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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 8, 2010 11:09:13 GMT -5
It is horribly sad to see ferrets not being taken care of, skinny, without hammocks or anything I know, I've been there. But now they are in a place where they can get fed well, played with, loved on, etc - their lives are going to improve dramatically! Congrats on the math - and that the girls took the gizzards! --- but do try to do a quarantine until you get them checked out. Being skinny and poorly cared for, they may be carrying something you don't want to spread to your crew. I'd get them ADV tested, too. My guess is that they are so malnourished from their poor kibble diet that the gizzards seemed like heaven. Keep up with the meat offerings and get them eating a soupy so that we can get some weight on them!!
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 8, 2010 12:14:31 GMT -5
Her two are two boys. Their names are Armad and Cynova. The roomie is actually trying to switch them to raw (thank god). I think the boys realize how malnourished they are. Their bowls last night were filled with kibble sized chunks of chicken breasts sprinkled with a little kibble and furotone. When she woke up this morning, the chicken was gone, and only a few little pieces were stashed. I told her to stick to that exact same thing for a few days, and then remove the furotone. Seem like a good idea?
Zoe is her normal self. She has a new thing in her bowl this morning. Lamb chops was on sale at Sam's Club, so she has lamb pieces in her bowl.
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 8, 2010 18:17:31 GMT -5
So on Sunday the grand total of ferrets in this house will become five. :3 We're picking up the two girls (Princess and Jail Bait - what names!) and their stuff on Sunday. We're both very excited. Zoe had CGH for dinner tonight. She must have really liked that lamb, because she polished it off, and she hardly ever finishes everything in her bowl.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 9, 2010 10:26:25 GMT -5
Lamb is always completely gone here, too. It's a strong meat and I think ferrets always like it!
I'm happy the boys are eating the chicken, too. That seems like a good idea, I'd even cut the kibble crumbles out if they're eating the chicken pieces!
I look forward to hearing about Princess and Jail Bait tomorrow.
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 10, 2010 21:22:13 GMT -5
THEY'RE SO BABY! XD
We went and got Princess (who has been renamed Citrus, since they didn't know their names anyways) and Jail Bait (as of yet unnamed) from their former owners today. When we arrived, all of their stuff was ready and waiting for us, and they were snuggled together in a little carrier asleep. They're a good bit younger than Zoe is. Maybe 2 1/2 months? Citrus is silvery white on her back, with markings like Zoe, and 'Jail Bait' is what Chase and I have dubbed a "Coon Ferret", really dark with a dark mask. I'm a little worried about Citrus, because her coat is /very/ thin, but Adrenal issues don't usually show up until they are a few years old, right? I'm thinking it's because of their diet. They were being fed a kibble that was almost exclusively fruit.
I was able to scruff and stuff and couple of fingerfuls of thinned out ground chicken to the little ones without too much trouble. The coon ferret seemed more impressed than Citrus, who was certain we were poisoning her.
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 11, 2010 11:15:03 GMT -5
The business is good today. Zoe has beef chunks, and the girls have their chicken mush again. The coon ferret (who we have decided to name Sayen - a native american name that means 'sweet' or 'lovely') has taken to it much better than Citrus has. Sayen is eating it straight off the spoon, and I don't have to scruff her at all. Citrus, I have to scruff, and then really slowly let go.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 11, 2010 14:48:16 GMT -5
Aww! Citrus and Sayen are adorable names. I'm so glad that they're young still, switching them ought to be fairly simple. My guess is if they were eating a fruity food ( : ) that Citrus's thin fur is a result of malnutrition and not adrenal issues, but adrenal *can* show up in kits. Rare, but I've heard of it happening. Let's keep an eye on it as she gets onto a better diet and my guess is we'll see a huge improvement. Congrats on the new babies, I'm so very happy for you!
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 11, 2010 22:04:38 GMT -5
So I have them eating on their own in the cage. Mixed a little of the Uncle Jim's Duk Soup mix I had left over from when I got Zoe into the chicken mush, and crumbled a very little bit of kibble on top. I can see Citrus munching on it now. I figure I'll just slowly wean out the kibble, then the duk soup mix.
So Citrus got her name in an interesting way. We were letting them run around, and my fiance was sitting on the bed with a can of Citrus Drop (it's generic Mtn. Dew) in front of him. Citrus decided that the can would be more interesting on its side, and tipped it over, spilling its contents everywhere. A little got on her nose and she licked it off before proceeding to go insane lapping up the soda. Apparently we have a sweet freak on our hands.
