Post by Heather on Dec 9, 2011 19:43:13 GMT -5
Name: Victoria
HF Forum Username: FreyaMarie
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
Initially through another ferret fanatic who has raised/owned ferrets for years and follows a natural diet, and then through google searches I found the forum! That plus it just seems like common sense...
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 am, at the very least, interested in switching partially. I like being able to have kibble available for them so they can nibble freely if they choose to do so, but would like to discuss the full/partial decision before I make up my mind. If I go the full deal, I may be interested in feeding frozen-thawed whole prey. I can probably deal with pinkies but once they grow fur it's very difficult for me! I also have a separate freezer from my parents so storage is not an issue. There is a food co-op in town that has access to local organic meat, and when the time gets closer I plan on going in with a list and finding out what they can help me with (I am a member of the coop under my mom's share).
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
I want to provide the absolute highest quality of life possible for them. One of the boys I got is 7 yrs old and poor thing has been in bad living conditions his whole life (right now he is sleeping on my lap and just dooked quietly ). They are my kids and mean the world to me. I would drive myself crazy if one of them were to cross the bridge and it could have been prevented and anyway, quality of life involves quality of food!
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 absolutely willing to make the commitment. I am with my ferts constantly and am online every day for long periods of time (which sounds sad...but it's one of the things I do while the kids are out playing ) No major life commitments coming up...already graduated college and work full-time with a set schedule.
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?
Three ferrets! Two boys and one girl. All 3 are inked on their ear so Marshall ferrets. No known health problems aside from Mr Soxx being a deafie and old
FREYA MARIE is my first fert, and my little princess. I got her from a PetCo in May of 2011. Guessing from the condition of her teeth (discussed on another thread here) she is about a year and a half old, although PetCo says she's about 11 months old ( : She has a very silky shiny coat, and is very petite (it was suggested that her diminutive stature may be due to an attempt by Marshall Farms to breed a smaller ferret) but definitely in VERY good shape!! I would say she is about perfect on the weight range, maybe a little trim but she is never lacking in energy. She absolutely loves squeaky toys and will literally come flying from any area of the house to find that squeaker..and she is good at finding the squeaker! I have had her literally jump from the floor straight up and cling onto my shirt!!! I am 5'0 and she jumps up chest-high. She gets as high as she can on furniture and then jumps for it (I hold the squeaker in the air when i am trying to tease the brats)! She doesn't always stick her landing (my shirt) but I always catch her so she doesn't fall Pretty sure she thinks she is a flying squirrel…Vaccinated for rabies & distemper a little less than a year ago (booster shots are in her future).
MR SOXX is my old man, around 7 yrs old (again guessing from teeth discussed on this site). He is a DEW deaf, an absolute sweetheart, and has been Marley's cage mate for almost a year. Loves tuesseling with the others, soupies, and cuddles with mom...and eating soupies while cuddling with mom he has been fed crappy cat food his whole life, and was underweight when i got him on Oct 30 2011. His coat was very coarse and stuck up in weird angles, but is much much softer and luscious now. Just makes you wanna rub your nose in it! haha
His tail used to be almost all yellow, and he had this weird circle patch of shorter, yellow hair up on his neck, which has since grown out and mellowed out to almost no yellow at all--really almost gone completely! His tail is now a very light…toffee-ish? tone that blends in with his coat very nicely; he also has very fine, light circles of the same color around his eyes. He's a very itchy boy and has definite bursts of energy (esp. right after eating, which is usually when I wake them all up anyway) but also loves his naps. i just discovered today [12-1-11] that he is getting filled out!! I don't feel like I'm squashing his ribcage when I hold him…in fact…he is getting a little bit CHUNKYYYY Not fat, but chunky compared to his previous skinny-minny self. He loves soupies and always finishes last because he inspects each food bowl before wiping his muzzle clean, lil goober. His energy level has vastly increased….so has his itchy ness. Due to his age I want to take him to a specialist for his check-ups (the other two go to my local vet, who has studied ferrets some and can do basic diagnostics), and am scheduling an appointment probably tomorrow [12-2-11] or shortly thereafter. He is NOT vaccinated for rabies/distemper yet.
