So do i ... That is why last year I have decided it is time to get ferrets from breeders and to start breeding, it is so heart braking that at 6 years this kind of things are happening (plus everything else he has)
. I know that no one can assure that with non-mill ferrets everything will be ok and that they will live up to a proper old age, but at least theoreticaly the odds are higher.
But as I said, until he is fighting, I will fight too. I probably got (again) myself an gastric upset due to all stress ... but, I will go over.
Kaylas 3 have a vet appointment soon so shell bring everything up. I think he's just a chewer. He can tear up some bone too haha Chaos and Roscoe have also been known to eat blankets and crinkle balls and especially Barbies. She has to check the cage for stashed "contraband" at night lol I've caught Chaos stashing fleece pom poms and toys in the edges of the bed. That guy has food, toy, and bedding stashes everywhere lol He's also the one who will steal a cellphone strait out your hand
Oh, the stasher and thieve you have
I haven't have a proper thoeve for a long time. My first ferret was "awfull" from that point of view ... She got herself in all kind of possible trouble, and we were very lucky that her first few years passed with no real accident. Oh, boy ... what could have all happened ...
If you are talking Barbie dolls, be very carefull with them. They can easily chew them and most of ferrets No, I really think is not boredom.
1. Other organs would be secreting organs such as pancreas, spleen (?), and lung. I read snout somewhere but Idk about that one.
Yes, secreting internal organs - those which secret some kind of hormons.
For instance pancreas, spleen, kidney (this one is worth knowing, because it pretty much easy to get - at least here), testicles, brain (you don't want to feed them to much - they are great, also a good source of taurine, but very fat and will cause very loose stools), also thyroid gland (which is not to be fed to often, it can cause hyperthyroidism).
Lungs are a bit of mix of muscle meat (but not very nutritious), but they also have some secreting cells in them, so when they are fed, they should be fed like an "other" organ. They should not be fed very often, since they are not really organ, tough, ... I like to give it here and there since they really have to chew on it - they are slightly "gummy" and are good source of vitamine B and iron. If you dry them they are also good treat.
Snouts don't count as organs, they are muscle meat.
2. Different protiens as in different species you're feeding. Turkey, chicken, rodents, pig, cow, etc.Correct!
What you should know here is that chicken, hens and cornish game hens are the same species, just different age/diferent breed (like different dog breeds). On the other hand, turkey, duck, geese, quail, ... are different species so they count as different proteins. Which is good to know, since chicken sensitivity is quite common among animals (probably due to all kind of nasty stuff farmed chickens are fed with), but that does not mean that all animals with chicken sensitivity will also have problem with everything else whith feathers. Usually not, so it is worth giving a try.
And simillar goes with rodnets - mice, rats, hamsters ... all different species, hence different protein.
3. You should feed at least 3 different protiens, one being a red meatYes, three is minimum. That way you make the diet balanced - different kind of meats are rich in different kind of nutrients.
Machan just recently wrote a post with comparison chart for different meat proteins - I just can't find it atm, will post link latter.
4. Cooked bones will splinter, raw bones don't
Correct!
Cooking causes structural changes in bones, that is why they become hard and splinter. Raw bones are "soft" (still speaking of bone so it is not really soft) and easyliy palatible for a carnivore. Cooking also destroys nutrients found in a bone marrow ...
Of course when switching, you have to go gradualy - so that their chewing muscles adapt to gnawing - it is no way a former "kibbler" will just go straight and chew down on a chicken tight ...
Also you have to keep in mind that they can only eat bones up to some size, you can not really expect a ferret to eat for instance bones like horse's humerus (leg bone).
5. You can get taurine powder at the health store for emergencies. I've heard turkey theigh also has taurine
Taurine powder would be one solution, but before this beef tongue would be one good resource. Still ... natural source is preffered to any kind of isolates. Brains are also good source, but as I mentioned earlier, they are really high in fat, so you can not use them daily.
Actually in almost all meat some taurine is found, in those big muscles taht work more are bigger quantities, but they are not really considered as a good taurine source.
So if you run out of hearts, go find beef tongue or substitute with taurine powder.
6. Ferrets need a combination of lean and fatty meats, right? I don't know much on this subject.Yes, variety and comination is allways the rule
But if you would only have one to choose, than fattier would be preffered
7. Ferrets appetite and weights can very greatly with the seasons! They will usually shed and lower their caloric intake during the warmer seasons.
Also correct! Their weight can fluctuate for up to 40% and sometimes those changes are really dramatic! So in warmer months they loose weight and eat less, and contrary in the winter. Since most of the ferrets are housed inside, not all go trough this dramatic changes, or the difference is really not that big for most of them.
One more interesting thing ... there are some ferrets, that have somehow messed it up. They are on reverse and get fattier and fluffier during summer and loose weigt and coat in winter
You did great, I am very pleased with your answers!
One moar thing...Aris and Arya dig furiously at the bottom of their new cage. They never did this in the wire one. Could it be they're testing it, trying to escape or maybe because the thin layer of shredded paper I put down? Their nails are trimmed.It is a new thing
they are testing it + shredded paper makes it even more interesting. If a layer is really thin, they might just try to dig in it and since is not thick enough, their nails hit on the podium so that is why you hear it.