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Post by Heather on Feb 1, 2016 23:00:03 GMT -5
Name: Desiree HF Forum Username: Chibisaurus Please confirm that you are 18 years of age or older: I confirm. 1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets? Google research (which brought me to these forums!) 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'm not 100% sure! I want to get her OFF kibble, because I know it's not healthy for her! I would like to try to stick to meats that we already purchase if possible! I'm fine with feeding mice (live or frozen.. whichever is better!) I would like to keep rabbit, Pigeon ect out of her diet. At least for now. 3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet? I want my babies to be as healthy as possible, I'm the same way with my cats and dogs (They get chicken and rice allll the time!) 4. Do you understand that switching your ferret to a natural diet can be a lengthy, arduous process? Its not an overnight switch. It requires a commitment of several months at minimum. Your HF Mentor will be more then happy to assist you in switching your ferret(s) to a natural diet, but you need to be equally as committed. The switch takes time and effort every single day. It can also be extremely frustrating at times. If you aren't willing to tough out a potentially lengthy switching process, you have major life changes approaching (baby on the way, moving, starting school, getting married/divorced, etc), or limited time due to work, then it might be a better idea to wait on switching your ferret's diet until you have more time. Are you willing and realistically able to make the neccessary time commitment? Yes, I work from home, and am home almost all day every day! 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? Currently I have a single ferret Hermonie, She is female, No known health issues, and she is 1 lb 1.3 oz (490.45 grams), So I believe she might be a little underweight. I have had her since Saturday 1/30/16, we picked her up at about 8pm! 6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) Do they already eat some form of soup? We are currently feeding her Kitten Chow (Eek! I know bad mommy!) This is what was given to us for her! 7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened? No, this is my first Ferret. 8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share? I'm a pretty easy going person, This is my first ferret and I want her to be as healthy as possible! 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? Are you at least 18 years of age? Do you have your scale, a place to access meats, hearts, livers, etc? Scale - Yes Place to access Meats - Ye 18 - Yes Hi and welcome to the mentoring program . In a little while your mentor ( Poncesmom ), 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 (dance) . Your mentor is here to help you on this journey. ciao
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2016 7:31:31 GMT -5
Good Morning @chibisaurus We are offical now and have our thread opened. Thank you HeatherI'm going to link your unofficial thread to this one. That way the threads you linked will stay in one place. We can refer to it if needed: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/20073/hermiones-unofficial-switching-diaryHere is a link to my official bio so you can get to know me a little bit better. I'm about half way down the page. I'm excited to begin working with you and Hermione ( and a possible soon to be Ron). holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/176/meet-mentorPlease if at any time, you need a break or have to stop our switch then let me know as soon as possible. Life gets busy at times and I will understand. If a Mentee disappears for 3 weeks then we must lock up the thread and so if I know why you haven't responded then I can put you on hold and wait for you. Here are the rules of the Mentoring program and what I will be asking of you: Please copy/paste this very short questionnaire into your switching thread every Sunday/Monday.
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 them.
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.
You are required to post every second day during the "soup" stage of the transition. From the "sliver" stage, through to large chunks, you will be required to post a minimum of every 3 days. Once you hit the large chunks, once a week will be acceptable. If you wish to post into your thread more often, that will be MORE than welcome The above are simply the minimum requirements so we can help with sticky spots, and not have to "catch up" to where you are presently at. Failure to post as required will result in your switch coming to a standstill and will result in two warnings before being dropped from the mentoring program. If something comes up, and you need to be away, please contact your mentor letting her know how long you will be absent.
FAILURE TO SUPPLY THE ABOVE QUESTIONNAIRE WILL RESULT IN TWO WARNINGS, ONE ISSUED IN THE SWITCHING THREAD, THEN NEXT VIA PM- THEN BEING DROPPED FROM THE MENTORING PROGRAM. BEING DROPPED FROM THE MENTORING THREAD WILL BE AT MY DISCRETION
You may request readmittance to the mentoring program if you agree to abide by the above rules. But you must wait for the next available mentor.
