A business of 4 goes raw

[Heather]

Whoa your vet is a charmer....not Don't feel bad, your not the first to feel the blame about feeding your furbabies a raw diet. It used to be a very common thing to do (unfortunately, some vets are still sitting back there). Now a lot of vets, though not happy about it are learning to deal with it and are standing back and seeing if the raw thing is done in a reasonable manner that raises the health bar for the animal.
Are they sure about the distemper thing? Just because your guys have been vaccinated unfortunately, doesn't mean you're home free. Keep a real close eye on your guys...that isn't good. Distemper can still make your guys deathly ill, it just means that they may survive. We will hope that contact was prior to the virus setting in.
I would say try the gizzards without the soup. Everyone in my business has eaten these from day one. It seems to be a very big favourite here. The worse thing that happens is that you have to add them to the soup...not a bad deal really. I agree with Giuli give it a try, you've got nothing to loose and everything to win
Good luck, I will check in with you tomorrow.
ciao

[weeksl08]

So i didn't have much time in between classes to make their soup. I started of by slightly mashing the livers into almost a paste with a few chunks then I cut up all of the hearts and gizzards. I mixed it all up, and had 5 minutes to leave. I gave them a bi heaping spoon full and they are eating it:) (and hiding it.) That makes me happy. I can give them straight organs and straight meat or soup now. I have them quite a bit, like 1/4 cup. How often should I do this. I plan on adding egg shell to their ground meat and mixing in some whole meat chunks in with the ground as well. I havent figured out where I'm oing to use the egg white/yolk yet because I'm trying to get them on more solid food...

[Heather]

I wouldn't feed your organ mix again until next week, especially if they eat that whole 1/4 cup. You may have some rather liquid poopies so don't panic The liver will do that. I feed gibblets and hearts more frequently than liver (remember liver contains vit a and it's one of the few vitamins you can actually eat too much of). I mix my liver and some heart in with my ground mix, that way I don't have to try and remember when I fed last of if they have enough or too little. I will tell you what I feed re a recipe for the lack of a better word. Now remember, I'm feeding 2 cats and 14 ferrets I mix up enough to do me about 2 weeks. I use 8 lbs of ground meat and bones, about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of liver and hearts and three whole eggs. You would use 8 tsp of ground egg shells for 8 lbs of meat. This will give you an idea as to what amount of offal would be used. I've been using this recipe for over 10 yrs and the base of it originally came from Dr Ian Billinghurst. I sometimes add squash or pumpkin if Aremis seems to be having problems. I have noted that his IBD attacks are less when I routinely add pumpkin or squash. As you progress you will have to make your own mind up as to whether you feel ferrets can make use of vegetable matter or not. I believe it has it's place, others feel it's not necessary. Unfortunately, there are no studies to help you here, you will have to read and rely on your gut feeling as to where you want to go with that.
As your guys start eating more and more solid (don't rush this phase as you will be doing some major backpeddling if you do) Let your furbabies guide you as to how fast they're going to start using whole meats. You are doing fantastic...keep up the great work.
I will check with you tomorrow. Good luck with your classes
ciao

[weeksl08]

Yesterday I opened the last batch from the soup I made last week and i'm feeding that to them. I think it will be gone by Friday. I will feed them some ground turkey with egg shell. I'm bringing home my two new babies Saturday so I will have to switch them too. I may "pause" Liberty and constantine's progress until I can get the two new guys where they are so I'm not making 2 different batches of food every weekend forever. They ate their organ mix up, so I think I will add another package of hearts/gizzards to it and feed that on Mondays (once a week, easy to remember.)

[Heather]

I agree, very well thought out. There will be enough stress in your business as they try and get used to your newbies that changing their food to further them going raw would probably not be beneficial to either of you It will also be rather time consuming as you try and get your new furkids set up and starting on the raw. So this weekend is your big day I hope that all goes well and smoothly and that your present furchildren welcome your newbies with wide open paws
I will check in with you a little later.
ciao

[weeksl08]

The two new kids are amazing! I need to get batteries so I can take pics They are now Gus and Bella instead of Gus and Nippy. They are actually pretty dense and heavy! They are non-marshall and seem pretty healthy. They were eating wal-mart 8in1. I've made a liquidly soup and mixed it with the 8in1. It's 1:30am, I had to let you know! will write more later!

[Heather]

Congratulations on your new babies Please pics I have to see

[weeksl08]

My business of 4

Beautiful bella with her cute red and black tail!

Gus the climber!

