|
Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2017 2:11:39 GMT -5
Sorry about mine too! I have been so busy with school!!! It's going good. Right now I am still hand feeding them because I have been so nervous to leave them alone with it! Once I hand feed them it they'll eat most of it on their own. I just have to give them that "push". Jaxson is still only eating about an ounce for a meal. I keep trying to get him to eat more. I'm just surprised still that Jazmine is out eating him by so much! Just ran out of chicken soupies. The store isn't open until Monday so I think tomorrow we are going to try the turkey or lamb mince. I know I haven't had a lesson about food sensitivities, but what are some symptoms of allergic reactions just so I can keep my eyes out? No worries for being busy with school. I'm happy to hear everything is going well. They sound like they're getting closer to the point where you could safely leave it out. Maybe something you could try in a week or so if you're up to it then. Oh wow Jaxson is being beat by his sister! He'll catch up eventually, Jaxson get in the game! I don't think you should have anything to worry about sensitivity wise. Just keep an eye on them while you trial a new protein and watch for any vomiting or diarrhea which can indicate a sensitivity or allergy. If it happens within the first 30 minutes, then it is probably an allergic reaction or a strong indication of a sensitivity. After a week or so of trialling and you still find you have watery or inconsistent stools, it is a high indication of a sensitivity to a protein. Allergies tend to be something you will notice right away, within half an hour from consumption at most, whereas sensitivities may persist longer probably less severe than an allergy. Some ferrets even get IBD, and it can flare up with certain proteins. Since it all relates, Here are some useful articles on the IBD, that can relate to sensitivities, and allergies. The protein trial elimination is something that is handy to have on hand for the future when you have a solid diet plan and begin to see an issue with a protein. There is also times where ferret bellies don't agree with certain meals, and they could have a once off sensitivity. Usually if it goes away, then no problem. It is when it is severe or persists for a longer time. holisticferretforum.com/health/irritable-bowel-disease-ibd/holisticferretforum.com/health/irritable-bowel-disease-ibd/protein-trialelimination-diet-for-ferrets-raw-diet/
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2017 13:36:38 GMT -5
They seem fine on the lamb mince! No diarrhea or anything, but they aren't eating as much as they do with the chicken mince. Tomorrow I'll start doing the chicken mince today. I gave them a tiny sliver of chicken breast just to see what they would do. Jazmine ignored it and Jax licked it for a little while but didn't eat it, haha. I'm also realizing I haven't posted weights in a while. I feel so behind (in everything)! Tomorrow I took the day off from work though because I really need to catch up so I will post weights and photos tomorrow. Also bringing them into the vet this week for a recheck for the ear mites!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2017 16:55:09 GMT -5
Oh wow that is great! If they're doing well with that new protein, you could alternate between the lamb mince and the chicken mince if you'd like. I'm happy to hear you're trying some breast fillets! You may as well occasionally introduce that through hand feeding~ Cut them into small pieces and then increase size if they get used to the fleshy meat. No stress with the weights, do it in your spare time. I can understand being busy lol! Things have been hectic for me also with classes. ^^ Let me know how the vet appointment goes! Fingers crossed that they are super healthy with no ear mites. ^_^ Have you tried a full day with the raw yet?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2017 16:15:02 GMT -5
1. Ferret's name: Jazmine. 2. Ferret's weight: 1 lb. 14.0 ounces. -.8 ounces 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal: Anywhere from 1.5 - 2 ounces of balanced chicken grinds. This week we've had to use lamb grinds for two days which she was eating about an ounce of for a regular meal. 4. Stools on various proteins: They seem normal on both. 5. Activity levels: Slight decrease. 6. Weekly menu: Kibble down 24/7 except when we try the mince.They get a quail egg three times a week and 1/4 teaspoon of salmon oil the other 4 days.
1. Ferret's name: Jaxson. 2. Ferret's weight: 2 lbs 12.7 ounces. +.3 ounces 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal: Around 1 ounce - 1.5 ounces of balanced chicken grinds. When we did the lamb mice he was only eating around .5 ounces. 4. Stools on various proteins: Normal on both. 5. Activity levels: Increase. 6. Weekly menu: Kibble down 24/7 except when we try the mince.They get a quail egg three times a week and 1/4 teaspoon of salmon oil the other 4 days.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2017 16:19:54 GMT -5
I lost the second round of Advantage for the ear mites so I had to go to the vets today and they gave me Revolution. I just administered it today, we're going to the vet next week apparently to check again for the ear mites!
