|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2015 17:18:42 GMT -5
As of next Tuesday (July 21st), I shall have a pair of fuzzbutts to call my own.
I was originally planning to get them at the end of august, but I made the mistake of telling my girlfriend if she adopts those kittens, I will be getting ferrets early.
I currently live 3 hours from any vets or decent grocery stores, so frankenprey, while not impossible will be difficult. I am also planning on switching the two kittens I currently have at the same time, and will be looking into their diet this weekend (I am hoping their diet is close to ferrets, but really don't know right now -I don't have internet right now).
(Will update this post periodically with more info, at work sneaking internet during bathroom breaks)
|
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Jul 15, 2015 20:50:02 GMT -5
How old are the beasties you'll be getting. Cats and ferrets have similar diets but cats do eat a small amount of carbs and ferrets do not. Ferrets also require more taurine in their diets. Here's a shopping list to help you get started, a scale to not only weigh him but to weigh the food. I have 2 different ones for this but you can use one if you are comfortable with that..
Chicken thighs or breasts, thighs are fattier and a good choice but breast is alright. Chicken hearts and chicken livers and either human grade bonemeal or crushed/ground eggshells.Here is the recipe for the soup, 8oz chicken
1oz chicken heart
1oz chicken liver
1/2-3/4 tsp of eggshell powder or bonemeal
Chop everything up and put it in a blender add enough water to make it smooth but no thinner then a thick cream consistency.Here Are a couple of links to help you learn everything to get you started, Journey to raw and Intro to raw I'm not a mentor but like so many here I'm happy to help and answer any questions you may have! |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2015 19:00:39 GMT -5
Age is unknown, although they are most likely marshal ferrets, since the petstore can order then in so easily.
|
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Jul 16, 2015 19:22:07 GMT -5
So you will be buying them from the pet store and not rescuing them? Most likely kits then. They will eat a ton but will be an easy switch.
|
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jul 18, 2015 11:25:09 GMT -5
Do you live in Vancouver, BC, or Vancouver, WA?
I live in the Canadian Vancouver, so can definitely help you out with any vet or grocery store recommendations.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2015 15:15:09 GMT -5
Do you live in Vancouver, BC, or Vancouver, WA? I live in the Canadian Vancouver, so can definitely help you out with any vet or grocery store recommendations. Right, I should probably fix that... I currently live in a tiny town called Stewart, BC. The closest real store is in Terrace, BC, and I have heard at least one person say its better to go to Smithers, BC for a vet. Come to think of it, does anybody have any suggestions on how to keep a pair of fuzzbutts relatively comfortable on a 10 hour drive? I have a 2 door kennel, will be attaching a shoebox litterbox to it (as I saw someone else on here do ages ago), a lock'n'croc with kibble and a water bottle attached to it, and they will have some blankets in there with them. And on another note, about how much food and litter should I get if I want it to last ~2-3 months? I will be switching 2 ferrets and 2 kittens at the same time (although the kittens will also be getting whole fish in their diet, and I will be ordering in a fair amount of whole prey as well... Hope to be able to do around 5 meals a week of whole prey just to make my life easier). Edit: and before it is asked, the petstore told me they do carry swheat scoop, single and multicast, so I will be getting that for litter. |
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jul 18, 2015 16:44:41 GMT -5
I use Swheat Scoop and it's AMAZING! I don't know how much litter cats use, but I buy the huge 40lb bag for my girls and it lasts a really really long time. Since it's clumping/scoopable, you don't waste any except what gets directly "soiled". You're really north. I was wondering how somebody near the city could be so far from stores and vets, but that makes a lot more sense  I would suggest getting a deep freeze / chest freezer and simply stocking up on meat since ferrets don't worry about things like freezer burn so meat will last a long time in there for them. If you have farms and/or hunters locally that can be a great way to get organ meat without going too far. Smaller game meat like pheasants and rabbits are also a great source of bone-in meat. Staple meat like chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork, salmon, etc. you can probably get more easily locally. Kits (baby ferrets) eat a LOT more than adults, but depending on age, gender and activity level, ferrets can eat between 2-6oz of meat per day. To start, I would definitely budget for a lot more so you don't run out. Speaking of running out, it also couldn't hurt to order a bunch of FDR (freeze-dried raw) food to keep for emergencies since it's non-perishable. The the pet store can't get it in you should be able to order it online yourself. I'm tagging @sherry and racheld you give you more information on the raw feline side of things since they have cats and can help you with a comparison of raw diets for cats and ferrets. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2015 23:24:02 GMT -5
Cage setupLink seems to be failing me, so here is the URL anyways: www.dropbox.com/sh/d6xvss8ngk272mi/AAC5O6Q6yhBksIpJXlLqOtQFa?dl=0I know this isn't relevant to switching, but in case anyone was wondering this is what I have setup for the cages and play area. I will probably be tacking the tube to the wall to make a gentler slope after I go to terrace and get some wall hooks, and yes, the playpen is very well secured (zap strapped to the table, cages, AND stove), so they can't escape out the sides.there will be a litterbox and a waterdish in the cage and the playpen; I just need to get bins to make an enclosed letterbox.. And a feeding den too, come to think of it. Also going to be getting a bunch of blankets for the little guys. *Sigh* this trip is going to cost money.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2015 18:10:17 GMT -5
  Welcome home, marble and... Ummm ... I am terrible at names Moka! Trying to do all M's (the kittens are Midna and Mew, and the bigger light fuzzbutt is Marble) |
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jul 21, 2015 21:02:30 GMT -5
Oh, they're cuties! I have a Mocha too, although different spelling Are they kits or rescues? Did you ended up finding places to get food for them? |
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Jul 21, 2015 23:05:33 GMT -5
Oh my goodness, just too cute!
