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Post by Heather on Mar 28, 2012 21:32:58 GMT -5
Name: Elleena HF Forum Username: elleena 1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets? This forum, actually! I was searching online for more info on healthy diets, and a few posts from this site came up. I'd never heard about feeding raw meat before, but knew I wanted to learn more! 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 to complete a full switch so that I am feeding a natural raw diet based on frankenprey. I may be able to incorporate whole prey eventually, but right now my finances are kinda tight and from what I can tell, whole prey is more expensive.
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet? I have read many articles that highlight the shocking realities about kibble and don't want anything to do with some of the nasty stuff that goes into it. I have also seen firsthand the effects of bad brands of kibble (both Dexter and Molly came to me overweight and with low energy due to being fed foods with grains, fruits, and vegetable products). I want my babies to be as healthy as possible and to live long, happy lives
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! I wanted to switch as soon as I found this forum, but wasn't sure what would happen with Molly and wanted to wait until things calmed down. Now that it's just Dexter and Zoey, I am completely dedicated to getting them switched over, no matter how stubborn they may be ;D
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 two ferrets. Dexter is a 1 year old male. He is deaf due to Waardenburg's Syndrome, but has no other health problems. He is a healthy weight. I've had him since October, so about 5-6 months now. Zoey is a 3 month old female. She has no health problems and is a healthy weight. I've had her since February, so about a month.
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) They are on 8-in-1 Ultimate Crunchy Ferret Diet. They get an N-bone every once in a while, and occasional licks of olive oil 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 tried to switch them before.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share? I am 100% committed to providing the absolute best for my ferret babies, and want to learn as much as I can about how to give them a great, balanced diet!
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer? Every day, most of the day, except when I leave home to run errands or attend classes.
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 (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
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Post by Sherry on Mar 29, 2012 9:36:37 GMT -5
Hello there! I'm Sherrylynne, and I'll be your mentor for their switch First, a little about me. I'm 51, and have my own housecleaning business here in Calgary Alberta. I have 4 cats, ranging in age from 6yrs, to 17(only one would eat raw, unfortunately ). I also have 8 ferrets. Boris and Vincent(rip) came first, two brothers, a sable and albino. Then Sinnead(rip). I got her when she was 4. She passed at almost the age of 8, had adrenal for 3 years, treated with lupron for 2 of those. After that came my first deaf ferret, Lucrezia. A marked DEW. Then two foster ferrets, whom we fell in love with and adopted- Zeus and Athena, both two years old at that time. Also both adrenal, and on lupron. After that, a little abused ferret we called Willow. She was the worst fear biter I've had, although now she's becoming a sweetie . Then, Emily. 1 month younger than Willow, and those two have bonded strongly. She's the only one Willow wasn't terrified of.Suki is the last one, I swear! She was a little 8 month old darling the pet store was having a hard time selling, so were getting ready to send her back! While transitioning the first four, Boris was my hold out. EVERYTHING I gave him was poison, in his mind . Worst little drama queen I've seen yet . Twisting to get away, gagging, retching- he did all of it! Then one day- he ate it! Every single piece on the plate ! Those four haven't looked back. The next two for transitioning were the fosters. Until we adopted them, I could only supplement with raw. So in order not to cause unnecessary tummy upsets(mixing kibble and raw too closely can cause some problems- more about that later), I'd give them raw one day, and kibble on a different day. So, by the time we adopted, they had no problem with 100% raw diet. With Willow, I brought her home, and she flatly refused to eat the totally ferret kibble, so I went back to the pet store and got her a small bag of the crap they were feeding them there, and brought it home. I tried to give her some, but she just upset the dish. So- I tried her with some chicken breast. She ate it up! Hasn't had kibble since . Emily came to us as a raw fed ferret, so no issues there. Suki was another kibble head, but caging her in the daytime with Miss Emily showed her how to eat raw. And now- we've added Mr. Frodo, who essentially switched himself second day he was here That's me and mine in a nutshell
The reason I started looking a raw feeding was something my vet said to me. I was, at the time, giving them small pieces of fruit for treats. She told me that was VERY bad for them, and in fact, some studies have started to link early feeding of sugars with insulinoma later in life. So- I started thinking. Kibbles are full of carbs. It's all those grains/veg/fruits in them. Those are converted to sugars by the body. To me then, sugar= potential insulinoma. So, I started checking out various diets. I had no idea what an obligate carnivore was at the time. I found out! Not much wonder there was soooo much poop in the box! I may as well have been tossing my money in there. They can't process anything that's not meat based! So I feed meat Their fur is softer, their energy levels are amazing- no mad rushes then crashing. Even my three year old's teeth are amazing. No plaque whatsoever Healing is faster, and if they do get ill, they have more reserves to rely on than when they were just kibble fed! And there is a LOT LESS POOP!!!! Yay! I'm looking forward to helping your little ones get on a much healthier diet, and having fun while we're at it Ok, let's get started! First, I'd like you to try giving both Dexter and Zoey some tiny slivers of something like chicken. Make them about the size of the cresent of your finger nail. You may have to scruff them, and pop a couple of them in their mouths so they realize that's where they're supposed to go ;D If they refuse these, and just keep spitting them back out, we'll go with the soupie method.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2012 15:12:27 GMT -5
