Thenightgoddess' Switching Thread/ Violetdelusions

[Heather]

Name:Hope
HF Forum Username:thenightgoddess


1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?I found out about it mostly from when I was told to go on this forum after I learned I was going to be getting a ferret.

2. Please describe the type of diet you would like assistance in switching your ferret(s) to. I want to feed frozen or thawed raw diet and am ok with doing whole prey at times. I am just not ok with live.

3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet? Because I know it is the best thing to feed them and it can help prevent diseases that can ultimately kill them and decrease there life span.

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 willing to make the commitment I waited a month after I got him to start the switch because I was going to have my mom babysit him for a weekend. Now I am ready to start the switch.

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 only have one his name is Mister, he is a male, and he is a year and a couple months old. He doesn't have any health problems that I have noticed. I have had him for about a month.

6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) Do they already eat some form of soup? Right now he is eating what he was before I got him which is Marshall Premium Ferret Diet. The only other thing I have given him is some olive oil. Thought I would update this he is eating soup eagerly but he is still on his kibble to till I can get him to eat chunks since he is still eating his kibble.

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?
This is my first time owning a ferret and I just want to start feeding him what is best for him since he has been eating a bad ferret kibble his whole life.

9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
I am on for at least an hour or two a day usually more.

10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).


I am getting my scale this weekend. I have one place so far to access meats (I can get 80% of what I need there) and will be doing more research for that in the days to come. Just need to find the liver and more variety. We have lots of butchers around though, so just gotta make some calls.

Hi and welcome to the mentoring program (wave) . In a little while your mentor (Violetdelusions) 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 :boing: . Your mentor is here to help you on this journey.
ciao

[Deleted]

Hello! (wave) My name is McKenna, and I will be your mentor for this switch. I'll start by saying, I am here for your assistance during your entire switch and beyond that as well. I am here for anything you need, diet related or not, emotional and moral support as well. If I don't know the answers you need I will either refer you to another mentor who can help, or I will do as much research as I can to help. You can get a hold of me either with a PM here, or you can add me on Facebook (McKenna Schmitt), email ([e-mail]), or I can PM you my number if you'd like to text me as that's probably the best way to get to me ASAP (for example, if you're at the store and you're not sure if something is safe or worth buying, you can text me for a near immediate response).

A little bit about myself and my ferrets: As mentioned, my name is McKenna. I'm 21 and live on the West Coast. I'm a strong advocate of natural diets for animals, as well as humans, and believe health comes primarily from diet. I currently have two ferrets, Javik and Theia. Both of which were switched 100% within their first week home (Javik was off kibble the first day - Theia took a few days longer, she's my stubborn one ). They are both under a year of age, but are not my first ferrets. I grew up with a pair of girls (Molly and Zoe) that I adored, and both passed away of natural causes in their sleep after at least 7 years in our care (they were rescues so we don't know their exact ages). I am familiar with many exotic animals, and had sugar gliders in the past as well as spending a few summers in my teens doing rescue work with gliders from back yard breeders. I currently work part time, and have a moderate social life, but I am almost always on or near my phone, so getting a hold of me is pretty easy. Helping people and animals is my passion, so having the opportunity to help humans get their ferrets onto a healthy diet and lifestyle makes me very excited.

Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to start by getting an update on your progress thus far. I looked over your unofficial switching thread earlier and saw that you currently have Mister on a raw soup/mush exclusively and have tried some heart for him. Could you update me on any changes in his diet from the past few weeks and how far along you two have progressed since your last post?

***

Until he is off the soup stage, I would like to have you post daily if possible (every other day minimum), with an update on his progress, including the amounts he's eating, any stool changes, and if you have changed anything about his diet (for example, if he got eggs one day, or some oil/other supplement), also include any behavioral changes including excessive sleeping, or more activity, any aggression, laziness, etc.

Once a week I would like a similar update, but with a bit more detail. Please copy/paste this very short questionnaire into your switching thread one day a week (please specify which day you'd prefer).

1. Ferret's name:
2. Ferret's weight:
3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal.
4. Stools on various proteins.
5. Activity levels:
6. Weekly menu:

Example would be:

Vincent, 3lbs 2oz(1417g), small chicken wing chopped into 2" pieces, bone and all. Stools good colour and consistency. Played as per normal.

Willow, 1lb 4oz(567g), 2 tbsp commercial raw turkey, hand fed. Stools good colour and consistency. Very hyper when up, playing for 2-3 hours at a time.

Mr. Frodo, 4lb 4oz(1928g), 1/4c pork slivers mixed with soup. Stools slightly loose, somewhat seedy, and pale in colour. Somewhat more tired, plays for 30 minutes, then finds somewhere to sleep. Flat ferreting more often.

Weekly menu was:

Monday: chicken legs
Tuesday: Commercial raw
Wednesday: Soup with pork slivers

Etc. Just write what you actually fed him.

Also, to help us make sure your ferret is doing well during his switch, a picture from above showing his body shape clearly would be appreciated bi-weekly, but is not essential.

Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, if you have any more information about yourself or Mister, I'd love to hear it and get to know you both! Also, if you have any questions that haven't been answered yet, now would be a good time to ask them.

[Deleted]

Hello sorry it took me so long I was at my mothers all day and this is the first time I have been on the computer. Mister is still only eating soup/mush every time I try to switch to something bigger he wont eat it. He is only eating that right now. I am worried about his stool lately ill post a picture of it tomorrow. I have a bad headache right now and can't concentrate enough to read and retain everything you have posted.

