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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2015 4:17:26 GMT -5
I just got rid of the old soup in their cage and gave them more(I was afraid it wasn't good anymore and didn't want them to get hungry and have nothing good to eat). Hershey and Yogi acted like they were starving once I put it in there. I also spoon fed some to Bentley a few hours ago and now, before I gave him his pred. Now I just finished the late night med round(Bentley, two rats on antibiotics, a kitten on antibiotics, an inhaler treatment for another cat, and a baby bird to check on) so time for me to finally sleep
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2015 13:11:59 GMT -5
They all sound wonderful. It sounds like Nestle and Snowy have bonded. Are any others bonded?
My Mika is a hisser like Nestle. She just loves to hiss. She hisses to invite play, she hisses when she is telling the others that she has had enough. She will even hiss at a little ball that is just sitting there minding it's own business.
Bentley is asserting his dominance over newcomers. He just wants them to know that he was there first. My nephew named his son Bentley.
I'm so glad that someone found Hershey. My greatest fear is to lose someone and never know what happened. We're a free roam house and pay very close attention to doors and windows. Roamy got out overnight and we found him the next morning, hiding in a groundhog hole. Happily, he was smart enough to stay low and hide. We're in the country and there is alot of trees and wild animals.
Yogi does seem like a sweetheart. There's something so special about the Waardy's (if he is). They just seem so loveable. I think it's so cool that he is your ambassador and gets to educate others about ferrets. From the pictures, he looks a little like he might be a Waardy, but I'm not an expert and haven't had any.
Queen Penny sounds adorable. It's not easy ruling over everyone. She must be smart. It's funny how the females rule. She sounds like my Juliet, who is far too busy to be held or snuggled. She will give me kisses though. My Juliet honks. She's extremely vocal. She was very good with Mika as a baby and she happily accepted Wynstan. Keller though is deaf and Juliet is having issues with her. We've been working on intros for six months now. Roamy always is rough on someone new, but Juliet surprised me. I think it's because Keller squeals. Does Yogi have odd vocalizations?
Snowy the snuggler. I love those moments when someone will sit on my lap. Roamy is the only one who will sleep on my lap. He does it to bribe me for a walk.
It's fun hearing about everyone. (dance)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2015 13:20:27 GMT -5
Good Morning. Hershey and Yogi were ready for breakfast, that's a good sign. What kind of bowl or plate are you using? Do they all eat at the same time from the same bowl or plate? Do you have a journal for weights and other info about everyone? It's a good idea, especially with six. You can take it to the vets and keep track of what the vets says or what you want to ask them. What do you do about out of cage time? Do they get to run around your room or get some free roam time around the house? Exercise is good for their appetities. Do you ever take them for walks? (dance)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2015 17:02:36 GMT -5
I think Bentley and Yogi(my 'old men') are bonded too. They're always together, whether sleeping or playing.
I love the little play hissers. They sound so vicious, even though they're not.
I love the name Bentley. I didn't name him; the animal control that found him had named him and I didn't want to change it. We usually call Bentley other things though, like Beans, Beanie, string bean, green bean, Bones, Beantley, etc. Hes the one with the most nicknames.
Hershey was actually found sort of outside before I got him too. He was found by my brother's girlfriend in her uncle's garage. Who knows what had happened to him to get him there. There's not too many wild animals here, just fishers and there aren't any in my neighborhood. I get more scared about the cars than anything else here really.
Yeah, he does have a waardy head/face. His ears and eyes are pretty far apart, which I heard is how most of the waardies are.
Penny is very smart. She likes to act stupid though, so no one knows that she's plotting to take over the world or something. Yogi is pretty quiet, but Nestle is loud too. She squeals as well. Maybe that's why her and Penny have problems too.
Snowy just loves attention. I was surprised because he was at petco alone for a few months. I thought he was going to a biter because he wasn't very socialized, but he's never bitten. He's a big gentle cuddler.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2015 17:03:02 GMT -5
I feed them all from a bowl because for some reason, they don't seem to like plates much. I usually give them two bowls, but they end up eating out of just one(the cat eats from the same bowl sometimes too). Right now though, I'm spoon feeding most of them individually so I can see how much they're eating and to make sure everyone is eating enough.
I was actually just thinking of that earlier. I don't yet, but I think I'll start doing that. Right now, I just have a white board in their room where I write how much they've eaten that day and when I weigh them, I write that there too.
