Post by whimsy on Nov 3, 2008 1:18:42 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 two ferrets.
Stitch:
Middle aged (vet diagnosis, got both from a previous owner who didn't know either), male and no health problem yet diagnosed. . .HOWEVER, I took him to the vet on Friday due to the fact that he's way fat and very lethargic (he's always been big since we got him, but lately he slowed down a lot). They did a x-ray, and the vet said the spleen looked a bit big. She's not the normal ferret vet (though she's the secondary ferret vet so I was comfortable with her doing the check-up), so she's going to have the main ferret vet take a peek at the xrays on Monday. So until then I'm waiting on a phone-call. : /
RJ:
Middle aged, male, no health problems.
I've had both since June. I thought I'd only had them since August, but when I was getting the pics for them I saw that the first pics were from June, not August! Time flies, huh? (I may have written elsewhere in this thread that I've had them since August but I can't find it at a quick skim-through >.> so if you do see it, ignore it. )
2. What are your ferrets currently eating? Include their main diet, plus any treats or supplements (such as duk soup).
Zupreem and occasional ferretone (maybe once a week, tsp each). I've tried store bought duck soup and I got upturned noses. -_- I figured I'd hold on the duk soup until I get them to eat raw, and start a mashup of kibble and ground meat once they're accustomed to eating something other than icky kibble.
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to?
Raw and whole prey.
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet?
I want healthier ferrets and, well, I've never liked feeding kibble to any animals. I was always concerned as a child that it didn't taste very good, and it always seemed very unnatural. Plus, the health benefits to raw make it very much worthwhile.
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets?
I forget where. I think I was just reading pet forums (might have been a dog one) and someone mentioned BARF. I was curious about it, so did a lot of searching around and reading up on how beneficial it was and the owners' thoughts, To this day I have not seen a single negative comment about feeding raw or whole prey.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone?
RJ: 2lbs. I'd say prolly mostly muscle, he's a very active guy and mmm. . .sleeps maybe 14-16 hours. Always seems like he's full of energy.
Stitch: 3lbs, exact opposite. He has waaay too much fat, has since we got him in August of this year. I thought it might be due to the fact that the owners fed mazumi, which is loooow on kibble foods. He switched to Zupreem just fine, and I thought the problem would sort itself out. I was totally wrong, and now am hoping I didn't do something wrong.
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?)
Tarter.
RJ:
Stitch:
8. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat.
Stitch: Very thick and soft dark eyed white.
RJ: Soft, not quite as thick as Stitch, sable. He's a very sleek ferret all around.
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom?
I'd say RJ goes more often than Stitch, but for all I know Stitch is the one who keeps finding the dark corners to poo in. *sigh* RJ I'd say every 2-4 hours, Stitch maybe 3-6? I always catch RJ pooing and peeing, but Stitch is the ninja pooer.
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell?
I don't really notice it. The only time I do is if I lean over it, and PHEW! But I'd say they're normal pet feces smell (don't really notice urine at all, I think it's more of a thick musky smell that's more of a background thing).
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor?
Not strong at all. I have to bury my nose in their fur to really get a good whiff. But, I think it has improved since we got them a bigger cage. Before they were in a rather small one, and they were pretty heady.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level?
RJ: 8
Stitch: 2
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)?
Both are free feeding right now, but RJ is pretty meh about food. He hardly ever stashes. Stitch, however. . . I used to put food out on the kitchen floor when I had them out, and Stitch would lay on the plate and eat. I've pulled the plate on the floor thing and Stitch has ceased the gorging. I think he's either bored or depressed, but it's really hard to get Stitch excited about anything. I think the most excited he gets is when I take out the plastic bags. He loves those.
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. The most I ever tried was a piece of chicken here or the duk soup. The duk soup I tried for about five days straight, leaving it out until it got congealed (icky) and tossing it and trying it again with kibbles in it. They refused to touch it.
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share?
Stitch is really mellow. The kind of mellow where he hardly squirms when you pick him up. It worried me, because RJ is the exact opposite and RJ is the 'normal' ferret here. I'm hoping the raw diet will perk him up some as well as making both of them healthier. They're both really sweet, and do well with strangers. They even forgive me for poking and prodding at them when I do strange human things like take pictures of their teeth. XD
They're my fur babies
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below:
RJ:
Stitch:
Both:
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?
Yep. . .in fact, here's my email : beyondexpectations@soon.com Once I have a mentor, we can do phone numbers in a pm.
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.
**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.
My weekends can be hectic depending on what I'm doing, so let's assume I won't be posting on weekends. That way, if I do, I can feel accomplished.
Thanks sincerely for doing this. I was intimidated about switching when I first read up about it (mostly worried I'd screw up amounts and make my ferts deficient in something or other), so this is absolutely perfect. You guys rock!
