Ernie, Didjeridu and Ramona start the switch!

[animalsgetrevenge]

Thanks Jennifer, I'm sorry your job is kicking your butt!

What did you mean by " A lot of people feed bone at nif "?
The bone is going well, everyone is eating SOME. Great idea to feed bone at night.

The prey went okay... eventually Didj killed them both and ate them both. Prey won't be a huge part of their diet, I am hoping for 1 mouse day per week... but with breeding mice it will be a few months before that is possible, so I am not worried about fixing my schedule.

[animalsgetrevenge]

This morning I noticed that one of the mice didn't look to great. It was the smallest, and I figure the issue was that he wasn't fully weaned when I got them. I decided to feed him to the ferrets.

I used a big rubber maid tub and let the baby in first. I was shocked, she went right for him, biting his sides and shaking him. I wasn't sure if he was dead, so I put Didj in there to finish him off. Didj ran around hissing and shaking the mouse. Finally he ate the mouse's stomach and then finished him! Great job guys! I also let Ram and Ern meet the mouse but they weren't interested.

We said a healing prayer for the mouse and thanked him for the nurishment and enrichment he gave our ferrets.

[animalsgetrevenge]

It looks like we are picking up a bunch of FREE live feeder rats tonight... FREE! There are about 2 months old and the person who has them is about to get evicted if she doesn't rehome them... wish us luck!

[animalsgetrevenge]

So we went to pick up those rats around 8pm... The people had about 50 rats to get rid of because they were going to be evicted otherwise.

We ended up taking home 14 females and 9 males that are about 8 weeks old. That is a lot of rats! They were all free, plus they gave us a tank which was about 30 gallons, two bags of food, a bottle, dish, etc!!! FREE!

When we got home, I HAD to let the ferrets try the rats. I was afraid they might not be able to kill them, since these rats are a lot bigger than anything they had ever tried. Long story short, Didj killed 4 male rats, and Ernie and Ramona both gave it a try but didn't do the job. The baby wasn't ready, considering her size, but she was interested.

After the final rat was killed, Ernie and I played with one, and he "killed" it over and over, I WAS SO PROUD of him! Each ferret got their own rat for dinner. Everyone but Ramona was thrilled, but so far only Pepina (baby) has eaten any.

I'm proud of my babies. I think all four will be great hunters when they get smaller prey.

[Forum Administrator]

You are a brave mommy. I can't stand to watch my babies kill anything, but maybe its because they suck SO much at hunting. Fugue just looks at me like "mommy.....kill it for me....I don't wanna do it". Then I always have to kill the mice and I just hate it (but I'd rather do it then see them suffer).

You are very lucky to have good hunters. Good babies!

So I think you are probably about ready to graduate. What do you think?

[animalsgetrevenge]

I think we are probably ready!

I know that Didj and the baby (now named Pepina) are ready FOR SURE.
Ernie and Ramona have occasional ups and downs, but for the most part, I am not having to put out tons of effort to get them to eat what they need.
My original goal was to get them onto raw, and I have done that! Didg, Pepina and sometimes Ramona are eating whole prey, which is amazing, and Didj is my hunter!

I know I will still have some struggles with them, but that can be expected. I will still have you guys for help!

[mustelidmusk]

Go Didj!! Way to go little hunter!!!!
Also...
What did you mean by " A lot of people feed bone at nif "?
The bone is going well, everyone is eating SOME. Great idea to feed bone at night....I was probably half asleep when I wrote this with the wireless keyboard - and didn't proof-read - I was trying to refer to feeding bone at night. I obviously wrote it somewhere else in the email - how pathetic




WoooHooooooo!!!!!

I'm so proud of you and your kids...especially little Ernie . I just knew he'd come around for you with a little extra attention . I'm very proud of you for sticking with Ernie to give him the extra attention he needed to make that big switch. And it's great that Pepina joined right in just in time for graduation - what a great little trooper you have there!!!

As time goes on, they'll get even better at eating. My kids normally are a little less hungry about one day per week, so if you're seeing ups and downs, remember that it's normal for ferrets to eat less or not at all on some days. Also remember that Fall is the time for pigging down to pack on a little weight - and then the taper off from heavy feeding, So somethings they demand more food than other time. Plus we will always be here for questions.

Again, I'm O VRY PROUD of you and your kids!!!!

-jennifer

[animalsgetrevenge]

Giuliana and Jennifer,

I can't say thank you enough for both of your help for the past 4 months! I am very proud of myself and my ferrets for making the switch, and I wouldn't have made it past the first week without the help of you both and the other helpful members on this forum.

The changes I have seen in my ferrets in amazing.
Didjeridu has bulked up into a real man. He is learning to let his instincts take control and is becoming a wonderful hunter.
Ramona started on a raw diet less than a month after she came to us, starved and severely under weight. A raw diet helped her gain more weight and muscle that she needed, which a month of feeding kibble couldn't do for her. Her estimated age is getting lower and lower and time goes on and as the raw reverses the years of who knows what her old owners fed her.
Ernie is getting younger too, I have never seen him dance as much as he in the past month. He is excited about eating raw now, as my other three are, and I feel great when I see him playing tug of war over a piece of chicken!
We are just getting to know Pepina, but she is already growing so much since she came home. I am excited to see how she will turn out after a lifetime of raw. I love knowing that she only will have eaten kibble for a few weeks of her ENTIRE LIFE, and that was before she came to us.

This is something I am going to stick to passionately and share with other pet owners.

I can't say thank you enough guys...

