Eirah's Switching Thread/Sunnyberra

[Heather]

Name: Erika Stenhouse
HF Forum Username: Eirah

1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
While looking though the ferret.com forums. There has been some basic info and a link to this website posted.

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 am unsure at the moment. My biggest concerns are 1) Availability of the products in my small town. (like whole prey or thinks like chicken hearts.. etc) 2)The cost. (I am currently working part time as a waitress... so I am hopping to find the ideal balance of cost and nutrition.)

3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
Because I know it is vastly healthier for them. Hopefully it will let them live a longer and healthier life.

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. I'll give it however long it takes.

5. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names? Ages? Genders? Do they have any health problems? Are they overweight? Underweight? How long have you had each ferret for?
I have 3 ferrets.
Bowser is my first. I got him when he was a kit at 9 weeks. He turned 1year on Sept 12th. He is a marshal ferret, and is healthy and is a healthy weight.
Yoshi is my second. I got her at around 8 weeks. She will be 1year on November 20th. She is a marshal ferret as well, and is healthy
Boo is my third. Got him at about 8 weeks as well. He is 5 months old. He is a Petersons ferret. Healthy, very big and muscular but has a big butt lol.

6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
Right now I am feeding them a kibble mix of zupreem, and 8in1 ultimate crunchy. They also get ferritone as a treat.

7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
No I haven't. Don't know where to start.

8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
I am 22, I am a waitress at a sushi bar. I have 3 ferrets and 2 cats. (the ferrets adore my cats! especially b
Bowser. He will follow them around the room and try to snuggle up in their fur!) I live with my boyfriend of 6 years. who isn't an animal person so I do all the caring for the animals and I pay for everything.

9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
Everyday

10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).
Bowser: a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-a....3_4127927_n.jpg
Yoshi: a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-a....1_6499668_n.jpg
Yoshi and Boo: a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-a....8_6171522_n.jpg


Thank you, and I appreciate the work everyone is doing here!


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 more biologically appropriate diet. I love daily check-ins, but I'm aware that life gets hectic, or there's nothing to report, so every other day is perfectly fine as well, or, if something major comes up, just drop me a line and tell me you'll be MIA for awhile, I don't have a problem with that, either! After a week with no response, I'll prompt you, and after a month of no response, the thread will be vaulted (but you can always request it to be taken out of the vault at another time).

A little about me: I'm 25, and a second-year graduate student in school psychology/clinical psychology here in the wonderful state of Virginia. I love reading (mostly fantasy/sci-fi, but other genres sneak in there from time to time) and writing short stories, as well as baking; when I'm not doing school related stuff, work, or care-taking fuzzies, I'm usually found doing one of those three things. I've been a proud ferrent for six years, now, and have been feeding raw to my fuzzies for four of those years.

I currently have six ferrets: Pixie, who's 6 years, now; and then Hiko, who's 3.5-4 years old; two 3 year olds - Yogi and Sian; and two young kits, Rula and Neera. 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 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, 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 rescue (and suspected Waardenburg baby) who had been used to eating sugary treats like gummi bears and sugary Wal-Mart 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 really enjoys a frozen/thawed quail or two. Rula was the easiest switch in the world as well. Neera, on the other hand, was surprising stubborn for a little kit, but after a syringe feeding session, she realized "oh hey, this stuff IS food," and then I offered her a wing tip, and she's been bone crazy ever since

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!
Why don't we start with a soup? Here's what you'll need:

8oz chicken meat
1-2 chicken hearts
1 liver
1/4 tsp powdered eggshell
Enough water, or homemade chicken broth(straight chicken, no spices, veg, etc) to make a soupy texture

Puree all of the above together, freeze in ice cube trays, baggie cubes after frozen.

Before putting the soup down, pick up the kibble for a couple of hours, and get them playing and romping around. Then put the soup down and let them explore it on their own for awhile. If they don't show an interest within the first 30 minutes, dab a little on their mouth or on the inside of their cheek.

If they're exploring it, leave them be for about an hour and then try a scruff and stuff session to get them a taste. Just make sure to praise 'em like crazy, don't get frustrated, and keep any manual feeding sessions short and sweet After a bit, you can pick it up and put their regular food down before trying again.

[eirah]

Hi nice to meet you! Thank you for taking the time to help me. I've started switching them already since it was a bit of a wait in the mentoring program. Every night I've been giving them the soup as a meal. (minus the hearts because it seems to be rather hard to find around here.) They are eating it pretty regularly. Should I be trying to decrease the kibble and switch them completely to the soups, or should i be making the soups with chunks or less soupy?

[Deleted]

Nice to meet you too! And sorry about the wait

What we're going to do is begin gradually decreasing kibble, while at the same time increasing the amount (not size) of the diced bits in the soup. If they start resisting, stop and go back to the last ratio they ate willingly, and keep them there for a day or two before restarting the transition.

(also, you can get taurine supplements to add to the soup, if you can't get actual heart. Taurine's important )

[eirah]

Ok I will start decreasing the kibble. Where should I look for the taurine supplements?

[Deleted]

Vitamin section. Look for capsules Also, there's really no set "dosage" for taurine, but you can shoot for about 125 mg - 250 mg per ferret per day. I'd still offer heart, if and when you come across it, though, in addition to the supplementation.

[eirah]

I called around and none of the drugstores in my area sells taurine commercially.

[Deleted]

Have you tried supermarket chains? I know here walmart sells it, so it's worth a shot, or finding an online site that does, because if you don't have access to hearts (also brains) it's easy for ferts not to get enough taurine. It's really fragile, and freezing/processing kills it pretty quick. Supplements, in this case, are the best bet just to ensure your guys are getting enough

[eirah]

k i'll give walmart a shot this weekend.

[eirah]

nope. I've searched everywhere I can think of and nothing. Are there any sites that sell them. (that ship to canada.)

And back to my ferrets, I've started giving them their kibble in meals instead of having it out all the time. (to start the increasing and decreasing.) I am still giving soups every night as a treat.

[Deleted]

You should actually give soup about 3 x a day, as much as they will eat in one sitting. Make sure you pick up the kibble a couple of hours beforehand, though, and you can put it down after they're done.

As for taurine, your guess is as good as mine - I don't know of any websites off the top of my head. Maybe you could google "taurine supplements." I pulled up quite a few possibilities that way.

[eirah]

I just so happened to be in the only grocery store in my city I didn't check, and they sell hearts! I'm very relived!

[Deleted]

That's great news (also sorry about the delay in responding - I've been swamped with grad. school stuff, but I should be back on track)

[eirah]

No problem. Just an update, they've been having there soup meals 3 times a day, and are doing well.

[Deleted]

So, they're consistently eating soup? Great! How much would you say at a sitting?

You can also start thickening it up a bit, since they sound on track. Once it's a thick paste, and not soup, you can add in diced bits of meat.

When we enter that stage, I'd love it if you could daily inform me what they're eating (size of chunks, type of meat, etc) and how much. Also weekly or bi weekly inform me on how they're doing (overall appearance, health of stool, weight (loss/gain/same), etc) and then any concerns you may have (of course!). I just want to make sure everything goes smoothly while your guys are transitioning.