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Post by gan on Mar 31, 2009 16:27:43 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 1 ferret she's female and I was told about 5 months old (though the people I rescued her from seemed much less than honest, so i believe they very likely lied D:) she doesn't have a name yet, but I call her little 'ret (hopefully I come up with something better before it sticks! As for health problems, I do not know for certain. She has a bald patch between her shoulder blades, but upon closer inspection it looks more like it is in a state of regrowth than falling out, which is quite a relief to her concerned mama! I will be monitoring it though, and will update on any progress. She's also very skinny weighed myself then myself holding her and the scale said she's 1.5 lbs. 2. What are your ferrets currently eating? Include their main diet, plus any treats or supplements (such as duk soup).-I do not have a specific regimen right now, as I adopted her Saturday evening. Saturday morning they had her on cat kibble, I switched her to the highest protein/lowest carb ferret kibble I could find (50% protein)when I got home, and she ate that on Sunday was well. Sunday evening I gave her a 'soup' of food processed chicken livers, an egg and a small handful of kibble to see if she was interested. She ate everything I left in her bowl by morning time, including a full half a piece of liver. (I fed the rest of the soup to the cat so 'Ret wouldn't get diarrhea. Monday! raw chicken breast dipped in egg yolk, and dusted wtih kibble to give her the right idea(I'm still looking for a butcher, my local grocery stores don't seem to sell much in the way of skin-on, and bone-in seemed like a bigger step than I wanted to push on her) Tuesday: Today She's had more raw chicken, slightly warmed. All boneless and skinless, but without the egg and kibble breading. (unfortunately I lacked foresight and tossed the eggshells I used so far, I'll probably have to make myself an omlet later and crush up some eggshell powder for protein..? 3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to?- Whole prey, and hopefully, one day, live prey if she's interested! 4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet? -I had ferrets when I lived at home with my parents, I was always somewhat disgusted in myself for the quality of food I was feeding my pets. I justified and lied to myself by saying there was nothing better I could afford. Now I know I was wrong, and while I may not have had the means then, I have both the means and dedication to now! (I'm also switching my cat, though he hasn't swallowed even a scrap of real meat yet!) 5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets? -the HF forum actually! Before I found you guys I was interested in natural diet out of logical reasoning, but didn't know how to do about the process, and I was quite afraid if I tried I might hurt my ferret by feeding him/her the wrong foods. 6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone? -She is approximately 1.5 lbs, and looks very skinny to me. She feels as though she has little muscle compared to fat. 7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?) -I will get a picture as soon as I can borrow a camera, unfortunately all I have right now is my built in laptop webcam, with deplorable image quality. However, to my untrained eye she looks like she's got healthy pink gums and nice sharp teeth 8. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat..-It's thin, but only truly sparse/bald in the spot between her shoulders. The texture is straw-like, which I think may be contributed not only to the cat kibble, but also to baths in dishwashing detergent. She is a bit of a cinnamon color, with a creamy white undercoat and darker tips and mask 9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom? -I haven't had her long enough to give a good average, and her diet has been changing already, but I would say 4+ times a day at first, less now. 10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell? -Urine is not very potent at all, her feces smelled very strongly though. 11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor? -very detectable, but only if your nose is within a few feet, and even then it is not too strong. 12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level? -She's more active than some of the elderly ferrets I've had in the past, but less than those I owned in their youth. I'd say 5- relaxed but not without spunk. 13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)?-she comes over if she's hungry and excited for the fresh scent (and taste?) but if she's eaten recently she might just come by and sniff it before running off somewhere else. 14. Have you attempted to switch from kibble to a natural diet in the past? If so, what methods have you tried. Be specific.-She's new to my home, and I've never fed an animal before her a raw diet so this is my first real attempt, though I have attempted (and succeeded!) in getting her to eat chicken liver and breast meat so far. 15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share? -She is a neglected rescue. I thought I was just adopting her from a woman on craigs list when I responded to the add and offered her 100 dollars for ferret and cage, but when I got there and saw the condition she was in I realized she -needed- to be taken out of that place. She was in a large VERY rusty cage outdoors with no sun cover (in Florida!), I don't believe they left her there the entire time they owned her, but I saw no place at all inside for a cage of that size to fit. The horrible conditions under which she was living are a big part in why I want to get her on at least a raw diet ASAP. 16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below:-This is the best that I have right now. next time my BF comes over I'll be able to get him to hold her up for a -real- pic, but I can't keep her still and click the take photo button at the same time 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?** -I do! 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?-Certainly 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?***-of course **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. -I should be able to get on pretty consistently, but there will be at least one weekend a month that I will not be on the net. ***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.
