Doesn't Go Anywhere...

[PatienceTheVirtue]

I figured instead of making many, many, many small posts I could make one large post with all the questions I can think of.

First:

This is the litter that they came with. I was told the litter I get should be specifically made for ferrets to avoid dust, and it should be made out of paper. This litter is made out of recycled paper, is unscented, and says it's "dust free". Should I make the switch anyway? This is more cost effective but obviously their health comes first. www.amazon.com/Purina-Yesterdays-News-Unscented-Texture/dp/B0073GQV98

Second:
I REALLY want to switch them to raw because their current diet is even more horrifying than I thought. When I picked them up they had a bowl of chopped banana??? And their normal diet is just kibble inside a ziplock bag, I can't even read the ingredients if I wanted to. I got FDR chicken and pork heart, beef liver, and chicken necks. Do I soak the freeze dried raw before feeding? How long should I soak it if yes and how warm should the water be? Should I blend it up to make it easier to introduce - turn it into soupie with some ground beef from my freezer? Also, how does the weight compare? I got 3.5 ounces of FDR chicken heart - how many ounces would that equal in raw chicken heart with the moisture still in it, completely fresh? My little boy has already nibbled the chicken neck after I rehydrated it slightly so fingers crossed this goes quickly, they barely have any of the unnamed kibble leftover. Any and all advice welcome - I've already got every single page of the official site bookmarked, so any resources outside of that would be the most helpful for our situation!

Third:

When I get in a shipment of frozen whole prey, I'm not sure how to feed it. Actually, I don't know how to feed ANY frozen meal - right now I have chunks of chicken gizzard in the freezer I want to offer but I'm not sure how. Do I let it defrost on the counter? In the fridge? Feed it completely frozen? Do I soak it to warm it up or just let it warm up on its own on a plate? Is gutting whole prey necessary or just what some prefer to do? I've read it should be fed at multiple different temperatures, so how do I make it warmer than usual without cooking it at all?

Fourth:

When I make mixes/grinds of my own, how do I go about the ratios? Is it by weight? For example, if I'm feeding 4 ounces of grind and 10% is bone meal, should I add it based on weight (0.4 ounces)? So it would be 0.4oz bone meal, 0.2oz liver, 0.2oz other organ, 0.4 ounces heart, 2.8oz muscle?

Fifth:

This is a HUGE longshot since I live in the middle of nowhere, Wisconsin, but I would love recommendations on the vets closest to me. Please PM me with any information regarding the listed professionals in order to avoid breaking the rules. If you don't have specifics about the people, feel free to respond with general information - such as what questions I can ask the vet to decide which has the most experience with ferrets, most agrees with the raw diet, etc. Basically I need questions to ask the veterinarians in order to decide which is most qualified.

Here's the list:

Eau Claire Animal Hospital (Dr Cynthia Mather)
Northside Pet Hospital (David Menard, DVM)
Oakview Veterinary Medical Center (Dr Diane Scott)
Sparta Small Animal Veterinary Clinic (Karen Shea, DVM)
Mosinee Veterinary Clinic (Robert Pope, DVM)

Sixth:

Is there a guide for feeding dens? My babies put their food in the litterboxes right now which is bad because 1. they might eat the litter and 2. they poop there?? So any suggestions on how to redirect that behavior and how to introduce feeding dens will be greatly appreciated!

Sorry for the novice questions, I'm sure I'll have plenty more at some point. I love these tiny beings so much even though they've only been with me about two hours. I've poured weeks into researching their care and I'm so attached, I don't want to hurt them unintentionally. ANY information is welcome.

[cockneyferret]

Mar 20, 2020 15:34:13 GMT -5 PatienceTheVirtue said:

First:

This is the litter that they came with. I was told the litter I get should be specifically made for ferrets to avoid dust, and it should be made out of paper. This litter is made out of recycled paper, is unscented, and says it's "dust free". Should I make the switch anyway? This is more cost effective but obviously their health comes first. www.amazon.com/Purina-Yesterdays-News-Unscented-Texture/dp/B0073GQV98

Yesterdays news is great and many members of this forum use it.  I use a similar paper based litter which is available in the UK. 