Nice to meet you, Sherry! Your little babies sound so precious I can't wait to get started! I've got some chicken set out for them now, so that should be thawed by this evening. I'll check back then and let you know how it goes (fingers crossed! ;D ) In the meantime, I have a question. Is there a reason why most people feed specific foods each day of the week instead of chopping everything up and mixing it? I was just wondering because I know ferret poops can vary so drastically based on whether they're eating organ meat or even just the type of protein that's in the meal, so wouldn't having a little bit of everything in every meal keep things more consistent? Just curious
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2012 17:22:11 GMT -5
So I just tried the slivers of chicken, and neither one of them are having it Zoey twisted and squirmed right out of my arms every time I tried, and just spit it out when I scruffed her. Dexter's reaction was basically the same, though I did manage to get him to eat a piece- scruffed him and put a piece in his mouth and he actually swallowed it! I think the texture weirded him out though, he kept smacking his lips for a few minutes like he didn't quite understand what I did to him ;D So I guess this means we'll be starting with soup! I've got everything I need (kitchen scale, food processor, chicken, livers, eggshell powder), just need to go to the Asian market in the morning to pick up chicken hearts
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Post by Sherry on Mar 29, 2012 18:03:47 GMT -5
Is there a reason why most people feed specific foods each day of the week instead of chopping everything up and mixing it? A few reasons, really. One is if there is a food sensitivity, you'll never know what it's to if the meat isn't fed separately. If at some point a sensitivity develops(and it can happen with these guys same as with us ), you won't know. They can and do get bored with eating the same thing day after day. And you'll have no way of knowing exactly WHO is eating WHAT. In trying to make sure the diet is properly balanced, this is very important to keep an eye on. What if one adores liver, and the other prefers a different meat? Then one will eat ALL the liver, and the other will eat ALL the chicken(or whatever meat it is) Shame they didn't try it, silly ferrets ;D Okay, soup it is. I still think you should keep trying this off and on. Sometimes they will be ready to jump ahead, and that just saves you a lot of time
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2012 19:49:13 GMT -5
Oh ok, that makes a ton of sense. I knew there had to be a good reason, I just wasn't thinking of it I know this was mentioned somewhere else, but when I make the soup, I just blend the ingredients (chicken, liver, heart, egg shell powder) together and add water to that mix so that it's a soupy consistency, right? And when I start giving them the soup tomorrow, should I take away kibble altogether? That seems like the way to go since they'd probably just ignore the soup and eat their kibble Also, how much should I offer them at one time? Obviously enough for them to eat their fill, but about how much would that be for two ferrets?
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Post by Sherry on Mar 29, 2012 20:00:19 GMT -5
Odds are you are going to just be getting them to taste it for a couple of days first Take the kibble away about an hour or two ahead of time. When they are playing, offer some of the raw soup from your finger. If they take it, great! If not, dab some on the end of their nose, and let them go. Just keep doing that over and over until they lick it willingly from your finger when offered. Feed them some that way for a day or so, then try offering it from a spoon. Amounts will vary. Your tiny guy will likely wind up eating double what your older one does for a while. Kits are basically tummies with teeth while they are growing ;D Give them whatever they'll take. Once they settle down to a regular amount, your girl will most likely take 2-4 oz a day, and your boy(once grown) 3-5 oz a day. In the interim their appetites will seem like they are eating you out of house and home ;D It's like their bodies are trying to make up for all that time of lost nutrition and they'll eat about double what they finally will. For making the soup you've got it right. The smoother you can make it the better. Start with an almost whipped cream thickness for now.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2012 13:44:16 GMT -5
So....Excellent news!!! I didn't get the chance to make up the soup until this morning, but after I got it all mixed up (I left it at kind of a paste texture, since I figured I could always add more water if necessary) I took them outside onto the patio to try giving them a taste. Both of them took to it immediately!! Just wiped a little on their mouth, they licked it off, and then came back looking for more! As I'm writing this, they're both in the cage chowing down on a bowl of the soup/paste! Ahhhh I'm so thrilled and proud of them! Took some pictures, too, since I can still hardly believe it ;D So since they're eating it reliably and without me even having to hand feed them (!), does that mean I can nix the kibble and have them just on the soup? I'm home almost all day so I can put more in as they need it, and no worries about them going hungry. And I guess the next step would be mixing in larger chunks, when should I start that? Oh, I'm so excited!!