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Mar 31, 2009 21:37:34 GMT -5
Hi Gan! Just wanted to welcome you to the mentor process. I've been at it for several months now (my babies are very stubborn) but we are making good progress. The mentors here are terrific and VERY patient (good thing since I am a newbie ferret owner as well as a newbie raw feeder!) I am so glad that little Ret is doing well.
I have had some problems finding meat with skin and fat, etc, too (I think Tampa must be skinless chicken heaven) but found that cornish game hens are great. It's still chicken but the bones are small and softer than chicken legs or thighs so they can be cut up into small pieces easily and the meat is pretty fatty. Just a thought. If you happen to find a butcher let me know!
teri
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Post by gan on Mar 31, 2009 22:23:23 GMT -5
ARGH! I just lost a HUGE post detailing my baby's first encounter with live prey! But as it turns out she made even more progress between the time i finished and failed to post it and now that I'm reposting! In any case, I was so excited by how quickly she took to raw meat that I decided to go out and grab her a baby mouse at the local pet shop to see if she was interested in that too. At first she didn't seem to care for it much, which i contribute to its inactivity. I thought I asked for a hopper, but it appears as though I asked for a fuzzie, which was obviously harder to kill than a pinkie, but not nearly as interesting as a scurrying little beastie! She sniffed it a few times but mostly just rolled around the tub and licked at the drain with much more curiosity than she had for the very slow-moving mouse inching along the side of the tub. I admit that the way it clung to the warmth of my hand when i picked it up to examine it did spark some pity in me, it was tiny blind and fluffy after all, but since my conversion from vegan to vegetarian to omnivore in the past two years I've come to realize that death gives life, and as lovely and cute as mice can be, all things in the cycle feed another. It sounds "hippie dippie," but it's absolutely true. the whole plants (primary feeders,) to herbivores (secondary feeders,) to carnivores (tertiary feeders,) thing becomes something of beauty when you realize that when each of these die they just become plant food themselves, and feed yet another little herbivore who feeds another carnivore. I guess I just figure that some day a mouse might be eating Ret through the plant nourished by her old bones! I'm rather hopeful of being plant food myself one day Back to the topic though, I kind of wanted to cuddle the little fuzz up in my hand and calm it down, but I knew the only way it would escape whatever fear something that young could know, at this point, was to hope its end came as swiftly as possible. the only problem was that Ret wasn't even trying! I finally gave up on live and picked it up again, this time by the tail, and as it swung up over the edge of the tub Ret bounced up and started watching it intently. It made me happy to see her show interest, but a little sad as I swung the barely even squirming treat back over the tub's edge just over the little ferret's raised head. I really wanted her to experience this, especially since she was finally showing interest, so even though I felt a bit sadistic, I began teasing her more with it and swinging the little guy around, when i finally let it touch ground a few feet away from her she darted for it, but i pulled it out of her reach again, repeated a few times, until she actually grabbed it and started tug-o-waring agaisnt it! I let go and she began to thrash instinctually, but she was not very effective.She kept stopping and now that it was injured I really wanted her to just get it over with already, so I started teasing her again, and she chased after and attacked once more. We kept this up for a while, but she didn't show its head enough attention and it wasn't dead yet, so when she wasn't avidly attacking it each time I picked it up any more, I quickly took her to her cage, and whisked the mouse to the kitchen where I snipped its neck to cut its spine so it would no longer suffer, and placed it in her food bowl, hopeful she'd try and eat it now that it was in her designated food area. I also separated one of its back legs and offered it to her by hand. She ate the whole leg right away! bone and all! I was SO proud of her, and rushed off to post here, because she was showing much more improvement, much faster than I ever expected her to. (When i tried to remove the body after a half an hour, hoping to refrigerate it for later, she snatched it out