PLEASE NOTE that by applying for a mentor and using the forum you are agreeing to abide by the terms and conditions as set in this thread: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/1585/rules-regulations-terms-read-sign
I'm going to post this and then we'll start with a small lesson on soupie and what nutrients are found in the soupie.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2016 7:57:04 GMT -5
Okay, let's start with talking about soupie. The soupie recipe is intended to be short term until we move Hermione onto the Frankenprey menu and or if you also want to include Whole Prey. The soupie recipe as you know has: 8 ounces of raw chicken thigh meat. Chicken is a mild flavor and most Ferrets take to it easily. Dark meat is nice and fatty and Fat equals Energy for Ferrets. Chicken can also be a common allergen in Ferrets so you will want to watch poops for signs of an intolerance or allergy. Poop Patrol is very important. Their Poo tells us so much about their health. Expect some funky looking poops during a switch as her little body gets use to the diet change. Organs can make for loose poops and we can firm those up or make them looser by the amount of eggshell in the soupie. We'll discuss poop often during the switch and if you have any concerns about them, simply post pictures of the poop. We're all a bit poop obsessed here. Heart is in the soupie and Heart provides Taurine which is absolutely essential for Ferrets. A lack of Taurine may lead to Blindness and other problems. Here is some information on Taurine: I was searching for articles about Taurine. I wanted to learn a little more about its importance. I found this article and thought that it was very imformative: Credit to Mustelamania, ferret nutrition, news and love. What is Taurine, Really?
We know cats and more than likely ferrets need taurine in their diets, but what really do we know about it?
Taurine, number one, is not an amino acid, though many people (even clinically) classify it as such – many clinicians, veterinarians, and pet food manufacturers will call it a “free amino”. All amino acids contain both an amine chain, and carboxylic acid, with an ending chain specific to that amino acid. So all the essential and non-essential aminos look, when chemically written out, similarly. Taurine, however, is an amine chain with a sulfonic acid chain instead of a carboxylic chain. This makes it slightly more acidic, number one, but also means it is utilized differently in the body. Unlike true amino acids, which are incorporated into proteins in the body, taurine is “free” and is easily transported through the body.
That said, taurine is an important nutrient. In mammalian herbivores and omnivores, the pancreas is the organ responsible for the biosynthesis of taurine. The pancreas does this by taking either the amino acid cysteine, or methionine, and chemically altering it using enzymes to remove the carboxylic acid and then replace it with sulfonic acid in the molecule chain. In humans and other mammals, this process happens with relative ease on the pancreas itself, and the newly formed taurine can then be utilized by the body. In obligate carnivores like all felids, taurine synthesis does not occur, and so they must ingest taurine via diet in order to maintain proper taurine levels in their bodies. Most biologists and veterinary professionals will agree that mustelids are most likely obligate carnivores, also, and thus require taurine in their diet.
Cats require anywhere from 35-250mg of taurine per day. The reason for the large range in necessity is complex: bioavailability of taurine depends directly on the level of digestibility of the proteins in the diet. This, and a diet high in carbohydrates supports a gut flora more likely to consume dietary taurine, making higher levels necessary in order to meet the body’s needs as well as the needs of the gut flora that are also utilizing taurine. Certain other issues such as irritable bowel seem to have an effect on how well cats absorb dietary taurine, so that should be considered for ferrets, as well. Because the caloric need of felines per day is pretty comparable to that of ferrets (a 4lb cat requires about 230 calories, a 2lb ferret, about 100-150,) one can assume the taurine needs per day is probably comparable. According to AAFCO Dry Matter Basis (DMB,) a cat’s daily taurine requirement is 0.10% for dry foods, and 0.20% for canned foods. The reason for the difference? Like the overall varying levels of necessity, the processes involved in the production of kibbles and cans creates bioavailability differences, as well as some of the plant ingredients included in canned foods seem to make taurine less available. So while a frozen raw food probably seems like it would be closer to the canned food requirement, it’s probably reasonable to assume that anywhere between 0.10 and 0.20% for raw diets is sufficient (because of bioavailability, digestibility, and overall degradation.)
