Kittymalone's Switching Thread/Carpetsharks37

[Heather]

Name:
HF Forum Username: kittymalone

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

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.
raw and natural, unsure about live or frozen

3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
better health and a long 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!

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?

2 male, intact (and NOT descented), Scully and Jerry. Not sure of age. No health problems. No weight issues. We have had them for 2 days. Vet check up next week.

6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
Marshalls kibble, vita sol in their water, no treats (yet)

7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
No
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
I got them from a woman that needed to rehome them. From what she said they have not had any health issues. She doesn't know how old they are.

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 (Carpetsharks) 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 Kittymalone and welcome to the mentoring program

Here's a little bit about me:

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Name: Steph

HF User Name: CarpetSharks37

Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

About Me: I'm 21 years old and a fourth-year university student taking a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. After I complete my undergrad (1 year left!) I plan on getting my Master's in Couselling and working as a clinical psychologist. I'd love to get into something called Animal Assisted Therapy where you use trained therapy animals to help people open up and work through their issues.

My favorite color is..... Purple!

My favorite food is.... Seafood, yummy!

My favorite holiday is...Christmas!

My favorite hobby is... Baking, guitar, playing with my pets. I also love reading and horseback riding.

I like to listen to... pretty much everything. Taylor Swift and pop/country is one of my favourites but I also like almost everything else.

I collect... Pets? ;D I would say baking supplies. I have so many cookie cutters.

I became a mentor because... I truly believe that a balanced raw diet is the best you can do for your ferret. Before getting Sophie and Olivia (my first ferrets) I did a lot of research on diet and spent a lot of time in the ferret food aisles at pet stores. After realizing I couldn't find a food that matched my research, I got my own mentor on here, switched Sophie and Olivia and have never looked back. Now I'm just passing on the favour to other ferret owners and their ferrets

About My Ferrets:

Sophie - a 1 year old sable "Petland special". Sophie and Olivia were my first ferrets and I got them both last April (2011) at 2 months old. Sophie is a sweet quiet girl who gives kisses but is also a terrible sock monster ;D She's been on raw since she was 3 months old.


Olivia - a 1 year old champagne/cinnamon and Sophie's littermate. Olivia is a bit of a diva but also has a snuggly side. She suffers from a mysterious heart/lung condition and has a irregular heart rate and constant coughing fits We are still working on figuring on what exactly is going on but so far no luck. I truly believe that the raw diet has helped keep her much healthier than she would be otherwise!


Howie - Howie (Howard) is my old man, though he's only 2 ;D He is from one of the local ferret rescues here and I got him last October as a companion for Sophie, should things get worse with Olivia's health. He's such a gentle boy and knows how to "beg" for treats and love. He loves tunnels though and thinks that pant legs are the best kind ;D I switched him straight to raw when I got him and am hoping it helps give him a long life, despite the cardboard kibble he was fed for the first 2 years of his.

Bo - a 4 month old chocolate "Petland special" who I rescued in January. Bo was very sick, malnourished, lethargic and had a really bad anal prolapse when I first saw him. I came to an agreement with Petland that they would pay for all medical care if I took both him and his sister. Wonderful people from the forum helped raise the money to pay for them too Bo is now 100% healthy, totally spunky and snuggly and getting HUGE thanks to raw.


Nova - Bo's sister, she was SUPER tiny when I got her. Malnourished, underweight and so psychologically traumatized from being torn away from her mama at only 1 month old, that she was nursing on Bo's ears. She was a major fear-biter when I first got her too but is now quite sweet and growing into such a big beautiful girl! She is almost a roan/cinnamon color now and absolutely gorgeous

About My Natural Feeding Experience: I've never really fed anything other than raw. Sophie and Olivia were on kibble for only a couple days then went straight on Freeze-dried raw and then switched to a balanced "frankenprey" diet. Howie was only fed kibble for a month or so until he was completely on freeze-dried and raw. Nova and Bo went straight onto freeze-dried and are now on raw too. I feed a balanced frankenprey diet (bone-in meat, muscle meats, organs, hearts) with some freeze-dried mixed in occassionally, as well as some commercial raw patties.

Type of mentor: Frankenprey Raw, Freeze-dried raw, Commercial Raw.

Specialty: Stubborn ferrets who won't eat organs. My ferrets have all been super stubborn when it comes to organs and even relapsed on eating them, but I've managed to convince them all to eat them and have a few tricks up my sleeve ;D

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Can't wait to get started!

[Deleted]

Just a little bit of business before we get started!

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Before being accepted for a mentor, you must have a few things already on hand.
1. a scale for weighing your ferret- preferably in grams.
2. All the makings for a puree soup. This includes chicken(or other meat), liver, heart, and eggshell powder. This you get by rinsing out eggshells, drying them, and then pulverizing them with either a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder(clean, of course ;D )
3. Initial picture of ferret before starting switch.

Soup for switch:
8oz chicken(or other meat)
One chicken liver(or 2oz other liver)
2 chicken hearts(or 1oz other heart)
1/2 tsp eggshell powder

If these things are not already on hand, your request will be moved back into the application thread, and the next person accepted instead.

The following form is to be filled out weekly so we can keep better tabs on not only how the switch is going, but on the health of your ferret. As well as any potential risks that may arise if they are not eating enough at certain sections of their switch.

Please copy/paste this very short questionnaire into your switching thread every Sunday/Monday.