of the bowl before it got out of the door and dragged it back to the corner where she eats, I tested three or four times and she kept doing it, so I figured i'd leave it in over night to see if it was gone when I woke up, if not I'd feed her chicken and powdered eggshells in the morning either way. When I accidentally changed pages and lost my post (detailing all I just explained) I decided to take a break from writing and come back later. I figured she wouldn't be hungry again for at least a few hours, but about a half hour ago I heard her rustling about, and hurried over to the cage to see her eating the rest of the mouse enthusiastically! I thought she'd finished it all when she crawled back in her hammock and dozed off to digest, but it turned out that in her excitement she apparently managed to toss the head out of the cage and onto my carpet -.- How considerate of her to leave some for mama... All in all, I count this a VERY successful tuesday evening! only I'm not exactly sure where to go from here, I only bought the one mouse because I was afraid she might not eat it at all, and did not want to be wasteful of unnecessary lives, so I have nothing to give her in the morning in the way of whole or live prey, so I suppose I'll be feeding her chicken bits again (probably bigger hunks this time, considering how well she managed the whole fuzzy) and picking up some more meals tomorrow after class. I might not even have a mentor assigned by then, so i probably won't yet have an answer to this question, but what sort of mouse do you think I should get? I'm thinking a couple hoppers at least, and maybe one other fuzzy for something she recognizes, and I'm hoping hoppers will help with her hunting style because they'll run and jump, hopefully encouraging her to dispatch them faster (and on her own!) I also suppose this means I'll be looking to order some frozen whole prey offline as well, as live isn't exactly convenient or even possible for most meals. (though I might get more than she can eat now, and try and coax a bit of a hunting spree out of her to help with her technique before freezing any i won't need within the next few days. lets hope she keeps up the good work!
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Post by Heather on Mar 31, 2009 23:34:49 GMT -5
Awesome stuff, your little one is going to be a real hunter once she figures out that she has to bite down and snap it's spine herself. They use one of two methods, either a hard bite at the back of the neck, either severing the spine or cutting off the blood flow to the brain, or they use multiple bites, again either severing the spine (not always a quick death) or causing them to bleed out. I have a newbie ferret who still tries to kill them by rolling them around like a tennis ball Not very successful, at least at the moment. He's getting the hang of it though. I would personally go for some hoppers myself. The fuzzies are rather uninteresting for the most part, you can find more lively ones but for the most part when they're scared they freeze. Hoppers will give her a run for her money Of course one thing to remember is ferret's eyesight isn't the greatest so one thing to remember is if it's possible to get a different coloured mouse from the tub that you're feeding in. I discovered this when allowing my guys to hunt white mice in a white bathtub They follow their noses but it's better when they're first starting to hunt as they do it with their eyes. I wouldn't get her anything much larger, yet....they can get quite aggressive and put off an inexperienced hunter. She's presently looking at food that you get to play with first and eat too...bonus Check with some of your local pet stores to find out if there are any snake or large reptile owners in your area. That's how I get my rats. As snakes will gorge and then not eat for days sometimes weeks, she will have excess rats, so I buy her excess stock. Actually, after her mice population was decimated this winter (a weasel got into her mouse shed), I'm supplying her with mice in exchange for rats. It's really worth looking into as then you also know how the rats and mice are kept, I also can order live or dead product from her too. Anyway, I just thought I would pop in and offer you an answer to your question. I'm sure Giuli will get you a mentor shortly Good luck, and great work ciao
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Post by gan on Apr 1, 2009 2:50:16 GMT -5
