Gracefuzz's Switching Thread/Carpetsharks

[Heather]

Name: Lois
HF Forum Username: Gracefuzz

1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
The ferret rescue (that I got my ferrets from)
The internet (general research)
Ferrets Forum (uk)
Ferretlove.co.uk
Ferrets for Dummies (2nd ed.)
Old HFF forum (as a guest)

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 fully switch to a raw diet of 'Franken prey' ie, not whole prey.
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
Research on the fillers, carbs and rubbish, vegetables, preservatives and overall low volume of quality/human grade meat and protein in commercially available ferret kibble has opened my eyes.I dont want to ignorantly feed my ferrets something they will survive on, I want them to thrive on what they are supposed to eat.
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?
100% yes.
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?
3
No health problems
Shadow, Jill, approx. 2 1/2, at average weight(?), owned for 6months.
Beanie, Jill, approx. 1 1/2, slightly underwight, owned for 6 months.
Bingo, Hob,very small, approx. 5 months, at average weight(?), owned for 2 weeks, 1 day.
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
main diet:
A mixture of
Supreme Science Selective (1:5)
James Wellbeloved Ferret Complete (1:5)
Applaws kitten/cat dry 80% chicken (3:5)

supplemented with:
Raw Beef Mince (2 chunks each every night for the last week so far)
Egg (without shell)-rare treat
Cooked chicken-rare treat
Applaws wet 75% chicken pouch (as of yesterday, and today)
Purely 100% chicken dried treats
Ferretone and Beaphar Malt paste (nail trimming, rubbed on Mince to encourage eating)
Price Choice Rabbit dinner (pet mince- tried few times, still in freezer)

7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
No, I have tried to supplement their diet with some success and some failure- ie one ferret refuses 80% of the time.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
I'm a student so (haven't got bags of money)would appreciate tips etc to lessen wastage and find good deals on quality food.
My ferrets live outside, and have both outdoor and indoor playtime.
My ferrets all come from a Rescue and as such I know little about their care prior to living with me.
My Jills have been spayed but my hob will be castrated in the next few weeks.

9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
24/7

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 (Carpetshark) 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 Gracefuzz! Welcome to the mentoring program :

Here is a little bit about me:

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Name: Stephanie (Steph)

HF User Name: CarpetSharks37

Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

About Me: I'm in my fourth year of University, currently transfering into a B.Sc. in Psychology (only my fourth degree switch ). I have to do an extra year of undergraduate and then I plan to take my Masters in Counselling online and hopefully specialize in Animal-Assisted Therapy (maybe even some "Ferrepy" with ferrets ;D). I work part-time at a veterinary hospital as receptionist and full-time at my "zoo" ;D, which currently consists of 5 ferrets, 3 dogs, 2 cats and a hedgehog.

My favorite color is..... Purple. Everything from my ferret bedding to my glasses are purple. I love it.

My favorite food is.... Snow crab legs (mmm Seafood ) and any sort of home-made baking. I have dietary restrictions so I have to make my own "junk" food. I specialize in chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies and caramel apple crumble pie; all milk/egg/nut-free!

My favorite holiday is... CHRISTMAS! I’m a hardcore Christmas fan. I love christmas music, wrapping presents, giving presents, Christmas trees, Christmas baking, Christmas everything!

My favorite hobby is... playing with my zoo! I also love reading, writing and attempting to play my guitar.

I like to listen to... Taylor Swift! She's the best Otherwise I like alternative rock, country/pop (nothing too twangy!) and listening to unsigned youtube singers.

I collect... Pets? or at least that’s what it’s starting to seem like. I used to collect Beanie babies, now I’d say I collect purple things, summer dresses and good books.

