Tngmom's Switching Thread/Sunnyberra

[Heather]

Name: Amanda
HF Forum Username:tngmom

1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets? This forum

2. Please describe the type of diet you would like assistance in switching your ferret(s) to. Be sure to include if you are interested in feeding whole prey (live or frozen-thawed) and if you are wanting to FULLY switch to a natural diet or PARTIALLY. If you are unsure what kind of diet you want to put your ferrets on, please express that and we can help you find the best type of natural diet for your ferret. I would like to switch them to a raw diet. Im not really interested in the whole prey diet at this time.

3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet? I want them to be as healthy as possible and lessen their chances at having health problems in their already short life span.

4. Do you understand that switching your ferret to a natural diet can be a lengthy, arduous process? Its not an overnight switch. It can be a commitment of several weeks or even months. Your HF Mentor will be more then happy to assist you in switchng your ferret(s) to a natural diet, but you need to be equally as commited. If you aren't willing to tough out a potentially lengthy switching process, or if you have major life changes approaching (baby on the way, moving, starting school, getting married/divorced, etc) then it might be a better idea to wait on switching your ferret's diet until you have more time. Are you willing to make the commitment?
Yes I am .
5. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names? Ages? Genders? Do they have any health problems? Are they overweight? Underweight? I have two female ferrets. Tinkerbell is 21 months and Gizmo just turned 3.

6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) I currently feed DFS kibble. I also feed raw soupie made with pork, beef and sometimes chicken. I also put water ,a little bit of olive oil and some bone meal in. By the way the pork and beef are ground meat. I only give them olive oil in their soup.

7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened? I am currently trying to do so.

8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?Gizmo came from a girl that was feeding her walmart crappy kibble about a year and a half ago. She has put on weight once I switched her to DFS kibble. She seems to be much happier now. Tinkerbell came from PETCO and was eating yucky Marchalls. I got her onto DFS also about two weeks after she came home. I have been her mommy since she was 12 weeks old.

9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer? I have access every day.

10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).


Hi and welcome to the mentoring program. In a little while your mentor (Sunnyberra) will introduce herself and you can get started on a new adventure in natural ferret care and diets. Please remember to post regularly (daily or as per arranged with your mentor) so that your mentor can assist you move along safely in this adventure. If you experience computer difficulties or are going to be away, please notify your mentor and most of all relax and have fun . Your mentor is here to help you on this journey.
ciao

[Deleted]

Hi, I'm Annie (known on here as sunny or sunnyberra ), and I'll be helping you switch your guys to a raw/natural diet. I'm a new mentor, so we're going to have Sherry and Heather dropping in and checking on us from time to time, as well.

I'm 24, and a graduate student in school psychology/clinical psychology here in the wonderful state of Virginia. I've been a proud ferrent for almost six years, now, and have been feeding raw to my fuzzies for four of those years.

I currently have four ferrets: Pixie, who's almost 6 years; and then one, Hiko, who's 3.5-4 years, and two three year olds, Yogi and Sian. I first decided to switch after doing a bit of independent research after Pixie and her brother, Yew, turned two. That was the age I was dreading as a new ferrent - it seemed so scary, as I read more and more about the illnesses that seemed to start cropping up around that age. I decided then to do everything I could to lessen my guys' risk. One of those things was getting them off of kibble and onto a more natural diet.

There are quite a few methods used for switching. For my guys, I decided to disallow free graze kibble. Instead, I offered kibble coated boneless chicken chunks and I would supplement feed meals of baby food every few hours after the initial fasting period (Yew also got soup, made from pureed chicken meat, baby food and olive oil, because he liked it, whereas Pixie didn't).

After a bit of hair pulling, they were both switched completely by the end of a week, and they never looked back. Sadly, Yew's since passed away, and I eventually introduced Yogi (first) and Sian (second) as kits, and both were eating meat chunks the same night I got them. Hiko is my newest, a rescue who had been used to eating sugary treats (gummi bears) and sugary kibble. I treated him the same as the others - gave him kibble-dusted meat chunks, and he started eating them that first night. By his second evening with me, he was completely on raw. By the end of the week, he was eating bone-in. Now, he's a proud raw-eating pro, who occasionally enjoys a frozen/thawed quail or two.

So, it's possible. It might seem tedious or nerve-wracking, but we'll get your guys there, with a method that works for you *and* for them! I see that Tink and Gizmo already eat raw soup - how accepting are they of it?

[Deleted]

Hi. Its great to have you as my mentor. I am 25 years old. I am a mother of two human little boys and a wife of an even bigger boy. LOL. My ferrets seem to be in pretty good health as far as I know. Hopefully it will only require a little hair pulling to get them switched. Gizmo cant wait to get to the bowl of raw soup. Tinker will eat it but not as excited about it. I think she may be iffy of it or something. Hopefully we can get that to change pretty quickly.

[Deleted]

Nice to meet you, Amanda It does sound like we've got a good head start for this switch, so here's what I'd do: I'd get boneless chicken breast, dice it finger nail thin, and add it to the soup for the next meal.

The idea is to phase out the kibble so that they're eating soup instead. Soup can, especially if there's no kibble in it, stay out for about 4 hours, so I'd make enough that they can get their fill and then come back to within that time, without having kibble present. If they seem receptive and willing to eat, I'd try just keeping them on the soup, and foregoing kibble. If someone seems hesitant to the point of not eating, you can put the kibble back down.

