan of 2012 I decided to make the switch. 1 of our dogs had allergies (obsessively licked her paws), our seniors (turned 15 this Jan) teeth were horrid inspite of dentals through out his life ... the "high quality" kibble, haha, was getting ridiculously expensive. I found a site & learned about what the kibble ingredients really are & whats REALLY in kibble, ick. After about 2 weeks or so our dog w/ the obsessively licking stopped!! Their coats got so shiny & soft. Our seniors teeth AND breath did a 180! All their energy was better, less pee/poop, yay! The positive benefits were just amazing & vowed to never go back to raw. SO since seeing the positive benefits of feeding my dogs a species appropriate diet when I adopted Cricket (our newest member to the family, she's a rescue. She's a deaf albino <3 ) I google & learned as much about ferrets as I could & still am as I love to learn & keep learning!!!! I found that ferret are obligate carnivores & carnivores dont eat kibble. So, I want the best possible life & health for her possible so want to get her on a strictly species appropriate diet. Though w/ her use to kibble its proving difficult. Ive tried mixing a little ground beef & ground chicken w/ her kibble & no go. W/ my dogs 2 I had to fast for 3 days when making the switch but I know cats you can not fast ... so not sure if I can do that "tough love" with her OR what to try. Id love to have her on a strict prey model whole raw if I can get her there or at least partially, though would prefer entirely raw. Though feeding my pack (dogs) raw for over 2 yrs. I still dont think I could feed Cricket live food - so looking like for what I do for my pack - meats/bones/organs from my local butchers/grocery stores.
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.
Oops answered in #1
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
Oops answered in #1
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?
I totally understand as w/ my dogs - my girls I had to practice "tough love" and my cats ...2 yrs later are still a work in progress (so picky) they get raw about 3 times a week. I have 2 human sons, oldest w/ special needs ... & Im a stay at home mom so time I have .. just need the knowledge/tools to get her onto the appropriate diet.
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 have 1 female deaf albino ferret. Her name is Cricket. Unsure of her age (but would love to know if there's a 'trick' to look at whatever & guesstimate, like vets look at dogs teeth to guesstimate age). No health issues to my knowledge other than being deaf which Ive read makes them picker eaters, yay, lol. Weighed her yesterday & she was 1 1/2 lbs. From what Ive read thats right about where she should be. I rescued/adopted her from our local Petco. I have in the past rescued/adopted a albino parakeet from them. Anyhow, her story is someone found her in their garage & brought her to Petco. She was super skinny but other than that got a clean bill of help from their vet. She'd been there *Petco* in the back for 3 weeks
as they couldnt put her on "the floor". I was in there about 2 weeks ago & one of the ladies that work there knowing I do rescue & had adopted the albino parakeet told me about her & introduced us .. I immediately fell in love. (shes a Marshalls, 2 circle tat's on her right ear) ferret, which Ive since learned what that is ) so I paid a $20 adoption fee which will go to our local SPCA & home she came with me. 6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) Do they already eat some form of soup?
Currently feeding the same brand they (Petco) was feeding her ....they had her on Marshalls Premium ferret kibble so I got a bag of that & a bag of Marshalls Chicken formula. No treats nor supplements as IF its true of ferrets like dogs - if fed a proper species appropriate diet supplements are not needed. However my pack does get coconut oil - awesome stuff!
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
No, first time w/ switching a ferret.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
Im a almost 35 yr old mom to 2 boys, 9 & 13 1/2. Our oldest is on the autism spectrum & born with a birth defect: Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus. They are are in 3rd & 7th grade. I grew up & still consider VA home. We are currently FL residents. (South FL, East coast) and will prob. end up settling down here. Our goal is to buy some land, at least 2 acres, & building our home OR if we find a home we like w/ land we'll go that route. I did dog rescue w/ a friend in VA for a long time - our 2 girls I spoke of above are both fosture failures, lol. Fostered & then adopted for a short time, Angel, a deaf white boxer. Before moving she was adopted to my friend & her wife who already had a boxer - energy wise they were perfect & Angel fit right in
So I am familiar w/ the precautions & such of having a deaf baby....just not one so little, lol. All about fostering, adopting, rescuing & educating folks on that. Would love to learn about not only switching her to raw but also would love to hear from other parents of deaf ferrets for tips, advice etc....... 9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
All day/every day.
10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).
11. Have you met the requirements for this program? Do you have your scale, a place to access meats, hearts, livers, etc?
Yes, I have access to all of that as I feed my dogs raw & have for over 2 yrs.
Thanks yall!
Nise