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Post by katt on Dec 19, 2009 3:47:20 GMT -5
So I finally brought a little guy home tonight ( I will post more info and pics and such asap no worries lol) but I have a questions I need answered asap. I already have some meats stocked up and since he is about 8 weeks or so just planned on making the switch from the Get Go. My roommate however keeps nagging me that I /have tio have some of his original food because switching overnight will lead to gastric problems, like prolapse and diarrhea. Is this true? She showed me some sites, but you can find anything on the internet as my bf assured me to try to improve my aggravated mood (my roommate and I butt heads on animal care fairly frequently) and I trust THIS site. So... CAN I Make the switch to raw Overnight for a roughly 8 week old baby ferret? I am going to get some of the kibble they were feeding them tomorrow (I forgot to get a litter scoop so I have to go back anyways) to make my roommate happy even though from all of my reading I was under the impression that it would be ok, and in case he decides he doesn't like raw. I showed him some but he was still sleppy and just licked it. Not sure if that is a bad sign? He is SzOOO cute.
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 19, 2009 9:55:13 GMT -5
I do that with mine if they'll eat it. He might have a couple of funky poops, but definitely!
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Post by zoologist on Dec 19, 2009 10:57:46 GMT -5
as far as i understand most ferrets wont make the switch from kibble to raw. most owners have to teach their ferrets to like the raw food, and associate it as food instead of weird smelling mush. you may have to mix the kibble and the raw until your ferret 'gets it'
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Post by mustelidmusk on Dec 19, 2009 11:41:50 GMT -5
A lot will depend on the ferret. Some ferrets switch over night without much gastric distress. I recommend letting your ferret adjust to a his new home for a week or two before switching just because it's a lot of change/stress. During this time, you can provide moistened food, offer some raw meat and mix a little in the moistened food. That way, the fert will know that the raw meat is edible when you decide to withhold kibble. With the babies, the switch method does not see to be as critical as with adults. But you never want to have long-term "runs" - that's when prolaspse tends to become a problem. jennifer
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Post by ccretarolo on Dec 19, 2009 14:34:09 GMT -5
I got my Ozzy at 7 weeks and he had no problems with switching over as soon as he got home. He had a little diarrhea for the first couple of days but nothing serious enough for me to worry about his health.
When it comes to a prolapsed rectum... There are many other reasons for a kit to have a prolapse. Just be sure to check his butt ASAP for a prolapse. If he has it, just make sure to give him lots of water and put a hemorrhoid cream on his butt 2-3 times a day until it goes away.
If he's showing some hesitation to eat raw... Are you giving him a soup or chunks? If he's getting chunks it might be a little overwhelming for him at this point. You could first try to make the chunks smaller but you might be better off with a thick soup at this point. The great thing about switching a kit over to raw is that it's amazingly easy. All you really have to do is make sure they at least taste the food and then they'll eat it with gusto.
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Post by katt on Dec 19, 2009 14:58:02 GMT -5
Thanks so much for the replies guys! For soup, will a regular blender work ok? I don't have a food processor, nor do I really have the spare $ to go buy one unless it is totally necessary. I offered him chunks. I left the chunks in the dish today along with a small meaty bone. When I get off work I am going to get kibble to have in case he doesn't eat the raw still, and to make my roommate get off my back. *She works at a Pet Store and thinks she knows everything about how to care for all animals and never listens even when I have been researching stuff WAY more than her. Whatever, sorry for the vent, she just does stuff a lot and it makes me angry. Other than that we get along great. * I have to go to the pet store anyways for a litter scoop haha Are there any pet-store (PetCo specifically) bought treats that are ok to feed the little guy? I don't want to give him something too sugary. Last night when he pooped in his litter box the raw food was still thawing and I realized I had nothing to give him as a reward! I let him lick a tiny bit of peanut butter off of my finger (no worries - it was a one time only treat! haha) and his reaction was really cute. He liked it though. Anyways, I want real treats I can give him - I prefer not to touch slimy meat every time I want to give him a treat! haha Back to the transition...if I mix kibble in the soup, will he potentially pick around the soup to eat the kibble?