Cassandra

[Forum Administrator]

Are the health benefits of a raw diet great? I am so thrilled to see you made it through! You should be very proud of yourself and your babies!

If you truely are passionate about sharing this info with others, then why not consider becoming a HF mentor? We do a 6 month "mentor in training" program before you are a full fledged mentor, but that is good because it gives you "training wheels" so that you can learn about the basics before you are shouldered with the responsibility of a newbie. Think about it and let me know. There is no obligation, but I DO think you'd be a great mentor.

Now there is one last thing I want you to do (and then I am moving this thread to the "newbie switch archive":

If you havent already, it might be a good idea to start popping in toNaturalFerrets. I know forum is small right now, but that is because they are switching to the new forum from a yahoo! group. There are many many senior raw feeders on there and it would be wise to make use of their knowledge. I try and advise all my "completed switchers" to get on there and post a bit. I still want you to say on HF, but I want you to "broaden your horizons" by getting a bit of NaturalFerret's info as well. Sound good?

www.NaturalFerrets.com

You'll probably run in to the Holistic Ferret Mentors on there. This is where THEY go to ask THEIR questions on natural diet (I do too).

Let me know if you get any good info out of here.

and.......

Now that you've completed the switch, have had your feeding schedule reviewd, and been advised to check out NaturalFerrets, its time to retire this thread to the "newbie switch archive"!



No one (yourself included) will be able to post in this thread anymore once its been moved to the archive. Please begin posting your diet-related questions in the "whole prey" "raw" or "general feeding questions and discussion" area. We encourage EVERYONE that is archived to continue posting. Feeding a natural diet is a learning PROCESS, there is much to learn after making the switch. There is always lots to learn, and lots to share with the newbies on the site. If you feel comfortable offering the newbies advice, then by all means go ahead. The more help we can get, the better. If you'd rather lurk and not post, thats cool too, its just always nice to have our graduates stick around.

We (your mentor and I) will run a detailed "check up" with you (via PM or email) at the 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, and 1 year anniversary since "going natural" just to make sure all is going well and that you arent having any issues.

[animalsgetrevenge]

3 Months Since the Switch- EVALUATION #1:

1. Since switching to a natural diet, what are the most noticable changes you have noticed in your ferret(s). Please be specific.
It took quite a long time for all 4 of my ferrets to be completely switched, so I saw many pages before I graduated. The biggest changes I saw were:
----Clean teeth: My two ferrets with tartar on their teeth now have pearly white teeth from crunching bone.
----Muscle increase: My ferrets are no longer pudgy but much more muscular, especially their necks.
----Energy level: My old man Ernie gained a lot of energy and is much more active on a raw diet.

2. Have you filled out the "Natural Diet Survey"? (If not, please do by going to the following link: holisticferret.proboards80.com/in....play&thread=241)
I am not sure, I will check right now and fill it out if I haven't.

3. Please post a "sample weekly feeding schedule". Basically, give us an idea of what you feed your ferret(s) each week. This way we can review it (again) and let you know if you need to make any changes to ensure proper nutrition. Post your schedule in the following format:

Because of our financial situation and work/school schedules, my boyfriend and I have added grain free kibble (EVO) to our ferrets' diet a few days a week.

MONDAY: RMB/RMB
TUESDAY: RMB/RMB
WEDNESDAY: Boneless meat/Boneless meat
THURSDAY: Organs/NV raw medallions
FRIDAY: NV raw medallions
SATURDAY: Whole prey
SUNDAY: Kibble

RMB are chicken wings or cornish game hen
Boneless meat is turkey, chicken, beef, or pork
Organs are beef, chicken, and lamb liver, kidney, and hearts
NV raw medallions are chicken, lamb, beef, or rabbit
Whole prey is thawed mice or rats of various ages
Kibble is EVO Dog Red Bites and Evo Cat

4. Do you have any questions or concearns regarding your ferret(s) diet?

Not currently... I never hesitate to ask

5. Do you have any new "diet goals" for your ferrets that you would like us to help you with, such as: adding whole prey to the diet, diversifying the types of meat fed, or incorporating freeze-dried or commercial raw foods? If so, please specify.

I do have specific goals, but I don't think I will need any help with them. After our lives settle down and after we move, hopefully within the next two months, I'd like to change the ferrets feeding schedule. I am concerned about them getting proper nutrition and the right amounts of everything. To try to get my babies better nutrition, I'd like to feed them NV raw as 1/2 of their diet, meaning one meal a day. My ferrets also don't always eat their bones, so I am thinking about only offering RMB instead of both RMB and boneless meat. That way, they will hopefully get enough bone through out the week... does that sound okay? I'm thinking about:

Monday: RMB and NV
Tuesday: RMB and NV
Wednesday: RMB and NV
Thursday: RMB and NV
Friday: RMB and NV
Saturday: RMB and NV
Sunday: Organs, eggs, heavy whipping cream, and NV

I have stopped breeding whole prey and probably won't buy any in the future, except as a treat.

6. How was your experience with the Holistic Ferret Mentor Program? What did you like about the program? What didn't you like? What can we do to make our program better?

I loved the program, I can't think of any suggestions!

[Forum Administrator]

Everything looks great, babe. I think your idea about not feeding boneless and rmb together is a good plan. That will probably help them to eat the bones better.

Don't feel bad about stopping the breeding, I could never do it. I just don't have the time or space. Its cool that you gave it a shot though.

As for adding kibble, the important thing is that you are still feeding mostly raw. A little kibble isn't the best, but its certainly not going to kill them, and the kibble you are feeding is atleast free from yucky crap. EVO is a good brand.

Its good to hear all is going well!