They actually have their own room, the ferret room. I would love to let them have free roam of the house, but we have one dog that doesn't like small animals, and I'm afraid they'd get stepped on or sat on. I'm too paranoid of them getting into something or getting hurt. Their room has lots of toys and stuff for them to play with. They have a total of 40 feet of tunnels in there, and they're always running through those. They also have a big box of peanuts, which we call 'the peanut pit.' I take them for walks in the summer sometimes and I let them run in the yard when it snows. I live right down the street from a few beaches too, so I was thinking that when it gets warm, I might bring them down there to play in the sand and water.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2015 18:02:53 GMT -5
I was talking to the vet earlier about Bentley and he said we should try using slippery elm bark to prevent ulcers since he's on pred. I've been reading a bit about it but most of what I've found is about using it for IBD. Do you think it's worth a try?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2015 13:22:08 GMT -5
Good Morning I love hearing all about them. It's fascinating how much personality ferrets have. I wish that I had discovered ferrets earlier. We didn't have pets for many years, because I was in the Air Force and worked odd hours. Paul traveled for work and it just wouldn't have been fair to the animals. The when I retired and my daughter had alot of friends in college and they had ferrets. I thought of them as being like guinea pigs or rabbits. She asked if she could bring one home and I said yes. Then she lost interest in Ponce and I fell in Love. He was my Heart Ferret. That's funny that they prefer a bowl. They must feel secure. Usually, ferrets prefer plates, since it doesn't cut off their line of sight. Mine like plates and rarely eat at the same time. Since they are free roam, they follow their own schedules. The ferret room sounds perfect for them. I'm glad that they have such a good setup. Stimulation and enrichment makes for happy ferrets and happy ferrets eat well. You live close to the beach, aww...I miss the beach. We lived on the water back in Florida and when we moved to Tennessee, we gave up dolphins and manatees for deer and groundhogs, wild turkeys and lot's of other little critters. I don't miss Florida, but I really miss the water. Yours will love the beach, and have a blast. Slipper elm barks seems to get the thumbs up here on the forum. I like that your vet suggested it, that indicates to me that he/she is fine with holistic approaches. What do they think of raw feeding? I found quite alot of threads on it. katt uses it and if she approves of it, then it must be good. Katt is very smart and a second year Med student. She was also my Mentor. Here are two links on Slipper Elm Bark: 60.proboards.com/thread/2493/slippery-elm-bark-powderholisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/3443/slippery-elm-bark-powderI also tagged Katt to see if she has any advice about it. I've picked up a bit of a cold from my husband. I'm going to take some cold Meds and a nap. I'll check back in, later this afternoon. :wave2:
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2015 16:35:38 GMT -5
I've always had pets, but I've only had ferrets for around 5 or 6 years. Ferrets are definitely my favorite pets. The first ferret I had was actually one that was found outside, and then we found his owner a couple weeks later. That made me really like them, and then my mom found someone who was trying to give up his ferret. That's how I got my Delilah, who was my heart ferret too. They said she was three years old, but she was much older, probably around 5 or 6 when I got her. I only had her for a little over two years before she was diagnosed with late stage hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and passed away less than a month later Yeah, I heard they usually like plates too. Maybe mine are just odd I actually don't like the beach much. I don't like the sun or the sand or the salt water I've been to Florida once, but only to go to Disney World. I go to South Carolina at least once a year though, and it has the manatees and dolphins and alligators(crocodiles? I can never remember which). Although I've never actually seen any of those things. We don't have anything nearly that cool here, although we do have deer and wild turkeys too Alright, I'll do more research, but it does seem like something that would be good to try. He actually loves the raw feeding. He trusts that I'd only do what's best for them. I'm so lucky to have a vet like that. I'm always hearing the stories of vets who are really against raw feeding I hope you feel better soon!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2015 11:25:41 GMT -5
