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Post by Heather on Jan 12, 2010 13:59:51 GMT -5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Amanda HF Forum Username: Catznfertz
1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets? Yahoo groups- rawfeeding/rawcat
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.
At this point I'm thinking a full switch to a franken-prey type diet of meat/bones/organs of chicken, turkey, pork, beef, etc. It's possible I will add some whole prey in the future, but I'm sure that's out of my price range with 10 obligate carnivores in my house (6 cats and 4 ferrets).
3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
I've been feeding this type of diet to my 6 cats for a little more than a year now, and I'm thrilled with the results. Thick shiny fur, pearly white teeth, tons of energy and attitude, and NO STINKY LITTERBOXES!!! My hope is I can achieve the same kind of results with my ferrets.
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?
Yep. It took a couple of months to get all my cats on board, but it was SOOO worth it!!
5. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names? Ages? Genders? Do they have any health problems? Are they overweight? Underweight?
I have 4: Linus, male, 5 1/2-6 years old, Shroeder, male, about 5 years old, Pigpen (Piggy), male, 4 years old, and Peppermint Patty, female, 4 years old. No known health problems, all are normal weight and active. Schroeder has a bald tail, but I'm pretty sure that's seasonal since his hair is growing back. Pigpen's coat is much thinner than it used to be, but no particular pattern.
6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) I feed a mix of EVO cat, 8-1 Ultimate, Drs. Foster and Smith Original, and occasional homemade chicken soupie mix ( chicken meat gound with some bone and organ, used to be cooked, but now is mostly raw).
7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
I've offered the occasional bit of raw chicken or turkey, but have never gotten any hits. They do like their soupie pretty well, so I'm gonna use that as my "in."
8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
Just looking forward to healthier ferrets and less stinky litterboxes!
9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
Daily, for the most part.
10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible). I just got a new laptop a few weeks ago and I don't have many pictures on it yet, but I will when I get some good ones.
Hi and welcome to the mentoring program. In a little while your mentor (Spiritualtramp) 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 spiritualtramp on Jan 13, 2010 0:41:07 GMT -5
Hi Amanda! Welcome to the mentoring program My name is Erinn and I'm going to be your guide through the process of switching your ferrets. I'm going to be honest, I asked if I could be your mentor solely because your ferrets are named after Peanuts characters I have a soft spot for good old-fashioned Sunday funnies... I have two Calvin & Hobbes tattoos to top it off. So it made me happy to see some comic strip names, and I'm equally happy to be able to work with you and bring them up to speed with your raw-fed kitties (who I trust all have equally cool names!!) A little about me: my name is Erinn, I'm 25 and have four ferrets and one kitty, all raw fed. I'm going to school for veterinary technology and I think I'm going to transfer to pre-veterinary after my certification, and continue onward. I have a busy life between school, work (I work at an animal hospital) and my time here and on my own forum (Ferret Harmony.) But I love what I do, and I love learning and helping ferrets and their owners come to understand the lives ferrets are meant to live. My ferrets are: Pilot, a Marshall DEW, about 6 years old. She had an adrenalectomy in Nov and is doing well since the surgery. Tank is a Marshall DEW as well. Diesel-Electric is a DMK rescue and my shining star. And lastly is NB's Captain Morgan, my newest fuzz, a privately-bred boy that I fell in love with at the '08 AFA Winter Nationals. I brought him home a few months later, at the '09 Spring Nationals. I have been feeding a fully raw diet for over a year, with Diesel for over two years (I switched him and my late girl Sailor first, they were very easy to switch and I had to come here for help with the others.) My kitten, Elsabet, is a rescue that I adopted from my work in October. She's five months old and a bit of a terror But, I've been raising her on raw and I'm pleased to be able to have that start with her, something I didn't get a chance to do with some of my ferrets, who came to me later in life. I'm excited to work with you & the Peanuts crew, and trust that since you are already a raw-feeder, that your level of understanding is pretty solid. What is your weekly schedule like for the cats? How would you like that different or similar for your ferrets? You mentioned wanting to segue the kids over using soups - this method is one of my favorite ways to switch and I think that you'll find it makes things pretty simple too. We'll quickly be able to see who is running ahead and who needs a little more encouragement. I hope you get some photos up soon of the kids, I really look forward to "meeting" them, and getting to know you as well through this endeavor. Talk to you soon!