Thanks so much heather! I was so excited when she ate that little thing I couldn't stop holling around the net and telling all my friends "OMG i'm so proud of my new baby, she ate a MOUSE!" as for the hoppers, I think you're quite right, it was hard keeping her interested in the immobile little thing, and even though they looked a little big for her in the store, when I saw her next to the fuzzy i brought home I don't really have any concerns for her ability to put down a runner. The little one I got today had dark spots on it, which is convenient enough, so I can expect that I'll at least be able to find a hopper or two with some coloration on it. As for the mouse supply, right now I'm looking into rodentpro for a temporary solution, but i don't know what i should order! a bag of meeces and a sack o' chickadees? haha, i'm not letting myself get too preoccupied with it just yet though, I have school to worry about until Thursday at least, and I'll be able to keep her fed on at least a live mouse a day to help with calcium and such on top of the (sadly) lean chicken I have to offer. In the future (hopefully near) I hope to set up a little breeding operation in cahoots with my boyfriend. He hasn't had a ferret since he was in elementary school, and since he's been around Ret he's all gaga over getting one for himself and as company for mine! They would live together in my house, and both would visit him on the weekends (or he'd visit us depending.) but because I really want to make sure he's serious, not just suffering temporary insanity, I'm thinking of asking him to start up a little breeder operation at his house (my apartment complex would kill me if they found boxes stuffed with mice in my home! plus i figure it would be a good way to prove he's really serious about his little fuzzbutt before he's already bought it and let me take on all the responsibility ) Overview: thanks not only was your advice helpful, but I was so excited about her success it's good to hear someone who actually cares about this stuff sharing my enthusiasm rather than looking at me with confused, somewhat disgusted, tolerance. As for the hoppers, I agree, I'm going to pick her up a few tomorrow afternoon, and I'll see what happens. How long will they stay perky away from their mothers anyways? Should I just let her have them all as soon as I get settled at home, I can't imagine they can go much longer than a few hours away from their mom's warmth and feeding while remaining spunky :> I think I'll grab 4- and offer them all to her, what she doesn't take i'll dispatch myself and freeze for later so she still has real whole goodies, and can experience some thawed munchies in the morning rather than more chicken (blegh)
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Post by gan on Apr 1, 2009 22:04:19 GMT -5
I probably wont be posting as much once i get a mentor, but since I haven yet to be assigned one, I figure it's best to keep up to date so you have the best sense of what I need, cause I don't know for sure! Heck I barely know anything!
"Ret's" impressed me again, but to be honest I wasn't nearly as surprised this time as i was last night, I was however very proud once again. I took Heather's advice and picked up some hoppers at the local pet shop, I checked their food bowls while I was and saw real fruits and seeds, but i'm still looking for somewhere I can find feeders I truly trust.
When I got home she still had an uneaten piece of raw chicken in her bowl, so I assumed she wasn't hungry, but I figured she might still be interested once she got up form her nap and had some time to "pay her 'doo's" and such. I left the hoppers box on the ground beside her cage with the door open, and when I came back from the kitchen she was sniffing all over it, and acting very interested!
I was glad she showed interest even though the last mouse hadn't been much of a chase, apparently she either liked the taste or liked the sport of it enough to want another go.
She was surprised when it ran from her, the way she was suddenly cautious and a little nervous worried me, but was also pretty darn cute. Fortunately she was only startled and not frightened, and began to chase and attempt to dispatch it herself.
She killed four hoppers total tonight, 2 mouse and 2 rat, and with each kill she got much better at her job. the first one she wounded so badly that it died while i was trying to redirect her attention back to it, but the second through fourth were all legitimately killed, and each faster than the one before. She's no speed demon mind you! She seems to think their necks are in their rear ends and keeps trying to break them there!
Any suggestions on teaching her how to kill them faster? or will she probably just learn that on her own as she graduates to things that begin to fight back a little and she realizes she can't just take her time without suffering any consequences?
