Triss and Ciri's Unofficial Transitioning Thread

[Deleted]

Lamb is great. It's considered a hypo allergenic food because ferrets rarely have an allergy or intolerance to it. Plus it's a red meat and that mean Iron and Vitamin B.
Most ferrets love pork. It's nice and fatty and fat equals energy for ferrets.

Each new protein/flavor will be a small battle for awhile but they'll come to understand and trust you with new food. They'll have favorite foods and food that someone simply dislikes which is just like us.

They're reacting perfectly normal and you did the right thing by sitting with them and working with them. Make it fun and pleasant and they'll do well.

Nice Job and you did make some progress. Each step is a step forward and cause for celebration.

[Deleted]

Afternoon!

Just thought I would give an update after the weekend and since the start of the lamb transition!

Friday morning and night was the same sort of struggle however Friday night, they both went to the spoon themselves and started tucking in. I made sure the bowl was empty before giving in this time and it was so I was happy with that progress. Saturday morning, did the same process and put the spoon closer to the bowl and they started eating out of the bowl! I was so proud and even my mum (who was visiting at the time) told them they were good girls! Hahaha.

They had 4 bowls of soup yesterday little piggies! I tried Triss with a small chunk of lamb yesterday too. After rubbing it around her nose and gums, she reluctantly ate one piece but that's all she did, after that, she refused to touch it! However, they have taken it out of the soup bowl and put it in a stash so who knows!

I'm very happy with their progress so far. My question now is how do i introduce chicken back in? Am I ok now to give them a chicken wing and then have the soup in the morning or am i being silly in thinking they will forget about the chicken and how it tasted?

My thought at the moment was to get them eating the lamb meat willingly and then have bone in meat for the morning (chicken wing) and then give them lamb heart, chunks etc for tea.

Then after a couple of weeks of that then start the pork transition. Would that be safe?

[Deleted]

That's wonderful progress. You should all be so proud plus your Mother was there and you got to show how well her Grandferrets were doing, lol.

You certainly can leave chicken wings out for them to munch on for breakfast and then try new proteins for tea time.
Begin looking around for small other small animal bone in meats like quail or rabbit.

I wish we had tea time here and I love talking to people who are on other parts of the world.
Is your tea around 4pm and then your evening meal called dinner or supper?

What I would recommend is when you offer a new protein then do it for one of their meals for a few days or a week to let them get use to it.
Then move on to the next protein but since they are young at around 7 months then make sure they're getting their Bone In meals for one meal.

It's time to really look at the Frankenprey menu? Have you looked at the document I linked on page 2 of your thread. That's what we want for them. It's balanced and will give them the proper amount of Bone In/Muscle Meat and Organ meals.
You're moving along fast and I'd like you to get familiar with it and make sure they're going to be on a balanced diet soon.

You're doing a lovely job with them and they are doing very well. Everyone gets a hug.

[Deleted]

Hi Poncesmom!

Yes I have looked at that frankenprey menu, I have even printed it out and popped it on my fridge and written on how many grams of food they have a day so i know it's right! I've even bought my food and organised them into weighed bags so I can just get it out and it is done! Haha. Also done them a weekly meal plan ready for when they are all transitioned to three proteins. I'll give them bone in for their tea tonight then Is it important that they have different bone in meals so quail etc?

I was just a bit anxious about mixing the meats so I'm keen to get them started on that frankenprey but unsure how to go about it right so it doesn't upset them! But knowing I can transition and still have bone in meats then im happy.

Haha to be fair, in England, people call it all sorts! So up north where I am (North midlands) people call it breakfast, dinner then tea and others call it breakfast, lunch and dinner then supper. It all depends on where you're from Haha. When I mentioned tea time, I'll mean around 7pm.

Thank you for your kind words, means a lot from someone who is so experienced with their ferrets and being a ferrent! I love my little ones to bits, was born to be a ferrent I think. It was mothers day in the UK yesterday and my fella bought me a little pandora paw print charm from them. Apparently saved their ferret money ahaha :')

They even helped me open my card (and then ran off with the envelope)

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That's so sweet and I love those Pandora charms. Of course they had to steal something, lol.

I love tea and I love having a high tea. I find it charming that you call your later meal tea and wish we did also.

You do want a variety of animal proteins. Especially with the Bone In meals. Each animal offers different nutrients so the more variety in their diet the better for them. Celene wrote a terrific piece that offers alot of information. I'll link it for you:

holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/20361/importance-variety-nutritional-content-meats

I know what you mean about being born to be a Ferrent. I wish I had discovered ferrets when I was much younger. Nothing else in life has brought me so much fun or joy. I always wondered what I wanted to do with my life and it took me far too long to find out.

[FireAngel]

Hi there, I have read over your thread and it looks like you have made some wonderful progress with your little ones while waiting for an official mentor. So how have things gone this last week?

[Deleted]

Hi both!

I apologise for the lack in posts as I have not been very well recently. I was rushed to the emergency doctors but all is well and Im on the mend now. I've just been sleeping, a lot!

Triss and Ciri are doing well. For some reason, they do not like the lambs liver. At all. They will happily eat the chicken liver or the lambs liver if it is blended in the soupie but don't like it on it's own which is strange.

Triss has taken a massive step in our bond and trusting me. She came upstairs and climbed onto my bed and snugged on my lap and went to sleep. This is the first time she's done this. I was sat up crossed legged and she got right in the middle and just lay there for a while and let me love her and then she curled up and went sleep.

Ciri is still very much independent and the explorer. Doesn't like a cuddle but she does love jumping all over my furniture hahaha. She also loves getting into my underwear drawer and trying to run off with my bra!

I haven't tried my babies with pork yet as I want them to eat the lambs liver first. I also need to try them with kidneys but with that not being in the soup, I'm wondering how to introduce this to them?

We also have a new thing that my babies do. When it's food time, I walk into the room with their food and say "to the dinner deck" and both of the fluff up, get so excited, race to their enclosure and they both stand there on hind legs waiting for their food haha. It's adorable!

Hope everyone is well, any advice on the kidney and liver thing is appreciated!