DollyAnna1218's Switching Thread/Sherry

[Heather]

Dolly
DollyAnna1218
1. I knew about natural diets for dogs and cats, and I decided to do research to see if ferrets could be on a raw diet.
2. I would like to fully switch my ferret to a raw diet. I would like to feed him frankenprey, if that is the food that humans eat too.
3. I want my ferret to have the best possible health, and I believe kibble is not healthy for any animal.
4. I do have the time and I am committed to switching my ferret to a raw diet.
5. I currently have 1 ferret. Sebastian ‘Hondo’ Honduras, he is 4 months (born Jan 22, 2012), male, to my knowledge he is healthy. I believe he is underweight, I can feel his hip bones with the lightest touch. I bought him June 2nd 2012.
6. He came with a bag of kibble, I keep a small bowl in his cage all day so he doesn’t starve. I have tried to give raw chicken hearts for breakfast, with no success.
7. This morning I tried to give him sliver sized chicken hearts. He smelled it but was not interested. I tried the scruff n’ stuff, but he spit it out.
8. I do not have a scale measuring grams. I have a lb scale. I can get a smaller scale next payday (about 2wks).
9. I have possibly 1 day a week access to a computer, but it is usually less. I could do a text message switch, if that is an available option.
10. I do not know how to post pictures on here, but I have a few.

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

[dollyanna1218]

You were right. I blended those ingredients and he ate about 3 tablespoons worth. But he would only eat it from my finger and if I move even the slightest he will stop eating. He seems nervous but he does like it. Do I keep his kibble in his cage 24/7 since the soup won't stay good long? Again thank you!

[Sherry]

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

[Sherry]

Now, this switch is going to be done a bit differentlyl! It will be largely by text messaging, so I'll update here weekly

[Sherry]

Alright-- no idea what happened to your question about the kibble! Thought I moved it here.
Oh well! Anyway- the fact he ate 3oz of soup from your finger is fantastic!!! Next time, try using a spoon with him. And be prepared- he's going to eat a TON of food ;D
Both because he's still a baby, and he's being switched to raw. their appetites go through the roof for a while as their bodies are getting the added nutrition they weren't getting on the kibble.
With his kibble, removed it a couple hours before offering him the soup. Since he appears to be eating a good bit of the soup I'd put that in the cage for him, and change it out after about 6 hours. Put the kibble back in overnight.

[Sherry]

Since I forgot to update earlier, here we are Right now, she's moved from soup to slivers, to chunks, and Sebastion is now eating bone in chicken wings. He loves heart, but is not overly fond of liver as of yet ;D
A second ferret is now also in the picture, a year old male named Sheldon. Sheldon has also gone through the soup stage and is now eating chunks.

[Sherry]

Sebastion is basically fully switched. I'm waiting a menu for him. Sheldon for some reason has decided he'll no longer eat the chunks, so is back on soup at present. We are working on slowly increasing the size of the bits again.