MARLEY JAMES is my snorkeler and my biggest troublemaker. I got him along with Mr Soxx from a family who was desperately trying to re-home them…the son had stopped taking care of them and the mom was tired of doing it. He is a year old (from both the previous owners, who got him at a PetCo, and guessing from his teeth) and likes to test authority! He will use the letterbox while during the day/night when he is in the cage but once he is free roaming all bets are off. His favorite place is literally right next to the litter box. I have decided that these are statement poops He is a big boy, both in weight and stature! He also likes to bite…but pretty much only me. Lil Brat <3
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
Kibble: Wysong's Epigen90. Available to free eat 24/7; they can get back into the cage while out playing. Except right now I am out of the Epigen90 because it somehow did not arrive at the pet store w/the rest of the order (they special order it for me). I am peeved.
Soupies: generally speaking given once a day, when i wake them up in the morning. Served warm, of course…I grind the Epigen90 kibble and grind/mix their Archetypal II into the mix. I then dish out into bowls (Marley gets the most, probably at least 2 tablespoons; I'll start actually measuring - the others get probably 1 tablespoon per serving). For the past few days (since Thanksgiving) I had mixed raw turkey slivers into their soupies. They ate these as long as they didn't get too big. My local holistic pet store focuses mainly on dogs, but I recently found out that they will special order freeze-dried raw and Wysong products for me! I just picked up some Stella & Chewy's at the pet store today, their Chicken Dinner…somehow I have managed to get one bag that is for cats and one bag that is for dogs
Treats….oh, they are horrible. I just haven't managed to find another reward system for the litter pans…I have tried to switch to positive reinforcement of cuddles and praise from mom but they were not buying it at all and started having "statement poops" …so they have Marshall Bandit treats, beef flavor, which I divide in half for each litter box poop. Marley won't eat them, and so he gets a small (and I mean SMALL -- like pea size, outside of the pod) lil blob of FerretVite. (Which they all get in small amounts while I trim nails, etc)
We are actually all out of junk treats so they haven't been getting any junk treats except for tiny bits of FerretVite lately.
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
Except for the raw turkey over Thanksgiving and switching to the healthier kibble I have not.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
I spoil my kids mercilessly, take an incessant amount of pictures, and am online CONSTANTLY, at least while considering the significant amounts of posts I seem to make.
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
Daily, generally throughout the entire day [as stated above haha]. I live on a computer when I am not at work. (Irony I suppose)
10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).
I am working on getting better pictures, but here we are:
Hi
I'm Heather, and we're going to be working together for the next little while trying to convince your furbabies to change to an even healthier diet
I've been feeding a raw/natural diet for a little over 15 yrs. I have a small private rescue/sanctuary, just outside of Toronto, Canada where all ferrets turned into me are switched immediately over to a raw diet that consists of ground raw/whole meats or frankenprey/ and prey diet. At present every ferret eats this full range of diets. I don't keep kibbles in the house, if I can possibly avoid it. Too many little kibble addicts . All my furbabies are free roaming and have access to an outdoor play area that they can access at will. At present there are 10 little fuzzbutts who call this their permanent home. They range in ages of about 11 months, little Minion to Odin, who is 8 or 9 yrs, a late alter that was turned in 5 yrs ago intact. I would like to say my most difficult switch was a little senior who was turned in at 9 yrs of age (she by the way has been my biggest raw switch challenge, until recently, which had me at times wondering why I was doing this to her) She eventually was completely switched and putting on a beautiful dark black coat, teeth that were nicely cleaned up, and she actually has a lot of fun investigating the house (she used to do nothing but sleep when she first was turned in). She has made me aware that every ferret no matter how old, can get a new lease on life by eating a species appropriate diet. She eventually passed on at 11 yrs of age to complete organ failure....old age. Yuri is my present raw food quandry. He was on raw for about 8 months before becoming ill with an ulcer and has refused to eat raw since. Unfortunately, he associates raw food with the horrible meds he had to take. We're back at the beginning and are slowly making progress. Raw soupy is my favourite switching tool and one that I've had the most success with. I will be honest I have little knowledge about dried and freeze dried meats (other than they need to be hydrated )
You can try to get them to eat a raw soup immediately. You will need a blender/food processor, and the following raw items:
8 oz raw chicken thigh meat (including skin and fat)
1/2 tsp of crushed eggshell powder (take a raw eggshell. Rinse it out. Let it dry. Crush to powder)
1 raw chicken heart
1/2 raw chicken liver
Water or broth(use more to make it soupier, less to make it thicker)
I've also started adding raw goat milk, about 1 tsp to this mixture, they seem to like it.