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Post by Sherry on Apr 1, 2012 14:26:41 GMT -5
Oh, that is fantastic!!! And yes, I'd be ditching the kibble as long as you can keep an eye on their intake. This is where weights are so important! They will lose weight as a rule before they start packing on the muscle. Since they've taken to the puree, try them with some straight slivers, see how they do! You may save yourself several steps ;D If they don't take them like that, then just mix them into the puree.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2012 13:05:42 GMT -5
Tried the slivers, and they're a hit! They're such good babies And I didn't even have to mix them into the soup! I had the soup already frozen into cubes, so I just sliced up some chicken breast and put the slices on top of two of the frozen cubes this morning. They ate on the cubes right away (even though they were frozen haha) and it took them a while, but then they started munching on the chicken slivers! Should I keep them on the chicken for a while, or go ahead and start trying them on different protein sources? And are certain meats better? I have an Asian market right down the street, so I have access to pretty much anything. How should I go about introducing them to bone sources? I thought maybe I'd go pick up some chicken wings and see how they do with those. Oh, and I finally remembered to get exact weights on both of them: Dexter- 40 oz. Zoey- 20 oz. Of course, I use the word "exact" very loosely Any suggestions on how to get a more accurate weight on them? I just have a kitchen scale, but cannot get them to hold still for the life of me!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2012 13:21:14 GMT -5
Just remembered that it's Monday, so here's the weekly update: Dexter- 2 lbs 8 oz, eating about 1-2 cubes per meal (so about 3 cubes per day, plus a handful of chicken slivers), MUCH smaller stools that are dark brown and on the runny side, seems a lot more active and isn't tiring out as fast Zoey- 1 lb 4 oz, eating about 2 cubes per meal (probably about 4 per day, plus a handful of chicken slivers), MUCH smaller stools that are dark brown and on the runny side, more active and hyper, running around all over the place! Weekly menu for both has been a thick, paste-like soup, added chicken slivers by themselves today and that went over well Oh, and each cube is about 0.8 oz, so the amounts they're eating seem ok to you, right? Comes out to about 2.4 oz for Dexter and about 3.2 oz for Zoey.
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Post by Sherry on Apr 2, 2012 14:05:46 GMT -5
First, update sounds great And we'll get to the bone, never fear ;D You can actually try segmenting and smashing up a wing to see how they do with it. But they'll need some jaw strength to actually demolish it. Ok, they do well with the slivers, so up the size to about 1/4" cubes and let me know how they do! As for the new protein, get them eating the larger chicken bits or even the wings first. That way, we can do an introduction of a new protein slowly if need be. Maybe pick up a couple pork chops to have on hand if they take to the larger pieces right away. With the soup, keep it on hand, and feed it weekly, even as a small treat. You want them to stay used to it for when they get sick.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2012 16:21:38 GMT -5
Wow, I am just simply blown away by how incredibly well this switch is going (knock on wood, haha!) As I'm typing this, Zoey is absolutely demolishing a chicken wing and some large chicken chunks! I didn't even do anything with it, just stuck it in there whole and she is just loving it! Dexter is being a lazy old man today ;D (wore himself out playing this morning I think) and hasn't shown much interest in it yet but he should be getting hungry in a little bit and then we'll see
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Post by Sherry on Apr 3, 2012 18:05:51 GMT -5
Oh, BONUS!!!! Looks like we can speed this up, then ;D At least as long as Dexter eats it as well. Assuming that's the case, start introducing a different protein. Whichever one you like! Let me know how they do.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2012 11:42:09 GMT -5
So far, Dexter doesn't seem quite as sure as Zoey about the chicken wings I've seen him eating on them, but not really chowing down on the bones and everything like she does. I guess it's possible that maybe he just doesn't like them as much as she does.... Should I go ahead and try introducing them to some pork or something? I picked up some quail the other day, is that too advanced for them yet? Zoey is absolutely ravenous, she's been finishing a whole wing in a day practically by herself, both yesterday and today! I can totally see why you call the kits "stomachs with teeth"! ;D I made them a feeding den yesterday too, and they seem to like it
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