Something about me you might be surprised to know... I’ve got a new perspective on life. Back in 2009 I was unfortunate enough to catch the H1N1 virus, got sick for a 4 months and am still suffering from the long-term effects of the immune system damaged it caused [img src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.png"]-1.png[/IMG]
The virus actually triggered the emergence of some genetic and chronic conditions and I now have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Gastric Reflux Disease, an upper repsiratory condition that makes me sensitive to cold air, perfumes, smoke, etc. as well as migraines and anxiety. What can I say? – I’ve got the whole set. These conditions have completely changed the way I am able to live my life from what I am able to eat (not much [img src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.png"]-1.png[/IMG] ) to what I am able to take in school (it crushed my dreams of veterinary school ). But it's also made me appreciate what's truly important in life and not sweat the small stuff. These are chronic conditions and won't ever go away but these days I'm doing 100 times better and am a happier and more fullfilled person because of what I've been through

I became a mentor because... My two greatest passions in life are helping people and helping animals and as a mentor on here, I get to do both. I also love writing and teaching, which I also get to do as a mentor. Dealing with my own digestive conditions has also taught me that a natural diet and simple diet is the best medicine for humans, just as a natural and simple diet for ferrets is the best way to prevent health issues for them down the road. Being a science student and having majored in Biology and Zoology in the past it seems counter-intuitive to go against biology and evolution. You wouldn't feed a tiger in a zoo cat kibble, so why feed a ferret something it's not designed to eat?

About My Ferrets:
Sophie - a chocolate? (she keeps changing colors on me) RC/Hagen/"Holden" ferret (we're not sure which - basically a "Petland special" -) She was my first ferret, along with her sister Olivia and is now 11 months old! Boy do they grow fast [img src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/0_0.gif"].gif[/IMG] Sophie is my sweet ferret, very cuddly and mellow Her only vice is a sock fetish, so anyone who comes to visit her knows to sit with their feet off of the ground

Olivia - a champagne Petland special and Sophie's 11-month old "sister". Olivia is my diva ferret. She's clearly the boss of everyone and occasionally walks around licking her lips and staring at you like she's going to eat you for dinner She's become a lot less evil and a lot more affectionate though Poor girl suffers from what the vet believes to be Mycoplasmosis (a bacteria of the lungs) and has an occasional heart arrythmia which makes it likely she will develop heart problems later in life

Howie - my third ferret, rescued from FRES, the ferret rescue here. He is approximately 2 years old and a Sable mitt. He's my bigger boy and a total sweetheart, but he will climb up your pant leg or nip you on your tailbone (he seems to know there's the most nerve endings there ;D) if you don't pay enough attention. The vet thinks he may become adrenal (he's been super itchy lately) so we're watching him closely and might implant him soon.

Bo and Nova - my two new additions These two were rescued from a petland, where they were both malnourished and incredibly sick and are known on this forum as the "petland rescue babies". Thanks to everyone's kind donations, we raised $330 for me to take them home and I talked Petland into paying for all of their medical bills. They both have upper respiratory infections but are otherwise recovering well They are 3 months old, Bo is a sable male and Nova is a cinnamon female, and they are both crazy babies and Divas to the extreme.

About My Natural Feeding Experience: Olivia and Sophie were my first ferrets and were off of kibble within a couple days of bringing them home. They were young and very easy to switch to a frankenprey diet, minus a few stumbles with getting them to eat their organs. Howie was a slower switch because I had to make sure he didn't have insulinoma. I had him off of kibble and on to raw soups within a few weeks and from there he basically switched right onto bone and chunks of meat. Such a little trooper Bo and Nova and still currently in the switching phase, so they will probably be switching right along with your ferrets which is kind of cool They were on freeze-dried raw but are now eating raw soup mixed with slivers of chicken meat and some commercial raw. All of my ferrets also get freeze-dried raw as a treat and for days when I'm too busy to prepare their regular food. I have used freeze-dried as a "stepping stone" in all of my ferret's switches as it eliminates the upset tummies that occur from mixing kibble with raw.

Type of mentor: Frankenprey, Commercial Raw, Freeze-Dried Raw.

Specialty: Ferrets who are stubborn about eating organs.

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I am very happy to be your mentor and can't wait to get started!

