Post by musickoala on Dec 16, 2008 14:12:04 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)?
4 ferrets
Diego – Male about 7 months
Frida – Female about 7 months
Aiko – Female about 7 months
Beau – Male about 7 months
No known 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 a mix of Evo and Zupreem. No real treats for them as they do not care too much for them. Diego likes some treats however we mostly use that as a way to find him if he disappears around the living room. I have tried giving them duk soup however the girls seem to be very picky. Beau will go to town as I used that to help him when I first bought him.
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to?
I believe raw with a possibility of trying whole pray. I am just not too sure if I could handle giving them a full animal. I have looked on some whole pray sites and seen that they sell guinea pigs, that would be one thing I could never do as I got my babies after the death of my guinea pig Punky.
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet?
I want them to be as healthy as possible.
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets?
Posts about natural diets on Ferret.com.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is their muscle tone?
At this time I do not have current weights for them. Beau who was once the smallest of the bunch is now the heaviest. He seems to eat the most compared to the others. Frida seems very tiny compared to everyone. She is eating and drinking fine she just does not seem to be gaining the winter weight that everyone else has. I am not sure how exactly to tell their muscle tone. I am guessing that they have a fair amount of muscle as they are able to pull themselves up on the couch, jump to the upper levels of the cage.
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?)
The condition of them looks good. Unable to get a picture.
8. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat.
Fairly soft, somewhat shiny. As for colors I am never too sure on the exact name for the colors however I believe Diego is a dark/black sable, Beau is a dark/chocolate sable with a bib, Frida is a light/champagne sable, and Aiko seems to look similar to a blaze.
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom?
I would say every few hours, sometimes more sometimes less. With 4 it is sometimes harder to tell who is going and when.
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell?
It does not seem to smell too much. However we do use Bi-Odor. I would like it if we could get to a point where I could stop using it.
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor?
Slight smell, usually not too bad.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level?
I would say an average day would be about a 6 or 7.
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)?
We always have kibble available to them as I work and my bf is working and doing Grad School. They are usually fairly excited when we go and put new kibble in. They have also climbed into the bin we keep the kibble in while I was trying to fill their food bowls.
14. Have you attempted to switch from kibble to a natural diet in the past? If so, what methods have you tried. Be specific.
I have tried somewhat switching them to a natural diet. I have tried putting water in the kibble, making a duk soup with ground up kibble in it, as well as I put a
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share?
My bf and I started out just getting Diego and Frida (named after the artist couple) and within a week I felt bad about leaving Aiko (who was the first ferret my bf ever held) at the pet store. We think Aiko is deaf. When I was on my way home from work and stopped at the pet store we got them to pick up some more litter I saw that there was only left. As I picked him up and saw how small he was I decided I could not leave him there. I brought him home and slowly nursed him back to health.
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below:
These are old pictures from when I got them.
Beau and Aiko
Diego and Frida
17.
a.) Do you understand that by starting this thread you commit to posting updates on the progress of your ferret(s) diet switch at least every other day?**
Yes
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 safety during the switch?
Yes
c.) Do you understand that any threads that have not been updated in for more then a week (with no explanation as to why you are absent) will result in the deletion of the thread?***
Yes
**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.
4 ferrets
Diego – Male about 7 months
Frida – Female about 7 months
Aiko – Female about 7 months
Beau – Male about 7 months
No known 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 a mix of Evo and Zupreem. No real treats for them as they do not care too much for them. Diego likes some treats however we mostly use that as a way to find him if he disappears around the living room. I have tried giving them duk soup however the girls seem to be very picky. Beau will go to town as I used that to help him when I first bought him.
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to?
I believe raw with a possibility of trying whole pray. I am just not too sure if I could handle giving them a full animal. I have looked on some whole pray sites and seen that they sell guinea pigs, that would be one thing I could never do as I got my babies after the death of my guinea pig Punky.
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet?
I want them to be as healthy as possible.
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets?
Posts about natural diets on Ferret.com.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is their muscle tone?
At this time I do not have current weights for them. Beau who was once the smallest of the bunch is now the heaviest. He seems to eat the most compared to the others. Frida seems very tiny compared to everyone. She is eating and drinking fine she just does not seem to be gaining the winter weight that everyone else has. I am not sure how exactly to tell their muscle tone. I am guessing that they have a fair amount of muscle as they are able to pull themselves up on the couch, jump to the upper levels of the cage.
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?)
The condition of them looks good. Unable to get a picture.
8. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat.
Fairly soft, somewhat shiny. As for colors I am never too sure on the exact name for the colors however I believe Diego is a dark/black sable, Beau is a dark/chocolate sable with a bib, Frida is a light/champagne sable, and Aiko seems to look similar to a blaze.
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom?
I would say every few hours, sometimes more sometimes less. With 4 it is sometimes harder to tell who is going and when.
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell?
It does not seem to smell too much. However we do use Bi-Odor. I would like it if we could get to a point where I could stop using it.
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor?
Slight smell, usually not too bad.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level?
I would say an average day would be about a 6 or 7.
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)?
We always have kibble available to them as I work and my bf is working and doing Grad School. They are usually fairly excited when we go and put new kibble in. They have also climbed into the bin we keep the kibble in while I was trying to fill their food bowls.
14. Have you attempted to switch from kibble to a natural diet in the past? If so, what methods have you tried. Be specific.
I have tried somewhat switching them to a natural diet. I have tried putting water in the kibble, making a duk soup with ground up kibble in it, as well as I put a
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share?
My bf and I started out just getting Diego and Frida (named after the artist couple) and within a week I felt bad about leaving Aiko (who was the first ferret my bf ever held) at the pet store. We think Aiko is deaf. When I was on my way home from work and stopped at the pet store we got them to pick up some more litter I saw that there was only left. As I picked him up and saw how small he was I decided I could not leave him there. I brought him home and slowly nursed him back to health.
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below:
These are old pictures from when I got them.
Beau and Aiko
Diego and Frida
17.
a.) Do you understand that by starting this thread you commit to posting updates on the progress of your ferret(s) diet switch at least every other day?**
Yes
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 safety during the switch?
Yes
c.) Do you understand that any threads that have not been updated in for more then a week (with no explanation as to why you are absent) will result in the deletion of the thread?***
Yes
**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.
Thats GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! What size are the chunks that they are eating?? The best thing to do now is just slowly increase the size of the chunks of chicken and go from there.