Also, if Tink likes baby food, you could add some in to the soup to get her enthusiasm up (although, we don't need her to be eager really, just willing to eat it )

[Deleted]

Sounds like a plan then. One question tho. How much of each ingredient do I mix in to the soup each time?

[Deleted]

Make the soup exactly how you always do the first time. For the diced chicken breast, make a circle with your index finger and thumb - that's the amount of diced bits to go into the soup. So you're going to start out with soup and bit of diced meat and gradually reduce the soup until you have chunked meat with a bit of "gravy" on top.

Do the fingernail bits for 1-2 days, then try a few slightly larger pieces in with the diced bits with a little less soup, each time increasing the chunks in size and amount and decreasing the soup. If at any time they regress, you can go back to the size they ate willingly for a day or two longer before trying again. Hopefully before long they'll be eating plain chunks!

(also, at this point, the added bone meal should equal 1/2 tsp per 8 oz of meat)

[Deleted]

I will have to get the chicken tomorrow. I was wondering how you would suggest that I stored the extra chicken until I use it for the ferts. I figure that keeping raw chicken in the fridge after a few days would cause too much bacteria to be in it to be healthy for the ferts. I will be back to tell you how they did tomorrow evening after I get the chicken. I have to take my little boy to his open house for school and then I report the progress. Thanks for your advice.

[Deleted]

You can keep out what you need for a few days; the rest you section off what you'll need for a few days of meals, put that in those small snack bags and freeze, and unthaw as needed.

Can't wait to hear how it goes

[Deleted]

Well I tried the soup with chicken slices a little bit ago and they left the chicken at the bottom of the bowl. I even added the babyfood to get Tink to be more enthusiastic about it. I think next I will try the scruff and stuff method if you suppose it would help. I was also thinking that maybe I could make them some actual raw chicken puree soup and work from there. They are used to the beef and pork flavor but not so much of the raw chicken. Do you think the Chicken puree would get them more in tune or not? It feels like we are going just the oppisite of the right way. I dont know. You have any suggestions for me?

[Deleted]

That's not unusual that they left the chicken, so no worries there. Sometimes if you spoon up a piece of meat and some soup, they're more willing to eat the meat from the spoon.

However, what we can do is start them with their regular soup with a bit of added chicken puree, and keep adding in more and more of the chicken puree until it's the majority of what they're eating.

From there, we can work up the soup until the end result is a paste (this format might better get them ready for the chunks), and when they reach that level, *then* incorporate the actual bits of meat.

(of course, you can do a few scruff and stuff sessions, and see how receptive they are to the meat bits, then. Keep the sessions brief, and stay positive about it, is my advice with that )

[Deleted]

Sorry it has took me so long to report back. I tried the regular soup with a bit of chicken puree and they did pretty well on it. I will add a bit more for the next time I give the soupy. About how often do you suggest that I feed them the soup? I havent yet scruffed and stuffed but I might try it in the next couple of days. Im hoping that Tinker and Gizmo will continue eating the soup with puree in it until I can work them into a paste. Also you can definently tell that they have been eating raw because the litter box doesnt get as full ,which is a good thing. Hopefully that means that the raw is being digested better than the kibble . I will keep you updated on the progress.

[Deleted]

Generally, you'll find three times a day seems to be the ticket, as long as they're able to eat their fill of it without running out. However, ferts are individuals, and - in my experience - even the adults will let you know when they're hungry with a little nip (this is a behavior I've *only* encountered with the newly switched, young and old alike. When they're established on the diet, the hunger nipping fades and you can regulate them on a more set schedule, morning and evening ).

Right now, if the soup is relatively watery and they don't have access to kibble, they'll need more food more often; as it gets thicker (more substantial) they'll slow down a bit.

And remember - raw soup is good for about 4 hours out, so they really should have access to the soup for that length of time per meal.

[Deleted]

Well I have been doing the puree with them. I put less water in each time. It still has a little in though. It is not quite a paste just yet,but we are getting there. They are being stubborn. They stop eating it if it doesnt have enough liquid for them. Hopefully being persistent will pay off. I am willing to be patient with them. I will do pretty much what it takes to get them on a much healthier diet. I also have been giving them small amounts of kibble over night to supplement what they should have eaten during the day. Hopefully once I can get them to eat the soup in a paste form they will get their fill when it is needed. Is it ok to supplement their diet with kibble for now or do I just need to go fully raw at this point?

[Deleted]

You can supplement with kibble for now, but I'd really monitor the amount they get at night, and as the soup thickens, decrease that kibble accordingly, so that by the time we're ready to add chunks to the paste, they're off of the kibble. This way we get them to raw, but it's not a completely rude shock to their ~sensibilities~ (;D)

Also, what you can do, if they're stubborn about the changing soup, drop a few pieces of kibble into it, and see if that gets them over their fit.

[Deleted]

Thanks for all of the advice. I have also found that they eat more of their soup if I spoon feed it. I believe that they are just spoiled. I only leave just a very few pieces of their kibble at night in their cage. They have actually have been leaving more and more as the soup gets thicker themselves. I think they were trying to tell me something. I will definently try the kibble in the soup when I make it thicker this time. Thanks for putting up with my stubborn ferrets and I.