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Post by firestar on Nov 25, 2011 11:11:13 GMT -5
What would you recommend for a balanced mix of the two? I don't mind feeding him raw, but it would definitely be nice to toss in something that would last a day or two if I need to be away from home for the day or something.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 25, 2011 14:39:27 GMT -5
Do it in whatever ratio works best for you! Keep in mind that the raw will still have to be a balanced ratio if meat/bone/organ against the whole prey, but that's easy to do and we can help you works that out  |
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Post by firestar on Nov 28, 2011 22:30:06 GMT -5
So, I was thinking at first the food switch might have been causing these issues, but they don't seem to be clearing up. His poop smells much worse on raw than on kibble, and it's extremely loose, like watery/mucousy. I haven't seen blood in his stool, but it definitely smells very foul, and it doesn't seem to change from meat day, to meat and organ day, to meat with bone in day. Any ideas?
He's still eating wonderfully, and crunching bones and readily taking anything I give.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 28, 2011 22:43:54 GMT -5
What proteins is he eating, and how long has he been eating raw now? I know some animals take longer to detox than others.
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Post by firestar on Nov 28, 2011 23:03:44 GMT -5
He's been on full raw for about 3 weeks now, with no kibble supplementation, except maybe once a week to keep him open minded. He eats chicken, beef, tilapia, and fuzzies, and turkey. I haven't tried pork yet.
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Post by firestar on Nov 29, 2011 0:06:09 GMT -5
I should mention he has noticeably less poop than when on kibble, but the urine increase is crazy!  |
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Post by Sherry on Nov 29, 2011 0:46:52 GMT -5
He's still detoxing then. That can take up to a couple months or more. And yes- what a difference, not only in the lack of stool, but when you realize just how dehydrated their little bodies truly are on kibble He'll also adapt to that over time as well. Best comparison would be if you only drank 2 or 3 small glasses of water a day, then suddenly decided to start drinking 8-10 medium to large glasses ;D |
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Post by firestar on Nov 29, 2011 11:00:51 GMT -5
Okay, that makes sense. I'll keep with it then. He's eating the chicken wings and bones really good now too, so I may start trying to get him onto more whole prey items as well.  |
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Post by Sherry on Nov 29, 2011 14:04:29 GMT -5
And don't forget heart and liver as well unless he's pretty much 100# whole prey, you'll need to supplement his diet with those. |
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Post by firestar on Nov 29, 2011 16:54:00 GMT -5
Yeah, he has no problem chowing the hearts, livers, or gizzards I give him!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2011 18:20:04 GMT -5
The really loose watery stools could mean he needs a bit more bone in the diet, but could also just be switching stools. My two ferrets had the nastiest stools when I switched them. The overall diet should consist of 10% bone, 10% organ - no more than 2oz of liver per week, stool will be dark and runny on liver days, thats normal, but you also need 1/2 of their organ to be "other" organ. Kidney should be included, as well as anything else you can get your hands on - spleen, brains, etc. And 75% muscle meat (this includes any meat without bone, gizzards, and hearts - you should feed at least one meal of hearts per week). The other 5% is for "roughage". People feed 1/2 tsp plain canned pumpkin to their ferrets per day. It takes the place of the fur and skin they get from whole prey, and helps the food pass through better. Whole prey is considered balanced and includes the fur and skin, so you just have to balance the other raw meals that aren't whole prey throughout the week. If you want to post a sample of the "menu" you feed in one week, we can let you know if it's balanced  If the stinky, runny poop isn't detox poop or not-enough-bone poop, it could also indicate a protein sensitivity. For example some ferrets are sensitive to chicken or beef and can't have it in their diet because it causes nasty poops. But I would give it a while longer, if it starts to improve, it's probably just detox poop. Giving 1/2 tsp pumpkin should also make it a little less icky |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2011 7:26:58 GMT -5
Aww, I have a weakness for the bibbed ferrets! He's a cutey!
Personally, I'd nix the kibbles all together. You are only confusing his gut bacteria by allowing a gut load of carbs and indigestible grains/ plant matter and unknown meat proteins. The liver will be your biggest contributor to smelly poops ( besides the kibble remnants). Check that the chicken being offered does NOT have any percentage of broth or solution added. This can add salts to the meat and will cause more water intake. They can use the moisture - but not the salts. Raw meaty bones are high moisture so their body will get more moisture from their food now. It can take a few weeks for their gut bacteria to normalize once kibble is eliminated from the diet.
Intro him to freeze dried and dehydrated meaty items which offer him chewing time and nutrients as well and an easy to feed form for vet visits, car trips, overnights, feeding by squeamish caretakers etc.
Natural prey can include rodents of all sorts and ages, lagomorphs (rabbits), cavvies, chicks, insects, invertebrates, bait fish, squirrel, raccoon.
If you are venturing in to whole live prey ( which mine relish) start small and young then work up so you encourage and build the predator within. If you start with adult prey and a neophyte predator, chances are the adult prey will intimidate the ferret - or worse hurt him before his skills are developed.
Glad to see he's eagerly devouring better foods already!
Cheers,
Kim
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Post by firestar on Nov 30, 2011 10:57:46 GMT -5
So I upped his bone intake the past couple of days and that definitely has helped. Last night he ate his first WHOLE baby fuzzy and a chicken wing that had not been smashed up! I think I will go the next size or two up in mice to try next, and if he does good with that, I believe I will make a whole prey frozen food order. He never gets meat with additives. I eat "clean" and don't even get that stuff for myself or my daughter, so he definitely gets the clean stuff as well. I picked up a package of pork necks to try next on him. He seems to be very open minded now that I got him going good with it. In fact yesterday, when I got the fuzzy out, he snatched it right away and tucked it in his feeding den until I left. ;D I may be getting a job soon, so I'm debating about getting a "buddy" for my Buddy. I wish these guys weren't so d*mn cute and fun.  |
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Post by firestar on Nov 30, 2011 11:00:17 GMT -5
Also, would you start with pinks or fuzzies to give him live prey for starters? I would definitely like to give him an occasional live prey as a treat (I'm not squeamish, I've been a snake owner, and an avid hunter myself)
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Post by nancyl on Nov 30, 2011 11:54:54 GMT -5
I wouldn't start with live prey. It might be a tad overwhelming for him. If he's willing to eat the fuzzies I'd try to move him on up to adults. Fuzzies aren't really adequate from a dietary standpoint.
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