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Post by kaitlynsara06 on Jul 16, 2018 8:57:43 GMT -5
Hello! My name is Kaitlyn! I just got my first fuzzy noodles this weekend! Their previous owner had been doing things wrong and she told me she was doing them wrong (like brand of food and the litter they use). Since we just put them in a new environment how should we go about changing the food and the litter? I eventually want to get them to a raw diet, but I don’t want to flip their world upside so quickly. The noodles are 4, 4, and 3 so they’ve been living this way for years! Any tips or suggestions for a new ferret owner that wants to do it correctly?
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Post by raven on Jul 16, 2018 11:28:02 GMT -5
Go for a dust free paper litter some people use pellets some use shredded paper bedding. The important thing is that there are no dust, scents, or clumping (like cat litter). Those things can cause health issues for you ferret. They might not know it's their new litter at first so put their poo in there and they will figure it out. As for food start raw Anything that they weren't eating before is going to be new in their eyes no matter how similar so it's not really more or less traumatizing to start raw asap. They may not eat it right away but at least you would have started getting them used to it. What were they eating before? Try starting with a soup if they aren't immediately going for it which is common, you can grab them dab a little on their face and then let them go, keep at this throughout the day so they get the taste and it's not so stressful. Here's a link with a lot of helpful information: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/17480/intro-raw-newbies-read
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Post by kaitlynsara06 on Jul 16, 2018 11:50:26 GMT -5
Yeah she had them on Marshall’s ferret food which I heard is bad for them and a walnut scented cat litter. I had it sitting out while they were playing and my cat actually went and used the litter box. That’s how close it is to cat litter. I’m sure the previous owner loved these guys but gosh what was she thinking lol
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Post by raven on Jul 16, 2018 12:01:32 GMT -5
You can try to transition them to a better kibble like wysong while doing raw but I don't really know if that's recommended or not. Yeah that litter is no good, clumping can get inside them and cause issues and then the scents/dust can cause respiratory issues. So just some things to keep an eye on.
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Post by kaitlynsara06 on Jul 16, 2018 12:04:13 GMT -5
She told me that it was fine and they’ve been good with the litter but I knew that they shouldn’t be using it. Clumping litters aren’t even good for cats. I didn’t want to take it but she put it in my car... we have recycled paper litter that we use for our rabbits that I was going to use for them. I’ll just have to show them how to use it!
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Post by LindaM on Jul 16, 2018 12:16:11 GMT -5
If you plan on doing a switch to a raw diet, you are better off going from a poor kibble to raw, versus poor kibble to good kibble to raw. This can lead to extra stress and stomach upsets. You'll find it easiest to start from the soup stage for ferrets of those ages, and move onwards from that versus just offering them some chunks of meat like you might if they were kits. It can take a bit of work, but it is very doable and so worth the effort. CLAY clumping litter is an absolute no-no, but that doesn't mean any and all that use the words "clumping" are bad. For example World's Best Cat Litter, is considered a clumping corn-cob litter, and Swheat Scoop is a wheat-based litter which also clumps, but both are used by many, many of our ferret owners, myself included. I actually use our litter for both the cat and my ferrets, but sprinkle a little bit of paper litter over the top of the corn-cob litter to simply keep tracking down. Here is our ferret litter chart to help you pick out a litter that will work for you: holisticferretforum.com/care-and-enrichment/cages-and-bedding/464-2/ferret-litters/Puppy pads are another thing many of use end up using along with our multitude of litter boxes.
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Post by kaitlynsara06 on Jul 16, 2018 12:20:07 GMT -5
Thanks for the help and info guys!
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Post by Sherry on Jul 17, 2018 8:15:59 GMT -5
I also start their raw switch day one into the house. And Linda is right- it is CLAY that is the problem, not the clumping. There are safe clumping litters. Look for corn cob, wheat, or walnut based litters to name three.
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Post by kaitlynsara06 on Jul 17, 2018 8:17:59 GMT -5
So the walnut litter I have may be good then!
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Post by Blue on Jul 18, 2018 22:12:46 GMT -5
Sounds like it! I loved clumping litter. Sadly, Maisie did not agree. If you did want to switch, sometimes it helps to mix the litters gradually. But if they like the walnut litter, I would stick with it. Welcome to ferrenthood, and to the board!
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