[Deleted]

So before we get started, I'd like to establish a baseline for all of your ferrets, so if I could get the following pieces of information from you please


1. Pictures of all 3 ferrets from an "above" view so that I can clearly see their body types. Exactly like these ones: holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=switch&action=display&thread=4342

2. The following information for all 3 ferrets:
1. Ferret's name:
2. Ferret's current weight:
3. General activity level:
4. General stool consistency/shape:
5. What "raw" foods the ferret has tried/ did they eat them/ how well did they eat them?

3. Do you currently have the following on hand? (if not you will need to get these things before we can start the switch)

-A scale for weighing your ferret AND a scale for weighing the raw food

-The following ingredients for making a raw soup:
1) raw chicken breast or other chicken meat (no bone)
2)raw chicken liver
3) raw chicken heart
4) egg shell powder (this you get by rinsing out eggshells, drying them, and then pulverizing them with either a mortar and pestle or a CLEAN coffee grinder) OR bone meal

**you will also need either a food processor or a blender that you can use for making the raw soup**


Other things I'd like you to pick up (when you have the chance):
-PLAIN canned pumpkin (or another squash i.e. a squash baby food) - you can find this in the "baking" aisle of the grocery store - NO spices

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil (ferretone has BHT - a cancer causing preservative and should only be used for training/nail clipping or should be mixed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

-A fish oil (Salmon, etc.) - make sure it doesn't have any chemicals/preservatives/etc. You can either get this at a human health food store or a pet store.

The pumpkin helps keep the stools from getting too nasty on us during the switch and prevent hairballs and the oils are great for the coats/preventing hairballs and for enticing the ferrets to "try" the raw food ;D

Once I have all that information, we can get started!!!

[gracefuzz]

Hi Steph!
I'm so excited!
I cant find my camera cable at the moment so I'll post the pics, their weights and info tomorrow if thats ok?

I have already made up a batch of soup- I used 8oz chicken meat, 2 oz pork liver and 1 oz lamb heart and 1/2 tbsp egg shell powder and purreed into a pudding consistency.I added a few tbsp of water to make it a little soupy.

They all ate about 3-3 1/2 tbsp's straight off the spoon with little encouragement.Bingo would have happily eaten it all the little piggy lol.
I hope this means we are off to a good start.

So I've got soup, extra virgin olive oil, blender, food scales, I might need to pick up a digital kitchen scale tomorrow as the bathroom scales didn't even register the ferrets and I'll also try and get pumpkin and fish oil.
I'll check back in tomorrow when I've got pictures etc sorted.
x

[Deleted]

Jan 30, 2012 16:51:49 GMT -5 @gracefuzz said:

Hi Steph!
I'm so excited!

Me too!

Jan 30, 2012 16:51:49 GMT -5 @gracefuzz said:

I cant find my camera cable at the moment so I'll post the pics, their weights and info tomorrow if thats ok?

Absolutely I just want a "before" picture of them so I can make sure everyone's staying nice and healthy during the switch ;D

Jan 30, 2012 16:51:49 GMT -5 @gracefuzz said:

I have already made up a batch of soup- I used 8oz chicken meat, 2 oz pork liver and 1 oz lamb heart and 1/2 tbsp egg shell powder and purreed into a pudding consistency. I added a few tbsp of water to make it a little soupy.

Perfect! How hard is it for you to find liver and heart in your area? I like to keep the proteins in the soup generally the same to start off (i.e. all chicken or all pork). That way if your ferrets end up having a "sensitivity" or mild allergy to one of the proteins, we'll be able to know for sure, whereas if they are all mixed together, it's hard to tell which is the culprit Keep using this batch for now! Just see if you can get parts of all the same protein for the next batch

Jan 30, 2012 16:51:49 GMT -5 @gracefuzz said:

They all ate about 3-3 1/2 tbsp's straight off the spoon with little encouragement.Bingo would have happily eaten it all the little piggy lol. I hope this means we are off to a good start.

WE SURE ARE! That is fantastic! Are they eating it off of a plate on their own or are you spoon feeding it to them?

I will let you know to keep at least 30 minutes between them eating the raw food and eating the kibble. Raw and kibble digest at different rates and can cause upset tummies.