Taurine is used by the body in many ways, most noteworthy in the maintenance of the retina (the light-sensitive membrane on the inner surface of the eye,) in cardiovascular function, and in the production of bile. It is found in all animal tissue in varying levels, because of it’s important role in maintaining cellular calcium homeostasis throughout the body. When feeding a raw diet to your ferrets, you can expect them to receive their taurine in largest concentrations from hearts, brains, and dark muscle meats like thighs. Because of the necessary nature of taurine for obligate carnivores, it is imperative that hearts are offered as a meal at least weekly, though many people include them in daily meals.
In terms of commercial raw foods: if a food item is labelled as “AAFCO Approved Complete and Balanced for Cats” then it by AAFCO definition needs to contain at least 0.10% DMB of taurine. In kibble, this requirement would more than likely be met using supplemented taurine, probably from Chinese sources. In raw foods, much of the time, this requirement is easily met and surpassed using nutritious muscle meats and hearts, and thus, taurine won’t be listed on the package at all.
This is important to note because I see a good number of folks panicking when they look over their Nature’s Variety or other raw food packaging, and don’t see any taurine listed on the ingredient panel. Pet food manufacturers, by AAFCO definition, do not have to list taurine levels in foods, along with many other nutrients (yet another misleading truth about pet food!) . But, if the food is labelled as Complete and Balanced for Cats, you know that the taurine levels are adequate for a carnivore (and more than likely far exceeding AAFCO standards.)
Here are the taurine contents of some popular commercial frozen raw foods, just to get an idea: All Nature’s Variety except for Bison and Rabbit (includes Chicken, Organic Chicken, Beef, Venison, Lamb and Duck) contain 0.064% DMB of taurine. Their Bison contains 0.03% and their Rabbit contains 0.04%. Primal’s Feline Frozen Formulas except for their Chicken and Salmon (including Beef and Salmon, Pheasant, Quail, Rabbit, Turkey, and Venison) all contain 0.14% taurine, where their Chicken and Salmon formula contains 0.20% taurine. Remember, 0.10% is what AAFCO believes is the minimum amount of taurine necessary, so all of the Nature’s Variety formulas are slightly low in taurine – however, if you are feeding a meal of hearts per week, or using NV products in a rotation with other raw foods, both frankenprey and/or commercial raw, you are still probably meeting their needs by the end of the week. Bravo! Raw Foods make four different formulas each with different protein sources and levels of completeness. The only of their line that is complete and balanced according to AAFCO for dogs and for cats, is their Bravo! Balance line. This line comes in Chicken, Turkey or Beef, in both chubs or in burgers. Their other lines, The Bravo! Blends, Bravo! Boneless, and Bravo! Basics have varying levels of taurine content depending on whether they include heart or not – in those instances, again, if you are feeding a varied diet and include thighs, hearts, brains, and/or whole prey in the diet, you are more than likely meeting their taurine needs, even if you aren’t meeting them with every single meal.Another fallacy I see circulating the ‘net in terms of taurine is degradation. Many seem to believe taurine is broken down and denatured to a monumental degree by freezing. This is, thankfully, not true – it is actually not affected by the freeze-thaw cycle at all. Taurine is, however, broken down by cooking and by long-term exposure to air (oxidation), so ground formulas tend to lose their taurine levels faster than whole foods. Since taurine is water soluble, thawing out a frozen item can thus leach the taurine into the runoff liquid (IE: blood) and if not added back into meals, can then result in loss of taurine fed. This is another reason why when feeding ground and commercial raw products, to remember to pour a bit of the bloody thaw-off back into the meals! There are important nutrients in there! In terms of freeze-dried products, the process of freeze-drying involves removing the liquid from an item, and so taurine is leached into the liquid and then evaporated off. In this way, freeze-dried products are less abundant in taurine than their frozen and fresh counterparts.