The chicken mince finally defrosted yesterday so I left 4 ounces in the cage this morning at 8 am. I weighed out what was left and it's only 1.8 ounces, so 2.2 was eaten. I took it out of the cage since it was out for 8 hours. I think what I am going to do it start putting 2-3 ounces in the cage, and replace every 6 hours or so for the day. It seems whenever I put in 4 ounces, they eat a little bit and go back to sleep, but by the time they wake up it's bad!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2017 16:22:46 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2017 4:11:52 GMT -5
I lost the second round of Advantage for the ear mites so I had to go to the vets today and they gave me Revolution. I just administered it today, we're going to the vet next week apparently to check again for the ear mites! The chicken mince finally defrosted yesterday so I left 4 ounces in the cage this morning at 8 am. I weighed out what was left and it's only 1.8 ounces, so 2.2 was eaten. I took it out of the cage since it was out for 8 hours. I think what I am going to do it start putting 2-3 ounces in the cage, and replace every 6 hours or so for the day. It seems whenever I put in 4 ounces, they eat a little bit and go back to sleep, but by the time they wake up it's bad! Ear mites are horrible parasites. It will be fantastic once they are gone so your ferts can feel much better. Yup, adjust according to the ferrets appetite. If they are eating less, you can feed less. I think you're figuring out their eating habits now which is great. ^^ You'll notice a difference with seasons. (Are you guys going into Spring/Summer?) That could explain the less activity for Jaz. They're both looking so good in their photos! Are you noticing anything new or different since starting the switch? (Like coat feel, look, etc.)
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2017 1:51:59 GMT -5
We are going into spring right now.
Both of their coats have always been pretty soft! I have not really started to see a difference yet.
Tonight when I got home from work I gave each ferret 1.5 ounces of soup. Jax didn't eat the last .3 ounces of his. It was pretty late when I did this and I was getting up early in the morning, so I decided to withhold the kibble for the 5-6 hours that I was sleeping. When I woke up I did another raw soup meal and each ferret ate about an ounce each. I replaced the kibble a few hours after their morning meal.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2017 22:54:28 GMT -5
Also just a random question!
Over winter break this lady reached out to me and I ferret-sat for her for a week. Her ferrets came and stayed with us. This may be how my guys got those mites. Anyways, I decided to make a little business after this and started a Facebook page. I already have two weeks booked by two separate people for the summer! I am just wondering what the safest way to go about having multiple ferrets in and out of my house (for the health & wellbeing of my ferrets). I have an extra cage so my visitors will be caged separately... But is it potentially dangerous to have them even in the same room?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2017 18:35:17 GMT -5
You're doing excellent with the raw !
I would probably isolate them to an off limits area of the house. Somewhere that is away from your own ferrets if possible, so that would be separate play areas, separate toys etc. There may be an issue with the cage, and everything that comes into contact with the new animals as well, I recommend getting a good veterinary grade disinfectant like F10, and use that in between visitors (Before ferrets go in and after they leave just to be safe.) You'll need to disinfect everything if you can, toys will need to be sprayed or soaked in disinfectant- allowed to sit (covered in disinfectant) and then rinsed a few times thoroughly. This was what we did at the rescue I volunteer at least. There will still be chances that you can transfer things from your clothes an shoes, so keep that in mind and do some research for the type of job you want. I think you should be alright as long as you take some pre-cautionary measures.
If you personally know the people then it may be okay, I personally wouldn't take chances especially when there are a few ferret to ferret illnesses that can easily be spread. I hope that helps. ^^
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2017 0:35:20 GMT -5
Today they both did really well! I had one bowl with 1.8 ounces and one bowl with 1.9 ounces. They ate a pretty good amount from each of their bowl, I'm estimating that they each left about .5 ounces in each bowl. About 20 minutes after eating, Jazmine came back and finished off the bowl Jax started with and then dug into her original bowl. After she ate seconds, I weighed out what was left and it was .2 ounces but I don't know exactly who ate how much as she came over for seconds before I thought to weigh it out!
I'm pretty confident that they would both do well completely on the mince. My only concerns so far: 1. Jazmine seems to eat bigger meals but Jaxson likes to eat smaller meals more frequently. I think that as of now, Jax would need to eat more than 2 meals a day because he eats such small portions at a time. 2. Because of this, I'm just having a hard time figuring out how to cut out the kibble. Some days I am not home for more than 10 + hours in a row, so I am not there to replace the soup for him every 6-8 hours when it goes bad.
