Post by Heather on Jun 15, 2010 23:08:29 GMT -5
Name: Heather
HF Forum Username: NWHeather
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
Julie,(GFX) when I got my first private bred ferrets from her (Mystic & Majik) They were raised to recognize whole prey as food. Shortly after that, I met Giuli on another forum & became part of this forum when it first started.
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 eventually want to get all of my critters completely off kibble, but it will probably be a little while before that's feasable. In the meantime, I'd like to work on getting my two rescue ferrets, Chico & Maynard to eat raw & possibly whole prey. They act like it's something disgusting, when I've tried to give it to them in the past. All of the ferrets get Pingfords Porridge on a regular basis.
I think freeze dried part time will be helpfulwith my schedule, & maybe some commercial raw (I was looking into Darwin's, made here in WA, for the dogs & cats, & maybe offer some to the ferrets-the cat formula does not have any veggies). I would like to get Chico & Maynard to eat whole prey at some point. My private bred ferrets have eaten live mice, when I had my own colony, bur for now, they have frozen-thawed mice & chicks (I just ordered feeder rabbits & quail as well).
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
Where do I start? LOL
The more I research kibble, trying to find the lesser of the evils, trying to find a decent food for them, the more frustrated I get with the lack of decent food for all pets, ferrets especially.
I have switched to a Paleo lifestyle for myself (lean meats, fish, seafood, fruits, veggies, & healthy fats....no grains, no dairly, no sugar, no processed foods) If it's not good enough for me, why should I feed it to my pets? Also, I have two GSD's, & I thought they were doing well on Evo, until I found out Evo was being bought out by Proctor & Gamble, I tried to switch them to another "high quality" kibble, & have had problems getting them stabilized, even after removing that new food, & going back to straight Evo for now.
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 do understand this, especially with me being in a transition/hold period myself. I no longer have my own house, & am having to rent a home for now, so I cannot have the feeder animals that I would like to. I will, in time, but I am limited for now.
Aside from financial, other main drawbacks for raw/whole prey right now are the occation that I have to go out of town for a couple days, I typically leave clean litterboxes, fresh water & extra kibble. Another problem I am facing with raw, is my vet, is adamently against raw. I love this vet, she's awesome with my ferrets, but she & her staff are very much against raw.
There is a holistic vet in the area, that supports raw, & the website says he treats exotics, including ferrets, but I have been so comfortable with mine, that I'm hesitant to take a chance with a new vet.
I have told my vet that my ferrets that have had their baby series of vaccs, & at least one booster, that I am seriously considering discontinuing any more vaccs. I have already decided no more vaccs for Chico (about 6yrs old) & Maynard (about 5yrs old) because of their age.
5. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names? Ages? Genders? Do they have any health problems? Are they overweight? Underweight?
8 ferrets-Mystic (2yof), Majik (2yom), Ace (3yom), Chico (6yom), Maynard (5yom), Flash (2yof), China (2yof) & Pyro (2yof). All are in good health, pretty good weights.
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
Evo kibble base. All except Chico & Maynard get whole prey (mice & chicks) as a supplement. All of them get Pingford's Porridge on a regular basis (usually in the morning).
I generally don't give "treats". They do occationally get the NV raw meadllions, but only Mystic, Majik, Ace & Pyro will really eat them. Flash & China will lick them, but not eat them.
I use diluted ferretone for nail trimming, & to bribe for introductions..when Pyro cam home, she was initially hormonal, from having had babies, I put a dab of 'tone on each of them so they'd sit around licking each other...worked pretty well.
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
The private bred ferrets came to me knowing whole prey as food, so I didn't have to transition them. When I tried to offer raw& whole prey to Chico & Maynard, they acted like I was trying to poison them. LOL
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
I have ideas on outdoor enclosures I want to build for my ferrets & cats, once I am able to buy my own place again, & want to work towards a more natural environment for them. (I have had these ideas since I first saw Maries enclosure...she was actually my inspiration for the black sable ferrets, but she no longer breeds for others, & I found Julie-GFX)
My life has been pretty hectic for the past couple years, with a divorce, selling my home, & being in transition now (having to rent), but my furkids are my sanity.
I am partial to the black solids & black sables, although I think they are all adorable.
I am considering breeding some day, down the road, but will wait until I am 100% sure I am ready for that before do.
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
With my new work schedule, it varies, although it is considerable less than what I had before. I can access parts of this website on my work computer (that is subject to change, they periodically go through & restrict sites). If it's not too busy, I can use my laptop a couple hours a night at work, & of course a few hours a day on my days off (wed/thur/fri).
10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).
I will try to add pics later, when I can get onto my laptop, as I do not have access to my pics at work. (Photobucket is a restricted site too).
