Post by Steffi Loves Her Fuzzbuckets on Mar 16, 2009 9:14:17 GMT -5
1. How many ferrets do you currently have?
I currently have 1 male ferret.
His name is Stewart Colbert. I got him from a friend who could no longer care for him.
I'm not sure exactly how old he is, probably around 2 years of age or younger.
I am not aware of any health problems, I’ve had him for 2 weeks and four days and I haven't noticed or found anything out.
2. What are your ferrets currently eating?
Stewart is currently eating LM Animal Farms Vita-Vittles Ferret Diet, This has Beets, Fish, Corn and Vitamin-Enriched Pellets.
As of the treats he was eating Ferret Premium Fruit & Veggie Crunch with yogurt. (I am not treating him with this any longer.)
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to?
Raw diet based on the whole prey model
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet?
The food I'm giving him now is not nutritional at all, and as I was reading the Ferret.com forum, I learned that ferrets are happier and healthier on a raw meat diet, I researched on different websites, trying to get all the information I could to find out if this diet would be suitable to my lifestyle and good for my ferret also, then somebody recommended the Holistic Mentor program, and I looked over your website, and finally made the right decision to start my ferret and future ferrets on this great diet.
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets?
Ferret.com, bigsis7, ACWN and Fire7chix were some people who introduced me to the diet, and the fact that it's healthier for the ferrets.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone?
I don’t know the exact weight. I believe its normal; He doesn't look underweight or over-weight. I think he may have some muscle; his chest feels pretty strong.
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (Can you get a picture?)
The picture quality isn’t good at all, but as you can probably see.. They are tinted yellow, especially the bottom, the top are almost white. I think it’s because he’s young.
8. Describe the texture/color of your Ferrets coat.
His head is white with faded black spots down the back of his head, he has black sleeves and black hairs scattered down and around his back.
His back feels soft, but under his neck stomach chest he is somewhat coarse, his legs are also coarse.
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom?
I’m not sure, I'd say about once every two hours or so.
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell?
Yes, I do notice an odor, it’s quite bad, though it doesn’t permeate the whole room; of course I pick it up rather quickly after he’s gone.
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor?
Not strong, a bit musky, like a ferret should be.
His ears smell the most. I’m going to buy an ear cleaner soon.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level?[\b]
I'd say 5 or 6
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)?
Not very, He eats when he's hungry the kibble is there in his cage all the time.
His cage in on top of a dresser so when he is hungry he lifts his head to the dresser and looks at me, then I put him in his cage and he eats for quite awhile.
14. Have you attempted to switch from kibble to a natural diet in the past? If so, what methods have you tried. Be specific.
No, I haven't. This would be the first time.
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share?
I currently have him on Bi-Odor, though plan to take him off of it when I start the diet.
He rarely nips and only when he gets super excited romping around, hiding in holes and popping out just to give a nip. Most time though, his mouth is just open as he jumps in and out. I’ve only been bit 2 times by him, and it’s all very playful. :]
He has a kitty friend, named Bruce, who he roughhouses with a lot; they are good friends, Partners in Crime I like to call them. ;D They are in cahoots to get the treats, but I put them away when I learned they weren’t good for him.
Stewart Colbert is really friendly and very sweet; He likes to be handled and gives little Ferret kisses sometimes.
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below:
I have one ferret, these are a few pictures of him. ;D
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, I Understand, and I will.
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, I Understand.
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, I Understand.
I currently have 1 male ferret.
His name is Stewart Colbert. I got him from a friend who could no longer care for him.
I'm not sure exactly how old he is, probably around 2 years of age or younger.
I am not aware of any health problems, I’ve had him for 2 weeks and four days and I haven't noticed or found anything out.
2. What are your ferrets currently eating?
Stewart is currently eating LM Animal Farms Vita-Vittles Ferret Diet, This has Beets, Fish, Corn and Vitamin-Enriched Pellets.
As of the treats he was eating Ferret Premium Fruit & Veggie Crunch with yogurt. (I am not treating him with this any longer.)
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to?
Raw diet based on the whole prey model
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet?
The food I'm giving him now is not nutritional at all, and as I was reading the Ferret.com forum, I learned that ferrets are happier and healthier on a raw meat diet, I researched on different websites, trying to get all the information I could to find out if this diet would be suitable to my lifestyle and good for my ferret also, then somebody recommended the Holistic Mentor program, and I looked over your website, and finally made the right decision to start my ferret and future ferrets on this great diet.
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets?
Ferret.com, bigsis7, ACWN and Fire7chix were some people who introduced me to the diet, and the fact that it's healthier for the ferrets.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone?
I don’t know the exact weight. I believe its normal; He doesn't look underweight or over-weight. I think he may have some muscle; his chest feels pretty strong.
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (Can you get a picture?)
The picture quality isn’t good at all, but as you can probably see.. They are tinted yellow, especially the bottom, the top are almost white. I think it’s because he’s young.
8. Describe the texture/color of your Ferrets coat.
His head is white with faded black spots down the back of his head, he has black sleeves and black hairs scattered down and around his back.
His back feels soft, but under his neck stomach chest he is somewhat coarse, his legs are also coarse.
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom?
I’m not sure, I'd say about once every two hours or so.
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell?
Yes, I do notice an odor, it’s quite bad, though it doesn’t permeate the whole room; of course I pick it up rather quickly after he’s gone.
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor?
Not strong, a bit musky, like a ferret should be.
His ears smell the most. I’m going to buy an ear cleaner soon.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level?[\b]
I'd say 5 or 6
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)?
Not very, He eats when he's hungry the kibble is there in his cage all the time.
His cage in on top of a dresser so when he is hungry he lifts his head to the dresser and looks at me, then I put him in his cage and he eats for quite awhile.
14. Have you attempted to switch from kibble to a natural diet in the past? If so, what methods have you tried. Be specific.
No, I haven't. This would be the first time.
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share?
I currently have him on Bi-Odor, though plan to take him off of it when I start the diet.
He rarely nips and only when he gets super excited romping around, hiding in holes and popping out just to give a nip. Most time though, his mouth is just open as he jumps in and out. I’ve only been bit 2 times by him, and it’s all very playful. :]
He has a kitty friend, named Bruce, who he roughhouses with a lot; they are good friends, Partners in Crime I like to call them. ;D They are in cahoots to get the treats, but I put them away when I learned they weren’t good for him.
Stewart Colbert is really friendly and very sweet; He likes to be handled and gives little Ferret kisses sometimes.
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below:
I have one ferret, these are a few pictures of him. ;D
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, I Understand, and I will.
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, I Understand.
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, I Understand.
!! What I like to do when I get new meat is seperate all the pieces into zip loc bags and freeze them. If you're going to feed him chicken soon after you get the chicken then you can just give it to him (someone correct me if I'm wrong!), but if you're not going to feed him for a few hours after buying the meat you can just leave it in the fridge. And yes everytime you have an update, post in this thread 