Good Morning I was hoping Katt would pop in and tell you about the slippery elm bark, but she is super busy with school and probably trying to catch up, after her holiday break. She'll see my tag soon and post. You are lucky to have a vet who approves of raw feeding. Mine does not. It was hard finding a vet who sees ferrets around here. I found one near Nashville but he is against raw feeding and didn't approve of free roam. If anyone gets sick again or when it's time for a checkup, I may try GFountain's vet. She is only a few hours from me. You're not a beach girl. My sister in law is not and neither is my Mother. Florida isn't really too pretty when you're not at the beach. Your state is lovely though. Gators are a fact of life in Florida. You just get used to seeing them around. Anytime there is a pond or golf course, they hang out there. My Grandmother got chased by one. It's the silly people who like to feed them that cause trouble. What about Hershey? You said that he might be Adrenal, has he been tested yet? How is Yogi? is he recovering from having his Hem...? removed. I'm being lazy and not getting up to look and see how that is spelled, lol. How about poops? Are they looking okay? You're already getting grapetails, that's so cool. The change in their fur is really amazing. Their first winter coat is usually gorgeous. Okay, here is your first pop quiz: You know about Taurine, correct? What are two good sources for Taurine? :heehee:
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2015 13:30:09 GMT -5
Thats understandable. I can't imagine going through med school; I'd get way too stressed. I used to want to be a doctor, but then I realized that I'm really too lazy for that much school. I'm hoping to go to nursing school someday or maybe to become a vet tech. My vet is trying to convince me to be a vet, but I don't know if I'd do that. Its just as much(if not more) school as a doctor There's two exotic vets in my city including mine. I've been to both, but only the other one once when my normal vet's office was closed. We also have Angell Memorial and Tufts less than an hour away, if we ever had an emergency or there was something my vet couldn't do. I'm lucky to have so many so close Hershey hasn't been tested; I've heard mixed things about the adrenal test. Right now, we're just watching for hair loss and if there is any again, he'll get the implant. My vet always has them because he uses them on the mink at the zoo he works at too Yogi is all healed from the hemangioma. Its a benign tumor, which apparently isn't seen very often in ferrets. He just has some funny hair growth in that area now. They all seem fine right now. Just a bit funky sometimes, but I know thats normal. Some of them are kind of loose sometimes, so I may have to add more bone meal. Speaking of poops, I've pretty much given up on litter box training at this point. There's about a 85% litter box accuracy rate in the cage, but probably only 40% outside of it. They don't even use the puppy pads very often. The floor is old unfinished wood, so its all stained now. I'm thinking of putting linoleum down in their room, if I can find time to deep clean the wood first. Penny always gets a gorgeous winter coat and gets all chubby in the winter. I love winter just because I love seeing their winter coats Oh, I know this one! Tongue and heart I'll probably only be home for around 45 minutes maybe between now and 8 or 9pm and I'm out of soup, so I'll make some but I may only have enough time to feed Bentley a little and give him his pred. I'll put some in a bowl for them, but they usually don't eat much that way. I'll feed them tonight when I get home though.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2015 15:31:51 GMT -5
I just quickly fed them all Snowy + Hershey - 1.4 oz Penny - .2 oz Nestle - .3 oz Bentley - .4 oz Yogi - .7 oz Snowy ate while laying in bed, on top of Hershey
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2015 17:57:42 GMT -5
You get an A Plus on your first pop quiz. Nice Job. Taurine is an amino acid and essential for healthy heart functions, eyesight and the functioning of the skeletal and central nervous system. If you had to use a supplemental powder, you would use 500mg a day per ferret. My bug hit me in the afternoon and I slept the afternoon away. I'm getting caught up now and I feel better today. They're each eating a little bit. I would like to see them have a few more bites. I think you might have a little more success with sitting on the floor and putting them, one by one on your lap. Have a towel, their bowl and your spoon ready. Aim for 1 or 2 ounces. You can premeasure two ounces into a bowl and see what that looks like and then try for the one or two ounces. It may take some time, but that's to be expected in the beginning. I don't know what is going on with the Adrenal test now. I don't have any with any signs of Adrenal but I know that at one point, the test was $350 and sent off to the University of Tennessee. Your vet sounds like he has a good handle on it, so you're in good hands. I love that picture of Snowy and Hershey having breakfast in bed. What lucky little pampered pets. They're faces are adorable. There is a thread on litter box boot camp, if you want to try it: One thing I have read, is to make sure that the box is large and you may need more than one box with six ferrets. Not everyone wants to share their bathroom. holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/108/litter-box-boot-campSince mine are free roam, we use puppy pads. I was very lucky with Ponce, he always used the pads. Once Ponce was gone and