Now what's your schedule like? Are you out most of the day at school? Raw soup will keep for a good 6 hours (more actually but I find they lose interest in it once it starts to dry out a bit). So you do have to feed probably 3-4 meals a day of it to start, but we can sort out a raw / kibble schedule based on your schedule to make sure they always have food availible until they are 100% eating the raw soup on their own.

They live outside in an enclosure, correct? What I'll have you do is keep the kibble in their cage at all times for now (But do take it away 30 minutes before you give them raw soup and wait 30 minutes after to replace it). They are fairly young and you say you do know their histories, but I just don't like to take chances with insulinoma. Plus they are being good ferrets and eating their soupies so we don't have to use the "make them hungry enough to eat anything" trick just yet ;D

Jan 30, 2012 16:51:49 GMT -5 @gracefuzz said:

So I've got soup, extra virgin olive oil, blender, food scales, I might need to pick up a digital kitchen scale tomorrow as the bathroom scales didn't even register the ferrets and I'll also try and get pumpkin and fish oil.
I'll check back in tomorrow when I've got pictures etc sorted.
x

Perfect See if you can get a digital scale with some kind of bin/tray on top (or buy a tray/bin separately). Then you can zero the scale with the tray on (to cancel out its weight) and you'll get a more accurate weight on the ferrets because they won't be sliding all over the place ;D

Sounds good on the pumpkin and the fish oil too. Fish oil shouldn't be given more than 1-2 times a week as it can make their poops a bit runny, so it's not something you have to get right away if they do like the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Some ferrets aren't a fan of EVOO though so people do have to mix it with fish oil. But it's definitely good for them to have fish oil in their diet anyways since its a protein they can digest (as opposed to the plant matter in EVOO).

I will "talk" to you then! Definitely off to a great start!

[gracefuzz]

I'll get chicken meat, liver and heart on wednesday for the next batch of soup.
How much soup should I be giving them in one sitting? They are taking it off spoon at the moment.
Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday I'm at school from around 9-4 the rest of the time I'm pretty much home.
I'm just going to get scales etc now.
x

[gracefuzz]

The weights are not 100% accurate as they would not keep still-Beanies in particular is an average.
I hope the pictures are ok- its hard to see their body shape because of their fluffy winter coats.

1. Ferret's name: Shadow
2. Ferret's current weight: 900g
3. General activity level: very active
4. General stool consistency/shape: normal
5. What "raw" foods the ferret has tried/ did they eat them/ how well did they eat them? Beef mince-will stash and lick, eat a tiny amount then leave.Chicken slivers (raw) handfed (once) ate happily (never again since).Will eat raw egg quite happily.

shadow:31/1/12



1. Ferret's name:Beanie
2. Ferret's current weight:661g
3. General activity level: quite lazy.Will play for 45 mins then curl up to sleep.Would sleep all day if allowed.
4. General stool consistency/shape:normal
5. What "raw" foods the ferret has tried/ did they eat them/ how well did they eat them?Beef Mince will eat happily. Commercial raw rabbit dinner(with bone in) tried once or twice and ate happily. Will stash raw chicken wings and 'mouth' them but not eat them. Has eaten raw chicken slivers (handfed only though) once or twice.

Beanie: 31/1/12


1. Ferret's name:Bingo
2. Ferret's current weight:1306g
3. General activity level:hyper/crazy/always on the go.
4. General stool consistency/shape:BIG well formed smelly poos. too many of them lol.
5. What "raw" foods the ferret has tried/ did they eat them/ how well did they eat them? Beef mince- wolfs down large cubes-will steal the ones meant for the others.2 days ago stole a piece of stewing beef (a cube) and wolfed it down.