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Post by catznfertz on Jan 14, 2010 0:24:45 GMT -5
Hi Erinn, Nice to meet you! I"m glad to have a little extra support in this endeavor. I do have a bit of experience with raw feeding the cats, but so much of what I read when I was originally researching ferrets was that they have to have constant access to food, and that they couldn't get enough nutrition from any kind of wet/raw diet. Obviously, I've learned a lot since then, but I'm still just a bit hesitant. I think I have a good game plan, but that extra encouragement is definitely nice!
My schedule with the cats (Darwin, Murphy, Marvin, Penny, Pipsqueak, and Mr. Peabody) goes by the 80/10/10 rule- 80+% muscle meat, 5-10% bone, 5% liver, 5% other organs. They get plain muscle meat every morning ( so I don't have to worry about Hubby having to deal with bones or yucky organ slop!). This is mostly chicken leg meat hearts or gizzards, turkey, or pork. Every other evening they get a bone-in meal, which might be chicken necks or backs, game hen, or quail, with occasional duck or rabbit. Every fourth evening they get an organ meal, which is basically equal parts chicken liver and a mixture of whatever other organs I can find (pork kidney, spleen, brain) and some chunks of whatever muscle meat I happen to have available.
Eventually I'd like to get on the same type of schedule for the ferrets, so I could just package it up all together and give them some of whatever the cats are eating, but I know I'm a long way from that.
At this point I have the advantage that all of them will eat a chicken soup I make. I go by the same 80/10/10 rule: chicken leg meat, a packet of the same organ mix I make for the cats, and chicken bones in appropriate amounts. This stuff used to be fully cooked and pureed to a milkshake consistency, but I have managed to convert them to mostly raw (I boiled maybe 20% of the meat before I ground it) and very slightly chunky. I killed my blender on the last batch, and bought a Tasin meat grinder. I just ran everything through the fine plate and they seem to like it okay.
My challenge is getting them to eat enough of this stuff to live off of. Over the weekend, I experimented and just left the ground stuff in their cage and took their kibble away. I saw everyone eating, and the stuff was disappearing at a pretty steady clip, but all the ferrets lost weight. (I thought a daily weigh-in was a good idea.) When Linus lost 2 ounces in 2 days, I figured it was time to give them back their kibble! He especially is prone to losing weight and getting weak if his food has something in it he doesn't like. The funny thing is, the couple of times that's happened when I added some new kibble into his mix, it was the soup (cooked at that time) that helped him put the weight back on! During that 3 day experiment, Linus lost two ounces, Patty lost one (she's a tiny girl), Schroeder stayed about the same, and Piggy actually gained a half ounce. All measurements approximate- know any secrets to weighing ferrets that doesn't include sedating them??? :-)
So right now, they have a plate of soup constantly available, plus their regular bowl of kibble. I'd love to get rid of the stuff, but I'm worried they just won't eat enough soup to keep the weight on. I think Pigpen and Schroeder would probably do just fine without the crunchy stuff, but I don't want to separate them while Linus is still on the kibble.
I definitely want to have everyone on board with the soup as a full diet before I start adding in bits of chunky goodness. If Schroeder gets even the tiniest chunk of anything in his soup, he freezes with this look of utter panic on his face. You know that look like when you're at a fancy restaurant and you bite into a big piece of gristle in your steak? Ewww, yuck!! Do I chew it? Do I try to swallow it whole? What if I gag? Should I spit it out? Where should I put it? It really is most humorous...
