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Post by Heather on Oct 19, 2011 23:53:11 GMT -5
Name: DM HF Forum Username: RevolvingSheep
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
Ferret.com forums
2. Well I'm interested in both frozen whole prey and raw meats. I was thinking of also having the ferret eat some sort of kibble just so that if we are away, the caregiver will have an easy time keeping the ferret fed. However I'm very open to all options and could be talked out of the kibble.
3. I have read that it is more mentally satisfying to the ferret, it gives them a nicer coat of fur, and helps with the smell.
4. I can commit although I have heard it will be easier for me since I am getting a 10 week old.
5. I have not picked a ferret yet. I am planning on adopting from a litter of three from Quantum Leap Ferrets and they will be available in 8 weeks. They are all female. There is also a possibility the breeder could find me one sooner from another breeder.
6. I do not have the ferrets yet but the quantum leap site explains what she feeds them. I have forgotten.
7. No.
8. I will be 30 this October, I am married and we have two boys 7 and 4, we have two cats and will be getting a puppy to grow up and be friends with thr ferret.
9. Every day.
Thank you! Hi and welcome to the mentoring program. In a little while your mentor (Tablefor3ferrets) 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
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2011 10:20:27 GMT -5
Hey there DM! I am very excited to start helping you with your switch Here is a little info about me. Name: Emmi HF User Name: Tablefor3ferrets Location: southern Idaho, USA About Me: I am a freshmen at a community college and will be working up to a vet degree, hopefully specializing in small animals and/or horses (big difference, haha!). I own quite a few pets on top of ferrets and a horse and am always up for a workout or something fun to do. My favorite color is..... purple, it matches my horse. My favorite food is.... chow mien at Panda Express and homemade enchiladas. My favorite holiday is... 4th of July! I love how everyone comes together and celebrates the wonderful holiday all at the same time. I also love the food. My favorite hobby is... hiking, photography, and horseback riding I like to listen to... oh boy, where do I begin?! Katy Perry, Eminem, Taylor Swift, Johnny Cash, George Strait, The Middle East, Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gale, Goldfrapp, and One Republic. Those are only a couple that I like, haha! I collect... Breyer horses, yes, I love my Breyer's... Something about me you might be surprised to know... I am a black belt in karate and I hate watermelon with salt. I was also Grand Champion showman in horse 4-H fair two years in a row. I became a mentor because... Animals from the very beginning were going to be my way of life, I have always had animals and always will, they are apart of me. I want to switch not only ferrets but eventually other animals over to raw food diets. It helps keep diseases away and lengthens their lifespan. It is as simple as that, I need nothing more. About My Ferrets: I have three ferrets. Wolfie is my sole ferret. He is a four year old, Marshall's DEW whom suffers from Insulinoma and has been fighting it for approximately six months now. He was the one who got me to start feeding raw, since I don't allow him to have sugar (because of the Insulinoma) I immediately started switching him and he took to it wonderfully, he wasn't hard to switch at all. He is my little boy and always will be, because of him I know what love truly is. Nala is a darker two year old Canadian sable and is the craziest thing I have ever seen. We found her in the paper saying that her owners couldn't keep her anymore because they had to move to a state where ferrets were illegal. Stella was overall our first ferret but became my brother's as did Nala. Stella is a four year old Marshall's sable and is a sweetheart, but looooves to chew on stuff and you always have to keep shoes and socks! away from her (you have no idea how many socks I have gone through because of her…). Although Nala and Stella are considered my brother's ferrets I take complete care of them, so actually, I guess you could say that they are all mine! But I love them to death and always will. About My Natural Feeding Experience: Before starting the mentoring program on HFF (which was about three months) I have never switched a ferret or any other animal to a raw food diet. Although I already had my ferrets off of kibble for about a month before I started on the mentoring program. Nala and Stella were somewhat stubborn at the beginning, but Wolfie took to it almost immediately. It may have been hard in the beginning but now they are much happier and of course healthier. Type of mentor: As of right now I only switch from kibble to raw. I would like to work my way up to whole prey in the future.
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Post by revolvingsheep on Oct 20, 2011 10:40:58 GMT -5
Hi Emmi! Thanks for all the info about yourself and your ferrets Here is the food I have acquired so far... 1 package turkey necks (2 or 3 in there I think) 1 package chicken hearts 1 package chicken gizzards 1 package turkey legs 1 Cornish game hen 250 frozen whole prey mice We also buy ground pork and pork chops every week. I live hear an organic grocery store that sells pretty much any type of meat I can imagine. The breeder feeds whole prey and kibble. The whole prey should be easy to stick to and I won't be buying any kibble. I have read from posters here that since she is a kit, she should eat raw easily and quickly. I will be bringing home my female kit this Sunday. I am purchasing her from a breeder. I have a FN142 and her romping grounds will be the living room that is gated off from the rest of the house with plexiglass barriers that I built. I have no idea where to start. I don't know how much to feed her in a day or at a time. I don't know which of my foods I should feed on what days... and I'm not sure what else I should buy.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2011 11:55:21 GMT -5
Here is the food I have acquired so far...