Roamy and Juliet came, they were pretty good about the pads. I waited to see what corners they would use and each room had a puppy pad. Then Mika came and she was a baby at six weeks. Juliet would scold her and I would put her on the pads and she got okay about the pads. She is still my worse and really the only one that I can claimed to have potty trained. Hah! (headwall) Then Wynstan came and he was great with the pads. But, Roamy started marking territory and Mika followed Roamy and then I had "accidents" showing up. Then I bought litter boxes and they found those to be great dig boxes and pooped next to the box. Then I decided to put the boxes on the outside of the pads and that's working. They use the pads. Maybe because the litter box is a protective wall, I don't know. Keller is my best. She never has accidents and always uses the pads. You sound like you have such a natural affinity with animals, that you would make a great Vet. It is alot of school and there's nothing wrong with trying several different kinds of programs. Both of my children are still in college and I keep telling them to stay as long as possible. They have the rest of their life to work. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to travel. So, after college I joined the Air Force and was able to travel alot. Julesalot on the Forum wants to be a Vet. Bella is in school now studying to be an ichthyologist. Julesalot is one of my Mentees and Bella was my first Mentee. They're both smart and funny and really nice girls. Okay, I'm off to check on everyone. Maybe make some dinner and set up the ferret's dinner. I'll check back in later or in the morning. :wave2:
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2015 11:40:55 GMT -5
I usually do sit on the floor with a towel on my lap and feed them like that, but they just get really wiggly after a while. Especially Penny because she thinks she needs to run away to wipe her face on one of the puppy pads. She can't handle having any of the soup on her face for very long I think that's still how it is. I've heard that it can have false negatives too because they only test for a few of the hormones or whatever they are. I tried the litter box boot camp a few times, which did help a lot. I have puppy pads all around the room, but they're always moving them or finding the one spot that doesn't have them. I guess I should be glad at least that they do as they do. My first ferret refused to step into a litter box or onto a puppy pad or newspaper. I was constantly cleaning up after her. Ferrets are such stubborn little creatures I'm just really indecisive. The only part I'm sure about is that I want to do something medical. I probably won't be going to college for a few more years anyway, so I still have a bit to decide Some of them ate a bit more yesterday Snowy - 1.7 Hershey - 1.3 Yogi - 1 Penny - .6 Nestle - .2 Bentley - .4 I just need to get the girls and Bentley to eat more. I gave them two separate soups. Yogi, Hershey and Snowy all got soup that was about 50% slivers; the rest got soup that only had a few slivers. Those three didn't seem to care at all. Yogi doesn't even seem to stop and chew them. Is that okay? I'm just afraid he'll choke if he's not chewing them well before swallowing
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2015 12:28:00 GMT -5
Yogi is inhaling his food, that's not uncommon. He's eager and has decided that he likes it. That's a great sign. It's not uncommon for someone to eat so fast, that they end up throwing up a little. Just keep an eye on him. Try offering him a few slices that are larger and that he will have to chew.
Since Bentley is eating the least, let's try and coax him along. For his next meal, take some of his kibble and crush it up. Then Sprinkle it on top of the soup. That will make it smell familiar and he may eat a little more.
With Penelope, when you put her on your lap, casually place a hand under her. That way she knows you want her there. You can keep a towel on your knee and wipe her face after every bite. She knows that she is a Queen and apparently, it's beneath her royal dignity to have a dirty face.
I've heard the same thing about Adrenal testing. There are false negatives, but if the test is positive, then it's a correct diagnosis. I need to do some reading on Adrenal. I haven't had to deal with it, but with five ferrets, chances are someone will end up with it.
You're doing well and so are all the babies. Give them a big hug and tell them that I said so. :thumbsup:
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2015 11:18:19 GMT -5
Bentley ate over an ounce yesterday! I gave him the soup with a little bit of crushed up kibble. I also gave that to Nestle and Penny. They both ate most of it out of the bowl. Bentley still only would eat it off of the spoon, but at least he ate more. The rest of them had soup that was maybe a little less than 50% slivers Totals for yesterday: Snowy - 1.6(maybe more) Hershey - 1.5 Yogi - 1.2 Bentley - 1.3 Nestle - .7 Penny - .6 I ran out of soup so I'll make more soup today and cut up some slivers, some a bit bigger I plan to weigh them all again and check Bentley's BG tomorrow
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