Anyway, where do you think I should go from here? I'm sure partial raw is better than no raw, but I also hear horror stories about mixing raw with kibble...
I look forward to hearing from you!
Amanda
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 14, 2010 10:41:03 GMT -5
The proportions you feed your cats can apply to ferrets with a few tweaks, ferret require closer to 10% bone whereas cats do better closer to 5%. This is mostly because ferrets have such fast digestive tracts and the bone helps to keep poops firm. With cats, it can be constipating, but I find that ferrets definitely need more. Ferrets also need more fat than a cat does, so the fattier cuts of meats can go to the ferts and the leaner bits to the cats. The organ mix you currently do for the cats sounds great for the ferrets. Generally I recommend that liver make up the majority of their organ meals, closer to75% of the mix, but we can tweak that depending on how they do with your current blend. No worries yet. The minor weight loss, while it can be unsettling, shouldn't be a deterrent. Ferrets (like cats) fight tooth and nail at first. But once they recognize that they are hungry, they will override their food preferences and eat the soup. I would consistently (read: daily) remove the kibble a few hours before offering soup, and leave the soup in long enough that everyone has had a chance to eat some. A good schedule I found in the beginning of the switch was to remove kibble in the evening, and leave soups in with them overnight. Ferrets tend to eat more overnight, and being in the dark and quiet they often are more apt to try new things. Schroeder's texture aversion is a common enough thing. My Tank was the same way, and to this day he still makes horrifying faces when eating soups and raw alike. But, he eats them and that's what matters With Linus, it may be beneficial to hand-feed him his share of soups. If he eats it hesitantly, sometimes the bonding of just holding him while feeding can help. Perhaps you might want to add some yogurt, cream, or kitten replacer milk as a weight-boost for him as well, if you're worried about his weight loss. It's also important to note that depending on where you live, the spring sheds are coming up and I know a few people down south already are in the midst of full spring sheds with their kids. So the loss could be also attributed to that. The horror stories that you hear of feeding kibble and raw are mostly true, and with older kids like yours it can be a real possibility. My suggestion of soup left out overnight, and kibble left out during the day, can minimize the effects of that. Before re-introducing the kibble to them every morning, I'd wait until everyone has woken up and gone potty. This way you can be sure that any remaining raw meal has been processed and disposed of Then you can put the kibble back in, with no worries. The same applies to the evening. Remove the kibble a few hours before you plan on feeding soups, make sure everyone has pottied, and then give them their soups. This way, never the twain shall meet, so to speak. Let me know if this sounds like a good plan, and we can tackle it head-on. I think this ought to be a fairly easy switch!
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 16, 2010 20:44:02 GMT -5
Hi Amanda
Just popping in to see how things are going. I want to remind you that it is important, especially in the beginning, to keep me updated fairly regularly on the ferrets' switch. The more I know, the easier it is for us to work towards the goal of getting them on board with raw!
Hope all is well!
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Post by catznfertz on Jan 18, 2010 22:10:18 GMT -5
Hi Erinn,
things have been pretty much the same here. I have learned that soup is great when it first gets put in the cage, and after that its not worth looking at, much less eating. So I have been giving them fresh soup twice a day, so they all get a pretty good feed in themorning and evening. I have still been leaving the kibble out, since I am out of the house most of the day and the ferrets are out of the cage most of the evning they would only get access to real food while I'm in bed. So far we haven't had any poopie issues, so I think I can run with that.
My plan is to make my next batch of soup in the next few days. I will use the same basic recipe as last time, only I will add in some extra duck fat to beef it up a little. That way they don't have to eat as much to get the calories they need. Or do you think pork fat would be better? They will definitely get more pork in their diet than duck!
I can tell that they are starting to get more used to the idea of chunks in their food. Schroeder still has to carry them off, but I think he is actually eating some now. It's still fine ground, but not pureed.
I have also discovered that the fuzzies love the fish oil I give to the cats. I think it would be better than ferretone, but I dont know how much they should get. I have been sharing one 1200mg capsule between 4 ferrets mayb 3-4 times a week. I am also debating on if I should add it to the soup.