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Post by Heather on Dec 19, 2009 17:05:59 GMT -5
Just try some raw meat, cut it really fine, like the end of your finger nail. Pop the piece of meat in his mouth, chances are he'll eat it. It may pop right out again (if it does, pop it back in again) but I'm thinking he will eat it. Kits are just tummies with teeth ;D. Napoleon never even looked at a piece of kibble, was eating raw before he had left the store. He was only 1 week younger than your little one. It will save you all this trouble of mixing and mashing. Give it a try and see, if he wont take to it we will talk about what you have to do to get him to eat that raw stuff ciao
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Post by ccretarolo on Dec 19, 2009 18:03:40 GMT -5
If you go to an independently run pet store in your area, you should be able to find freeze dried raw food. You can give little pieces of that as treats or mix it with water to make a balanced soup.
If you can find a place that sells Stella and Chewy's, their Carnivore Kisses are perfect for treats.
When I want to give my babies a treat, most of the time I'll give them a few licks of olive oil or a tiny shred of cheddar cheese. And yes, I know that cheese isn't the best thing for them. It's very infrequently that I'll give it to them but Ozzy loves his cheese and will sometimes do tricks just to get a little bit.
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Post by katt on Dec 19, 2009 23:34:54 GMT -5
Well, good news! I stuffed a piece of chicken in his mouth and he looked all surprised and tied to spit it out. I stuffed it back in and he bit down and was like heeeyy.... and immediately ran to his cge and has about demolished the bone-meat I put in there already and is still chomping! Woooooo!!!!
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Post by Heather on Dec 20, 2009 0:19:04 GMT -5
Congratulations....you have a raw feeding wee beastie. Now, it's just a matter of keeping him filled Let him go a couple of days on this meat and then move to a new one (I usually use a week, this will allow me enough time to figure out if there are any tummy issues related to this protein). You want to aquaint him with as many different types of proteins and textures as you can find. You've 6 months to imprint on this little fellow all the different types of meat and textures that you want to be able to use on him. ciao
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Post by vkoslin on Dec 20, 2009 0:28:04 GMT -5
Jack was eating raw the first time i put chicken in the bowl, at 2 yrs old, previously always on kibble. There's hope!
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 20, 2009 2:55:56 GMT -5
When we brought Willow home at the age of 5 months, she ignored a bowl of kibble my fosters had been on. So- I went to the pet store and bought a bag of the "food" she'd had there. She immediately tipped it over with her paw. I gave her chopped chicken breast- she hasn't looked back since Then again- one of my 8 month olds took 6 weeks of intensive coaching to admit raw was actually a food group
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Post by katt on Dec 20, 2009 4:14:37 GMT -5
Well he ate the whole wing (minus the bone, I am not sure he realizes that is edible yet - he stashed it in his litter.... ), and ate a piece of the heart when I put it in his mouth. He was sniffing around the food dish after that, but would not take any of the food (chopped chicken that I had taken from the same meaty bone he ate, and chicken hearts). Tomorrow I am going to give him just chicken wing I think (per suggestion above - or does "one meat" mean "one animal?") and a small dish of mushy Marshalls food in case he still will not eat the chinks from the bowl. He seemed more interested in the bone, so I think I will put chopped, and a bone and see which ones he eats. If he still will not eat out of the dish, what should I do? I want to get him off of smelly kibble.
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Post by katt on Dec 20, 2009 4:27:07 GMT -5
For foods to imprint him on here is what I have in mind, but I want to get in everything I can, so please tell me if I am missing any yummy meaty foods: beef (ground, whole, bone in, heart, tongue, other organs, etc) chicken (same as above as many body parts as I can find) rats (pinkies, maybe small rats) mice (all ages) MAYBE live prey (not sure I want to deal with that mess lol) insects (mealworms, crickets, and are earthworms and waxworms ok?) eggs (hard boiled, shelled - is raw ok or not?) lamb (not sure, we will see what I can find that is not spendy) Fish (halibut salmon - just a tiny bit - and some freshwater fishes from the store - what fish are ok/the best) canned in water tuna/sardines (just in case I need to feed him this for some reason) cornish game hen (buy whole) Turkey (neck, other pieces) other potential meats, like game meats, buffalo, or something random I can find on base (they have a lot of weird foods lol) Eventually I want to give him some freeze dried for travel Should I feed kibble on occasion for easy travel?
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Post by katt on Dec 20, 2009 5:15:26 GMT -5
I hear smacking and nibbling...he just cleaned out the bowl! YEAH! I just added more food and he kept eating it. To (hopefully) prove a point, I put a separate dish in there with water/kibble to see if he even touches it. Does anyone have decent sources, personal experience stories (other than the already posted help) etc about why you CAN switch a baby to raw overnight, cold-turkey? Good internet or scientific sources would be especially good.
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