Lisa's Switching Thread/Sunnyberra

[Heather]

Name: Lisa
HF Forum Username: Lisa

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

I tend to do a lot of research, even before I got my first ferret I read as much as I could about their diet. I was torn between kibble and natural, I thought that I couldn’t offer all the nutrients that were needed by feeding Raw so I started her on EVO.

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 want them on a frozen-thawed natural diet with whole prey as treats.

3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?

My ferrets don’t eat kibble at all now but I want to perfect the diet they are on and ensure they are getting everything they need. Im partially there but need help with the final stages.

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?

Definitely 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? How long have you had each ferret for?

I currently have 2 ferrets, there names are Boodgie and Bella. Boodgie is 13 months old and Bella is 10 months old. They are both females. Neither have health problems. Boodgie is a little overweight at 1.2 KG but Bella is perfect at 900 grams. I have had Boodgie since she was 8 weeks old so just on 1 year and Bella was 4 weeks old (rescue) so have had her for 9 months.

6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)

They are on full BARF diets, kangaroo, Rabbit, Turkey. They also have Duck soup and for treats they have pinky mice, egg yolk with a dash of lactose free milk occasionally. They also eat chuncks of beef/veal and lamb. I add 250mg of taurine to their meals every second day and also pulverised eggshells.

7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
They pretty much are on a natural diet – I need help getting them to eat bone as opposed to just BARF which is not helping their teeth.

8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
I want to be able to feel confident that my ferrets are getting all the nutrition they need from what Im feeding them. At the moment I worry that the BARF has too much liver in it and am afraid of Vitamin A toxicity, also it has a lot of vegetable and Plant matter. The BARF is obviously ground and doest help their teeth either. I live in Australia and unfortunately we can not import freeze dried products from anywhere in the world, I feel a little isolated in as far as quality products are concerned.

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

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. Failure to do this could result in you being removed from the program. 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; 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 LOVES it when I can afford whole prey! 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

I'll be asking that you post a menu of what your ferrets ate and what amounts they ate, weekly. Also weekly write ups - energy levels, weight, poos, anything of import, are a must. As per the stickies in the switching thread, bi-weekly pictures are also great!

It's great that you've done so much research! Ferrets like to keep their humans on their toes, that's for sure. And I can definitely help you tweak your guys' diet to ensure they're getting all the nutrients they need.

A general breakdown of a weekly menu looks like this:

minimum 3 protein sources
8/9 bone meals
2 heart meals
1 meal organ (2 oz liver and 2 oz other organ PER ferret)
3/2 "other" muscle meat meals

I'd advise that you get a package of chicken wings, cutting the wing tips off and bashing the heck out of them before giving to your babes. I'd also let them fast for 2-3 hours (not any longer than 4 hours though) and playing with them HARD before feeding - to get their hunger up!