Post by Heather on May 20, 2014 23:34:47 GMT -5
Name: Missy DesLonde
HF Forum Username: missparker
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets? I can't recall exactly but while I was doing online research about different ferret illnesses and just from random searching around this forum. I know I've learned more about it at this forum since I first learned of it.
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 would prefer to stay away from whole prey. I know the food has a face and feet but I'd prefer not to see it intact. It sounds silly and I know my ferrets wouldn't care. It's my hangup. And you never know what I could do in the long time from now future. I never thought I'd be going(or trying to go)raw. But here I am. : )
I would like to go almost fully to the natural diet. I say almost because being uncertain of how it all goes, sometimes I work long, long 16 hour days and I don't know what I'd leave out to eat on those days.
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet? I know it is healthier for them and I finally am getting off my big butt to do it. We recently lost a little guy, less than 5 years old, and I vow to be a better ferrent. I don't know that kibble contributed to the illness but I'd like to keep future pets as healthy as possible. Also, we might be adopting 2 new kits in the future and they come already eating raw so I think everyone should be on the same page. It was a good jump start knowing that I can not start feeding the babies kibble so they never need it.
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 absolutely. It's taken me time to get here and I'm not going back. But Clyde is going to be TOUGH!!
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? We currently have 2. Bella is almost 5. She is a Path Valley ferret. She is a nice weight. Her coat is smooth. She is adventurous and tries new foods. I've had Bella since she came to us as a kit. She has gotten a couple of mast cell tumors. We are getting them removed soon. They are small and don't bother her much but one is by her eye and we don't want it getting bigger. Clyde just turned 6. He is also a Path Valley ferret. We've had him since he was a kit, also. He seems a bit thin. Vet never said underweight but when you look at Bella she looks plump and full and he doesn't. His coat isn't as smooth as Bella. In fact, it is a bit coarse. It didn't just happen. It's been that way for a few years.
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) Do they already eat some form of soup? They eat the following kibble mix. Wysong Ferret Epigen 90. Wellness Core Grain Free cat food. Orijen Whole Prey Cat food. And regular Wysong Epigen as a filler. My sister makes the most amazing home made chicken jerky. We used to get store bought but they weren't even good for dogs so how could they be good for ferrets? They only get a piece once a week. Saturday night treats for the ferrets and dog! They will pretend to eat a scrambled egg occasionally but I mostly find it in the sleep sacks. They take a taste of EVOO sometimes too.
They will eat a soup made with Chicken or Turkey baby food and we were thinking to give them the soup cubes that our sick ferret never finished. ( ) It has some sugar free ensure, ground kibble, and some pedialyte. We thought we could maybe use this as a soup base for adding the raw soup to. They get freeze dried turkey hearts sometimes and wysong dream treats. Bella will eat more than Clyde. He mostly sniffs.
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened? I have never tried before.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share? Like I mentioned, we hope to be getting some kits soon. The 2 we have right now, we just want them to live as long as possible and be healthy as possible during that time. I should mention that by We I mean my husband, Dave, and myself. I should get him to join here since he will hopefully be aiding me in this transition period. And, I will be honest here as it is a driving force.....I feel such extreme guilt over how Buck, the ferret we just lost, got sick. Maybe it could have or could have not been prevented or helped or aided by a more natural diet. In my heart, I just feel sick over it and like I could have done more. And if I can do more in the future, it is my absolute duty.
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer? Everyday.
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? For time time being, I can borrow my brother's gram scale. And I will buy one as soon as I can. I can get the meat at the Shoprite or grocery store and a butcher just opened up right down the road. And I plan to check out the Asian market as I know they have some funky stuff there.
Hi and welcome to the mentoring program (wave). In a little while your mentor (Miamiferret2), 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
HF Forum Username: missparker
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets? I can't recall exactly but while I was doing online research about different ferret illnesses and just from random searching around this forum. I know I've learned more about it at this forum since I first learned of it.
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 would prefer to stay away from whole prey. I know the food has a face and feet but I'd prefer not to see it intact. It sounds silly and I know my ferrets wouldn't care. It's my hangup. And you never know what I could do in the long time from now future. I never thought I'd be going(or trying to go)raw. But here I am. : )
I would like to go almost fully to the natural diet. I say almost because being uncertain of how it all goes, sometimes I work long, long 16 hour days and I don't know what I'd leave out to eat on those days.
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet? I know it is healthier for them and I finally am getting off my big butt to do it. We recently lost a little guy, less than 5 years old, and I vow to be a better ferrent. I don't know that kibble contributed to the illness but I'd like to keep future pets as healthy as possible. Also, we might be adopting 2 new kits in the future and they come already eating raw so I think everyone should be on the same page. It was a good jump start knowing that I can not start feeding the babies kibble so they never need it.
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 absolutely. It's taken me time to get here and I'm not going back. But Clyde is going to be TOUGH!!
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? We currently have 2. Bella is almost 5. She is a Path Valley ferret. She is a nice weight. Her coat is smooth. She is adventurous and tries new foods. I've had Bella since she came to us as a kit. She has gotten a couple of mast cell tumors. We are getting them removed soon. They are small and don't bother her much but one is by her eye and we don't want it getting bigger. Clyde just turned 6. He is also a Path Valley ferret. We've had him since he was a kit, also. He seems a bit thin. Vet never said underweight but when you look at Bella she looks plump and full and he doesn't. His coat isn't as smooth as Bella. In fact, it is a bit coarse. It didn't just happen. It's been that way for a few years.
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) Do they already eat some form of soup? They eat the following kibble mix. Wysong Ferret Epigen 90. Wellness Core Grain Free cat food. Orijen Whole Prey Cat food. And regular Wysong Epigen as a filler. My sister makes the most amazing home made chicken jerky. We used to get store bought but they weren't even good for dogs so how could they be good for ferrets? They only get a piece once a week. Saturday night treats for the ferrets and dog! They will pretend to eat a scrambled egg occasionally but I mostly find it in the sleep sacks. They take a taste of EVOO sometimes too.
They will eat a soup made with Chicken or Turkey baby food and we were thinking to give them the soup cubes that our sick ferret never finished. ( ) It has some sugar free ensure, ground kibble, and some pedialyte. We thought we could maybe use this as a soup base for adding the raw soup to. They get freeze dried turkey hearts sometimes and wysong dream treats. Bella will eat more than Clyde. He mostly sniffs.
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened? I have never tried before.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share? Like I mentioned, we hope to be getting some kits soon. The 2 we have right now, we just want them to live as long as possible and be healthy as possible during that time. I should mention that by We I mean my husband, Dave, and myself. I should get him to join here since he will hopefully be aiding me in this transition period. And, I will be honest here as it is a driving force.....I feel such extreme guilt over how Buck, the ferret we just lost, got sick. Maybe it could have or could have not been prevented or helped or aided by a more natural diet. In my heart, I just feel sick over it and like I could have done more. And if I can do more in the future, it is my absolute duty.
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer? Everyday.
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? For time time being, I can borrow my brother's gram scale. And I will buy one as soon as I can. I can get the meat at the Shoprite or grocery store and a butcher just opened up right down the road. And I plan to check out the Asian market as I know they have some funky stuff there.
Hi and welcome to the mentoring program (wave). In a little while your mentor (Miamiferret2), 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