Soup raw diet question?

[sheresafaye]

Ok so ive had a helluva month last month. First my dad has a heart attack, then my mom had a stroke a few days ago.... craziness.... in the midst of craziness i ran across someone trying to 'get rid of' the 2 ferrets she had bought as she didnt realize how much 'trouble' they are 🙄
After hearing how she fed them (cat food) and hearing her say she never let them out of their cage i was like ok ill save them! They are so sweet! Yes this time im being smart and quarentining them.... the one looks almost the age of my 2 girls mika and shadow (5-6 months) the other girl looks a tad older maybe 8-9 months? Im guessing as she had no clue she hadnt even named them after having them 2 months. Idk maybe im just pissy from the month i had but i dont understand the purpose of getting a ferret if you arent going to at least let it run around and socialize? Its not a hamster..... anyways im going to do the soup since i tried offering them little slices of chicken and porkand they wanted nothing to do with it. Which was odd my girls gobbled up any meat right away usually.  So i guess my question is do you think its just an adjustment period? With the soup do i still give them some of that kibble? Or just trust theyll eat the soup? And how long before i can transition them to the frankenprey diet my other girls are on? Honestly i think i got lucky with mika and shadow they transitioned so fast and so easy i never thought the other girls might snub meat

[LindaM]

Sigh.. it's always so heartbreaking and infuriating to hear about people who buy ferrets without doing th research, ignoring the fact that they are a high-maintenance pet, and then just getting rid of them because they finally figured it out. I'd love to smack these people upside the head until their brain clicks back on.

Thank you for saving these two wee lives... they are all precious and they do not deserve the way they had been treated.

Right now it can be plenty things, the new environment and adjusting to it, stress from that life change, they could also be older than they look for all you know and passed the imprinting on foods stage, at which time they become harder to switch and take more work.

Do not take their kibble away for good until you are sure they are eating the soup of their own volition, ie. you don't need to entice them, finger feed, spoon feed, etc. but they will eat from the bowl all by themselves. Keep to the removing kibble a few hours before offering raw, and replacing a few hours after rule, so you can avoid upset tummies and possible bacterial overgrowth. You can apply the Grab'n'Dab method to introduce the taste of soup to them, as well as salmon oil and raw egg.[

If they are hard to switch right away, it may take some time, and it's hard to say how long really. There are plenty factors. you'll need to be patient and persistent in getting them switched. For difficult ferrets it usually goes, soup-ground/minced-slivers-chunks.

If you haven't already, be sure to take these wee fluffers to the vet and get them fully checked out for any medical concerns.

PS. I'll pray for strength for you and your family during this time, it seems you guys have had a really crap month. I hope things will get better for everyone, just keep on hanging on in there.

[sheresafaye]

Linda thank you so much! And i agree i get aggravated at some people and their attitudes towards pets. As always thank you for your wonderful council! I am very persistent lol so these girls will eventually be on healthy raw lol .... vet check went well too! So i just need to help them adjust.... letting the, run around their little room made the one ive named sasha so giddy! Shiloh who looks older refused to leVe her cage for over a day even tho i left it open for them to come and go. I finally coaxed her out and she ran straight under the bed lol poor baby! She is slowly learning tho she will have a much better life here

[LindaM]

Sometimes it can take a while for neglected pets to normalize again. My last adopted pair, Ares and Apollo, were quite neglected at their previous home, to the extent my hubby also picked up on it and asked me if he was just imagining things or not. He wasn't. It took them around 2 weeks to start getting the idea of freedom existing.. and the week after they got introduced to the other two and luckily that took easy enough, but only now, months later can I truly say my furkids are all well adjusted to the lifestyle we offer. We both poured a lot of work and love into them.

Neglected animals can often come with their own nitty gritty little behaviors and habits, trauma and whatnot that they and their new owners need to deal with. But if you are patient, and give lots of love and understanding, you can break through these walls and win their trust and adoration in the end.

[abbeytheferret6]

So sorry about the illness in your family. Hope everyone recovers quickly.
On a brighter note, congratulations on new babies!

Have you tried finger feeding your new ones(soupie)? Hold them for a taste,then release. Usually they will squirm to get down. Try doing this every couple of minutes for a period of time. I get mine changed to soupie first day.Now switching to chunks of meat---another story.

I had one difficult one that I did open her mouth and put soupie in on the side. She held out all day running from me tightly closing her mouth. I even did those things that I do not recommend--like sprinkling kibble powder on and coating kibble with soupie:))) All to no avail. She was 20 mos old when i got her, and I did not know if she had insulinoma or not. Anyway, that did the trick. Oh yea, I had to pat her slivers with soupie, teach her salmon oil is good and pat her mousies with salmon oil to get her to eat those. Also I warmed the plate for egg yolks and got on the floor and finger fed her to get her started. I still have to finger feed at beginning with egg yolk.

[sheresafaye]

Well lol im still trying the soup, they are still snubbing it lol but they are adjusting better.... makes me sad how neglected they were... but im happy i have them now because they will have a much better life now. Im sure she probly lied about their ages but i dont care they are so sweet. Ive tried rubbing some on their mouth and they turn their heads and flip out.... yet theyll eat my dog kibble if its left out which is both funny and sad because it makes me think they didnt have a regular steady diet they probly just fed them whatever kind of food was on sale..... day 5 with them though and they seem much happier and less scared. Shiloh no longer shakes with fear when i hold her which is a good feeling and both shiloh and sasha have actually approached me on their own for love and attention.

[LindaM]

Just keep doing the Grab'n'Dab method, it really can help. Patience and persistence. They'll eventually get the hang of it, just don't give up on them.

[sheresafaye]

Oh im not giving up