Cocoa & Marshmallow's Transition

[Shawna]

Hello,

I just recently bought 2 new woozles in April, about 3-4 weeks after Zim & Dexter passed away. I included their transition thread below.

holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/17827/dex-zim-unofficial-switching.

So, meet Cocoa (female, 4 mos) & Marshmallow (male, 5 mos)



I just recently started transitioning them over to raw & I'm basically doing it the same way I did for my boys with one exception. I'm using Rad Cat for the moment just as a transition tool & just adding more water to it to make it more soupy. I have had no problems so far with Cocoa but Marshmallow's a little pill! I have tried sitting him on my lap & feeding him directly from a spoon or my finger & he'll only sniff at it. (I bought chicken & turkey to start them off) & I basically have to scruff him, pry his mouth open & shove a little finger full into his mouth (it's like feeding a baby!)

I've tried enticing them w salmon oil but they both think I'm crazy so I think I need to buy some ferretone then go olive oil then mix some salmon oil in w that.

So I need some serious help w Marshmallow please please pretty please. Also.. they are totally destroying their toys.... HELP!

[LindaM]

Please do not use Ferretone, it's an incredibly bad product with carcinogenic ingredients that could increase risk of cancer in the long run (and we all know these little furballs are already cancer factories). Have you tried getting them used to the Salmon Oil? Preferred methods for accomplishing this is to either mix with an oil or food they are used to, or to do the Grab'n'Dab method, both will get the taste in their mouths to get them used to it.

For enticing to the food, there are several other options to try if you're really desperate. Just like Salmon Oil, Raw Egg can also be used drizzled over to entice to food, if they are okay with eating raw egg already. And it should always be kept to your weekly limit too, same as with oil. Or if they are used to or like getting FDR treats, you can crumble one and sprinkle it over the food too.

You can also do sessions of Grab'n'Dab with their soupie. If you aren't familiar with the method, you can do it as sessions or whenever you have time in the day. Grab your ferret, dip finger in the soupie and then dab on their mouth/gums/nose, and let them go again. Repeat this every 5 minutes or so in a session of 20-30 minutes. It's something you'll need to be consistent with, after a while, he'll be used to the taste and may accept finger feeding or spoon feeding if stubborn, otherwise he may just go right for the bowl.

As for the toys... do you have chewers? If you do, you need to keep a very close eye on toys they destroy, and once hurt, remove and fix them or toss them. With stuffed/softie toys the risk of blockages can be quite big. Zero rubber or foam should be allowed near any ferrets, much less chewers. Same for the toys with plastic noses or eyes, don't allow it, and moreso for any toys that have little silicon beads inside. Jingle balls, if they shatter them the bells can pose a risk. So overall, if you have chewers, you will need to do a regular toy inspection, and if it is incredibly bad you may have to only do toys during supervised times. I check my furkids' toys every morning, even before I got my most recently adopted two boys, the one of which has a nasty habit of chewing open the eyes (soft cloth or embroidered) of their toys, to my alpha's irritation.

[Shawna]

well... i quit being wimpy & just gave them the rad cat i bought & gave them nothing else to eat & when i ran out of that, i've been giving them the chicken & frog mix that i was giving zim & dex before they passed.

they've been eating it. well more like i know that she has & i've seen him eating it too but i dont know how much of it that he's eating

[Shawna]

now.. to get them to take the salmon oil....

[abbeytheferret6]

I've tried enticing them w salmon oil but they both think I'm crazy
Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/23035/cocoa-marshmallows-transition#ixzz4iwF0MiEh


I got a 20 month old off craigslist, and she did not like salmon oil either. You can dab their mouths periodically and offer a little squirt on saucer at times. The thing is to continually offer it to them. I do not know how many times you will have to try, but from my experience, it will eventually work. I lightly pat mice with salmon oil for her now as she is not a great fan of mice, but she has become a fan of salmon oil.

[LindaM]

When I got Ares and Apollo, they did not want to go near Salmon Oil. Using the Dab'n'Grab method I talked about above, they soon came to LOVE it.. to the point they actually tried to steal the one bottle with my alpha Athena's help when she managed herself up onto the kitchen counter to throw it to the floor.

[Shawna]

Cocoa & Marshmallow have successfully transitioned to my ground raw mix that I did for Zim & Dex & they are taking the salmon oil w their food as well.
I think they even eat more than Zim & Dex did because I periodically see one of them gnawing on the bowl.