Blend ingredients together. Some prefer it at room temp. Try putting a dollop of "soup" onto your ferret's nose and they probably will lick it off. I use my finger. Sometimes this takes a little bit trying to convince them that you're not trying to poison them. I find within a very short time they're licking this off my finger. When I see that they're willing to eat freely off my finger then I use a small spoon to try and get them to eat from that. Try to get them eating the soupy on their own. It might pique their interest.
Most ferrets will willingly eat the food once they actually TASTE it, so the only struggle you *should* encounter is them not wanting to taste it. Don't be surprised if your furbabies' initial reaction is to gag, spit and look at you like, what are you trying to poison me with but don't let them get away with it The hardest part is to insist and be consistent. Please also be aware that after years of kibbles they aren't aware that what you're offering them is indeed food. Once they willingly eat from your finger and spoon, work to try and get them eating this out of a dish or plate.
Each time you make your soupy, use a little less water to make it thicker/chunkier. Replace soup with fresh soup every 4-6 hours. You can make a large batch if you like and freeze into ice cubes or cupcake trays. Then you just thaw a portion and serve. OR you can put a frozen "cube" into their bowl and let it slowly thaw.
This is a good way to slowly ease them into wet foods. I use this method to switch all my furbabies and I've personally switched over 30 ferrets of my own in the last few years.
I will let you read through and if you have any questions please ask.
Good luck
ciao
HF Forum Username: FreyaMarie
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
Initially through another ferret fanatic who has raised/owned ferrets for years and follows a natural diet, and then through google searches I found the forum! That plus it just seems like common sense...
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 am, at the very least, interested in switching partially. I like being able to have kibble available for them so they can nibble freely if they choose to do so, but would like to discuss the full/partial decision before I make up my mind. If I go the full deal, I may be interested in feeding frozen-thawed whole prey. I can probably deal with pinkies but once they grow fur it's very difficult for me! I also have a separate freezer from my parents so storage is not an issue. There is a food co-op in town that has access to local organic meat, and when the time gets closer I plan on going in with a list and finding out what they can help me with (I am a member of the coop under my mom's share).
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
I want to provide the absolute highest quality of life possible for them. One of the boys I got is 7 yrs old and poor thing has been in bad living conditions his whole life (right now he is sleeping on my lap and just dooked quietly ). They are my kids and mean the world to me. I would drive myself crazy if one of them were to cross the bridge and it could have been prevented and anyway, quality of life involves quality of food!
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 absolutely willing to make the commitment. I am with my ferts constantly and am online every day for long periods of time (which sounds sad...but it's one of the things I do while the kids are out playing ) No major life commitments coming up...already graduated college and work full-time with a set schedule.
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?
Three ferrets! Two boys and one girl. All 3 are inked on their ear so Marshall ferrets. No known health problems aside from Mr Soxx being a deafie and old
FREYA MARIE is my first fert, and my little princess. I got her from a PetCo in May of 2011. Guessing from the condition of her teeth (discussed on another thread here) she is about a year and a half old, although PetCo says she's about 11 months old ( : She has a very silky shiny coat, and is very petite (it was suggested that her diminutive stature may be due to an attempt by Marshall Farms to breed a smaller ferret) but definitely in VERY good shape!! I would say she is about perfect on the weight range, maybe a little trim but she is never lacking in energy. She absolutely loves squeaky toys and will literally come flying from any area of the house to find that squeaker..and she is good at finding the squeaker! I have had her literally jump from the floor straight up and cling onto my shirt!!! I am 5'0 and she jumps up chest-high. She gets as high as she can on furniture and then jumps for it (I hold the squeaker in the air when i am trying to tease the brats)! She doesn't always stick her landing (my shirt) but I always catch her so she doesn't fall Pretty sure she thinks she is a flying squirrel…Vaccinated for rabies & distemper a little less than a year ago (booster shots are in her future).