Taurine as a nutrient is water soluble and generally any excess is then excreted via urine. That said, there are preliminary studies in rats and humans that indicate omnivore species can experience alarming symptoms when given large amounts of supplemented taurine over time. Some of the symptoms included psychomotor inhibitions, induced psoriasis, and higher produced levels of various growth hormones. Whether these findings are indicative of toxicity or something else is unknown, and whether it is similar of our carnivorous friends or not, it’s hard to say – but it is something to think about.
Taurine in whole food form, found in muscle tissues, hearts, brains and other animal tissues, is in any case the ideal for any raw diet – and not a difficult nutrient to maintain proper levels of if offering the right variety. Supplementation of factory-synthesized taurine is a possibility in extreme cases but be sure to choose a supplement of human-grade quality, from a trusted company and source. I know many people use the NOW brand of taurine powder. Do you need to suuplement 500mg per day? No, definitely not, not unless your ferret has a diagnosed heart condition that may benefit from higher than usual taurine levels. Aim for over a period of a week to give about 1400mg – which is 200mg per day if you want to balance it daily – but in reality, having it balanced with every meal is probably overkill.
To give some scale to the amounts of taurine your ferrets are probably consuming, here is the taurine content of some commonly-fed food items:
Chicken Breast: 260 mg/kg
Chicken Leg: 3780 mg/kg
Pork Meat: 1180 mg/kg
Pork Heart: 2000 mg/kg
Pork Kidney: 1200 mg/kg
Pork Liver: 420 mg/kg
Whole Quail: 95-280 mg/kg
Medium Egg: 350 mg
Sources used in writing this article:
1. Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, 4th Edition, by Hand, Thatcher, Remillard, and Roudebush
2. ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sc/scf/out22_en.html
3. maxshouse.com/nutrition/aafco_cat_food_nutrient_profiles.htm
4. www.petforums.co.uk/cat-health-nutrition/99294-taurine-cats-2.html
5. suppversity.blogspot.com/2010/08/taurine-from-foods-can-i-be-taurine.html
6. feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-how-much-taurine-should-i-add
7. www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmb/aal/pdfs/spitze.pdf
8. www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ccah/local-assets/pdfs/Role_of_diet_feline%20health_Glasgow.pdf
9. www.livestocklibrary.com.au/bitstream/handle/1234/19925/187.PDF?sequence=1
10. biocor.umn.edu/assets/files/ANALYTE%20STABILITY%20&%20FREEZE-THAW%20INFORMATION-1.pdf
Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/15089/information-taurine#ixzz3z0uiCI2w
Notes to remember about and possible further quizz questions: Taurine is Water Soluable and must be replenished, they do not store up Taurine. Taurine is an important source of Vitamin B Freezing Taurine does not degrade it but Heat does degrade Taurine. A good backup for Hearts will be Tongue or Supplemental Taurine Powder. 500mg per day per Ferret would be the correct amount to use for a Supplemental powder. Next in the soupie is Liver. Liver is important for the Vitamin A found in it. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin (it is also called retinol) Normally a ferret on a natural diet would find vitamin A in oily fish or the liver of other animals (it can also be found in milk and eggs) when a ferret has eaten a food rich in vit A its own liver needs to go to work to regulate the blood level of vitamin A. It uses a special blood carrier to transport vit A throughout the body. A ferret who has a high protien diet rich in fat can readliy absorb vitamin A into its body. Ferrets fed on raw liver once per week do not need a vit a suppliment as the raw liver of another animal contains more than enough vit A. THIS IS WHY RAW LIVER MUST BE FED ONLY ONCE PER WEEK TO PREVENT AN OVERDOSE OF NATURAL VITAMIN A. Vitamin A is destroyed when cooked at temps of 40 degrees centigrade or more so to obtain the maximim benefit liver should be fed raw.
Vitamin A is an anti oxidant that may protect against disease in the body. This vitamin is used for night vision, growth, and reproduction it also has many varied uses thorugh out the body and also helps maintain a healthy skin. It helps to prevent dryness of skin. It also helps with the health of mucous linings and these include eyes, ears, lungs, nose, throat and bladder. It is also good to help prevent colds! So all in all vitamin A has many good uses, it also helps the ferrets immune system stay healthy.