Second:
I REALLY want to switch them to raw because their current diet is even more horrifying than I thought. When I picked them up they had a bowl of chopped banana??? And their normal diet is just kibble inside a ziplock bag, I can't even read the ingredients if I wanted to. I got FDR chicken and pork heart, beef liver, and chicken necks. Do I soak the freeze dried raw before feeding? How long should I soak it if yes and how warm should the water be? Should I blend it up to make it easier to introduce - turn it into soupie with some ground beef from my freezer? Also, how does the weight compare? I got 3.5 ounces of FDR chicken heart - how many ounces would that equal in raw chicken heart with the moisture still in it, completely fresh? My little boy has already nibbled the chicken neck after I rehydrated it slightly so fingers crossed this goes quickly, they barely have any of the unnamed kibble leftover. Any and all advice welcome - I've already got every single page of the official site bookmarked, so any resources outside of that would be the most helpful for our situation!

Ive never fed FDR, but do give FDR chicken as treats.  They eat that straight from the pot but do like a drink of water with it sometimes, depending on how much running around they've done before the treats are given.

Third:

When I get in a shipment of frozen whole prey, I'm not sure how to feed it. Actually, I don't know how to feed ANY frozen meal - right now I have chunks of chicken gizzard in the freezer I want to offer but I'm not sure how. Do I let it defrost on the counter? In the fridge? Feed it completely frozen? Do I soak it to warm it up or just let it warm up on its own on a plate? Is gutting whole prey necessary or just what some prefer to do? I've read it should be fed at multiple different temperatures, so how do I make it warmer than usual without cooking it at all?

Our two eat whole prey whole, but others have needed to cut them up.  I found that our girls can fight a little over whole prey and often spend a good few minutes chasing eat other around trying to find each others stashes. Be prepared for horror movie scenes whilst they "play, tug of war" with their supper.

Some gut whole prey,  I don't find it necessary.  

My normal routine is to get out the next meal from the freezer when I feed them a meal, that way it can defrost for 12 hours, either in the fridge or like I do, just in a sealed tupperware box on the side.

I often put whole mice in a plastic container on a radiator for 30 mins before feeding them and they go ballistic for them as they're warm.  

Fourth:

When I make mixes/grinds of my own, how do I go about the ratios? Is it by weight? For example, if I'm feeding 4 ounces of grind and 10% is bone meal, should I add it based on weight (0.4 ounces)? So it would be 0.4oz bone meal, 0.2oz liver, 0.2oz other organ, 0.4 ounces heart, 2.8oz muscle?

When i mix up organ meals I do it by weight, so a 50:50 meal would be around 25-30 grams of each component, whereas a 50:25:25 meal would be around 30g:15g:15g.

Fifth:

This is a HUGE longshot since I live in the middle of nowhere, Wisconsin, but I would love recommendations on the vets closest to me. Please PM me with any information regarding the listed professionals in order to avoid breaking the rules. If you don't have specifics about the people, feel free to respond with general information - such as what questions I can ask the vet to decide which has the most experience with ferrets, most agrees with the raw diet, etc. Basically I need questions to ask the veterinarians in order to decide which is most qualified.

Here's the list:

Eau Claire Animal Hospital (Dr Cynthia Mather)
Northside Pet Hospital (David Menard, DVM)
Oakview Veterinary Medical Center (Dr Diane Scott)
Sparta Small Animal Veterinary Clinic (Karen Shea, DVM)
Mosinee Veterinary Clinic (Robert Pope, DVM)

Can't help you with this one I'm afraid, as I am way over the other side of the Atlantic in Cornwall UK.

Sorry for the novice questions, I'm sure I'll have plenty more at some point. I love these tiny beings so much even though they've only been with me about two hours. I've poured weeks into researching their care and I'm so attached, I don't want to hurt them unintentionally. ANY information is welcome.

Not novice, just sensible questions that we all asked at some point.  Look forward to hearing all about their exploits.

Cheers

[PatienceTheVirtue]

cockneyferret Thank you for the suggestions, especially with the raw feeding! I edited the original post for future readers to include another question, if you have any insight I'd appreciate that as well - I'll post it below so you don't have to go through the entire thing again just to see it:

"Is there a guide for setting up and using feeding dens? My babies put their food in the litter boxes right now which is bad because 1. they might eat the litter and 2. they poop there?? So any suggestions on how to redirect that behavior and how to introduce feeding dens will be greatly appreciated!"

[Corvidophile]

It’s actually a frequent problem, ferrets taking food to the litter box. You basically keep putting their food where you want it whenever you can and hope they catch on. As far as building them physically, they can be anything from a cardboard box with a hole cut into them in the cage to a large plastic tub outside the cage that has a tube leading to it that you slice into the cage to accommodate. It has to be alluringly cave-like to encourage use, that way they feel their food is safely hidden. The reason they put it near their poop is to keep it hidden, actually! Hidden by scent instead of eyesight.