1. Ferret's name:
2. Ferret's weight:
3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal.
4. Stools on various proteins.
5. Activity levels:
6. Weekly menu:

Example would be:

Vincent, 3lbs 2oz(1417g), small chicken wing chopped into 2" pieces, bone and all. Stools good colour and consistency. Played as per normal.

Willow, 1lb 4oz(567g), 2 tbsp commercial raw turkey, hand fed. Stools good colour and consistency. Very hyper when up, playing for 2-3 hours at a time.

Mr. Frodo, 4lb 4oz(1928g), 1/4c pork slivers mixed with soup. Stools slightly loose, somewhat seedy, and pale in colour. Somewhat more tired, plays for 30 minutes, then finds somewhere to sleep. Flat ferreting more often.

Weekly menu was:

Monday: chicken legs
Tuesday: Commercial raw
Wednesday: Soup with pork slivers

Etc. Just write what you actually fed them.

Also, to help us make sure your ferret is doing well during his switch, a picture from above showing his body shape clearly would be appreciated bi-weekly, but is not essential.

You are required to post every second day during the "soup" stage of the transition. From the "sliver" stage, through to large chunks, you will be required to post a minimum of every 3 days. Once you hit the large chunks, once a week will be acceptable.
If you wish to post into your thread more often, that will be MORE than welcome The above are simply the minimum requirements so we can help with sticky spots, and not have to "catch up" to where you are presently at. Failure to post as required will result in your switch coming to a standstill and will result in two warnings before being dropped from the mentoring program.
If something comes up, and you need to be away, please contact your mentor letting her know how long you will be absent.

FAILURE TO SUPPLY THE ABOVE QUESTIONNAIRE WILL RESULT IN TWO WARNINGS, ONE ISSUED IN THE SWITCHING THREAD, THEN NEXT VIA PM- THEN BEING DROPPED FROM THE MENTORING PROGRAM. BEING DROPPED FROM THE MENTORING THREAD WILL BE AT MY DISCRETION

You may request readmittance to the mentoring program if you agree to abide by the above rules. But you must wait for the next available mentor.

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Do you have all the above materials on hand?

If I could get you to post a picture of both Scully and Jerry. Here are the kind of pictures needed: holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=switch&action=display&thread=4342

As well if I could get the above "weekly report" filled out for both ferrets with their weights, stools, activity levels, what they are currently eating, etc.

Once I have this info and you have all the supplies needed, we can get started!

[kittymalone]

Just saw this. HOORAY!!!! I am so excited to get started with help! I am getting nowhere on my own. I have soup already made and frozen into cube size pieces. I am off to Walmart to get a scale and I can post pictures later tonight. How exciting! I hope this works. My boys are healthy but I want them to be around for a LONG time so they can always get healthy!

[kittymalone]

I copied your intro so I can introduce myself, too.
Name: Melissa

HF User Name: kittymalone

Location: Machesney Park, IL (northern IL)

About Me: I'm 36 years old, married, with an 8 year old son. We are an odd group. My husband is a tattoo artist, I am an at home caregiver. In addition to Jerry and Scully, we have an african grey parrot (Harley), a green cheeked conure (Hiccup), 2 chihuahuas (Foxy and Mini), 2 pitbulls (Daisy and Rosie), a cat (Louie), and 4 guinea pigs (Sopie, Isabelle, Gabby, and Violet). I started vet tech school but had to quit when my husband lost his job a few years back and haven't managed to get back yet.

My favorite color is..... grey

My favorite food is.... greek

My favorite holiday is...halloween

My favorite hobby is... spoiling my animals, crocheting, sewing, collecting vintage pyrex

I like to listen to... pretty much everything.

I collect... vintage pyrex, milk glass, depression glass, and vintage linens


About My Ferrets: Scully and Jerry came to us a few weeks ago from a woman on craigslist who said she "liked female ferrets better." Scully nips when he gets excited but it's kinda funny, he's also the troublemaker. Jerry is the sweet one.

[Deleted]

Nice to "meet" you Melissa! Sounds like you've got quite the zoo also ;D I also have 3 dogs, 2 cats and hedgehog (though the dogs are 1 cats are my mom's ).

That's perfect that you already have the frozen soup cubes! What I find works best is putting some frozen cubes in a ziploc bag and soaking it some luke-warm water to defrost. Most don't like it cold.

I look forward to the pics and weights

Do you have any oil on hand? Ferretone (though this isn't great to give all the time because of the BHT in it which causes cancer), Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Fish oil (salmon or other). This is super useful for bribing them to eat soup.

I will also give you some links to read on finger-feeding using the "scruff-and-stuff" method. This is what we use for ferrets that think raw is "poison" at first ;D

Here is the method to start with: holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=switch&action=display&thread=4340

If this doesn't work There's a one for more "reluctant" ferrets ;D but definitely try that one first!

Can't wait to get started

[kittymalone]

Do you have any tips on how to weigh them? I have a digital scale and I tried weighing them tonight and I couldn't get any accurate weight because they were moving around too much

[Deleted]

Do you have some sort of plastic tray or even a box? If so place that on the scale, zero the scale, then weigh the ferrets. That will keep them still enough to get an accurate weight

[Deleted]

Were you able to get a weight / pictures?

Even if you don't yet, I'd like to get this switch going

[Deleted]

If you are not ready to start the switch at this point, please let me know and we can vault until a later time when you are ready. You are required to post at least every other day during the beginning and I need to know whether or not you are able to commit to this.

Please Let me know thanks!