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Post by woozl on Aug 28, 2011 17:13:07 GMT -5
Hello to all! I'm brand new having just discovered this forum about an hour ago! I had a ferret a long time ago when I was a kid and just, happily, adopted another. He's about 1 1/2 yrs. old and I know he was fed a kibble diet prior to coming home with me. I have a dog who I feed an all raw meat diet to, so I'm pretty familiar with the ins and outs of it! My ferret, Zeus, will not take raw meat. I tried some egg, raw and boiled with no luck either. Right now he is on Zupreem grain-free diet which I know isn't optimum cause it has potatoes, (carbs!), in it. I was planning on ordering some Wysong Epigen 90 but if I can get him on "real" meat, that would be great! Is cooked, chopped meat as good as raw? Or maybe the baby food route, or is that just for sick time? Any suggestions are welcome! I know it's the noob diet board, but if anyone could answer this question also I would appreciate it: in regards to insulinoma, I keep reading about the "staring into space" thing as a symptom. Zeus is active; runs, climbs, is into everything!! But he will occasionally do that stop and stare thing. It mostly happens within about 15 min. of him waking up and it only lasts for about 5-10 seconds at most. Maybe I'm being paranoid but he's "weaseled" his way into my heart in about a week and I couldn't bear the thought of him being sick. So, do some ferrets do the stare thing? Is it ever just a "normal" ferret thing, or is it pretty much a red flag? Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
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Post by Sherry on Aug 28, 2011 17:22:42 GMT -5
From what I've been told, the staring lasts longer than that. Not to say he doesn't have it, just that the related staring you are talking about is usually 30sec. to a minute. To start on raw, why not try a soup? 8oz of chicken meat, a couple hearts, a liver, 1/2 tsp powdered eggshell(rinse your shells, let them dry, powder either in a coffe grinder or mortar/pestle. Purée all together with enough water to make soupy. You can freeze in ice cube trays and baggie. Grab him, dab it on his nose or gums over and over. He'll lick it off. Do it often every time he's out and about, and sooner or later he'll start to take it from your finger, then a spoon.
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Post by woozl on Aug 28, 2011 17:32:17 GMT -5
Thanks for the soup suggestion! And also the "staring" info. I've been combing the web for further info on that and could never find a time length or anything so I appreciate the info! What is the right amount of meat to feed and in what proportion? I know when I was researching the raw diet for my dog, it was so much raw meaty bones per pound of dog weight. Also, in addition to the soupy mix, should I free feed kibble?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2011 17:39:17 GMT -5
If he takes to the soup, I'd not go back to the kibble. The soup is pretty balanced.
As far as amounts, ferrets eat anywhere from 1-5 oz of meat a day, depending on age, activity level, gender. They will eat a TON when you first switch, but it will even itself out after the switch.
General guidelines are about 9 bone in meals a week, 4 boneless meals a week, 1 heart meal, and 1 organ meal.
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Post by woozl on Aug 28, 2011 17:55:42 GMT -5
So I should replace the kibble he free feed from with the soup mix, if he takes to it? Just want to get it right! If not, should I be feeding at intervals throughout the day? I know ferrets eat small amounts all through the day, I want to make sure I accommodate that.
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Post by woozl on Aug 28, 2011 17:57:51 GMT -5
Also, how and at what point do I introduce him to bone-in meat? I saw some pretty cool pics of a hanging chicken wing getting wrecked by some fuzzies! ;D
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2011 18:00:51 GMT -5
Most people feed 2 meals a day. I usually try to put enough meat in the cage to last until close to the next meal.
So you'd want to do a morning and evening meal, and maybe see if he's hungry around lunch (he might not be). Soup can be left out for 4-6 hours before it spoils, so after you feed breakfast you can leave a bit in a bowl and see if he snacks on it until next feeding.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 28, 2011 18:03:17 GMT -5
For right now, I'd err on the side of caution with removing the kibble. Why not have a blood glucose test done, just to be safe? That will tell you right away if there's a problem or not. If he's fine, remove the kibble for overnight, and start him with the soupie. You can put the kibble back into the cage with him when he goes back in, and just remove it 2-3 hours before trying the soup again. As for when he'll be ready for bone in? It's up to him entirely! I've got one basically switched himself to chunks right off the bat, and another who took 6 weeks of coaxing before he'd believe the soup wasn't poison ;D Oh, and just to make you aware, you may get any sort of behaviour when you first make him taste it ;D Retching, spitting(yes, they can spit it at you ;D ), twisting, gagging, etc.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2011 18:04:59 GMT -5
lso, how and at what point do I introduce him to bone-in meat? I saw some pretty cool pics of a hanging chicken wing getting wrecked by some fuzzies! You could try one out and see if he takes to it. Some are less picky than others. Younger ferrets are also easier to switch. You could take a wing and smash it with a hammer/mallet to expose the marrow inside and then chop it into smaller pieces. Maybe drizzle some oil he likes on it. Or, you could try it whole. Make some slashes in the meat so its hanging off a bit and hang it from the cage and see if he takes to it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2011 18:06:21 GMT -5
For right now, I'd err on the side of caution with removing the kibble. Why not have a blood glucose test done, just to be safe? That will tell you right away if there's a problem or not. If he's fine, remove the kibble for overnight, and start him with the soupie. You can put the kibble back into the cage with him when he goes back in, and just remove it 2-3 hours before trying the soup again. As for when he'll be ready for bone in? It's up to him entirely! I've got one basically switched himself to chunks right off the bat, and another who took 6 weeks of coaxing before he'd believe the soup wasn't poison ;D Oh, and just to make you aware, you may get any sort of behaviour when you first make him taste it ;D Retching, spitting(yes, they can spit it at you ;D ), twisting, gagging, etc. Ah, I completely overlook the *starring off* part My bad Follow Sherry's advice until you get it check out.
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Post by woozl on Aug 28, 2011 18:18:03 GMT -5
Thanks for the quick replies! In regards to the glucose test, sounds like a good idea but regardless if it's normal or not, I would like to switch, (eventually), to a raw diet. I know when it comes to raw feeding my dog, you're not supposed to mix kibble feeds with raw because of the difference in the way they digest may lead to bloat. Is this a concern with ferrets?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2011 18:21:21 GMT -5
It can be. It really depends on the ferret. Some don't have issues with it, others are more sensitive.
By removing the kibble a couple hours before feeding raw you will probably avoid any issues.
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Post by woozl on Aug 28, 2011 19:07:39 GMT -5
Can I throw a raw egg, shell and all, in the "soup"?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2011 19:21:01 GMT -5
Yes you can Although I would probably grind the egg shell up separately to make sure its more of a ground powder. I don't know how well the egg shells would be blended up in a regular blender (never tried). I take all my eggshells from breakfast, let dry and grind up to a powder to have on hand. It can serve as a temporary bone replacement during a switch, or for sick fuzz who refuse to eat bone in meats. Mine split 1-3 eggs a week, depending on how many extras I have
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Post by Sherry on Aug 28, 2011 21:23:54 GMT -5
You can still do a switch to a raw diet with an insulinomic ferret, not a problem. You just have to do it a bit differently is all
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