MR SOXX is my old man, around 7 yrs old (again guessing from teeth discussed on this site). He is a DEW deaf, an absolute sweetheart, and has been Marley's cage mate for almost a year. Loves tuesseling with the others, soupies, and cuddles with mom...and eating soupies while cuddling with mom he has been fed crappy cat food his whole life, and was underweight when i got him on Oct 30 2011. His coat was very coarse and stuck up in weird angles, but is much much softer and luscious now. Just makes you wanna rub your nose in it! haha
His tail used to be almost all yellow, and he had this weird circle patch of shorter, yellow hair up on his neck, which has since grown out and mellowed out to almost no yellow at all--really almost gone completely! His tail is now a very light…toffee-ish? tone that blends in with his coat very nicely; he also has very fine, light circles of the same color around his eyes. He's a very itchy boy and has definite bursts of energy (esp. right after eating, which is usually when I wake them all up anyway) but also loves his naps. i just discovered today [12-1-11] that he is getting filled out!! I don't feel like I'm squashing his ribcage when I hold him…in fact…he is getting a little bit CHUNKYYYY Not fat, but chunky compared to his previous skinny-minny self. He loves soupies and always finishes last because he inspects each food bowl before wiping his muzzle clean, lil goober. His energy level has vastly increased….so has his itchy ness. Due to his age I want to take him to a specialist for his check-ups (the other two go to my local vet, who has studied ferrets some and can do basic diagnostics), and am scheduling an appointment probably tomorrow [12-2-11] or shortly thereafter. He is NOT vaccinated for rabies/distemper yet.
MARLEY JAMES is my snorkeler and my biggest troublemaker. I got him along with Mr Soxx from a family who was desperately trying to re-home them…the son had stopped taking care of them and the mom was tired of doing it. He is a year old (from both the previous owners, who got him at a PetCo, and guessing from his teeth) and likes to test authority! He will use the letterbox while during the day/night when he is in the cage but once he is free roaming all bets are off. His favorite place is literally right next to the litter box. I have decided that these are statement poops He is a big boy, both in weight and stature! He also likes to bite…but pretty much only me. Lil Brat <3
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
Kibble: Wysong's Epigen90. Available to free eat 24/7; they can get back into the cage while out playing. Except right now I am out of the Epigen90 because it somehow did not arrive at the pet store w/the rest of the order (they special order it for me). I am peeved.
Soupies: generally speaking given once a day, when i wake them up in the morning. Served warm, of course…I grind the Epigen90 kibble and grind/mix their Archetypal II into the mix. I then dish out into bowls (Marley gets the most, probably at least 2 tablespoons; I'll start actually measuring - the others get probably 1 tablespoon per serving). For the past few days (since Thanksgiving) I had mixed raw turkey slivers into their soupies. They ate these as long as they didn't get too big. My local holistic pet store focuses mainly on dogs, but I recently found out that they will special order freeze-dried raw and Wysong products for me! I just picked up some Stella & Chewy's at the pet store today, their Chicken Dinner…somehow I have managed to get one bag that is for cats and one bag that is for dogs
Treats….oh, they are horrible. I just haven't managed to find another reward system for the litter pans…I have tried to switch to positive reinforcement of cuddles and praise from mom but they were not buying it at all and started having "statement poops" …so they have Marshall Bandit treats, beef flavor, which I divide in half for each litter box poop. Marley won't eat them, and so he gets a small (and I mean SMALL -- like pea size, outside of the pod) lil blob of FerretVite. (Which they all get in small amounts while I trim nails, etc)
We are actually all out of junk treats so they haven't been getting any junk treats except for tiny bits of FerretVite lately.