Any thoughts?
Amanda
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 18, 2010 23:33:16 GMT -5
I find the same thing with soups. And in the beginning, sometimes ferrets seems to need to encouragement of hand-feeding, or even just being held while eating. For my Ranger (RIP) and Tank, they both needed that sort of comfort. Silly, maybe, but it helped them to trust the newness of the food.
The carrying off is natural - ferrets like to eat in privacy and for this reason many of us actually feed inside of a cardboard box or other dark, private spot called a feeding den. It helps to cut down on stashing, as well as the carrying off to eat (which can get sort of messy!)
Fish oil is great for the fuzzies, too - much better than ferretone. Ferretone contains some questionable preservatives, to say the least. I use two different oil supplements with my kids - Bravo's Alaskan Salmon oil, and an all-natural emu oil. Emu oil is expensive so that is used sparingly, and they get the salmon oil drizzled over boneless meals once or twice a week. Generally the suggestion is no more than a tablespoon per ferret per week. So you definitely aren't at that limit with the capsules, so keep it up if you like. It will be great for their fur and skin, as well as can be a bribe to get them to try new things. Oils can also be used as mild laxatives, or if it's suspected that they've got a hair tickling their throat or something.
Any sort of fat that you want to include is a-okay. If you plan of feeding pork often, the variation in using duck fat might be better for you, then. As you know, even the small variations in sources make a difference!
Keep it up!
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Post by catznfertz on Jan 19, 2010 21:31:40 GMT -5
Well, I was thinking of using pork fat for the time being, as kind of a dual purpose of getting more fat into their diet and getting them introduced to another protein besides chicken. With the cats, their second meat was turkey, but turkey leg is pretty darn lean too. I can always find pork, so it's a great staple for me. (And the Kitties think it's swell too!) But on the other hand, I have about a half pound of duck fat just sitting in my freezer. I didn't want to chunk it, but the cats won't eat more than a bite or two at a time. So this would be a great use for it.
Whatever fat I decide to use, what are the chances they'll refuse soup made with a different recipe? I have noticed in the past that they always are reluctant to try a new batch.
I have noticed that the ferrets tend to lick at their food instead of biting and chewing. If they can't pick it up by licking, it just gets pushed around. I do know they're consuming a large portion of each batch, but I worry that most of the bone (finely ground) is possibly being left. You'd think after a lifetime of eating crunchy kibble, they'd figure out to just pick something up to eat it. But poor Linus spent almost 5 minutes licking on a little chunk of stuck-together soup, chased it halfway across the cage, and finally gave up. The chunk might have gotten a little smaller, but I'm not convinced that much of it actually ended up in the ferret. Any ideas on teaching this complicated trick to a weasel?
They spent the day today with just the soup in the cage, and had some more when I got back from work. They were pretty hungry, since they finished off the biggest part of the soup this morning and didn't eat much during the day. I'll give them another fresh bowl of soup this evening, and then give them back their kibble after they're already full of soup. How's that for tricky?
I weighed them all this evening+6 (say hi to Patty walking on the keyboard!) and everyone is about the same as they were when I started this. I think that's definitely a good sign, but I'm still kind of worried about Linus. He's always been kind of a skinny, wanna go back to sleep kind of guy, but this evening he seems a little more lethargic than normal. I really want to put some weight on him.
I think if I can just get these guys to eat chunks of meat instead of watered down ground up mush, they'll be getting a lot more nutrition. How to make non-lickable food edible for ferrets?
Thanks for your help!