Bingo:31/1/12

[Deleted]

Jan 31, 2012 6:47:47 GMT -5 @gracefuzz said:

I'll get chicken meat, liver and heart on wednesday for the next batch of soup.
How much soup should I be giving them in one sitting? They are taking it off spoon at the moment.
Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday I'm at school from around 9-4 the rest of the time I'm pretty much home.
I'm just going to get scales etc now.
x

You want to let them eat as much as they want each sitting. Ferrets self-regulate on raw food and will eat what they need and no more (as opposed to kibble which they will often over-eat on). It will seem like A LOT at first ;D - their bodies are basically trying to compensate for all the nutrients they missed out on when just on kibble. So they will eat a TON of food during the switch but then slowly the amount will drop off and you'll find they really don't go through a lot of raw in a day. I know you are a student and funds are always a little tight (I'm one too ;D) but once they are switched and eating a normal amount of raw, you'll find it's really not all that expensive

But for now, don't be alarmed if you are making a new batch of soup every couple of days. You can also "double" the batch (i.e. use 16 oz chicken meat and double the other ingredients) then pour it into ice cube trays and freeze it. That way you can pop up 2-4 cubes per ferret and defrost for each feeding. (Defrosting in a ziploc bag in a bowl of cold water is the quickest method).

***Just a safety note*** - NEVER defrost raw food by heating it in the microwave or by placing in a bowl of hot water. This will cook any bones (or the egg shells) in the food, making them hard, sharp and dangerous. UNCOOKED bones are SAFE because they are flexible and soft, but cooking/heating bones changes their composition making them like glass. (When people say bones are dangerous and can cut animal's insides - they are referring to cooked bones). If you find your ferrets aren't a fan of cold raw food, let it warm up naturally by sitting on the counter. Or if it's just muscle meat you are feeding (NO bone), you can warm it in a bag in a bowl of luke-warm water (again avoid hot water - this will cook the meat, changing its composition and depleting it of important nutrients).

What you can do while you are home during the day on Monday, Saturday, Sunday (and during the evening on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) is take away their kibble for the day. Leave a plate of raw soup in the cage (if they get hungry enough they might just try it on their own) and then spoon-feed them every 3-4 hours just to make sure they are getting food into them.

With the spoon-feeding you can also try "teach" them to eat off the plate on their own. Put a plate of raw soup down and spoon-feed them right over top of it. Then slowly lower the spoon until it is set down on the plate and they are eating off of it on the plate. Then slowly sneak the spoon out, and hopefully this will leave them eating off the plate on their own

[Deleted]

Do still keep the kibble in the cage overnight for now though Once they are eating raw soup on their own off of a plate and consistently, we can pretty much replace the kibble entirely with raw soup. But for now, keep it in overnight and while you are at school

The pictures look good! They are SO fluffy I think their body shapes are all just fine, no one looks overly skinny so that's perfect!

It looks like they all have been more or less willing to try different raw foods, which is a GREAT sign. We should be able to move them along at a decent speed I'm thinking Just to let you know raw egg is fine to give, but no more than 1 egg per ferret per week

Have they all been vet checked? Beanie's low activity levels are a little concerning, but as long as she's been deemed healthy, it could just be his personality. I'm hopeful that once she's on the raw diet, she will be a lot more energetic

As for Shadow's too-big and too-many poops, you will be very pleased with how little they poop once they are completely switched! It doesn't happen right away though and you will continue to see a TON of poop during the switch. However, the poops will change drastically in shape and consistency, so don't be too alarmed ;D. Kibble comes out looking basically the same way it goes in, but raw poops are not nearly as perfectly formed and they vary in looseness and color depending on what raw food has been fed. Do tell me if you notice anything funky going on though (super runny, mucous, black/tarry, seedy, etc.) so that I can try to determine if they are just normal "switching" stools or a protein sensitivity.

Sorry for the information overload ;D Other than that, just keep up with the raw soup feedings and let me know how they are doing with the soup each day Give trying to get them to eat off a plate on their own a try too, I'm pretty confident they will do it

[gracefuzz]

Okay, thanks for all the info!
Yep Beanie has a clean bill of health, she's just a lazy moo. More of an explorer than a hyper fuzzball.
They have each had about 1-2 tbsp of soup handfed today. Both girls were wriggling and trying to spit it out.Bingo on the other hand loved it and tried to stash the spoon. So not overly successful, but we'll get there.
Few Q's:
How many soup meals should I try to give them each day?
Should I decrease the amount of kibble in the cage?
I've stopped giving other treats, so hopefully they see soup as their 'treat'- is that ok?
Is 2-3 tbsp's a good amount per ferret? as thats all I manage to give them before they make a bid for freedom.

