k4yla
New member
Posts: 5
|
New owner
Jul 19, 2021 19:05:17 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by k4yla on Jul 19, 2021 19:05:17 GMT -5
Hi, i’m a first time ferret owner so i can use all the tips and advice if you have any!
I have three ferrets, Rico, Twister, and Mizer. Rico is one years old and three months i believe. Twister and Mizer are both five years old. i got Rico from my older brother’s friend who couldn’t take care of him anymore, he was extremely underweight and was being kept in a small “hamster” cage. I got Twister and Mizer together from someone who i guess couldn’t take care of them anymore, they look healthy so i’m not that worried about their health right now. I got Rico a week ago and i knew ferrets should be kept in pairs or groups so that’s how i got Twister and Mizer yesterday.
the cage i have right now is a feisty ferret cage, i think that’s the name. i’m hoping to save up money and get a critter nation double unit cage for them. i have blankets, hammocks, and some toys but i will be getting more soon. the litter i have for them right now is recycled newspaper pellets in a low bin. the food i have for them right now is some random ferret kibble food. both of their foods came from their old owners so i’ve been using that. but i want to give them a raw diet, i’ve read that a raw diet is the best for ferrets so i definitely want to do that but i still don’t know where to start or how to transition them from kibble to raw. i’m going to do more research on this but any tips would be very appreciated!
I have some concerns about Rico, i know all ferrets and their personalities are different but i can’t help and think there’s something wrong? Rico is a very tired ferret? if that’s the right word. all he ever does is sleep, when he’s not sleeping he will be eating or going to the bathroom. he doesn’t play with any toys i got him, he’s an extremely calm ferret and i find that weird when he’s so young. could it just be because he’s new to me and his new home? I almost always have him with me out of his cage, he will lay next to me on my bed and just sleep while i do stuff.
Twister and Mizer are the opposite, they’re very wild and playful. they will run around my room and jump around, they hate the cage when they’re in it, they will bite the bars and claw at them to get out which makes me feel bad when i have to put them back in there. I only put them back in the cage when i’m busy and can’t watch them.
If you have any suggestions or advice, please share! i want to make sure they have a fun and healthy life for as long they will live.
|
|
|
Post by Charlie on Jul 19, 2021 21:02:47 GMT -5
Does Rico interact with Twister and Mizer? Sounds like a vet visit might be in order. There are a lot of threads on this site that you can read. There is also a soupie that you can make to give the ferrets to start the transition from kibble to raw. This will help you with a basic diet for the ferrets. There's all kinds of info there. I'm not sure where the soupie recipe is because I never started with that since my ferret was young he switched very easy and didn't need to do the soupie. Since your ferrets are older it will take longer to transition. As long as you are consistent and persistent, they will switch. holisticferretforum.com/natural-diet/raw-diet-the-meat-of-the-site/basic-frankenprey-menu/
|
|
|
Post by unclejoe on Jul 19, 2021 21:22:44 GMT -5
Hi. Welcome, and Thanks for giving these 3 fuzzies a home. Unless you know for sure when these ferts were born, it could be a guess as to their real ages. I've adopted many that were much older than the "year, year and a half' their owners said. Can you get a pic of Rico's teeth? Teeth help to judge age and health. Re-homing can be stressful and ferrets handle it in their own ways. Ferrets don't always play with toys on their own but prefer to have humans play with them and then, often they have short attention spans. Honestly, of my 30, only a couple spent any time just laying beside me. As long as they are healthy that would be nice from time to time. Please share a couple pics esp of Rico. If he looks healthy he may just be in a funk from moving. And, what food are they eating?
|
|
k4yla
New member
Posts: 5
|
Post by k4yla on Jul 20, 2021 11:12:52 GMT -5
To Charlie, Rico will smell them. That's about all he does around them, he will walk around ignoring them unless one of the two comes up to him. and for sure, I have appointments made for all of them for a general checkup. and yes! I have been doing some reading on here and there is so much information. Thank you for the link! it's extremely helpful, I will definitely look into the soupie recipe! To unclejoe, I've attached a google doc link with all of the photos, I hope it works! docs.google.com/document/d/10rl6YeorI8rsDkbl00oa6N0ySX1wOZumUd2hPpZ4R8E/edit?usp=sharingFor Rico, the food his previous owners gave me was Marshall Select Chicken Formula Premium Ferret Diet, I've included a photo of the bag in the doc. For Twister and Mizer, I don't know what kind of brand they have because their previous owners gave me their food in a big bucket but I will include a photo of it if that helps.
|
|
|
Post by unclejoe on Jul 20, 2021 15:35:08 GMT -5
the link says access denied, even with my gmail ID. you may have to make that one doc public, and i don't know how. sometimes food brand can be identified by appearance, but if you plan to switch it's not so important.
|
|
k4yla
New member
Posts: 5
|
Post by k4yla on Jul 20, 2021 17:36:53 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by abbeytheferret6 on Jul 20, 2021 20:02:57 GMT -5
Hi and welcome to forum. So glad that you have taken the 3 sweeties into your home. Bless you. let us know what vet says.
|
|
|
Post by unclejoe on Jul 21, 2021 6:29:00 GMT -5
wow you got triplets, lol.