Amanda
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 19, 2010 22:10:29 GMT -5
Ferrets are texture eaters at first, and I still have a boy (Diesel-Electric, my DMK rescue) who refuses things that are soupy, and cringes a bit at ground (but eventually eats it.) Chunks and hunks are a completely weird texture to them and it's hard for them sometimes to transition from soup to chunks. When I use the soup method to switch a kid, I lower the liquid levels of the soup gradually, to make it thicker, and gradually add in bits of ground raw. This thickens it up and gets them used to the texture of raw over time. Their jaws aren't really even strong enough to work meat chunks at this point, let alone bone, so give them some time and maybe try less chunks, and thickening the soup with ground meats instead (gradually!) Sometimes with some ferts, this method just doesn't take; so if after a couple weeks of this with no luck, we can try another way: "scruff and stuff" is popular but I tend to shy away from that because it makes feeding time seem torturous or like punishment. Some people find it helpful, though. Another method I've found successful, when the soup-to-ground didn't work out (Tank ) was to either cut up teeny tiny chunks of meat, and roll it around in crushed up, powdered kibble. As if you were breading chicken. As a last resort, freeze-dried can be useful in working over texture aversions, but can be pricey and not everyone wants to go that route. I used it for Tank, soaked some Stella & Chewy's in water, and gradually added in teeny tiny chunks of meat. Eventually he scarfed down all the S&C's and got some chunks too. It worked, but I think it's best to stick with one method for now. It's not instantaneous, so don't be discouraged quite yet. To make the new batch of soup more appetizing, you could add a small amount of crushed up, soaked kibble. It can make it smell more appealing to them. Either fat would be fine, but you might want to add that into the recipe more slowly, especially if they are rebelling. Too much of a change can set them off. Hope this helps!
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Post by catznfertz on Jan 20, 2010 18:50:58 GMT -5
OK, well that makes me feel a bit better. As of this morning, my "soup" really IS ground raw. It's ground pretty finely at that, but all the soup they've had previous to this has been cooked and pureed like baby food. When I say "chunks" it's a relative term, just the bits of raw that kind of get stuck together. Up till now, it was kind of the consistency of oatmeal. This morning I just added maybe half a teaspoon or so of water to make up for some of the moisture lost in grinding/freezing/thawing, and they actually did pretty well with it. It actually looks like ground meat instead of a liquid. They are still lapping it up instead of using teeth to grab and bite, but it's pretty gummy since it's so finely ground. Once they get a bit in their mouths, more just naturally follows. I think that will help with keeping the weight on, since they don't get so full of liquid. (I have noticed that they drink WAY less water than they used to!) I did give Linus a bit of heavy whipping cream last night, and he seemed to think that was pretty swell. He only got about a teaspoon of it, or maybe less since Schroeder thought he might like to taste it too. Is that an appropriate amount for a ferret? I have some chicken quarters thawing out to make another batch of ferret chow this evening. I think right now I will use just a bit of some pork fat that I trimmed off the cats' breakfast this morning. They got pork leg meat, which always has an inch or so of fat on it. I'm gonna add just an ounce or two of pork fat, and maybe a little pork meat go along with the the chicken meat and bones, and my organ cocktail. Not a real big change, but I'm sure a little bit of pork fat will go a long way. If they seem to accept that much, I'll add a bit more the next time around. Do you typically start introducing new meats at the ground stage, or wait till they are eating chunks of bone-in chicken before moving on? Also, is it OK for ferrets to only eat 2-3 times a day? I have been feeding in the morning, when I get home from work, and before bed, and even when I leave the kibble in with them they don't seem to eat much between "meals." (Pigpen and Schroeder did hit it pretty hard when I gave it back to them before bed last night) And, what is a rough rule of thumb for how much a ferret eats in a meal or in a day? I haven't found the right amount yet, and I either have to throw away a lot of leftovers or the plate is cleaned in one go and they go hungry till next time 'round. I suppose that's enough for now. I better go get my grinder out...