Thanks so much Steph I really appreciate all the info and reassurance.
xxx

[Deleted]

Jan 31, 2012 15:31:41 GMT -5 @gracefuzz said:

Okay, thanks for all the info!
Yep Beanie has a clean bill of health, she's just a lazy moo. More of an e[img src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.png"].png

[/IMG]lorer than a hyper fuzzball.
They have each had about 1-2 tbsp of soup handfed today. Both girls were wriggling and trying to spit it out.Bingo on the other hand loved it and tried to stash the spoon. So not overly successful, but we'll get there.
Few Q's:
How many soup meals should I try to give them each day?
Should I decrease the amount of kibble in the cage?
I've stopped giving other treats, so hopefully they see soup as their 'treat'- is that ok?
Is 2-3 tbsp's a good amount per ferret? as thats all I manage to give them before they make a bid for freedom.

Thanks so much Steph I really appreciate all the info and rebutturance.
xxx[/quote]

Not a problem!

At this point the more soup meals you are able to do the better. If you can get them to fill up on soup, they may end up not eating much kibble at all. That being said, ferrets get way more nutrients out of raw than they do out of kibble so they probably aren't going to be hungry enough to eat every hour. ;D

Getting them to think raw food is a treat is definitely okay Have you tried them with the olive oil yet? If they really like it you can put a little bit on top of the soup to make it more appealing. If they aren't a fan of it, you can mix 1/2 olive oil with 1/2 ferretone and give that a try.

Since the girls are being a bit resistant, you can definitely try using hunger as a motivator. Start by taking away their kibble for 2 hours. Then offer the soup. If that doesn't get them hungry enough to eat more willingly, try 3-4 hours the next time. Don't go longer than that for now.

2-3 tbsp into each ferret in one soup-feeding sitting is actually pretty amazing ;D If you are able to do that 3-4 times a day then you can definitely decrease the amout of kibble they are getting. Still leave enough kibble in the cage overnight for them to eat, but during the day you can pretty much have them eating just soup as long as they are getting the regular feedings. (Except on the days you are gone for longer hours, then leave the kibble for them still).

[gracefuzz]

Hi Steph,
Just checking in.
Only managed to get one soup meal in today- firstly because noone wanted any despite my persistence and secondly because shadow escaped, got under the decking and I couldn't find her for ages.
during the 1 soup meal:
Bingo had 3-4 heaped tbsps and a little out of a bowl by himself.
Shadow had 3-3+1/2 tbsps.
Beanie had 1-1 +1/2 tbsps very reluctantly.Had to put ferretone on it but she still wasn't that interested.I persisted but she wasn't having any more than that.I fed her last as I thought being a bit hungrier might make her more encouraged to eat..but didnt seem to work.
feeling a little disheartened..
x

[Deleted]

Feb 1, 2012 18:40:04 GMT -5 @gracefuzz said:

Hi Steph,
Just checking in.
Only managed to get one soup meal in today- firstly because noone wanted any despite my persistence and secondly because shadow escaped, got under the decking and I couldn't find her for ages.
during the 1 soup meal:
Bingo had 3-4 heaped tbsps and a little out of a bowl by himself.
Shadow had 3-3+1/2 tbsps.
Beanie had 1-1 +1/2 tbsps very reluctantly.Had to put ferretone on it but she still wasn't that interested.I persisted but she wasn't having any more than that.I fed her last as I thought being a bit hungrier might make her more encouraged to eat..but didnt seem to work.
feeling a little disheartened.. [img src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/T_T.png"].png

[/IMG]
x[/quote]

Oh no, I'm glad you managed to find Shadow!

Don't feel disheartened! Your ferrets are all older and older ferrets can be VERY resistant to the switching process. Some take months before they will even TRY raw soup. So your guys are actually doing REALLY great! So please don't get discouraged! Your ferrets will eventually realize it is food and yummy food at that ;D

That's a good amount to get into them. Next time try taking away the kibble for 3-4 hours before feeding them the soup. Let's try make Shadow a little hungrier and see if that works.

