Post by monicaexplosion on Feb 18, 2009 21:10:31 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)?
I have 2 lovers
Zombina-3 months-F-and no known health problems!
Vorhees-5 months?-M-and no known health problems!
2. What are your ferrets currently eating? Include their main diet, plus any treats or supplements (such as duk soup).
They are currently all raw. It took a few days to switch. Due to my insane work schedule I've been to 3 grocery stores and each one is more disappointing in terms of selection. Therefore they are currently eating chicken bits and pieces.
there are no treats or supplements at this current moment
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to?
raw =)
then hopefully eventually into some whole prey
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet?
oh let me count the ways.
Health being numero uno. It also doesnt hurt that it helps their coat and teeth(which is health too really).
and cost doesnt hurt either =)
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets?
reading forums! Then I read all the health benefits and knew this was the way to go.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone?
no scale at the current moment, I'm working on remeding that.
Zombina feel a bit underweight. Shes pretty darn tiny, then again shes only 3 months. Shes squish. She came from petco being fed marshalls and obviously not exercising. I would estimate her weight to be about a pound, maybe a little more.Thats also just a guess, I could be totally wrong.
Vorhees seems to be at a healthy weight. He too is all squish, no real muscle tone. He feels around 2-2.5 pounds. Again, just a guesstimate.
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?)
Their teeth and gums look good to me. Pink gums, white teeth. Zombinas are all white, vorhees has a smidgen of yellowish tint. I assume it to be from the kibble he ate sitting in petco waiting for me.
no picture because A) my camera phone sucks and B) they are fiesty little buggers.
I will work on one though!
8. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat.
softish...could be better on both.
Zombina I THINK is a chocolate. I'm so bad with colors. shes full of brown and off whites.
Vorhees is mostly white. He does have some darker colors in a stripe down his back and his tail is more dark than white. He also has a bit of yellowing. A few spots here and there.
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom?
It looks regular to me. Not to much not to little. I would estimate between when I go to bed to when I get home from work(about 15 hours total) I clean there cage + poopies in the corners of my bedroom...maybe 4 per ferret. I cant count them because hey mush together. But its regular and unstrained.
I am having an issue with some darkish green poop from zombina. However I attribute it to her size and the fact she started eating raw so fast. I believe its a dramatic switch for her. She was throwing up(2 days) but that has stopped now. I'm keeping an eye on her poop because its a bit runny too(but still holds its shape kind of). I'm working on a vet visit to make sure shes healthy and its not something else.
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell?
the poopies smell a little but its not awful or anything. Again I heard it might just be the new diet. Plus they were on marshalls before so....I dont know. It doesnt have a distinct odor though(like sour milk) so I'm not horribly worried at this point.
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor?
not very strong =) its very very mild. I have to bury my face in their fur to smell it.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level?
um like 11
seriously.
when they play they are veeeerrrrry through the roof. Running amuk, dooking, hissing, swimming, you name it they are all over it. They run themselves to exhaustion.
Seriously though since I can only go to 10 I would go with 9-10
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)?
Um, when I fed kibble(the first night) they were pretty excited because they were hungry. They loved trying to eat all the kibble in the 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.
nope =)
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share?
vorhees is deaf. I'm fairly certain the world could collapse and he would still be dreaming snuggled in his favorite monkey fleece.
zombina is very tiny. She was throwing up after scarfing down meals for 2 days but I've slowed her row and she stopped. She now eats slower because she has to get it off the bone.
other than that..i dont have anything.
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below:
they arent horribly clear(stupid camera phone) so to compensate here are a few.
vorhees:
zombina-rina
ok and here are just a few more, ones of their tails(since I'm so bad with identifying color
sorry for the awful quality.
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?**
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 saftey during the switch?
yes
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?***
yes
I have 2 lovers
Zombina-3 months-F-and no known health problems!
Vorhees-5 months?-M-and no known health problems!