1 package turkey necks (2 or 3 in there I think) 1 package chicken hearts 1 package chicken gizzards 1 package turkey legs 1 Cornish game hen 250 frozen whole prey mice
We also buy ground pork and pork chops every week. I live hear an organic grocery store that sells pretty much any type of meat I can imagine.Wow, that looks great! The only thing I see missing is some liver, possibly another organ- such as kidney, spleen, or brain, and some chicken wings. Oh and maybe some canned pumpkin (100% pumpkin), it is good to have on hands for possible blockages and adding to their meals for extra fiber. Ferrets need at least three different proteins in their diet- but you already have chicken, turkey, and pork, and for now that is perfect. The breeder feeds whole prey and kibble. The whole prey should be easy to stick to and I won't be buying any kibble. I have read from posters here that since she is a kit, she should eat raw easily and quickly.Yes, I think she will switch pretty easy, the main thing we will work on is balancing her diet. I will be bringing home my female kit this Sunday. I am purchasing her from a breeder. I have a FN142 and her romping grounds will be the living room that is gated off from the rest of the house with plexiglass barriers that I built.That is great, you are definitely prepared! I have no idea where to start. I don't know how much to feed her in a day or at a time. I don't know which of my foods I should feed on what days... and I'm not sure what else I should buy.Don't worry that is what I'm here for Feeding her about two times a day is usually typical (morning and evening) and in the beginning I would let her have as much food as she likes then as she gets older and more used to the diet you can start controlling how much she eats. Also, after she arrives you could try giving her a chicken wing and see how she does then we can get an idea of where to start. Let me know if you have any questions about anything
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Post by revolvingsheep on Oct 22, 2011 14:37:07 GMT -5
I have left for Oklahoma and should be home with the ferret by 3-5pm CST tomorrow. I didn't bring any food with me as the breeder said she would give me some for the ride home. I don't have any meats thawed out. I can call my wife and have her put something in the fridge to thaw for tomorrow. Do you recommend any of my meats to thaw for the first day or do you suggest I go buy some chicken wings? When you say chicken wing, are you saying I should give her one entire chicken wing or just a portion? How do you suggest I feed it to her... in a small bowl or what? If I have my wife buy some chicken wings while I'm gone, I'll have them ready for tomorrow. What is the best way to prepare meat for my ferret to eat? I read somewhere about putting meat in a bag or something and putting that in a glass of warm water? Thanks for your help
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2011 22:23:30 GMT -5
I have left for Oklahoma and should be home with the ferret by 3-5pm CST tomorrow. I didn't bring any food with me as the breeder said she would give me some for the ride home.I wish you luck, I hope she is everything you wished for Pictures are a must, everyone is going to want to see her! I don't have any meats thawed out. I can call my wife and have her put something in the fridge to thaw for tomorrow. Do you recommend any of my meats to thaw for the first day or do you suggest I go buy some chicken wings? When you say chicken wing, are you saying I should give her one entire chicken wing or just a portion? How do you suggest I feed it to her... in a small bowl or what?Yes, if you wanted to pull out the turkey necks and let them thaw out in the fridge that would be a good alternative to the wings, once you have the chicken wings you can cut them by the joints and offer all of them to her and see how she responds. You can feed to her in a bowl or plate, my ferrets for some odd reason eat better from a plate but all ferrets are different and you can try either way. If I have my wife buy some chicken wings while I'm gone, I'll have them ready for tomorrow. What is the best way to prepare meat for my ferret to eat? I read somewhere about putting meat in a bag or something and putting that in a glass of warm water?If your wife puts the turkey necks into the fridge to thaw out the night before would be ideal and then a while before feeding her you can pull out the meat and let it reach room temperature, if the meat has not reached room temperature by the time for feeding you could set it some warm water to help heat it up. Try to stay away from heating it in the microwave, it destroys some of the nutrients in the meat when in there. Good luck again and happy birthday
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2011 10:41:10 GMT -5
Hey there, I need to actually correct myself from the last post. Turkey necks are actually too big for a baby to get their mouth around, so, if it would be possible for your wife to get some chicken wings before you get back that would be wonderful. And then you can cut them by the joints to feed them to her.
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Post by revolvingsheep on Oct 23, 2011 17:02:35 GMT -5
Ok I'm home with Eva! I put her in her cage and she was very excited and seemed to enjoy herself. I put water in her bowl and she had some trouble but I think she got some. She is used to a water bottle. I gave her half of a small chicken wing and the second she found it, she ate it! The whole thing... bone and all. It was even cold. About 10 minutes later I gave her the other half and she is eating it as well.