I brought them down to Feeders Supply today to weigh them. Citrus comes in at 1.2 pounds, while Sayen is 1.4 pounds. Zoe is staying at a steady at 1.8 pounds.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 12, 2010 12:42:26 GMT -5
While those aren't alarmingly low weights, for growing kits in their first winter, it is a little low. I think the weaning the kibble then duk soup mix out sounds like a solid plan. I bet they will be a smooth transition. I guess now it's time to start really making sure the soda is out of their reach hahaha
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 12, 2010 13:12:44 GMT -5
An interesting things has happened.
I made up the mix again today, using the same amount of duk soup and sat down with the two with a spoon to see who I could get to eat.
Citrus dug right in! No kibble or anything. Just the meat/water/oil/soup mixture. I even had her eating out of the bowl.
Now Sayen on the other hand, the one who was eating the mix to begin with, now suddenly has to be scruffed and finger fed. Ridiculous! XD
Zoe is loving her new friends and her new cage (that purple and green superpet one, minus the slide) and all the new hammocks and cubes and snuggly things that came with the girls.
Zoe had beef heart last night, and bone in, crushed up chicken thigh chunks this morning.
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 13, 2010 11:47:09 GMT -5
Zoe is nomming on lamb this morning. I think it is her new favorite. LOL
The little ones are doing good too. Citrus is still eating well, and even ate a good bit of plain chicken mush, with no soup or kibble in it! Yay!
Sayen is being a little better, but not much. I'm still having to scruff her to get her to eat from the spoon or my finger.
I noticed something interesting with Cirtus. The only ferrets I've ever seen around Louisville are Marshall ferrets, and so whenever I see a ferret, I always look for those little ear dots they have. Well, I searched over Citrus's ears, and she doesn't have the dots!
I'm really wondering where Citrus came from. If she came from another mill, or a private breeder...hm...
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 14, 2010 0:03:22 GMT -5
The likelihood of her being privately bred is slim because pretty much all the reputable breeders have you sign strict no-rehome contracts --- but it could be that she's a DMK or, depending on where you live, she could be a Real Canadian or a Path Valley --- they are mills but they don't tattoo like Marshall's. I've noticed definite regions where different mill kids are most common. Where I live, Marshall's is by and far the most common ferret. A little north of me into Maine, you see the Real Canadians, and that goes for all along the border out to Washington. In the south and western Midwest, Path Valley is common.
I'd love to see some pictures!!
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 14, 2010 9:57:31 GMT -5
I posted some picture of them in the picture section. :3
I live in Kentucky, so maybe she is a Path Valley? Dunno. Not really that important to know. Just made me curious. :3
Sayen is doing a bit better with eating. I don't think she liked the Duk soup mix, cause I made a little batch without it, and she seemed much more interested. Citrus doesn't care either way apparently, so my next batch is going to be sans duk.
Zoe is her same old self. Beef chunks for breakfast.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 14, 2010 10:45:46 GMT -5
Glad Zoe hasn't changed her 'tude even with the newbies! Sometimes they rebel, but it's great she is still on track.
Kentucky, anything is possible. Being a DMK is a definite possibility --- the DMK rescue was based out of Ohio. I'm going to go look at photos and try to gauge whether she looks one way or another --- Path Valleys tend to be a bit larger than Marshall kids. And if she was a DMK, she'd be a late-alter and therefor larger than the average mill kid.
I'm glad you removed the Duk Soup mix, that stuff always sort of freaked me out but I do know a lot of ferrets seem to like it so using it as a segue wasn't entirely offensive to me hahaha.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 14, 2010 10:57:07 GMT -5
I just check out your photos --- they are sweeties!!
I wouldn't be so certain of their ages, though - they have the look of older kids. Do you know how to age ferrets based on teeth? Basically, if you look at the canines, starting at the tip and going to the root progressively will be a color change: the tip gradually gets more translucent as a ferret ages, and it works down towards the root. If the tooth is about half translucent, half opaque, that's a good indication of about 4 years of age - middle-age in a ferret world. For kits under a year, the whole canine would be completely clean and opaque.
Sayen has a good muzzle shape with some depth to it, so it's possible she's a DMK - but then again, a DMK would be older than you were told she is. The DMK rescue was in September of '07, so even the kits born after the seizure would be about 2. They also had generally horribly stained teeth which make aging them extremely hard. Imagine if a ferret drank coffee and smoked cigarettes while eating only toffee and caramel all the time. That's how bad their teeth look. Even after getting Diesel onto raw, his canines are still very stained, and I even had a dental done when I brought him home!
Citrus does have the look of an adrenal girl, but like I said before, I want to try getting her on a better diet before panicking. If by spring shed, she still looks in a bad way, then we can talk about getting her in and looked at.
Give the sweeties kissies for me! They're all beautiful!
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