So here's their story:
The girl who was coming from Morgantonw,WV to get the hedgi was a little bit late so I called Ginger (their previous owner) and let her know I';d be late. When I got there, I was shocked to see the entire family was there. Dad drove, mom got out and handed me the new fur kids, and daughter stared me down. I got them in my car and Ginger gave me all of her contact info "just incase I got tired of them," like they did. Once they drove off (which didn't take long AT ALL) I lookd them both over. To my suprise they were both muscular, health, non-marshall, beautiful, un-social ferrets. It was and is clear they were never heald or played with. They are getting better, but neither like to be held. Mayhem was just practice for these two rotten fur kids! Gus is huge and can climb anything! He also gives lots of nose kisses! Bella is super shy and slightly scared. She shivers like May and Libby when you pick her up. Both are nippers. They both bit my mom before the day was over while we were visiting! She wasn't mad and she said it didn't hurt, she thought it was cute. Her response was something like " I know they bite each other when they play, so I guess that means they like me!" She's funny. When I left my mom's I decided to get gas just 2 blocks away. When I went to get out, I noticed Gus was sitting in my back window loking out!! That little bugger figured out the super pe cage only had 1 cage clip and figured out how to scoot the cage over and climb out, jumped in the cage, on to the back seet, and into the window, in just 2 blocks! He also figured out how to climb inside te cage, onto the door nd over the playpen here at home (as you can see in the pic) so I got some poster board and taped it to the cage where he can't get grip to climb. These guys have made life a lot ore fun! My original 2 acted like they had lived with them all their lives, they played but never faught!

My mo gave me a food processor which works amazing so i mixed some turkey with chicken and the organ mix, watered down with pedialyte and just a couple eggs to make a soupy. I mixed the soupie with the kibble the 2 new ones are eating (wal-mart 8in1) and my 2 wouldnt eat it! I was sooo proud, so I gave them some soupie in a bowl and they lapped it up! Bella took a taste of soupie since Libby was eating it, but later ate kibble. I've not witnessed Gus eat, bt he's pooped a few times, so I guess he has. I will make their food with less soupie tomorrow so he will eat better.

[Heather]

Absolutely gorgeous. Your one little one looks like my Lady "B" Itchy. White ferret with a black tail. Huge muscular for a female, same with the boys. Sounds like Path Valley....they're wonderful ferrets but full of life, intensely curious, a bit nippy, always on the go. I classify them as "not a beginner's ferret" If there's trouble to be had they're in the middle of it They are generally healthy ferts, but have a problem with heart...cardio myopathy being one of the problems I'm seeing consistently, another thing is deafness. Of my 7 Path Valley, 3 are deaf. Now, it may be because Path Valley are a bit more nippy and being deaf as well, makes them all the harder to stop nipping, thus more likely to be placed in rescue. By the way, Lady "B" is deaf. The Mashals ferrets that seem to be more prone to adrenal. If they're anything like my Path Valley's they will be a quick switch. They generally love their raw meats. I just got one 2 weeks ago and he's already eating prey.
How old are your little ones? I don't think you've mentioned that.
It's great that they've at least sampled the soupy. Good for your guys for not eating the kibble. My guys won't touch kibbles. Napoleon doesn't even know what to do with it as he's never really had any. I will check in with you tomorrow to see how your getting on with your new additions.
ciao

[weeksl08]

I was told Bella was 1 and Gus was 3. After a closer look at their teeth, Bella looks to be 1 and Gus looks to be a young 2, I don't see three. His teeth are pearly white, with a tiny tip of translucent enamel. They both are hearing ferts, they liven up when I walk in the room just like Libby. I don't know anything but what you've mentioned of path valley, but the description sounds about right. Feisty, muscular, good build, curious, and everywhere! Their ears are in good shape too. I double checked ears and paws, and no tats to be found. I have manicures today for hat looks to be the first time ever. Ginger said she had only had them 3 months and that they were "second hand" so she didn't know anything about them. She said they got Gus later as a play mate for Bella. I don't know if I believe that because they have such similar builds. Libby and COnstantine are both Marshall, but have very very different builds. Gus is HUGE compared to Constantine. He is skinnier, but about 2-3 inches longer. Bella is also very big and heavy for a female. I was shocked because I'd never felt ferrets that were so dense before! It's like petting a pit bull.

[Heather]

You will only be able to guess and never know for sure. Path Valley ferts are rather like petting pit bulls instead of the sleak tiny marshals guys. They could very well be about the same age. I find that pet stores that sell ferrets usually stay with the same brand...or farm. If they were purchased in the same area they could very well be about the same age and from the same place. All my Path Valleys range in size between 3 and 5 lbs...Lady B actually weighs 3.2 lbs. No, when they're in good trim they're big strong ferrets.
I will check in later, enjoy your new furbabies
ciao

[weeksl08]

So Gus has switched himself over to raw over night He's eating soupie on his own! Bella isgobbling up the kibble with soupie on it so I will continue to add more. She tasted the soupie on her own yesterday so I bet I could jus take the kibble away, but I don't want her to go on hunger strike!

[Heather]

Looks to me like your newbies will be caught up with your guys within a couple of days and you can get rid of the kibbles very soon. Then you can start thickening up your soupies and adding small chunks of meat again. They may actually help your guys progress as well. I do think that you will find that Bella and Gus will find eating an interesting adventure rather than a chore.
I will check in on you tomorrow to see how things are going.
ciao

[weeksl08]

Well, the new kids are eating more and more soupie so today their bowl is 1/5 kibble 4/5 soupie. Tomorrow my house will be kibble free again!! I am so excited and shocked at how fast these new kids switched! I love it!

[Forum Administrator]

Congratulations! I am so proud!