She's eaten two and a half of the hoppers since killing them around 2 pm (it's 10:40 now). I put them in the fridge to keep fresh and have put another one in her bowl whenever I see her finish off her food. I figure she's so thin that she should eat as much as she's interested in at this point.
However, I am in need of some guidance considering her diet as far as what I should be feeding her and how much, Presently I can give 3 meals a day, but the semester is coming to a close and I don't know what my summer load is going to be yet, so I don't know how long my schedule will be forgiving of these times.
So, if feeding 3 times a day, I can feed them before school between 7:30 and 9, I get out of class at 2 and do not have another for the rest of the day, so i can feed based on whatever increments of time sound best. If feeding a 1.5 lb ferret I hope to fatten up a bit, how much shoudl i give her at each of these 3 meals? I don't have a kitchen scale, so It'd be easier if you have me something visual perhaps, or I dunno " # hoppers/mice/hampsers"
My LAST request for guidance is suggestions for ordering her frozen prey. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use Rodentpro.com, but they have such a selection, and as much as I'd like to grab a ton of each variety, I can't afford to waste right now, so what are a few+/- species and types you suggest for starting her on?
Agh, i forgot one more thing.I think she has a chicken allergy. I recall her chicken liver stool being fairly blackish, but when i switched her to chicken breast it looked a little yellowish and off, I was hoping it was a result of her system sort of cleansing itself- however after feeding her a mouse and switching back to chicken again, then back to mouse, I've noticed her stool is very much yellow tinged and mucus-y whenever she eats chicken, it's also larger messier and stinkier! ALAS! no baby chicks.
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Post by Heather on Apr 1, 2009 23:00:19 GMT -5
You're little one is doing so fantastic.... You're going to have that little one switched and on her expanded diet before you ever get a mentor . Give her a great big hug, I'm really proud of her. She will hone her skills as she gets used to making her kills. I've found that the little girls are for the most part very practical killers. How they go about it will change as she gets more proficient at it. Lady "B" is my most awesome little killing machine. She keeps going as long as there are mice, stacking her kills in the corner of the tub. Little Sprite and Pooka are both quite efficient but are less interested once they have made a kill and would rather sit down and eat it. As to frequency, ferrets are geared to eat multiple small meals. That being said very few of us can feed upon request, so we usually stack up their meals (feeding enough to hold them over until we can supply them with more when we get home). This is often done by trial and error, I would guess that you can probably get by with feeding 2 mice in the morning, which should hold her over until you get home to feed her another. You can work by observation over the next little while to see how much she will eat during a given time period. You can leave mice out for 24 hrs sometimes longer if they're frozen. If she is stashing her food for any length of time or she still has food when you go to feed her again then you're probably feeding too much and need to wait a while before feeding her again. Babushka (my tiniest ferret and 10 yrs old) eats about 1/2 a mouse, while Lady B my largest female eats 2 mice in a sitting (Lady "B" weighs just under 3 lbs in summer weight and is a big girl for a shefert ) I've heard some really good stuff from rodentpro (other than shipping fees : I can't get them up here, so have gone with private suppliers. To round up your ferrets diet, you should feed as many protein sources as possible but a minimum of 3 is considered best. My guys love mice, rats, rabbit as whole meats and prey. They also eat beef, bison, elk, lamb, goat, duck, turkey and of course chicken. I feed ground, whole meat (frankenprey) and prey. That way I can get several types of protein sources. I've heard that baby chicks are also a good meal, but haven't been able to source this yet. It makes no difference if you feed frozen or live prey (live provides mental stimulation, but frozen provides safety for your little charge, some prey can have some really nasty dispositions about being invited for dinner;)) Ahhh, raw or prey fed ferret poopies Are you in for an education Dark, black tarry poopies....means undigested blood in the stool...if you've just fed some offal, liver even heart...that's what you will get (remember, this also makes it difficult to diagnose if your ferret has an ulcer or other digestive problems, so you will have to learn to look for other symptoms as well as the tarry stools). Remember 3 to 4 hr turnaround time from the time your little poop monster eats that meal to the time it's deposited in the litter box. Digestion has to be instantaneous. Many people complain about smelly poops after feeding chicken....but you fed meat only no bone..so you're going to get loose poopies...yellow signifies the grain that was fed to the chicken..it's in the meat. It will vary from yellow to any colour of brown. Gone are the days when you saw only one colour of poopy in the litter box You will also see varied colour of poopies once you start mixing your prey. I think I've got most of your questions. I will continue to check in with you until Giuli supplies you with a mentor. Keep asking the questions, it's the only way you will learn. Talk at you later ciao
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Post by gan on Apr 2, 2009 0:16:45 GMT -5
your advice sounds awesome! I'm only gonna get her a couple live mice between now and when her food arrives, they're expensive, but I'd like her to have some whole prey for the bones and such between now and then so I don't want to skip on them completely.