[Deleted]

My headache has gone away so ill post a little more. I feel horrible for Mister right now on saturday we found out we had a pipe in our wall leaking that was making our carpet in our bedroom soaked. Everything should be fixed by tomorrow but friday was the last day we were able to let Mister out because we had to move a ton of stuff including our rats into the living room where he lives and its also starting to get hot out and I am doing my best to keep him cool. I am pretty stressed about all of this.

Right now he is eating a soup made out of 8oz of chicken thighs and gizzards, 1 oz of liver, and 1/2 of a teaspoon of egg shell powder and once a day he gets a capsule of taurine in one of his meals and he usually eats two ice cubes of the soup twice a day.

[Deleted]

The best way I find to keep them cool during the summer is to put a frozen water bottle in a sock and keep it in the cage so they can lay next to it if they get too hot. I also mist them down with a spray water bottle and keep a fan on in the room (fans don't effect them, but when they're damp I think it helps lower their body temperature just a tad).

Loose stools are common during the first month or so of a switch for two main reasons. One reason we call the "detox phase", which is also why you might find his stools to be smellier as well. Usually when their body adjusts to moist, fresh food it takes a while before everything evens out. Plus, being on a soup, even with eggshells, means that what comes out will resemble what goes in a bit more than normal.

I think our first step can be starting with slivers. This is definitely the most time-consuming step, prep-wise, for ferrents. You'll need to cut chunks of chicken thighs into tiny pieces, about the size of the crescent of your nail (the white bit at the base of the nail). You can either do this neatly, or as most people do, just hack away at a chicken thigh until it looks like a raw, shredded mess lol. You want this to be almost the same texture as his soup, but just a bit chunkier, and mix in only a small amount into the soup at first, then gradually increase the amount as you notice that he is eating it completely.

Also, I'd recommend buying a bottle of salmon oil (make sure the ingredients are 100% salmon oil; no rosemary extract), and try getting him used to this as it will more than likely be a very helpful tool in the future when getting him used to other protein sources.

[Deleted]

www.petsmart.com/cat/vitamins-wellness/gnc-pets-wild-salmon-oil-cat-formula-zid36-5158141/cat-36-catid-200007?_t=pfm%3Dcategory Is this ok it is what I have for him right now It doesn't have rosemary extract in it but it does have other stuff. I couldn't find anything in stores and everything that was 100% salmon oil was to expensive for me. He doesn't like it and he doesn't like olive oil either ive tried both.

[Deleted]

I feed Mister late at night for his second meal so I can't tell you how much he ate for both meals a day just the first meal. He ate about two ice cubes of his soup for his first meal. Because of the carpet he couldn't come out today so I can't tell you about his activity level today.

[Deleted]

While that bottle of salmon oil isn't bad it does still have ingredients that aren't necessary. Grizzly salmon oil is 100%, high quality salmon oil, and is only about $12 for 8 oz (twice the size of the bottle you bought). I'm not sure if Petco has grizzly, but I've bought mine from a small, local pet store, and I know for sure Amazon has it for around that same price. Oils can be pretty strong tasting, I know it took me a while to get my girl, Theia, onto salmon oil. The only treat she was familiar with when I got her was ferretone, so I had to mix a little of that with some salmon oil, olive oil, and coconut oil to get her used to it. Then I slowly decrease the ferretone and coconut oil from the mix until it was just olive oil and salmon oil. Now she takes salmon oil happily So if there are any treats that Mister enjoys, try mixing them with salmon oil to wean him off the bad treat and onto salmon oil.

No worries about not being able to update, I understand.

[Deleted]

He ate both his ice cubes last night and this morning. His poop seems watery and a little foamy. He is out running around right now and as this is the first time he has been out since friday he is very exited, energetic, and playfull. Tomorrow I am going to try to add some slivers of chicken breast to his night time meal.

About the treats he doesn't eat any type of treats he just came with marshalls food and is now just eating his chicken. I am probably going to do my full weekly update along with a picture of him either tomorrow night or friday.

[Deleted]

Okay, that would explain why he's not accepting oils. Not a big deal, if he's taking to raw without needing oils for persuasion then that's fine.

Let me know how the slivers go. If you feel his stool is still too loose, you can just ever so slightly adjust the eggshells, adding a tiny pinch extra.
holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/2469/poop-chart Here's the link to the poop chart, in case you ever need to refer to it.

[Deleted]

If I am going to switch his litter to a completely different type should I do it gradually like food or when he is out of his current litter just start using the new one?

[Deleted]

Most people just throw in the new stuff, but it depends on the ferret. Sometimes you need to switch gradually, especially if the two litters are nothing alike. If you're switching from pellets to a different kind of pellets it should be fine, but if the two textures are different he might not recognize the new stuff as litter and you might have to mix them for a bit or do some litter boot camp for a bit. Normally though, as long as it's in a box ferrets normally will know what to do.

[Deleted]

I am switching from a pelleted litter to the blue buffalo walnut based litter which clumps(because I really wanted clumping litter) Before I got mister I asked on this forum if the litter would be ok for ferrets and they said yes. I got a small bag for about $3 with a coupon

[Deleted]

Yes, the walnut litter is fine Let me know how he takes to it and if you need any assistance getting him used to it.

[Deleted]

Sorry I didn't update last night I worked two long shifts two days in a row and barely got any sleep in between so I was exhausted last night. I just gave him some cut up chicken breast by itself(I am waiting for my dishwasher to clean my food processor to make more soup)he ate about half of what I gave him. I think they were a little bigger then slivers because I was trying to cut them smaller but they were just getting smushed instead of getting smaller. If I were to start just giving him slivers how do I add in the liver and how do I know how much I need to give him twice a day with slivers?