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Post by kaiatbh on May 5, 2010 22:32:42 GMT -5
Now that Evo has sold out to P&G, I've decided it's time to get serious about a raw diet. I had tried the mentor program a few months ago, but stubborn fuzzbutts + busy schedule = no luck. I mean, I guess I could have tried harder, but it was pretty stressful. I seriously think I have the most stubborn ferrets on the planet. I babysit a little one-year-old ferret who has never eaten raw meat in her life..... I offered her some ground raw hamburger and she ate it right up. Why can't mind be like that? Anyway, since the summer is coming up and I will be out of school, now (or in the very near future) seems like a good time to start the switch again. I'm just really discouraged. It's not so much Kumar I'm worried about, but Virtute. Kumar loved his raw chicken soupies, but Virtute had to be hand-fed against her will. Is it possible for the most stubborn ferret on the planet to be switched??? Also, can I attempt to do it cold turkey? I was thinking that I could leave their kibble out of the cage all day while I'm at school and replace it with some soupies for Virtute and some chicken chunks for Kumar. Could that work? -sigh- I kind of feel like a bad ferrent for giving up so easily last time. I'm just not a very patient person and I expected it to be a little easier than it turned out to be. Hopefully this time I will be able to fully commit. I just want what's best for my babies.
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Post by Heather on May 6, 2010 12:29:21 GMT -5
Patience is a learned art Maybe that's why you are now owned by ferrets It's all about lessons I know that some people believe that you can switch a ferret by making it hungry....very hungry. I don't believe in it ..... at all. I treat ferrets like cats. You can't starve a cat, don't starve a ferret. You will get others who hop in on this but if you have a farm ferret/rescue you don't know what you're dealing with health wise, even in the very young. Starving will bring out hidden health issues and really, who wants to deal with that. I've had ferrets who have switched like a dream (a 6 and 7 yr old switched themselves), I've also had ferrets who hate it and me to start with. Babushka who came in at 9, her owner didn't want to have to deal with her dying It took me about 3 full months (remember, I've been doing this for years, I have it down for myself to a letter) I would be sitting up at 2 in the morning wondering why I was forcing a 9 yr old ferret to eat raw, when she was lucky to live out the summer. She switched to raw, and not only lived out the summer but lived happily until she passed on from complete organ failure 18 months later (something she wouldn't have been able to do on kibble, according to the vet she had one foot in the grave when she was dropped off). Calypso, was my failure to thrive, shelter shock. She gave me a horrible time. She not only didn't want to switch, she didn't want to live. She took a lot of TLC and a lot of time and patience. This one took me over 6 months of forced feedings, syringe feedings and even once she would eat willingly she wouldn't eat on her own. She now eats on her own but has numerous health issues and I make sure I hand feed her once a day to make sure she's getting sufficient nutrients into her tiny body (weighs less than a pound) So, no you don't have the most stubborn ferrets in the world but they are going to stretch your patience to the end and you're probably going to have to reach into your reserves and pull hard. Truthfully, there is no ferret that will not switch (even sick ferrets will switch but may not ever be able to complete the process entirely, or sufficiently digest the food to reap all the benefits). Really ciao
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