The breeder says she feeds them frozen mice... so I don't think I'll even have to prepare foods. I can just thaw them and give them to her cold.
What now? How much else can/should I feed her tonight? What do I do tomorrow? Thanks!
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Post by revolvingsheep on Oct 23, 2011 17:04:00 GMT -5
Oh also, she took the chicken to her litter box. I use worlds best clumping and a bunch of litter got on the chicken and she ate it anyway. She just did the same thing with the new piece I gave her and it has a bunch of litter on it. What happens if she injests the litter?
When I bought the chicken wings, I forgot pumpkin.
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Post by revolvingsheep on Oct 23, 2011 17:43:27 GMT -5
I took the 2nd chicken wing out. I Google searched the litter and read that it's bad for Ferrets to eat because it's made from corn. I guess I'll try feeding her on the top of the cage and see if she still drags it down to the litter.
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Post by revolvingsheep on Oct 24, 2011 4:11:19 GMT -5
It's Monday morning 4am. First mistake... feeding her too early? Will this confuse her if her normal feeding time will be more like 8am?
I gave her another half of chicken wing last night. I noticed she didn't eat the bone. This morning the bone is half gone. We found another bone from an earlier wing on the ground. Is she not liking the bones?
I just gave her the first mouse of the day. Mistake number two... don't try to move a ferret to a different part of the cage after it has not eaten all night and you give the first mouse of the day. Ouch! I hope her hissing and biting me doesn't affect our relationship.
She was ravenous with that mouse. I had to guess she was super hungry and I read that the babies eat a lot of food, so I gave her another half of a wing. I can't help but wonder if I'm giving her too much chicken. I know she is supposed to eat a well balanced diet.... but I'm not sure what to move to next.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2011 13:41:07 GMT -5
I am so glad everyone got home safe and congratulations!! ;D It's Monday morning 4am. First mistake... feeding her too early? Will this confuse her if her normal feeding time will be more like 8am?Ferrets adjust to your schedule, so if you plan on feeding her every morning at 4am then I think that would be fine. Are you only feeding her once a day? I gave her another half of chicken wing last night. I noticed she didn't eat the bone. This morning the bone is half gone. We found another bone from an earlier wing on the ground. Is she not liking the bones?Depending on which part of the chicken wing bone she didn't eat it may have been just a touch too big for her mouth, if she keep doing this you could try and cut the larger bone in half to make it a little easier. I just gave her the first mouse of the day. Mistake number two... don't try to move a ferret to a different part of the cage after it has not eaten all night and you give the first mouse of the day. Ouch! I hope her hissing and biting me doesn't affect our relationship.Yes, be very careful ferret bites can be horrible. If she starts getting too protective you may need to scold her with a scruff and a firm "no," she needs to understand that you will not take her food. She was ravenous with that mouse. I had to guess she was super hungry and I read that the babies eat a lot of food, so I gave her another half of a wing. I can't help but wonder if I'm giving her too much chicken. I know she is supposed to eat a well balanced diet.... but I'm not sure what to move to next.Oh yes, babies eat lots of food! I would give her enough meat until she doesn't want anymore at meal times, she needs lots of nutrients to help her grow I would try the chicken for the next 1-2 days to check for any sensitivities (their stools will usually look seedy if they are sensitive to something) and then we'll move to another meat. Do you know if she has had any heart or liver before?
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Post by revolvingsheep on Oct 24, 2011 14:05:38 GMT -5
I gave her some pork loin a few hours ago and she ate it right up. I doubt she has had heart or liver because the breeder says she tries to get them on to kibble because she isn't guaranteed that adopters will feed raw.
I'll stick to pork (since she seems ok with it), chicken wings, and mice for now if that is what you suggest.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2011 14:49:34 GMT -5
I gave her some pork loin a few hours ago and she ate it right up. I doubt she has had heart or liver because the breeder says she tries to get them on to kibble because she isn't guaranteed that adopters will feed raw.Alright, maybe those should be the meats we should work on next after the chicken. The heart is a must have because it contains taurine that ferrets need in their diet, liver and other organs are vital as well because they contain nutrients in them and balance out the diet. I'll stick to pork (since she seems ok with it), chicken wings, and mice for now if that is what you suggest.Just for now, we just want to be sure that she isn't sensitive to it, sometimes you can't tell if they are unless you can tell from their poops. So, after 1-2 days to make sure she isn't sensitive to chicken we'll start on heart then liver. Those will be good meats to have her getting used to
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Post by revolvingsheep on Oct 24, 2011 15:31:41 GMT -5
So no pork for the next few days, just chicken? I'll watch her poop.
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