|
|
|
New owner
Jul 22, 2021 11:29:13 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by eclipso on Jul 22, 2021 11:29:13 GMT -5
The ferret has a coat that I'd say isn't that well but it's not bad or concerning. The hair at the arms and bottom of the tail have fallen off a bit, meaning that the hair is weak. This is probably because their diet is not giving them good nutrients to grow a proper coat. For the older ferret, it's quite concerning that all he does is sleep and eat. This is a bad sign and can mean anything, insulinoma tummy ache or a joint problem. Just to be safe, add bone powder to their diet, and give him activated charcoal. This is 100% safe and natural. It is not digested and it absorbs the bad things that can cause a tummy ache. Try seeing if your ferret does better if you add more fat in the diet? Does he have more energy? Have you seen him standing and staring at space, or having glazed eyes? I know these are a bunch of questions, but I hope we can find out if he's ok. Please respond and see if he reacts to any of these things. Give the activated charcoal on the first day, and see what happens. The next day add bone powder and fat and continue for a week. See what happens and tell us
|
|
|
Post by unclejoe on Jul 22, 2021 18:53:08 GMT -5
I couldn't really tell what kind of milti-color food is in the bucket, but it's likely to be some sort of cheap kat food which is usually high in corn content which means sugar/starch. Even the Marshall's is probably better. Try to wean off that stuff.
|
|
|
Post by eclipso on Jul 23, 2021 3:01:54 GMT -5
Here’s a good ferret food chart that rates all kibbles: It’s really good and it’s constantly getting updated. You also have things like a poop tracker and dry raw options. You can see why the kibble is good or bad ferret.love/ferret-food-chart
|
|
|
Post by unclejoe on Jul 23, 2021 14:21:03 GMT -5
Here’s a good ferret food chart that rates all kibbles: It’s really good and it’s constantly getting updated. You also have things like a poop tracker and dry raw options. You can see why the kibble is good or bad ferret.love/ferret-food-chartThank you for that food chart. I will post it appropriately so it can be referenced. I found it interesting that Zupreem Grain Free no longer has peas. I was one who emailed Zupreem about the concern regarding peas and oxalate kidney stones. Instead, sweet potatoes are now listed as the second ingredient, and they are also high in oxalates.
|
|
k4yla
New member
Posts: 5
|
Post by k4yla on Jul 23, 2021 14:46:18 GMT -5
Yeah! It was kinda hard to identify them all at first but now it's pretty obvious to me. Definitely will be changing their food very soon.
I will try those tips! I will let you know if anything changes in their behavior, thank you for the link!
I took Rico to the vet yesterday, I'm really sad about the results. Apparently, Rico's spleen is extremely larger than normal and the shape is not right, it's lumpy and not smooth as it should be. They also said that he has a big mass on his stomach but they don't know what it is, they think it's hemangiosarcoma which is a type of cancer, but they also said there's a chance it could be completely harmless and that the only way they can find out what it is, is to put Rico in surgery and take it out to send to a lab to do testings on it. I don't know what to do because the surgery is over $2,000 which is money I don't have at the moment. And I don't want to put Rico through any unnecessary pain if the surgery doesn't help because I had a dog and she had cancer so I immediately paid for her surgery to remove it but it never helped because the cancer always came back. A friend of mine suggested going to a different vet just to get a second opinion because he found it odd that they jumped to hemangiosarcoma without any tests or anything so I will do that. I'm concerned about his spleen, they didn't tell me anything about how to fix it so I don't know what to do with that but I will try researching about it. Right now Rico doesn't look to be in any pain so I'm hoping it will stay that way until I can save up money for anything that he needs.
|
|
|
Post by Charlie on Jul 24, 2021 0:34:50 GMT -5
k4yla, I have read that most ferret's spleens are enlarged. It will be more concerning if it's an irregular shape and rough edges like you have said about Rico's spleen.
The spleen is a part of the lymph system and works as a drainage network that defends the body against infection. White blood cells produced in the spleen engulf bacteria, dead tissue and foreign matter removing them from the blood as blood passes through it. It also maintains healthy red and white blood cells and platelets. It filters blood removing abnormal blood cells from the blood stream.
Unfortunately, ferrets are prone to many health problems like cancers, lymphoma, insulinoma, and adrenal disease. My guess is that since he has an enlarged spleen he is fighting off an infection or some form of cancer/tumour (abnormal cells) like what your vet has said he has (hemaniosarcoma). My ferret also has an enlarged spleen but the edges are still smooth. I'm thinking that this is an early sign that my ferret will also get one of the many health issues, which is very sad, even with doing all the right things for him.
I hope a second opinion will help you.
|
|
k4yla
New member
Posts: 5
|
New owner
Aug 16, 2021 20:23:55 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by k4yla on Aug 16, 2021 20:23:55 GMT -5
I went ahead and set an appointment for the surgery for Rico, it was supposed to be today. I decided it was better safe than sorry but I guess I was too late because Rico passed away in his sleep a week ago. This is also why I won’t be active on here as much for a while. I felt the need to let you all know so you’re not wondering what happened.
|
|