Post by Heather on Jan 30, 2012 1:43:07 GMT -5
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
While searching the internet for information about wheat being harmful to ferrets, I came across this forum and have looked at a few forums since. Quite a few give very different opinions about what is and isn't acceptable to feed, but HFF seems to have the most up to date, informative advice.
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 think would like to switch my ferrets to a whole prey diet as I understand that this is best for them, but I would grateful for any other suggestions or comments about a mixed raw diet that I should know about.
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
I am interested in switching my ferrets to a natural diet because I understand that it helps to reduce diseases, intestinal blockages caused by fur, dental problems, nutrional problems, and is more stimulating for them. Apparently it also reduces the odour, but I'll believe when I smell it!
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?
I am willing to make the commitment to switching my ferrets diets because their health and wellbeing comes before any other demands I might have on my time. My fuzzies all quite happily eat whole chicks and pinkie mice as treats already, so I doubt I'll have too many problems with them being fussy, but if they do then I'm quite patient and determined.
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 three ferrets. My two jills were hand reared by a breeder as one was rejected by her mother (a first timer, with 11 kits and 7 nipples poor thing), and the other was the runt of the litter and wasn't getting enough milk. They are both very small jills, but my vet says that they aren't underweight, just small, probably because of large litter sizes.
Tilly - Jill - Polecat with brown "T" nose - 9 Months old - healthy weight for her size, but small. (I'll buy some electric scales tomorrow and let you know how much she weighs). No health problems, but she does have a lot of broken off whiskers. I've had her since she was 12 weeks old.
Tiny - Jill - 9 Months old Polecat with pink nose- Healthy weight for her size, but even smaller than her half-sister. No health problems, and is the most affectionate of the bunch.
Spike - Hoblet - 4.5 months old sandy, this little boy is my beautiful baby. He's average sized for a hob, and again the vet says he's a good healthy weight, no health problems. Has some biting issues because he was rescued from a breeder who treated him very badly. Was taken away from his mother at 3 weeks and fed soggy cat (not even Kitten!) biscuits as the staple of his diet. Got him when he was about 12 weeks old.
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
Currently all my fuzzies eat James well-beloved ferret food. This is a dry kibble available in the UK, I'm not sure if you have it in the US, but it is reccomended by all the vets and rescues I have spoken to. By comparison with other brands over here, it is probably the best available, but nutrionally it's full of wheat and other crap. They all quite happily eat whol day old chicks, which they get 4 or 5 days a week as a treat each, and pinkie mice, which they chow down on very happily. I once gave them a whole adult mouse and they just dissected it and didn't really eat it though. They also get raw eggs and Beaphors multi-vitamin ferret malt paste, which I guess is very similar to ferretone, I can give detailed ingredients of it on request.
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
I have not tried to switch them to a whole prey diet yet, but have been feeding chicks and fuzzies as treats and they eat this quite happily.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
Because of my work and university schedule, I cannot feed my ferrets at the same time every day, will this matter? Also, I am vegan, so there are never any "spare" scraps going, so anything that they need I have to buy specifically for them. Obviously, my fur-babies aren't vegan though. I'd need 24hours to be able to go out and buy all the ingredients needed for the soups, but I won't buy them now because obviously they'll go bad if I'm not matched with someone for a while, and I won't eat them.
All of my ferts were spayed/nuetered and microchipped in the last few weeks. I understand that in the US this happens much earlier and can cause adrenal disease, but in the UK because we do this much later, we have much lower incidences of this. My ferrets all live outside in a hutch and a run (35 square foot) and enjoy a couple of walks a week depending on the weather and the amount of day-light left when I get to them.
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
Every day, though not always at set times because of my changing schedule.
10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).
No pictures at present because my card reader is broken, but I'll sort some out soon.
Hi and welcome to the mentoring program. In a little while your mentor (sherry) 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
While searching the internet for information about wheat being harmful to ferrets, I came across this forum and have looked at a few forums since. Quite a few give very different opinions about what is and isn't acceptable to feed, but HFF seems to have the most up to date, informative advice.
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 think would like to switch my ferrets to a whole prey diet as I understand that this is best for them, but I would grateful for any other suggestions or comments about a mixed raw diet that I should know about.
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
I am interested in switching my ferrets to a natural diet because I understand that it helps to reduce diseases, intestinal blockages caused by fur, dental problems, nutrional problems, and is more stimulating for them. Apparently it also reduces the odour, but I'll believe when I smell it!
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?
I am willing to make the commitment to switching my ferrets diets because their health and wellbeing comes before any other demands I might have on my time. My fuzzies all quite happily eat whole chicks and pinkie mice as treats already, so I doubt I'll have too many problems with them being fussy, but if they do then I'm quite patient and determined.
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 three ferrets. My two jills were hand reared by a breeder as one was rejected by her mother (a first timer, with 11 kits and 7 nipples poor thing), and the other was the runt of the litter and wasn't getting enough milk. They are both very small jills, but my vet says that they aren't underweight, just small, probably because of large litter sizes.
Tilly - Jill - Polecat with brown "T" nose - 9 Months old - healthy weight for her size, but small. (I'll buy some electric scales tomorrow and let you know how much she weighs). No health problems, but she does have a lot of broken off whiskers. I've had her since she was 12 weeks old.
Tiny - Jill - 9 Months old Polecat with pink nose- Healthy weight for her size, but even smaller than her half-sister. No health problems, and is the most affectionate of the bunch.
Spike - Hoblet - 4.5 months old sandy, this little boy is my beautiful baby. He's average sized for a hob, and again the vet says he's a good healthy weight, no health problems. Has some biting issues because he was rescued from a breeder who treated him very badly. Was taken away from his mother at 3 weeks and fed soggy cat (not even Kitten!) biscuits as the staple of his diet. Got him when he was about 12 weeks old.
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
Currently all my fuzzies eat James well-beloved ferret food. This is a dry kibble available in the UK, I'm not sure if you have it in the US, but it is reccomended by all the vets and rescues I have spoken to. By comparison with other brands over here, it is probably the best available, but nutrionally it's full of wheat and other crap. They all quite happily eat whol day old chicks, which they get 4 or 5 days a week as a treat each, and pinkie mice, which they chow down on very happily. I once gave them a whole adult mouse and they just dissected it and didn't really eat it though. They also get raw eggs and Beaphors multi-vitamin ferret malt paste, which I guess is very similar to ferretone, I can give detailed ingredients of it on request.
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
I have not tried to switch them to a whole prey diet yet, but have been feeding chicks and fuzzies as treats and they eat this quite happily.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
Because of my work and university schedule, I cannot feed my ferrets at the same time every day, will this matter? Also, I am vegan, so there are never any "spare" scraps going, so anything that they need I have to buy specifically for them. Obviously, my fur-babies aren't vegan though. I'd need 24hours to be able to go out and buy all the ingredients needed for the soups, but I won't buy them now because obviously they'll go bad if I'm not matched with someone for a while, and I won't eat them.
All of my ferts were spayed/nuetered and microchipped in the last few weeks. I understand that in the US this happens much earlier and can cause adrenal disease, but in the UK because we do this much later, we have much lower incidences of this. My ferrets all live outside in a hutch and a run (35 square foot) and enjoy a couple of walks a week depending on the weather and the amount of day-light left when I get to them.
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
Every day, though not always at set times because of my changing schedule.
10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).
No pictures at present because my card reader is broken, but I'll sort some out soon.
Hi and welcome to the mentoring program. In a little while your mentor (sherry) 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