I have two ferrets.
Stitch:
Middle aged (vet diagnosis, got both from a previous owner who didn't know either), male and no health problem yet diagnosed. . .HOWEVER, I took him to the vet on Friday due to the fact that he's way fat and very lethargic (he's always been big since we got him, but lately he slowed down a lot). They did a x-ray, and the vet said the spleen looked a bit big. She's not the normal ferret vet (though she's the secondary ferret vet so I was comfortable with her doing the check-up), so she's going to have the main ferret vet take a peek at the xrays on Monday. So until then I'm waiting on a phone-call. : /
RJ:
Middle aged, male, no health problems.
I've had both since June. I thought I'd only had them since August, but when I was getting the pics for them I saw that the first pics were from June, not August! Time flies, huh? (I may have written elsewhere in this thread that I've had them since August but I can't find it at a quick skim-through >.> so if you do see it, ignore it. )
2. What are your ferrets currently eating? Include their main diet, plus any treats or supplements (such as duk soup).
Zupreem and occasional ferretone (maybe once a week, tsp each). I've tried store bought duck soup and I got upturned noses. -_- I figured I'd hold on the duk soup until I get them to eat raw, and start a mashup of kibble and ground meat once they're accustomed to eating something other than icky kibble.
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to?
Raw and whole prey.
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet?
I want healthier ferrets and, well, I've never liked feeding kibble to any animals. I was always concerned as a child that it didn't taste very good, and it always seemed very unnatural. Plus, the health benefits to raw make it very much worthwhile.
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets?
I forget where. I think I was just reading pet forums (might have been a dog one) and someone mentioned BARF. I was curious about it, so did a lot of searching around and reading up on how beneficial it was and the owners' thoughts, To this day I have not seen a single negative comment about feeding raw or whole prey.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone?
RJ: 2lbs. I'd say prolly mostly muscle, he's a very active guy and mmm. . .sleeps maybe 14-16 hours. Always seems like he's full of energy.
Stitch: 3lbs, exact opposite. He has waaay too much fat, has since we got him in August of this year. I thought it might be due to the fact that the owners fed mazumi, which is loooow on kibble foods. He switched to Zupreem just fine, and I thought the problem would sort itself out. I was totally wrong, and now am hoping I didn't do something wrong.
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?)
Tarter.
RJ:
Stitch:
8. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat.
Stitch: Very thick and soft dark eyed white.
RJ: Soft, not quite as thick as Stitch, sable. He's a very sleek ferret all around.
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom?
I'd say RJ goes more often than Stitch, but for all I know Stitch is the one who keeps finding the dark corners to poo in. *sigh* RJ I'd say every 2-4 hours, Stitch maybe 3-6? I always catch RJ pooing and peeing, but Stitch is the ninja pooer.
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell?
I don't really notice it. The only time I do is if I lean over it, and PHEW! But I'd say they're normal pet feces smell (don't really notice urine at all, I think it's more of a thick musky smell that's more of a background thing).
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor?
Not strong at all. I have to bury my nose in their fur to really get a good whiff. But, I think it has improved since we got them a bigger cage. Before they were in a rather small one, and they were pretty heady.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level?
RJ: 8
Stitch: 2
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)?
Both are free feeding right now, but RJ is pretty meh about food. He hardly ever stashes. Stitch, however. . . I used to put food out on the kitchen floor when I had them out, and Stitch would lay on the plate and eat. I've pulled the plate on the floor thing and Stitch has ceased the gorging. I think he's either bored or depressed, but it's really hard to get Stitch excited about anything. I think the most excited he gets is when I take out the plastic bags. He loves those.
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. The most I ever tried was a piece of chicken here or the duk soup. The duk soup I tried for about five days straight, leaving it out until it got congealed (icky) and tossing it and trying it again with kibbles in it. They refused to touch it.
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share?
Stitch is really mellow. The kind of mellow where he hardly squirms when you pick him up. It worried me, because RJ is the exact opposite and RJ is the 'normal' ferret here. I'm hoping the raw diet will perk him up some as well as making both of them healthier. They're both really sweet, and do well with strangers. They even forgive me for poking and prodding at them when I do strange human things like take pictures of their teeth. XD
They're my fur babies
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below:
RJ:
Stitch:
Both:
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?
Yep. . .in fact, here's my email : beyondexpectations@soon.com Once I have a mentor, we can do phone numbers in a pm.
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.
**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.
My weekends can be hectic depending on what I'm doing, so let's assume I won't be posting on weekends. That way, if I do, I can feel accomplished.
Thanks sincerely for doing this. I was intimidated about switching when I first read up about it (mostly worried I'd screw up amounts and make my ferts deficient in something or other), so this is absolutely perfect. You guys rock!