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Post by ferretpalooza on Jul 24, 2008 10:07:49 GMT -5
Do you still lax natural fed ferrets? I often wondered how ferrets live in the wild with all the obstruction problems and hairballs having to be cut out of them. Does a natural diet move things through like a wild ferret or do you still lax them??? I have read that in picking a ferret food (kibble) you need to make sure it contains Taurine. What provided the taurine in a natural diet. Do you give your guys any kind of supplements like bone meal, ferretone or skin and coat?
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jul 24, 2008 11:42:56 GMT -5
my ferrets get no supplements at all. they are on nothing but a 100% raw/whole prey diet. (i give them extra virgin olive oil in their eggs -which they get once a week).
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 24, 2008 20:42:15 GMT -5
Do you still lax natural fed ferrets? I often wondered how ferrets live in the wild with all the obstruction problems and hairballs having to be cut out of them. Does a natural diet move things through like a wild ferret or do you still lax them??? I have read that in picking a ferret food (kibble) you need to make sure it contains Taurine. What provided the taurine in a natural diet. Do you give your guys any kind of supplements like bone meal, ferretone or skin and coat? Nope, no need to lax! In fact lax contains petrolium which can kill beneficial gut bacteria One of the benefits of a natural diet is that it reduces the risk of hairballs and intestinal blockages. The fur on mice and the fiber in bone works wonders to push things through the digestive tract. During shedding times I never lax my ferrets and they dont have a problem with hairballs....the just poop them out (just like they are suppposed to). As for Taurine, guess what? Taurine is naturally abundant in various meats! No need to supplement Heart in general is high in taurine (its even higher if you dont freeze it, which can reduce some of the taruine) Pork is high in taurine DARK chicken meat is high in taruine Rabbit is LOW in taruine so avoid feeding that as the sole diet. If you feed a variety of raw foods and you toss in the occasional fresh heart, you are good to go! I dont feel the use of supplements it needed because the risk of ODing on them is higher then the risk of NOT giving them. In my opinion if you feel the need to supplement a diet then you are probably not feeding it right. Simply make dietary changes to avoid the use of supplemnts: If you have dry skin: Feed more fat, and feed salmon dont feed ferretone or salmon oil If you are worried about calcium: feed more bone! Or add eggshell to the diet If you worry about taurine: feed fresh beef heart or chicken hearts If you worry about glucomsomine and chondroiton: Feed chicken feet which are naturally abundant in both nutrients
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Post by Heather on Jul 24, 2008 22:59:22 GMT -5
Chicken feet....my guys won't eat their chicken feet After getting some mixed in my chicken shipment and the furbrats loving them...I ordered them specifically (paid big for them too) and the little bums won't eat them. Rats feet...yes...chicken feet not. Little beasts. I keep some ferret lax on hand, I don't regularly feed it, not like kibble people do but I do keep it on hand. Usually, I make use of it about 2 or 3 times during the heavy shed in the spring. My guys put on some fantastic coats last winter (playing out in the snow does that) and when they shed this spring there was huge amounts of hair. I got a little nervous, especially with a couple of my guys who won't eat prey (the fur helps clean out their system). As Giuli has stated, taurine is in all meats, just some have more than others. If you want to check out prey information break downs there is a fantastic site on rodentpro rodentpro.com/qpage_articles_03.asp that breaks down the various components of commonly fed prey. Unfortunately, taurine isn't one of the components measured. I usually feed a few extra hearts if I'm feeling a little uncomfortable about the mix. ciao
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Post by josiesmom on Jul 25, 2008 6:08:54 GMT -5
Ferrets in the wild eat an appropriate diet, consisting largely of rodents. Thier digestive tracts make quick use of the digestible parts of the rodent and the rest is neatly expelled like a rope that brushes clean the insides of the intestines! I found an petroleum free laxative that I use when they are shedding. Its a "sentry" product by Seargent's. Natural Defense product line: petco.com/product/105841/Sentry-Natural-Defense-Hairball-Remedy.aspxIt does have sweeetners in it (sorbitol and maple flavoring) but the rest of the ingredients fall within an acceptable natural scope if used occasionally. So far all my ferrets like it. Keep it in a cool place, or the fridge for best results as when it gets warm it gets more oily than pastey! Mostly though if you feed some whole prey either daily or every other day, laxatives will be a thing of the past or just an "over the top" over protective measure that won't hurt the ferret if you do it. Do NOT use petroleum jelly (vaseline) or any laxative with petrolatum - this will kill the gut bacteria in your ferret! Cheers, Kim
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Post by ferretpalooza on Jul 25, 2008 7:50:11 GMT -5
Thanks Josie. Mine eat pet jelly weekly so that is probably adding to the reason we have such birdseedy poops still. I assume ferret lax is just pet jelly with sugar? ? Ill order some of the stuff you recommended for now and hopefully I can get them to a more natural diet so it wont be necessary. Does the raw/bones diet to the same to clean them out or is it necessary for them to have prey with fur or feathers?
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Post by mustelidmusk on Jul 25, 2008 8:07:36 GMT -5
If you feed whole prey, I would not worry about hairballs exxcept during shedding season. House-kept ferrets can "blow their coats" (dramatic shedding). and the fur is great at sticking int cloth bedding and hammocks.
It does not hurt to lax them periodically for additional reasons: * house-kept ferrets may ingest things such as fabric, etc. * if you're not feeding whole prey, the fur/feathers are not there to help clean the system out. Laxatone, canned pumpkin (with no spices!) can help push bacteria (bad and good) through the system to "clean house" , which s not a bad thing periodically or if your ferrets are having minor digestive issues from bacterial over growth.
-jennifer
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Post by josiesmom on Jul 25, 2008 9:39:52 GMT -5
Jennifer brings up a good point- ferrets in the houses even on natural diets still get into all sorts of things, that it is good to have a laxative on hand for.
Windy my tiniest girl is notorius for finding and eating the fuzzy tennis balls. Fozzy used to do that and I swer I had them all ttrashed, but ferrets being ferrets, apparently Fozzy had stashed some and Windy has been able to locate a few!
I also have long hair and have found my hairs wrapped around their meaty bone items. An online article aboput choking I read spoke about a pet that had a 12 inch long human hair it had only partially swallowed. THe animal kept gagging and hacking so the owners took it to the vets and the hair was discovered ( and removed).
I sew, which means there are threads about the house and I've found these in some deposits - likely Windy's deposits.
Many ferret beds are made of fleece and they'll dig at these beds, get the fleece fibers stuck in their claws then when grooming themselves will ingest the fibers.
Digging at upholstery and blankets will also allow the to pick up bothersome fibers. So while shedding season may be the worst time for "hairballs" - they are also exposed to many more chances of "hair balls" everyday!
Yup, Ferretpalooza, if you are still having issues with intermittent bird seed poop and are regularly using a petroluem jelly product for laxative, the jelly is perpetuating the problem with inability to digest the fats properly! Let us know how they respond when you switch laxatives!
Cheers, Kim
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Post by ferretpalooza on Jul 26, 2008 23:23:26 GMT -5
I do have pumpkin. I add it to the soupies once every two months. They love it. I could probably just add it ever two week for 2-3 days, eh?
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Post by josiesmom on Jul 27, 2008 5:40:53 GMT -5
Ferretpalooza,
Yes give them pumpkin on a regular basis if the ferrets aren't eating whole prey.
Cheers, Kim
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