Great news that her poo is normal, I was indeed a bit worried, it's nice to know I have that much more variety on the grocery raw and frozen chick options.
As far as her progress goes, I sort of figured she'd eat 2 of the hoppers tonight and have two for the morning, but after she finished the second she started stealing cat chow, so i gave her another, she eats them in two sittings each, top half then a nap, then it seems she eats the bottom and heads out of her cage for some playtime!
In the end she's eaten 3 and a half, I'm pretty positive she'll finish the last half of the fourth by the time I go to bed, and if not then I'm sure it won't be there in the AM.
She'll be eating chicken tomorrow till I get to the grocery store to try and get something else, and I'm ordering some frozen tomorrow, probably adult sized since she's likely capable of handling it, and the live mice she's eating are quite young.
No more questions just now, but thanks for getting back to me! I didn't want to order anything till I'd gotten some feedback first
Gan
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Post by Heather on Apr 2, 2009 14:41:26 GMT -5
Excellent. You're right, she will probably be more than able to consume 3 maybe 4 within a short time period of maybe a couple of hours. I keep forgetting how small hoppers are (I normally feed older mice, allowing the hoppers to grow a little as my guys have a preferrance for larger prey) I will be checking up on everyone tonight so I will check in and see how you're doing too ciao
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Post by gan on Apr 3, 2009 0:10:10 GMT -5
Great news! she hasn't made any huge leaps or bounds prey wise, but I've always been sort of aware that I didn't have the money to feed her all prey, and won't until i can breed my own, BUT I did find a local breeder with considerably lower prices than anybody i've seen elsewhere! I was afraid I was going to have to cut her down to much much less prey than I'd hoped, but I'm saved! I'm going to get to take a look at his mice and rats on monday or tuesday afternoon, so hopefully they're satisfactory, cause I'm about to get an order of 30 live weaned rats and mice, and 20 frozen adult mice and rats for $24.50 usd, and without any shipping, handling, or taxes on top!(is this a good deal, or just a good deal for my area? ) It would be a shame if their conditions weren't trustworthy. Also, I found somewhere around here that has something other than boneless skinless meats! A Supermercado 5 minutes down the street from my house has a huge selection of not only chicken with the skin, but Ox tails, Chicken Gizzards, and even pig and cow feet... among other things. All for under a dollar a pound, and very fresh looking today. I barely spent 5 bucks and my refrigerator won't need restocking for a while (especially since I get to feed more prey!) Only problem is that I'm gonna need to learn some spanish, cause they barely understood a word i said!
