Post by gfountain on Oct 28, 2015 12:07:20 GMT -5
She just astonish me with how much food this tiny little girl can pack away. I kinda feel like she should be eating less, but when I try to cut her back, she acts as though she is starving.
She is eating a lot, but that's not too unusual at this point.
1) She's still young. Young ferrets just eat a lot.
2) She's just switching to raw. Newly switched ferrets eat a lot. It's like they are trying to catch up on lost nutrients from the time they were on kibble. You also said she's recovering from an illness.
3) She's eating ground meat. Grinds are easy to eat and don't require any chewing. Ferrets that eat grinds tend to eat more than ferrets that eat chunks and bones. Once she has transitioned to chunks, you should see her intake decrease.
4) She's heading into winter. She needs extra calories to prepare for cold weather.
What does she weigh now? Ferrets do not usually overeat. As long as her weight isn't ballooning out of control, I wouldn't restrict her food intake.
Could it be because she is afraid that she won't get to eat again? Since her first owner hardly fed her?
I really don't know for sure, but I think that is a possibility. I have a boy who used to empty the dish no matter how much I put in it. I don't know that he was starved with his previous owner, but I often felt that he was afraid he wouldn't get any more. It was a real problem for a while because I was feeding for 4 and he wasn't leaving anything for the other 3. He's been with me almost a year now and has finally stopped cleaning the dish every time I feed them. He will eat his fill and leave the rest for later.
Another thing I have noticed is that she is changing color on me. Her sable mask is all but gone and her markings are nearly white now. I guess that's just what happens with the changes of seasons, and it was so fast that it was a shock to me.
Her mask will most likely return with the spring. Seasonal changes can be shockingly fast. Somewhere on the forum I have pictures of my little girl from last winter. I had to be away for a weekend and when I left, Minnie was a dark sable with a very distinct mask. When I returned 3 days later, her face was solid white. If she hadn't met me at the door with her distinct little mannerisms, I would not have recognized her.
So any tips on how to get her moving forward with the switch?
Don't give her what SHE wants. What she wants doesn't really matter. Give her only what YOU want her to eat. She's eating the heart and the chicken slivers now, albeit reluctantly and with attitude. You said she's eating the whole heart. Does that mean you give them to her whole, or she eats a whole one that is cut up? If she's eating a whole heart, then she has learned how to chew and we can push her hard.
Stop with the heart for right now. Let's concentrate on getting her onto chunks and off of grinds. Start increasing the size and number of slivers and feed them EVERY meal. Make your slivers long and slender like a noodle. Aim for 1/4 inch wide by about an inch long. Over the next 4 or 5 meals, decrease the amount of ground chicken she gets by at least half and increase the slivers to compensate. She will most likely skip a meal in protest. That is OK. She won't starve. Whatever you do, DON'T give in to her demands for something different. Ferrets are like toddlers. If Mommy gives in once, they will learn to hold out until they get their way.
I've brought it up before to her vet, but all they did was give her a clean bill of health.
Is her vet a ferret specialist? Are you comfortable with him/her? If not, you might want to find a new vet. Your vet should take your concerns seriously and should be able to reassure you if nothing is wrong, not just say 'she's fine'.
She is eating a lot, but that's not too unusual at this point.
1) She's still young. Young ferrets just eat a lot.
2) She's just switching to raw. Newly switched ferrets eat a lot. It's like they are trying to catch up on lost nutrients from the time they were on kibble. You also said she's recovering from an illness.
3) She's eating ground meat. Grinds are easy to eat and don't require any chewing. Ferrets that eat grinds tend to eat more than ferrets that eat chunks and bones. Once she has transitioned to chunks, you should see her intake decrease.
4) She's heading into winter. She needs extra calories to prepare for cold weather.
What does she weigh now? Ferrets do not usually overeat. As long as her weight isn't ballooning out of control, I wouldn't restrict her food intake.
Could it be because she is afraid that she won't get to eat again? Since her first owner hardly fed her?
I really don't know for sure, but I think that is a possibility. I have a boy who used to empty the dish no matter how much I put in it. I don't know that he was starved with his previous owner, but I often felt that he was afraid he wouldn't get any more. It was a real problem for a while because I was feeding for 4 and he wasn't leaving anything for the other 3. He's been with me almost a year now and has finally stopped cleaning the dish every time I feed them. He will eat his fill and leave the rest for later.
Another thing I have noticed is that she is changing color on me. Her sable mask is all but gone and her markings are nearly white now. I guess that's just what happens with the changes of seasons, and it was so fast that it was a shock to me.
Her mask will most likely return with the spring. Seasonal changes can be shockingly fast. Somewhere on the forum I have pictures of my little girl from last winter. I had to be away for a weekend and when I left, Minnie was a dark sable with a very distinct mask. When I returned 3 days later, her face was solid white. If she hadn't met me at the door with her distinct little mannerisms, I would not have recognized her.
So any tips on how to get her moving forward with the switch?
Don't give her what SHE wants. What she wants doesn't really matter. Give her only what YOU want her to eat. She's eating the heart and the chicken slivers now, albeit reluctantly and with attitude. You said she's eating the whole heart. Does that mean you give them to her whole, or she eats a whole one that is cut up? If she's eating a whole heart, then she has learned how to chew and we can push her hard.
Stop with the heart for right now. Let's concentrate on getting her onto chunks and off of grinds. Start increasing the size and number of slivers and feed them EVERY meal. Make your slivers long and slender like a noodle. Aim for 1/4 inch wide by about an inch long. Over the next 4 or 5 meals, decrease the amount of ground chicken she gets by at least half and increase the slivers to compensate. She will most likely skip a meal in protest. That is OK. She won't starve. Whatever you do, DON'T give in to her demands for something different. Ferrets are like toddlers. If Mommy gives in once, they will learn to hold out until they get their way.
I've brought it up before to her vet, but all they did was give her a clean bill of health.
Is her vet a ferret specialist? Are you comfortable with him/her? If not, you might want to find a new vet. Your vet should take your concerns seriously and should be able to reassure you if nothing is wrong, not just say 'she's fine'.