A ferret who is deficent in vitamin A can show it in many ways and the simple deficiancy can often be mistaken for something more serious. Some of the signs of a vitamin A deficiency can be as follows: dry or rough skin, problems with growth (bones appear weak), low resistance to infection, digestive problems (diarreah, kidney stones, loss of appertite) weak teeth that easily chip or break and appearing to have problems seeing - especially in darkness. These are all the plus sides vit A can help solve but like all good things there is a reason for caution as there CAN be a down side if the vitamin is not treated with respect and used with care. I personally only give my ferrets a tiny pinch once every fourteen days on food if raw liver is not available as vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that can be stored in the body and can cause overdoses if there is not a good break between doses. Very high doses can cause the following side effects: vomiting, hair loss, liver damage and painfull joints so a ferret finds it painful to walk. Vitamin A is a good vitamin it is simply one that needs to be treated with respect and given in very, very small doses with a decent break between them. The plus side far outweighs the minus side but as I have stated and can't state enough, all vitamins should be treated with respect. Get the balance right by carefully monitoring and your ferret can live a happy, healthy, long, illness free life. I know a lot of people think well it's all added in the kibble any way so why worry but we all need to realize that the balance isnt' always right. For example how do we know the vitamins they need that day are contained in that bowl of food or did the manufacturers place the daily portion of say taurine in a certain colour of kibble? And is my ferret eating that colour today? We don't honestly know if our ferrets are receiving all they need for a balanced healthy diet so the odd boost of different vitamins can only act as a plus.
To Recap the important facts about Liver and possible further quizz questions: Liver is Fat Soluable. Too much can build up to a toxic liver so liver will be limited to five percent of their weekly diet once Hermione begins on a Frankenprey Diet. Vitamin A (Retinol) is also found in eggs and milk. We do not feed milk to Ferrets since they are lactose intolerant. Last is the Eggshell Powder. The Eggshell Powder contains Calcium and is important for many reasons. Eggshell powder is intended for the soupie stage and once past that if you want to supplement their Calcium intake then a good human grade BoneMeal Powder like the NOW brand can be helpful. My Mika is a lazy bone eater so I often supplement her meals with Bonemeal Powder. Calcium Although calcium is not a vitamin but a mineral I feel it is important that it be mentioned in this series as the way it is used and absorbed into the body is often misunderstood. A lot of ferret owners believe calcium is only important for healthy teeth and bones. Calcium has many other uses too. The ferret's body also uses calcium to aid blood clotting and also to help muscular growth. Calcium even has a calming effect on the body and helps with the nerve impluses. It provides energy and helps to break down fat and helps maintain healthy skin! Calcium is a very important mineral in a ferret's diet. Another idea a lot of owners have is that once the ferret's bones are formed then that is that - when in effect they are constantly being upgraded from day to day as calcium flows in and out of them.
Signs of calcium deficency: There are many signs of calcium shortage and some may be simular to other illnesses so if in doubt have a vet check out your ferret. The signs are walking appears painful, in some cases the ferret may refuse to walk, dry skin, signs of muscle cramps, brittle nails and in extreme cases convulsions.
Where can you obtain calcium: Calcium can be obtained in many forms from health food stores. It can be purchased in tablet form or in the form of bone flour and sprinked on food. Owners who feed meat can obtain calcium from bone meal, raw bones, egg shells, fish and seafood. It is beneficial to take vitamin d with calcium.