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2015 6:11:43 GMT -5
Curious as to wat is the last pic ----looks like a can. Modifying my FN, so ferrets can go thru a tube on out side of cage from top floor to bottom. Getting rid of shelves and ladders---want more floor space.
|
|
|
|
Post by RedSky on Jul 22, 2015 8:00:12 GMT -5
Congrats on the new additions. Four new family members in such a short space of time. I bet your house is full of fun.
Do the ferrets and kittens get along? I've seen so many stories of it going well but also lots of ferrets attacking cats, and cats attacking ferrets...
In terms of feeding cats (I don't have any but did look into it a few years ago) I think their needs are pretty much the same. Cats generally don't need as much bone in, but that is easy to monitor and adjust from looking at the stools. Dry, crumbly or white stools mean too much, loose, soggy or dark stools can mean too little (although after organ and heart meals they are darker and looser anyway). All information I have ever read about feeding cats a raw diet has stated there is no benefit from eating plant matter of any sort, just animal proteins. They are much like ferrets in that they are obligate carnivores, and they also like ferrets need plenty of taurine in their diets.
Just so you are aware, many ferrets can escape over those playpens. If you have kits you might be safe for a while, but don't put all your faith in them. Not all ferrets can, so you might be okay but it's amazing watching how high they can jump and climb.
(Note, not my video, random one I just found from googling 'ferret escape from marshall playpen'.)
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2015 14:44:38 GMT -5
Oh, they're cuties! I have a Mocha too, although different spelling Are they kits or rescues? Did you ended up finding places to get food for them? They are petstore kits, Marble is 5 months old, Moka is 2 months. I bought a bunch of stuff from the wholesale in Terrace, and am going to talk to the local grocery store about ordering meats through them, since they don't carry much themselves. Oh my goodness, just too cute! They are, but Moka is already proving to be a biter *sigh* My poor girlfriend. Curious as to wat is the last pic ----looks like a can. Modifying my FN, so ferrets can go thru a tube on out side of cage from top floor to bottom. Getting rid of shelves and ladders---want more floor space. It is this: www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B005W17UMS/ref=ya_aw_oh_piiCongrats on the new additions. Four new family members in such a short space of time. I bet your house is full of fun. Do the ferrets and kittens get along? I've seen so many stories of it going well but also lots of ferrets attacking cats, and cats attacking ferrets... In terms of feeding cats (I don't have any but did look into it a few years ago) I think their needs are pretty much the same. Cats generally don't need as much bone in, but that is easy to monitor and adjust from looking at the stools. Dry, crumbly or white stools mean too much, loose, soggy or dark stools can mean too little (although after organ and heart meals they are darker and looser anyway). All information I have ever read about feeding cats a raw diet has stated there is no benefit from eating plant matter of any sort, just animal proteins. They are much like ferrets in that they are obligate carnivores, and they also like ferrets need plenty of taurine in their diets. Just so you are aware, many ferrets can escape over those playpens. If you have kits you might be safe for a while, but don't put all your faith in them. Not all ferrets can, so you might be okay but it's amazing watching how high they can jump and climb. (Note, not my video, random one I just found from googling 'ferret escape from marshall playpen'.) Thanks for the cat information, and as for them escaping, I am hoping by the time they figure that out I can trust them not to make a mess... As well as the access tube can be closed, so they can't get into the playpen unsupervised anyways |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2015 14:54:54 GMT -5
Now, for actual switching information...
Day 1: Marble is around 1010g (I have no treats to make them hold still right now) and Moka is around 580g.
Tried to feed them some soupie, they flat refused, so mixed kibble into the dish and left it in their pen for now. Saw Moka eating both soupie and kibble, not sure about Marble right now. The only food in their pen is currently the Soupie/kibble mix, will try an feed them more soupie after work, and switch it to straight kibble right before bed.
I also want to say, when Moka bites, she does not let go, and seems to react pretty badly to being scruffed. Going to start putting her in a kennel for a few minutes instead, unless anyone has other suggestions.
|
|