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 20, 2010 21:03:30 GMT -5
Most raw feeders feed twice a day, some feed only once a day. I feed twice, at noon and midnight - and I don't usually leave food out after I've seen everyone eat. It depends on the meal, but generally I remove the leftovers. Others leave out food all the time, but realistically, ferrets do not need to eat nearly as much of raw foods as they do kibbles. Their metabolisms utilize the raw protein so efficiently that a few ounces per DAY is all that they need! My little Marshall female, Pilot, eats less than an ounce per meal, whereas my big breeder boy, Morgan, can pack away 5 ounces per meal or so. So, a few ounces for your males, slightly less for the females will be all that you need!
It is surprising how LITTLE they really seem to eat, and even after two years of raw feeding I am shocked. I am sure you feel that way about your cats!
A teaspoon or so of heavy cream is fine, I generally try to mix it into soups when offering it, because it can cause some intense poopies otherwise, but that sounds about right. You'll quickly see how much is too much --- it becomes obvious in the litterbox!
I tend to try to get people to mix in new meats early in the switch, every couple of days or so, because introducing new flavors fairly often will keep their minds "open." Otherwise, they might form strong connections to one specific thing and have an equally hard time accepting other things - I've seen that happen! So do try adding a small amount of pork to see if they'll take that. My kiddoos all adore pork, it seems to be well-liked and well-tolerated all around. Not to mention fairly cheap and very fatty. Ferrets need much more fat that cats so that will help even out the levels!
Talk to you soon!
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Post by catznfertz on Jan 21, 2010 22:03:15 GMT -5
That is one thing I was about to comment on, is how LITTLE ferrets actually eat! I never really paid much attention before, just topped off their bowl when it got low every couple days or so. It seems like with the raw soup they aren't eating enough to keep a mouse alive, but no one has starved to death yet. I haven't weighed everyone in a couple of days, so I hope I'm right. Is there a guideline for ferrets like the 2-4% of ideal adult body weight they use for dogs and cats? I feed around 10 ounces of meat per meal, between 6 adult cats. So 4-6 oz between 4 ferrets actually sounds like it might be too much for one meal? I spent the evening deboning and grinding up chicken leg quarters and other lovely stuff. I added maybe not quite a half pound of pork fat to my 10 pound batch, so about 5%. At first, it was not well received, and Patty, who is typically the first one to hit the dish and the last one to leave it, would only lick a teeny little snippet and make a face and run away. I fed her and the rest of the ferrets out of a spoon (which makes EVERYTHING taste better!) so I know she got at least a little bit to eat. I added a bit more water to the mix before I went to bed, thinking that might make them like it better. No hits overnight. But when I gave them their breakfast, I had to spoon feed them again, and was a little discouraged. I had to leave before I got much of anything into anybody. When I got home from work, though, there was only maybe a half ounce of food stuck to the plate! No idea who ate it, or if everyone did, but I didn't find anyone dead from hunger, so I guess that's a plus. Do your ferrets eat their entire meal in one sitting? With my cats, nothing lasts more than maybe a minute, unless it's something especially challenging, which might take maybe five minutes. I NEVER have to worry about leftovers with them! I haven't gotten the ferrets on such a schedule that they're hungry enough to eat a good meal AT meal times, so they just end up snacking throughout the day, or leaving their food to get dry and crusty till I feed it to the cats. OR they just eat a little bit when I give them their food, and I hate to take it away before they've gotten a good meal. How long is it OK for a ferret to go without food? With cats, my rule of thumb is 24 hours before I start to worry, but I've heard that ferrets shouldn't be without food for more than 3-4 hours. I am pretty sure that that refers to insulinomic, kibble fed fuzzies, though. My thought is to get rid of the kibble and let them get good and hungry so they will clean their plate. I know they are built to deal with germs and stuff, but ground meat left sitting out all day kinda grosses me out. For that matter, WHOLE meat left sitting out all day grosses me out!! As far as adding new flavors into the mix, would it be a good idea to introduce them to a grind of maybe 75% chicken and 25% pork to get them used to it gradually, or just grind up some pork chops and see what happens? I'm trying to stay away from having too many ingredients, since it's so hard for me to replicate from batch to batch, but I'm afraid they might totally rebel if I spring something so different on them. One of my cats, Marvin, sometimes pouts if I give him something he isn't really thrilled with, like duck or something like a chicken back that he might actually have to work at. He gives me the sad-kitty eyes, and I just tell him, "that's what we're having." He gives me that whiny little kid groan/sigh, and then tucks in. Unfortunately, I'm not quite so confident in my parenting skills where the ferrets are concerned.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 22, 2010 22:23:53 GMT -5