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Post by gan on Apr 3, 2009 18:00:36 GMT -5
Short post today, I'm taking her to visit her best friend Black Cat at my boyfriend's house, and I'm about to go get her ready for the trip, so I'm hoping to make this brief but informative 1. She's hit a wall with raw, as I knew she probably would, but tried to believe she would not. I bought her ox tail, chicken wings, gizzards, and one beef foot(last one just as an experiment, they stink so I probably won't get them again) and she won't eat them at all. None of it. I even chopped the wing up a bit, and broke through the bone with my Kitchen scissors to show her the meats inside, but when i came home today they were not eaten, just hidden beneath my bed D: i gave in and fed her some plain chopped chicken breast, she ate it but also stole kibble from my cat's bowl. 2 she's been a bit lethargic, I think it's cause she's so exhausted by these fleas! she is scratching all the time, so I've given in and bought flea bath and advantage since nothing else has worked. I just hate to strip her coat again after it's finally gotten a good healthy sheen worked up, but I'm going to follow with a serious oatmeal soak, which helped last time with the skin dryness and the itching alike. 3. I'm beginning to wonder when I'll hear from Giuli, I'm sure she's busy, but It's starting to feel a bit odd blogging about my ferret's poops and eating and not knowing who's gonna help me out that being said though, THANKS AGAIN Heather you make me feel less like a crazy person talking to myself and offer great advice! I don't mind waiting for my mentor assignment and such, but I am a little confused as to what to do about her refusal to expand her raw diet, and could use some help as it's all I have to feed her besides kibble right now, and I would hate to have to feed her that if there's a better way to keep her on track. <3 Gan P.s. Rret's new official name is Killer Queen, I have the advantage label to prove it, though she doesn't seem to care what I call her, so It changes hourly. Right now it's Little Wiggums, because she's been extra wiggly since waking up from her afternoon nap -gan
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Post by Heather on Apr 3, 2009 23:44:06 GMT -5
Hi Gan Just finished talking to Giuli...I'm your mentor I will give you a better intro tomorrow when I'm not pressed for time. I knew your little angel was going to hit a road block eventually You have to look at it from her point of view, why eat dead meat when you can have live and fresh She ate the chicken breast so she will eat dead meat for you, she just doesnt want to work for it My guys will eat gizzards (they're worth fighting for, but she may have to be hungry to try this), she's looking for furry not naked. They're not fond of wings, they like necks...the smaller ones, they really like chicken legs (scored to the bone so they can get a good hold of the meat). You could try scoring the meat on the wings, I've never tried the ox tails or the foot. I found the guys liked things that they would possibly like as a prey animal. Quail, rabbit...smaller animals. Please be very careful about using flea bath or dip on your little girl. A lot of them are very toxic for ferrets. I've resorted to using the advantage but as far as shampoos most on board use just regular ferret shampoo. If you try and get her playing in the water and leave the shampoo (any ferret shampoo will work) on for at least 5 min you will kill a lot of the fleas. You're right, fleas will make your little girl sick. Check her gums, if they're pale you'll know that she's being severely affected by the little bloodsuckers I've done a rescue where the two ferrets were not only being starved but those little parasites were literally sucking what life was left out of the little fuzzbutts. I will check in on you tomorrow and give you a more information as to who I am ciao
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Post by gan on Apr 4, 2009 18:37:44 GMT -5
awesome I didn't expect to get on this weekend, but my boyfriend's work schedule's a little weird this week, so instead of snuggling with me he's off working in a big bad factory. WOE! However, Killer (hehe, I've become vrey fond of this name because she is the least intimidating ferret I've ever met) is doing well, I gave her a serious rinsing after her flea bath, followed by a nice warm oatmeal soak with a few drops of tea tree oil and lavender oil in the water to calm down her bug bites. She's great in the bath. my old ferrets didn't mind the water but would hardly let me grab them when they were in, so it was difficult to scrub. She just flopped down my forearm and let me suds her up, also, she's so small when wet that she actually disappears, hah. I feel like i should hold off on getting her live mice, cause they're spoiling her, but I can't seem to resist getting her more whenever I have the opportunity. Last night she had six, three very quick just weaned but bouncy babies, and three full adults. I put paper towel and toilet paper rolls, as well as a pringles can in the tub with them so they could hide from her and give her a real chase: it's amazing to me how much better she gets with each kill. When she started she was a bit rusty, but she was also sort of confused as the first was a rather sedentary