Thanks to Sherry for providing some of the information that I have copied for you. Recapping Calcium for information and possible further quizz questions: The amount of Calcium or bone will make for loose or firm stools. If they are too firm/white or chalky then Hermione has too much in her diet. If her poops are too loose then she needs more calcium. Each ferret is different and has different calcium needs. You will learn this from the never ending poop patrol, lol. That's alot for your first lesson. I do like to give you quizzes as we go along through each stage. When you are ready to graduate, you will have a final exam based on the information that you have received along the way. So, we're off to a good start. I have a hair appointment this morning but will check back in when I get home. This will be fun and we will both learn while we have fun. Hermione is lucky to have such a caring Ferrent and I know you both will do well. (dance) That
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2016 10:10:25 GMT -5
Thank you very much Heather !! Yay! @pouncesmom I'm ready ! For whole pray, I wouldn't mind things like Mice and what not. I just can't do rabbits.. (And I wouldn't trust pigeons) I would like to keep the Whole pray as "treats" for now... and maybe move onto that later on. and yes, Once we get Ron, I will be switching him also also, is there... a stool chart? Lol
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2016 11:19:39 GMT -5
We have success!!! She would run around the bed, and when she would come back to me, I would pick her up, and bring the spoon to her, and she licked some off every time. Then run around again and do it all over again. Picture is a bit blurry (Like always!) lol
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2016 17:26:19 GMT -5
Okay, I wrote another response that got lost but I have a new computer ordered and that should solve that problem. Let's hope we don't get another double response again.
Hooray! You had great success. Hermione ate her soupie very well and seemed to have fun while she did eat. That's absolutely wonderful and give yourself a pat on the back.
As she gets use to her soupie, you will find her eating more. Her little body will try to make up for the lost nutrients from her kibble and her appetite will increase for awhile. She may also feel full on some days and seem to take a step back and not eat as much. This is very normal.
The pictures are adorable and she is just beautiful.
If you have a dollar store near you, consider picking up a couple of plates just for her. Ferrets feel vulnerable when they are eating and once she is eating on her own, she will prefer a plate to a bowl. Ferrets seem to love the color range of red to pink, just a fun fact.
The next step is to let her get use to the soupie so continue sitting with her. Offer the spoon and let her lick the soupie and once she is easily eating it, lower the spoon to the plate and hold it there. In a few days, you can remove the spoon and sit with her while she eats.
After she is comfortable eating the soupie then we will move to the next step and remove her kibble at night and leave the soupie with her overnight. Raw Soupie is easily and safely left out for 6-8 hours and in cooler weather, it's fine for a bit longer. Since you are home during the day, why don't you leave the soupie out for her and see if she wanders over and eats some on her own. If she isn't eating anything then remove the soupie and let her have a small snack of kibble. We don't want her filling up on kibble but we also don't want her hungry.
If the soupie gets a skin on it (like a pudding does), add a touch of warm water and stir it around.
I'm going to post this and begin another post before I lose this.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2016 17:34:05 GMT -5
I simply don't know if this is my computer or the new birthday skin that is making my computer blow up but my new computer can't come too soon. (headwall) Okay, here is a copy of the poop chart: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/2469/poop-chartYou can expect some funky poops as we go along. Don't hesitate to post pictures or ask questions but don't worry about the occassional odd one, that's normal. The first thing you will see is the seedy poop from her. That's from undigested fats and is perfectly normal. Just don't add as much skin and that will help her until she is use to the fats. Second, you will notice that her poops are now getting smaller and smell less. Kibble is full of filler and that is pure waste (pun intended). They don't digest it and it makes for larger kibble poops. Raw fed ferrets have much smaller poops because more of what they eat is digested and utilized. In a few weeks, you will begin to see her fur become softer and silkier. Then you may notice that she smells like Grape Kool-aid. We call this Grapetails and it's a fun way to amaze your friends and family who simply won't believe it. You and Hermione did absolutely terrific and give yourself a pat on the back and a big hug for 'our' girl. I have to get some dinner for my five ready and then pay some attention to my husband but I'll check back in a bit later. Lovely job Ferrenting, I'm so proud of you both.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2016 19:40:27 GMT -5
I did leave the soupie for her today, (I think I might have added too much water this morning, it was very liquidy!) But she ate about half of it!!!! Which is super awesome!