2. What are your ferrets currently eating? Include their main diet, plus any treats or supplements (such as duk soup).
They are currently all raw. It took a few days to switch. Due to my insane work schedule I've been to 3 grocery stores and each one is more disappointing in terms of selection. Therefore they are currently eating chicken bits and pieces.
there are no treats or supplements at this current moment
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to?
raw =)
then hopefully eventually into some whole prey
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet?
oh let me count the ways.
Health being numero uno. It also doesnt hurt that it helps their coat and teeth(which is health too really).
and cost doesnt hurt either =)
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets?
reading forums! Then I read all the health benefits and knew this was the way to go.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone?
no scale at the current moment, I'm working on remeding that.
Zombina feel a bit underweight. Shes pretty darn tiny, then again shes only 3 months. Shes squish. She came from petco being fed marshalls and obviously not exercising. I would estimate her weight to be about a pound, maybe a little more.Thats also just a guess, I could be totally wrong.
Vorhees seems to be at a healthy weight. He too is all squish, no real muscle tone. He feels around 2-2.5 pounds. Again, just a guesstimate.
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?)
Their teeth and gums look good to me. Pink gums, white teeth. Zombinas are all white, vorhees has a smidgen of yellowish tint. I assume it to be from the kibble he ate sitting in petco waiting for me.
no picture because A) my camera phone sucks and B) they are fiesty little buggers.
I will work on one though!
8. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat.
softish...could be better on both.
Zombina I THINK is a chocolate. I'm so bad with colors. shes full of brown and off whites.
Vorhees is mostly white. He does have some darker colors in a stripe down his back and his tail is more dark than white. He also has a bit of yellowing. A few spots here and there.
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom?
It looks regular to me. Not to much not to little. I would estimate between when I go to bed to when I get home from work(about 15 hours total) I clean there cage + poopies in the corners of my bedroom...maybe 4 per ferret. I cant count them because hey mush together. But its regular and unstrained.
I am having an issue with some darkish green poop from zombina. However I attribute it to her size and the fact she started eating raw so fast. I believe its a dramatic switch for her. She was throwing up(2 days) but that has stopped now. I'm keeping an eye on her poop because its a bit runny too(but still holds its shape kind of). I'm working on a vet visit to make sure shes healthy and its not something else.
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell?
the poopies smell a little but its not awful or anything. Again I heard it might just be the new diet. Plus they were on marshalls before so....I dont know. It doesnt have a distinct odor though(like sour milk) so I'm not horribly worried at this point.
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor?
not very strong =) its very very mild. I have to bury my face in their fur to smell it.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level?
um like 11
seriously.
when they play they are veeeerrrrry through the roof. Running amuk, dooking, hissing, swimming, you name it they are all over it. They run themselves to exhaustion.
Seriously though since I can only go to 10 I would go with 9-10
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)?
Um, when I fed kibble(the first night) they were pretty excited because they were hungry. They loved trying to eat all the kibble in the 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.
nope =)
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share?
vorhees is deaf. I'm fairly certain the world could collapse and he would still be dreaming snuggled in his favorite monkey fleece.
zombina is very tiny. She was throwing up after scarfing down meals for 2 days but I've slowed her row and she stopped. She now eats slower because she has to get it off the bone.
other than that..i dont have anything.
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below:
they arent horribly clear(stupid camera phone) so to compensate here are a few.
vorhees:
zombina-rina
ok and here are just a few more, ones of their tails(since I'm so bad with identifying color
sorry for the awful quality.
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?**
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 saftey during the switch?
yes
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?***
yes
My first little girl is Penny, shes about a year and a half. Shes a dark sable, very petite and the love bug of the group! (also my hardest fuzzy to switch! haha)
I actually just did that the other day (got up and there was no thawed out meat, so I had to go steal the roast that was suposed to be my dinner!) It happens....I usually pre-baggie (buy in bulk then cut up and make meals in sections) mine so I take out a baggie from the freezer everytime I use one from the fridge.
) I tend to pamper my babies lol, they are spoiled and I cater to each of their characteristics since I have the time to....so its all up to you!
so now I only use newspaper in the litter boxes (MUCH cleaner and actually makes it smell better b/c you just throw it away when its dirty and put in a fresh piece, instead of scooping and having the lingering smell)