adult that had been in with the cat (the cat had no idea what to do, he just poked him and jumped whenever it squeeked!) but once it started skittering a bit she went after him. By the last she'd begun using a front leg to pin their butt or tail, and was going straight for the head or back of the neck! Now I'm rationing them out to her between chicken so they aren't gone too fast.. As for the random meat, i figured she wouldn't be after the beef feet (which she hasn't actually met yet) and such, but thought it was worth a try. the ox tail seems so perfect, it's sad that she's not interested cause they're nice red and fatty with a lot of accessible marrow. She does eat the gizzards, but she prefers the chicken breast, and doesn't eat as much of them. I think they might actually tire her jaw out cause it takes her a long time to get through that hard chunk of meat. Very glad you're gonna help me out! have a great evenin' Gan
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Post by Heather on Apr 4, 2009 19:46:01 GMT -5
I'm Heather, and we're going to be working together for the next little while trying to convince your furbaby to change to a healthier diet, which she seems to be taking to like a duck to water I've been feeding a raw/natural diet for a little over 10 yrs. I have a small private rescue/sanctuary, just outside of Toronto where all ferrets turned into me are switched immediately over to a raw diet that consists of ground raw/whole meats or frankenprey/ and prey diet. At present every ferret eats this full range of diets. I don't keep kibbles in the house All my furbabies are free roaming and have access to an outdoor play area that they can access at will. At present there are 15 little fuzzbutts who call this their permanent home. They range in ages of about 2 yrs to my little senior citizen, Babushka who is coming up on 10 yrs (she by the way has been my biggest raw switch challenge, which had me at times wondering why I was doing this to her) Now completely switched and putting on a beautiful dark black coat, teeth that are now nicely cleaned up, and she actually has a lot of fun investigating the house (she used to do nothing but sleep when she first was turned in). She has made me aware that every ferret no matter how old, can get a new lease on life by eating a species appropriate diet That's great that your little girl is getting more proficient at her kills. Have you thought of maybe trying rat? Maybe, not live but frozen? It would give her another type of prey animal to eat, no she can't hunt it at least not yet but she might be able to hunt smaller pups later. Another type of prey animal might also be some of the other small rodents, hamsters (these guys can be rather aggressive too but it's an idea), some feed chicks too. My guys love rabbit both with fur and without... , pork is another meat that is mild and well received. If you want to look at a really great selection of meats check out rodentpro, they don't ship up here but I wish they did. If nothing else it will give you an idea as to what's out there and what you could feed your little "Killer" Smaller boned animals are the easiest for your little one to eat and digest but remember to vary the age of those animals. You're doing awesome with the mice. You've allowed her young animals and older more mature mice, that means you're covering her full range of nutrients and that the bone of the mature mice gives your little one maximum calcium and mineral components. You're both doing really well. I like your ideas for making her hunt more interesting, great job I will check in with you later and see how things are going. ciao
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Post by gan on Apr 7, 2009 17:50:35 GMT -5
Goodness, i finally have you in my clutches and I get all sorts of distracted with the rest of my life I'm here, but I'm going to have to make it quick again for now (I might have time later this evening for a full run down) The paper tubes were a big hit, Josh's cat liked them too, I'm going to be picking up 25-50 mice and rats within a couple of days, so it will be nice to have a stock pile available. I have had no luck in finding chicks though, I'm begingin to look in nearby rural areas and on the garden/farm section of craigslist... a few weeks more and I'm bound to find some sort of source! Killer's doing well, her fleas are already clearing up since I applied the (evil i know) advantage, and I'm going out to try and find some of that diatomaceous earth I've heard so much about. I hear it cuts the fleas bodies and dries them out because they are so small, do I have to worry about it being on my carpets for a few days if the ferret is going to be allowed out? Obviously I wouldn't let her anywhere the stuff was laid thick enough that she could breath in dust, but do you think it could cause paw irritation... or maybe just some friendly exfoliation? She's slowly making friends with white cat, he goes and visits her when he knows she's asleep, and acts grumpy when she catches him being curious! it's very sweet she's still being a pain about boring ole raw, but she does eat her chicken breast and will eat at least some/half of her gizzards. I really must find her some quail or pork Have a great day! I'll try to check back in later, Gan
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