Now, I don't think she is litter trained! That's going to be a whole other obstacle! Will any litter do for now ? Until I can get to petsmart this weekend?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 9:15:30 GMT -5
Good Morning! Hermione ate most of her soupie, that's wonderful. Since you posted last night and I'm posting in the morning when you put out her breakfast, after she eats then leave the rest out and see if she goes to it on her own. We're off to such a good start. Ferrets will only eat until they are full. Then they will try to stash some but soupie is very hard to stash...and messy too. (giggle) If she finishes her plate then try offering some more. A regular cat litter will do. I use puppy pads since mine are free roam but I believe Fresh is best is the favorite litter on the forum. You might try Litter Box boot camp. Our forum members swear by it. holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/108/litter-box-boot-campWhat is Hermione's story? How did she come to you and do you know how many home she had before yours?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 9:27:51 GMT -5
I thought of a fun toy for her. A cat teaser toy can be tons of fun. She will love jumping and chasing it as you wiggle it around. Today's small lesson comes to us courtesy of Celene. She built this great chart to show how the step by step will work in the beginning: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/18571/step-journey-raw
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 11:20:02 GMT -5
Today was a great success! She didn't want it off the spoon! (She pushed the spoon away with her little paw) and went straight for the bowl! One of the cats jumped onto the bed to come sniff, and she got a little defensive (with a very cute noise!) So I placed her in her pen with her bowl!
As for her story, Im currently filling that in over at my image thread. As far as I know she has had 1 (maybe 2) owners before me. Im not 100% sure how she was treated, but I don't think it was very nicely. From the cage they gave me, it seems she spent waaaaay to much time in their. So im trying to proof the house as fast as I can to let her out more. Free roam Yay! Im going to try to get a photo of her teeth in hopes to try and pin point her age.
How long normally does the soupie stage last?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 11:25:15 GMT -5
Forgot to add this photo I snapped. (giggle)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 11:34:08 GMT -5
Well at the rate Hermione is moving along, it won't be long. Let's give her a day or two and make sure she is comfortable and eats well. Keep an eye out and keep her dish filled. She may be quite hungry and eat off and on throughout the day.
The next step will be to begin adding tiny slivers of chicken to her soupie. The pieces will be about the size of your fingernail crescent at first. That will be a new strange experience for her so we want to see if she accepts the slivers first. Once she is okay with them, then you will increase the sliver sizes a little more each time.
Did you look at Celene's chart? That's where we are headed.
If she continues to move along this fast then we might try pork next week. When you go out shopping this weekend, why don't you look for some pork, some pork liver and some pork brains or kidney. You could try making a pork soupie and we might just be able to sneak a new protein in on her.
Don't be surprised if she pigs out for the next few days and then seems to slow down. That's not a step backwards, it's just that she will be nice and full. She may just continue eating to her heart's delight (and ours).
That's so cute that she doesn't want to share with the cats. She's a fiesty little one and that's wonderful.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 12:46:52 GMT -5
Yes, I checked it out (and saved it in my "ferret folder") I shall do that this weekend, Ill also need to pick up some more chicken. Yay! More soupie! When I make the pork, Do i use the same recipe as the chicken just switch it for pork? 8 oz of pork, 1 oz liver 1 oz kidney (or brain), egg shell + water?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 17:48:11 GMT -5
Great idea to save those in your file. The soupie recipe will be the same as for the chicken soupie. 8 ounces of a fatty cut of pork. Pork shoulder roasts or Boston butt are great choices. They will be inexpensive and once you cut one up into serving sizes, you'll have a nice amount of meat for later. 1 to 2 ounces of pork heart. Remember the Heart is for Taurine and super important. 1/2 ounce of pork liver. Liver for the vitamin A and Iron. 1/3 to 1/2 tsp of dried eggshell powder. Eggshell powder for the Calcium. In your recipe above, you have liver and kidney . We will be moving to kidney or brains or another organ as part of the Frankenprey menu but for the soupie recipe, we want heart and liver for now. Quick quizz question. If you can't find Heart then what is a good substitute?
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