I don't know if there is a percentage guideline for ferrets, if there is, I've never read or heard of one. Because a ferret's metabolism is SO fast, though, they do have much higher caloric needs than other carnivores - so they do eat more than you might calculate. 4-6oz for four ferrets sounds right to me. I feed about 8 for my four kids, but that's because Morgan and Diesel are larger than the average mill kid. As long as no one has health issues, I will throw this beloved Irish proverb out there: HUNGER IS A GREAT SAUCE. Remove food for 5-6 hours, then feed raw. See how that does for them. My kids do all eat at mealtimes, but this is because they've been raw-fed for so long. By mealtimes, they are ready! They will all start to hover around the den and and jump at my every move... beggers! For a ferret, you do want to make sure they are eating at least every 12 hours on raw. While there is kibble around, I'd cut that to every 6-8 hours. You will see their appetites change as they make the transition, and they will eventually only eat about twice a day naturally anyhow. What my ferrets don't finish, they try to stash. So when I see them try to stash, I remove the food. Ferrets eat to caloric need but rarely over that (I say rarely because my Morgan defies that!) but they do love to cache extra quantities. So when they start to stash, it's a sign that they're done. As for introducing new flavors, you can do it whatever way you are most comfortable. The percentage mix might seem like the best idea but in my experience, few ferrets actually refuse new meats entirely, once they recognize things as being meat, and that meat is food. Stick with one basic recipe for the soups and separately, puree pork or different meats. Then you can just mix the premade batches together in varying amounts until they are comfortable with the new flavor. Like with cats, a little tough love is okay. So don't worry just yet. Try removing the kibble in the early evening, then leaving soups in overnight. Ferrets tend to like to be more adventurous after dark
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Post by catznfertz on Jan 23, 2010 0:12:29 GMT -5
Just a quick note, since my laptop has been commandeered by hubby for the evening. I think everyone is on board now with just fine ground meat/bone/organs, at least for the batch I made the other night. I didn't give them any kibble at all today, and there was just a bit left on the plate from the previous meal for both feedings today. So I'm pretty sure they are getting enough to eat.
I did offer a little piece of chicken gizzard this evening. It got quite a few licks, and Linus even used his teeth to pull it out of my fingers, but then he just ran off to hide it in a dark corner. At least he thought about it, right?
I'll try grinding up a bit of pork in the near future and see what they think of that. While I am still grinding, should I include 10% bone in every mix, or would it be OK to have say 20% bone in the chicken mix and alternate betwen it and boneless pork? Or should they get a bit of everything in the same meal? With the cats, they get their balance over the course of 4 days instead of every meal.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 24, 2010 11:43:33 GMT -5
I work my balance over the course of 7 days but how you do it is completely up to you. I don't have a meat grinder so that does make things considerably easier for you! It would be fine if you wanted to do the complete balance in every meal, so 10% bone every day. Or alternate - whatever works for you, really, as long as you keep mindful of the balance (which it sounds like you definitely are!) You will definitely see a difference in boneless and bone-in meals via their poops. A boneless meal will be fairly loose and wet - which some people sort of freak out about at first. A cat's poops are indicative of their meals to a degree, but imagine that tenfold for a ferret, since their systems are so much faster. You can try cutting or slicing the gizzards into smaller pieces that are more bite-sized. The stashing means they realize it is good and 'valuable' but it can be intimidating to eat something of that size, and to be truthful their jaw muscles probably aren't quite up to it just yet. Everything sounds wonderful so far. Keep me posted
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