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
Except for the raw turkey over Thanksgiving and switching to the healthier kibble I have not.
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
I spoil my kids mercilessly, take an incessant amount of pictures, and am online CONSTANTLY, at least while considering the significant amounts of posts I seem to make.
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
Daily, generally throughout the entire day [as stated above haha]. I live on a computer when I am not at work. (Irony I suppose)
10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).
I am working on getting better pictures, but here we are:
Hi
I'm Heather, and we're going to be working together for the next little while trying to convince your furbabies to change to an even healthier diet
I've been feeding a raw/natural diet for a little over 15 yrs. I have a small private rescue/sanctuary, just outside of Toronto, Canada where all ferrets turned into me are switched immediately over to a raw diet that consists of ground raw/whole meats or frankenprey/ and prey diet. At present every ferret eats this full range of diets. I don't keep kibbles in the house, if I can possibly avoid it. Too many little kibble addicts . All my furbabies are free roaming and have access to an outdoor play area that they can access at will. At present there are 10 little fuzzbutts who call this their permanent home. They range in ages of about 11 months, little Minion to Odin, who is 8 or 9 yrs, a late alter that was turned in 5 yrs ago intact. I would like to say my most difficult switch was a little senior who was turned in at 9 yrs of age (she by the way has been my biggest raw switch challenge, until recently, which had me at times wondering why I was doing this to her) She eventually was completely switched and putting on a beautiful dark black coat, teeth that were nicely cleaned up, and she actually has a lot of fun investigating the house (she used to do nothing but sleep when she first was turned in). She has made me aware that every ferret no matter how old, can get a new lease on life by eating a species appropriate diet. She eventually passed on at 11 yrs of age to complete organ failure....old age. Yuri is my present raw food quandry. He was on raw for about 8 months before becoming ill with an ulcer and has refused to eat raw since. Unfortunately, he associates raw food with the horrible meds he had to take. We're back at the beginning and are slowly making progress. Raw soupy is my favourite switching tool and one that I've had the most success with. I will be honest I have little knowledge about dried and freeze dried meats (other than they need to be hydrated )
You can try to get them to eat a raw soup immediately. You will need a blender/food processor, and the following raw items:
8 oz raw chicken thigh meat (including skin and fat)
1/2 tsp of crushed eggshell powder (take a raw eggshell. Rinse it out. Let it dry. Crush to powder)
1 raw chicken heart
1/2 raw chicken liver
Water or broth(use more to make it soupier, less to make it thicker)
I've also started adding raw goat milk, about 1 tsp to this mixture, they seem to like it.
Blend ingredients together. Some prefer it at room temp. Try putting a dollop of "soup" onto your ferret's nose and they probably will lick it off. I use my finger. Sometimes this takes a little bit trying to convince them that you're not trying to poison them. I find within a very short time they're licking this off my finger. When I see that they're willing to eat freely off my finger then I use a small spoon to try and get them to eat from that. Try to get them eating the soupy on their own. It might pique their interest.
Most ferrets will willingly eat the food once they actually TASTE it, so the only struggle you *should* encounter is them not wanting to taste it. Don't be surprised if your furbabies' initial reaction is to gag, spit and look at you like, what are you trying to poison me with but don't let them get away with it The hardest part is to insist and be consistent. Please also be aware that after years of kibbles they aren't aware that what you're offering them is indeed food. Once they willingly eat from your finger and spoon, work to try and get them eating this out of a dish or plate.
Each time you make your soupy, use a little less water to make it thicker/chunkier. Replace soup with fresh soup every 4-6 hours. You can make a large batch if you like and freeze into ice cubes or cupcake trays. Then you just thaw a portion and serve. OR you can put a frozen "cube" into their bowl and let it slowly thaw.
This is a good way to slowly ease them into wet foods. I use this method to switch all my furbabies and I've personally switched over 30 ferrets of my own in the last few years.
I will let you read through and if you have any questions please ask.
Good luck
ciao