Hi and welcome to the mentoring program. In a little while your mentor (sherrylynne) 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
HF Forum Username: NWHeather
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
Julie,(GFX) when I got my first private bred ferrets from her (Mystic & Majik) They were raised to recognize whole prey as food. Shortly after that, I met Giuli on another forum & became part of this forum when it first started.
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 eventually want to get all of my critters completely off kibble, but it will probably be a little while before that's feasable. In the meantime, I'd like to work on getting my two rescue ferrets, Chico & Maynard to eat raw & possibly whole prey. They act like it's something disgusting, when I've tried to give it to them in the past. All of the ferrets get Pingfords Porridge on a regular basis.
I think freeze dried part time will be helpfulwith my schedule, & maybe some commercial raw (I was looking into Darwin's, made here in WA, for the dogs & cats, & maybe offer some to the ferrets-the cat formula does not have any veggies). I would like to get Chico & Maynard to eat whole prey at some point. My private bred ferrets have eaten live mice, when I had my own colony, bur for now, they have frozen-thawed mice & chicks (I just ordered feeder rabbits & quail as well).
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
Where do I start? LOL
The more I research kibble, trying to find the lesser of the evils, trying to find a decent food for them, the more frustrated I get with the lack of decent food for all pets, ferrets especially.
I have switched to a Paleo lifestyle for myself (lean meats, fish, seafood, fruits, veggies, & healthy fats....no grains, no dairly, no sugar, no processed foods) If it's not good enough for me, why should I feed it to my pets? Also, I have two GSD's, & I thought they were doing well on Evo, until I found out Evo was being bought out by Proctor & Gamble, I tried to switch them to another "high quality" kibble, & have had problems getting them stabilized, even after removing that new food, & going back to straight Evo for now.
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 do understand this, especially with me being in a transition/hold period myself. I no longer have my own house, & am having to rent a home for now, so I cannot have the feeder animals that I would like to. I will, in time, but I am limited for now.
Aside from financial, other main drawbacks for raw/whole prey right now are the occation that I have to go out of town for a couple days, I typically leave clean litterboxes, fresh water & extra kibble. Another problem I am facing with raw, is my vet, is adamently against raw. I love this vet, she's awesome with my ferrets, but she & her staff are very much against raw.
There is a holistic vet in the area, that supports raw, & the website says he treats exotics, including ferrets, but I have been so comfortable with mine, that I'm hesitant to take a chance with a new vet.
I have told my vet that my ferrets that have had their baby series of vaccs, & at least one booster, that I am seriously considering discontinuing any more vaccs. I have already decided no more vaccs for Chico (about 6yrs old) & Maynard (about 5yrs old) because of their age.
5. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names? Ages? Genders? Do they have any health problems? Are they overweight? Underweight?
8 ferrets-Mystic (2yof), Majik (2yom), Ace (3yom), Chico (6yom), Maynard (5yom), Flash (2yof), China (2yof) & Pyro (2yof). All are in good health, pretty good weights.
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
Evo kibble base. All except Chico & Maynard get whole prey (mice & chicks) as a supplement. All of them get Pingford's Porridge on a regular basis (usually in the morning).
I generally don't give "treats". They do occationally get the NV raw meadllions, but only Mystic, Majik, Ace & Pyro will really eat them. Flash & China will lick them, but not eat them.
I use diluted ferretone for nail trimming, & to bribe for introductions..when Pyro cam home, she was initially hormonal, from having had babies, I put a dab of 'tone on each of them so they'd sit around licking each other...worked pretty well.
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
The private bred ferrets came to me knowing whole prey as food, so I didn't have to transition them. When I tried to offer raw& whole prey to Chico & Maynard, they acted like I was trying to poison them. LOL
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
I have ideas on outdoor enclosures I want to build for my ferrets & cats, once I am able to buy my own place again, & want to work towards a more natural environment for them. (I have had these ideas since I first saw Maries enclosure...she was actually my inspiration for the black sable ferrets, but she no longer breeds for others, & I found Julie-GFX)
My life has been pretty hectic for the past couple years, with a divorce, selling my home, & being in transition now (having to rent), but my furkids are my sanity.
I am partial to the black solids & black sables, although I think they are all adorable.
I am considering breeding some day, down the road, but will wait until I am 100% sure I am ready for that before do.
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
With my new work schedule, it varies, although it is considerable less than what I had before. I can access parts of this website on my work computer (that is subject to change, they periodically go through & restrict sites). If it's not too busy, I can use my laptop a couple hours a night at work, & of course a few hours a day on my days off (wed/thur/fri).
10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).
I will try to add pics later, when I can get onto my laptop, as I do not have access to my pics at work. (Photobucket is a restricted site too).
Hi and welcome to the mentoring program. In a little while your mentor (sherrylynne) 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