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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2011 19:03:59 GMT -5
G'day everyone, I'm just wondering if anyone has any information on hand rearing ferret kits? It's coming into the breeding season in Australia, & as I normally take in rescue rats & mice, sometimes the odd rabbits or cavy, during the Summer from my local vet clinics due to heat stroke & orphans, I'm going to opening for ferrets also to help out. What I want to know is what to feed & do for any potential baby ferrets that may come in? I've been told by one breeder that kitten milk formulas are good, another has said to use the lactose free carnivore milk replacer. I've had very little experience with kits younger than 6 weeks. I'm assuming feedings every 2 hours, stimulated pottying, kept in a secure nest box that is warm & dark-ish, though with a cooler spot incase they become too warm, away from other animals, kept clean, checked over often for signs of ill health, similar to hand raising kittens, which I've done far more of. For every instance, if can I'll find a foster mother, but would like to be prepared in the event that I can't find. Oh, & apologies if this is in the wrong place, I figured this was related to the care of ferrets, so put it here. If I am mistaken, I won't mind it being moved to where it should be Thanks in advance.
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Post by joan on Sept 22, 2011 13:01:55 GMT -5
From what I've read, KMR is probably the best formula. It's almost impossible to hand raise ferret kits unless they've nursed for the first few days and gotten colostrum from the dam. It's usually not all that difficult from 2 weeks on, just very time consuming. I start weaning mine at 3 weeks with a mixture of baby meat/goat milk and add solids as they get older. The raw/whole prey fed dam will take her food into them, so they pretty much wean themselves.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 22, 2011 13:15:09 GMT -5
Ther's a series of you tube videos showing someone hand rearing a very young kit. I'll see if I can find the links when I get home.
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Post by crazylady on Sept 22, 2011 16:37:13 GMT -5
Hi I have used KRM ( its called lactol in England for orphaned puppies and kittens ) you need to feed every 2-3 hours day and night ( it the kits are under 6 days old survival is very slim ) potty them with a little cotton wool which has been dipped in warm water ( make sure they go potty ) place them in a warm dark area and keep out of draughts ( if its one or two kits I normally place a childs hot water bottle covered in a fur or fleece cover under them but only keep this warm not hot ) as this reminds them of a warm mum and they settle more after feeding as joan as said weening begins at 3 weeks with a meat mush soup ( they should lap at this stage but will still require the odd top up of milk 4-6 times a day especially last thing at night ) if at all possible ask around before hand and see if there is anyone whos jill has had kits or is due to have kits as a foster mother is the best bet ( I normally keep a list of friends who are planning on breeding around the same time as me just incase and they add me to there list just in case lol ) good luck take care bye for now Bev aka crazy lady
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2011 17:54:51 GMT -5
I'm hoping I'll be able to find a foster for any kits that do come in. There's a couple of breeders close to me, one didn't sound particularly keen on the idea & said they'd consider it & call me back. At current I'm trying to track down a stray ferret that came into one of the vets here, proving difficult but hopefully I'll get hold of someone who knows what happened to it.
Thank you for the information. Not sure if I have Lactol/KMR available to me (I'm in Australia), but I'll deffinately look for it. In the event that I can't find it, if I got hold of another suppliment with the same, or close to or better, nutritional content, would that suffice?
Today I've gotta take Missy, one of my jills, into the petshops to find a harness that will fit her as all the others have been easy to suit up & she hasn't so needs to be fitted, so I'll be searching for the replacer & duck around to the vets & see if they have anything.
Thank you very much for all the information, it is greatly appreciated.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2011 18:38:43 GMT -5
I wonder if this brand would be sufficient? Biolac www.animalhealthstore.com.au/biolac-pink-veterinary-milk-supplement-for-kittens-500g.htmlCrude Protein, min 36.00% Crude Fat, min 40.00% Crude Fiber, max 0.15% Moisture, max 4.00% Ash, max 6.00% Direct-Fed Microbials * 2.50 BCFU/kg Ingredients Dried whey protein concentrate, Animal fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), Vegetable fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), canola oil, dried whole egg, sodium phosphate, calcium carbonate, lecithin, potassium chloride, taurine, choline chloride, magnesium sulfate, L-arginine, cod liver oil, artificial flavor, dried bovine colostrum, dried whey, sodium bicarbonate, alpha-tocopherol (source of vit. E), manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, vit. A supplement, ferrous sulfate, vit. B12 supplement, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, ascorbic acid (source of vit. C), cholecalciferol (source of vit. D3), niacin supplement, d-calcium panothenate, thiamin hydrochloride, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vit. K), biotin, sodium selenite, ethylenediamine dihydroiodide, folic acid, cobalt sulfate, dried fermentation product of (Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus lichiniformis, B. subtilis, and L. lactis).
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Post by Heather on Sept 24, 2011 0:51:58 GMT -5
I don't like that it's preserved with BHA.....just me for being finicky I suppose ciao
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2011 1:05:41 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2011 1:47:17 GMT -5
Is BHA bad? I went to 3 vets today & they all said Di-Vetalac or Biolac. Di-Vetalac I've heard good things about, couple of bad things as with everything, but never even heard of Biolac.
Would goats milk have enough protein in it, & is it really suitable to feed a carnivore a herbivores milk?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2011 2:05:48 GMT -5
There are a couple breeders on this forum hopefully they will pop on and clear that up. But here is a quote from that website i gave
"Goat milk is amazing stuff. Its formula is quite unlike that of b**ch’s milk or mare’s milk, yet I have seen many puppies and foals raised on goat’s milk. If unadulterated cow’s milk had been used, most pups and foals would quickly develop digestive problems. Goat’s milk has been used to nourish many other species of animals, including humans. I guess the milk of the goat is as close to a universal milk as can be found in the animal kingdom.” – Robert Miller, DVM "Veterinarian Medicine"
It is great for putting weight on a thin or sick ferret. Makes their coat beautiful too but i have only used it for supplementing not a single food source. I do know that they take to eating the raw soupies pretty quick though.
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Post by Heather on Sept 24, 2011 2:12:12 GMT -5
I don't raises kits but I do deal with very sick ferrets and I use goats milk. It must have something behind it as I know of a number of cat and kitten rescue people who use this and KRM now also makes a goat kitten/puppy replacement. My guys love it. I"ve been using it about 6 months now, and have been waiting to see if it does indeed do everything it claims and so far I can't fault it ciao
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Post by Sherry on Sept 24, 2011 11:16:37 GMT -5
And I can't seem to find the video darlene posted from youtube about that fellow who hand raised the ferret kits
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2011 2:50:09 GMT -5
Aounds like I may have to use a combination of milk replacements, maybe Di-Vetelac or Biolac combined with goats milk, just to ensure all nutrients are acquired. Biolac comes in kitten, puppy & even varieties to be used in native marsupials. The company also produces a number of teats which look to be suitable for baby ferrets, but if not they would help with other orphan species that come into my care - www.biolac.com.au/Teats.htm. Looking at possibly getting Di-Vetalac instead though, as it appears to be far easier to acquire.
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Post by joan on Sept 25, 2011 10:51:59 GMT -5
You might want to get hold of Dr. Lewington's revised book, as he has an excellent section on raising orphan kits. He no longer uses Di-Vetalact on a long term basis, as he had a possible cataract problem in ferrets which were fed it. He doesn't mention Biolac, but does mention recommending Animalac (a high vitamin supplement) for "swimmer" kits.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2011 20:41:06 GMT -5
Animalac? I shall read into it. What are swimmer kits though? Never heard that term before.
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