I also realized today when I was mixing their kibble that one of the bags expired in January. I threw it all out but feel so dumb because I've been feeding it to them for the past two months after the expiration date.
And thanks for the advise about letting other ferrets around mine! I have a large living room that I can either set up a play pen or ferret proof for my visitors! Usually the parents drop off toys, blankets, litter boxes, food/water dishes etc. so they will definitely be using completely different things!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2017 3:48:40 GMT -5
From what I hear I do believe they will do quite well now if you tried doing mince only. Every ferret has their own preference on how they eat their meals. I have a few who will eat right in one sitting, or at least eat their fill and be fine for a while whereas others will "Graze" and eat periodically every few hours instead, much like how Jaxson is doing it now. If you currently know how much they eat on average at the moment with the mince you can round it up a bit and then give a little extra just in case one eats more. If you feel they are really good with eating the mince on their own, you can remove the kibble right away and just give the mince, then continue with mince. You have multiple types don't you? I recommend trying one protein type for a morning and a different one for night. This will keep them interested since it is different tastes, then you can work on trying some meat that isn't ground up and introduce the slivers as you go. You don't necessarily have to remove it every 6-8 hours, this is just a guideline that is best recommended for freshness. As long as you leave enough food until their next meal it should be fine. Meat takes a long while to actually go bad for ferrets. ferrets tend to be very smart when it comes to food, if it isn't good they won't eat it. The longer the mince is left out, the more risk you have with bacteria but as long as you monitor them, they tend to be very good with handling large bacteria loads being carnivores. Kibble expiry dates does not necessarily mean they have gone bad. Kibble was created and designed to last a long while so they tend to be alright after the expiry date. From my memory, I recall them being safe for up to 6 months past the expiry date but I cannot completely recall where I heard that from and if it is accurate. Once again, as long as you monitor, they should be alright. If it was bad, you would have noticed something by now anyway so don't feel "dumb". I also highly recommend you having a rule for any clients to have their ferrets up to date with vaccinations if you are in an area where rabies or distemper is common. I know not all will want to vaccinate, however you really need to be careful with things like distemper and rabies, especially since the area will be so close to your personal ferts. Vaccines are only used as preventatives so the animals, especially for distemper, will not have full coverage/protection against something. But something is better than nothing, still gives a chance even if the chance is relatively small.There was a distemper breakout at one of my favourite raw fed ferret rescues near Ballarat and I was shattered when I heard. The photos of the sick ferrets was so heartbreaking. It seemed to happen so quick, and every ferret who was exposed seemed to have contracted it. Truly devastating and terrifying. [Canine] Distemper has almost a 100% mortality rate. It really sucks for ferrets. I hope in future they find something that works more efficiently as a prevention or treatment so that ferrets don't need to suffer or die from them. I'm super glad Jaz and Jax are doing so well with their raw. Keep up with everything, you're doing fantastic.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2017 2:26:08 GMT -5
The past few days have gone well! I have been hand feeding daily. They are still eating the same amounts - Jazmine is at around 1.5 - 2 ounces in a 8 hour period and Jax is around 1 - 1.5 ounces. This week is spring break so I am going to try this week to not feed kibble at all and keep a steady supply of the grinds defrosting in the fridge. We are getting a snow storm tonight so I will be trapped at my house for the next couple of days -- perfect to monitor them.
They are both shedding like crazy. Out of quail eggs and I forgot to get to the store so they won't be able to have any eggs for a couple of days. I am keeping on top of brushing them regularly and may let them swim in the tub tomorrow.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2017 7:56:52 GMT -5
Sounds like a good plan! Keep trying with the grinds. If you have different proteins, try introducing those and see if you have more luck. Stay safe with the snow storm ^^
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2017 13:21:28 GMT -5
So the past few days have gone pretty well! We did a full 36 hours of just the mince and had no issues over here! I had to replace the kibble after cause I went to visit with my parents all day yesterday but it showed me that I think they will both do well on just the mince! Now I just have to write down a schedule or something on how I am going to keep on top of defrosting the right amounts. I think for now, we'll be doing chicken mince in the morning and alternating a flavor (either venison or lamb) at night. I need to buy some chicken breasts so I can start introducing slivers.
I want to buy store bought chicken but I'm scared that it has salt added or something. If a package doesn't mention that anything is added, can I assume that it's okay? Or am I just safer going to the local butcher?
|
|