Post by fuzzymom on Oct 9, 2008 13:16:15 GMT -5
1. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names, ages, genders, and do they have any health problems (this is VERY important)? We have 3 ferrets. Twitch is an almost one year old female ferret. She has no health problems other than being underweight. Damien is a little over 6 months, male and overweight. Lilith is also a little over 6 months, female, and no health problems.
2. What are your ferrets currently eating? Include their main diet, plus any treats or supplements (such as duk soup). Main diet is Zupreem Premium kibble and occasionally that is mixed with Nutro Cat Food Indoor Formula. (I know, a horrible diet. But that is why I am here.) They get no real treats right now. We give them chicken baby food on occasion.
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to? We would like to switch to a raw/whole prey diet.
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet? I want what is best for my animals and a raw/whole prey will provide them with the nutrition they need to be healthy. It will also provide them with more stimulation.
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets? I heard about it on ferretvillage.org. I also heard about this forum from there.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone? Twitch - 1lb 6oz (underweight) Damien 2lb 3oz (overweight?) Lilith 1lb 5oz (she's of good build for her size) As for muscle tone, they all have good muscle tone. Twitch looks a little skinny. Damien is a little on the pudgy side and Lilith looks fine.
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?) They will not sit still long enough for me to take a look. When my fiance gets home I will try and get pictures and post them up.
8. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat. Not to rough, not too soft. Its in between.
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom? 3-4 times a day maybe?
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell? It smells very bad. They are in our bedroom so we are very aware of the smell.
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor? Not too strong but noticeable on clothing and hands after handling.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level? 6. They like to sleep a good portion of the day, but when its play time they really get going.
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)? They are very excited about meal time and almost literally dive into their food bowl.
14. Have you attempted to switch from kibble to a natural diet in the past? If so, what methods have you tried. Be specific. We have only tried the raw diet on Twitch. At first she was being fed cat kibble. We then put chicken baby food on a piece of kibble and gave it to her. Once she tasted the baby food, she was all over it. Then we tried wrapping a thin piece of chicken meat around pieces of kibble. Once she got a taste of the meat she liked it and would attempt to come through the bars of her cage to get it. Once she was used to meat, we fed her almost exclusively raw/whole prey. Whole prey was achieved by introducing her to a mouse pink then gradually increasing the size of the prey item.
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share? Damien tends to dominate meal time, often pushing the girls out of the way. We are thinking about seperating Twitch and Lilith from Damien during feeding times so that everyone gets a good portion.
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below: These are the clearest I can get.
Lilith
Twitch
Damien
17.
a.) Do you understand that by starting this thread you commit to posting updates on the progress of your ferret(s) diet switch atleast every other day?**
b.) Do you understand that if you will be away from your computer for an extended period of time you will need to exchange phone numbers (or email addresses if you don't feel comfortable exchanging numbers)via private message with your assigned mentor, so that we can monitor your progress and ensure your ferret's saftey during the switch?
c.) Do you understand that any threads that have not been updated in for more then a week (with no explaination as to why you are absent) will result in the deletion of the thread?***
**Note 1: If you are unable to make it to a computer (such as on weekends) please indicate below so we know whether you just dont have computer access or if you have gone MIA.
***Note 2: If you would like to try the switch again and you are committed to making regular updates you ARE welcome to restart your thread. Failure to provide regular updates will result in the deletion of your thread.
^ I understand that I must update at least every other day and that my thread will be deleted if I fail to update within a certain period of time.
-Jay
2. What are your ferrets currently eating? Include their main diet, plus any treats or supplements (such as duk soup). Main diet is Zupreem Premium kibble and occasionally that is mixed with Nutro Cat Food Indoor Formula. (I know, a horrible diet. But that is why I am here.) They get no real treats right now. We give them chicken baby food on occasion.
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to? We would like to switch to a raw/whole prey diet.
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet? I want what is best for my animals and a raw/whole prey will provide them with the nutrition they need to be healthy. It will also provide them with more stimulation.
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets? I heard about it on ferretvillage.org. I also heard about this forum from there.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone? Twitch - 1lb 6oz (underweight) Damien 2lb 3oz (overweight?) Lilith 1lb 5oz (she's of good build for her size) As for muscle tone, they all have good muscle tone. Twitch looks a little skinny. Damien is a little on the pudgy side and Lilith looks fine.
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?) They will not sit still long enough for me to take a look. When my fiance gets home I will try and get pictures and post them up.
8. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat. Not to rough, not too soft. Its in between.
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom? 3-4 times a day maybe?
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell? It smells very bad. They are in our bedroom so we are very aware of the smell.
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor? Not too strong but noticeable on clothing and hands after handling.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level? 6. They like to sleep a good portion of the day, but when its play time they really get going.
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)? They are very excited about meal time and almost literally dive into their food bowl.
14. Have you attempted to switch from kibble to a natural diet in the past? If so, what methods have you tried. Be specific. We have only tried the raw diet on Twitch. At first she was being fed cat kibble. We then put chicken baby food on a piece of kibble and gave it to her. Once she tasted the baby food, she was all over it. Then we tried wrapping a thin piece of chicken meat around pieces of kibble. Once she got a taste of the meat she liked it and would attempt to come through the bars of her cage to get it. Once she was used to meat, we fed her almost exclusively raw/whole prey. Whole prey was achieved by introducing her to a mouse pink then gradually increasing the size of the prey item.
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share? Damien tends to dominate meal time, often pushing the girls out of the way. We are thinking about seperating Twitch and Lilith from Damien during feeding times so that everyone gets a good portion.
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below: These are the clearest I can get.
Lilith
Twitch
Damien
17.
a.) Do you understand that by starting this thread you commit to posting updates on the progress of your ferret(s) diet switch atleast every other day?**
b.) Do you understand that if you will be away from your computer for an extended period of time you will need to exchange phone numbers (or email addresses if you don't feel comfortable exchanging numbers)via private message with your assigned mentor, so that we can monitor your progress and ensure your ferret's saftey during the switch?
c.) Do you understand that any threads that have not been updated in for more then a week (with no explaination as to why you are absent) will result in the deletion of the thread?***
**Note 1: If you are unable to make it to a computer (such as on weekends) please indicate below so we know whether you just dont have computer access or if you have gone MIA.
***Note 2: If you would like to try the switch again and you are committed to making regular updates you ARE welcome to restart your thread. Failure to provide regular updates will result in the deletion of your thread.
^ I understand that I must update at least every other day and that my thread will be deleted if I fail to update within a certain period of time.
-Jay
They were ga ga over the stuff. (My cat actually would not leave me alone. He kept coming back for more bites, not even stopping to chew the meat) I can't wait to tell my fiance that the kids ate raw. I have some beef in the freezer as well, so I'm going to try that with them tonight as well as try and make some soupy. 
They can also eat whole prey as well. Ferrets and cats are both obligate carnivores. If you are interested I can assist you with putting your cats onto a raw diet. My kitty, Zephyr eats raw and whole prey and she does awesome on it