Also when Shadow is resisting eating the raw soup there are a few steps you can take to try get her eating it.

1. Start with "finger feeding": You can start by taking a bit of raw soup on your fingers and seeing if Shadow will lick it off. If she won't take it willingly from your finger then move onto to the next step.

2. Next try the "scruff and stuff" method. Here is a really descriptive thread outlining how to do it:

holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=switch&action=display&thread=4340

By rubbing the soup on her gums, she will get a taste for it and hopefully start eating it on her own. This can take a while so be patient, just keep trying a few times a day and eventually she will give in!

**Note** This method is not meant to be forceful or cause your ferrets a huge amount of stress. If your ferret is showing signs of being overly stressed out (i.e. fluffling up their coat or peeing) then you are doing the method wrong. It's meant to be a firm but kind way of convincing the ferret that raw soup is not "poison" ;D


Now if this method fails, and she is being VERY reluctant, there's a third step you can try. This is the "Scruff and Stuff for reluctant ferrets" method and it nicely demonstrated in a video here:

holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=switch&action=display&thread=4343


With the other ferrets you can probably go straight to the spoon feeding method (which I think you are already doing more or less), which is very nicely illustrated here:

holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=switch&action=display&thread=4344

Definitely check out those threads and if you have any questions let me know!

The switching process is by no means easy and takes a lot of dedication, so just be patient and know that you are making a huge difference in the quality of your ferrets' lives!

[gracefuzz]

Thanks Steph!

When shadow escaped I was horrified! I ended up running around in my pjs and wellies shaking a treat tin and calling for her. Eventually she poked her head out of a bush next to the end of the decking and my dad grabbed her.She was dooking like crazy, as if it were the best game ever.I, on the other hand,nearly had a heart attack! lol.

this morning:
I defrosted 6 cubes of the meat purree and added 2 tsps of water (so steadily getting thicker).

Shadow had 3-4 heaped Tbsps off a spoon very happily! She was leaning towards the bowl so I think next time I'll let her try out of the bowl.

Beanie had 1 heaped Tbsp off a spoon, and about 10 'fingers' of soup.She starts off quite well then seems to lose interest, so I switch to finger feeding until she refuses even that.

Bingo had 2 heaped Tbsps off a spoon and then stuck his head in the bowl so I just let him carry on. Very pleased with him, he licked the bowl clean and then cleaned every last trace off my hands and the spoon.

Just thought Id mention my 'purree' is not completely smooth- it's quite roughly blended so there are tiny slithers of solid meat in it.

They are already pooing less-is that normal?
and their poops are darker and less smelly.YAY! lol
I left kibble in overnight last night and not a lot of it has been eaten.I saw bingo eating it..he is a pig and will eat anything I think because of his age.
Feeling more positive now.I'll do another soup meal when I'm back from Uni.
xx

[gracefuzz]

All together we have had 2 soup meals today.
This evening:
Defrosted 6 cubes of meat puree and added 1 tbsp of water so was very thick pudding consistency.

Shadow had 3-4 heaped tsps then licked the bowl out at the end.

Beanie had 1 &1/2 tbsp and a few 'fingers' of soup.

Had to defrost 2 more cubes after this for Bingo as wasn't much left.
He ate all of his straight from the bowl and Shadow came and helped him..so Shadow and Bingo seem to have got increased appetite and progressed on to eating from the bowl-Beanie wont though.

Beanie eats about 1 Tbsp quite happily and then she doesn't want anymore.So she's not eating as much as the other two. Im going to take food away for longer tomorrow and see if that works with her. They have kibble down overnight, but not much of it is getting eaten.
I think tomorrow Im not going to add any water to the meat purree so its purely meat they are eating.

Feel quite pleased today- even if the little terrors insist on wiping their messy chops on me before they climb down!
Im going to try and get in 3-4 soup meals tomorrow.I might take the kibble away for the majority of the day, maybe leave a little in just incase Beanie dosent eat much, then put it back at night.
Does everything sound ok so far??
xxxx