New, want to feed mice

[otterwoman]

I also noticed that there was part vegetable in their food. I have to read the info on it, how much- maybe it's just the equivalent of what an animal would get from his prey's stomach contents in the wild? and also I read in one thread that people here add pumpkin for bulk. So maybe a little vegetable is not so bad? I have pamphlets I got from the store on the Bravo products to read. Until then, I got some Evo dry ferret food to feed them instead of what I have been feeding them. At least I can start with one small change. If I switch to raw, I might as well do it for my cats as well, so that's a lot of creatures to affect. I want to go into it with both eyes open. Maybe I'll just take small steps at a time.

[Heather]

Thank you bluemoose and rarnold18....agreed.....there is no such thing as a silly question....the only time it's stupid is if you don't ask it. Ferrets aren't the easiest creatures to work with. They're fun but because of their high intellegence level, poor health and more than a few myths and fallacies, support by sharing knowledge is indeed necessary.
This site also doesn't have the most user friendly search engine so sometimes it's much easier just to ask, as was mentioned, if someone knows of where that particular answer is they will post it.
ciao

[sherrylynne]

Hi, and welcome . Good idea researching what you want to do before committing to . But please, ask away! None of us have a problem with answering your questions. After all, that's what we are here for

[otterwoman]

One problem is that my ferrets will only eat dry food. They've never shown any interest in the cats' canned food (though always in their dry food). I got some more canned evo today, and I've mixed it in with their kibble to see if they'll eat that. If I could get them on moist food, that would be a start.
The cats are eating the canned evo without objection, today, at least.

[otterwoman]

can someone explain to me 'scruff and stuff'? I'm good at giving cats pills, but I never tried to force anything down a ferret's throat.

Also if you sign up for a mentor do you have to do a switching thread or can you just ask advice for a while?

[sherrylynne]

"Scruff and Stuff" That's when you hold the ferret by the scruff to keep them still long enough, and either dab some form of soup on the end of their nose/lips, or put some on their tongue, so they have to taste it.
As for a mentoring thread, yes, it is a separate thread in the mentor section, and you would be expected to post into it every 2-3 days, hopefully! There comes a point in almost all diet switches where it's important to keep an eye on how they are doing, and progressing, and to be able to makes adjustments accordingly. There are also times where some will "plateau", and not want to go any further, and it can be incredibly frustrating.

[otterwoman]

Well, I'm trying to get them to at least try canned. I'm thinking I'd like to switch to either the Bravo or see if they carry Wysong around here (is Wysong in the freezer section or is it room temperature?) but the ferrets won't even try anything not dry. I read in one of the threads about sprinkling the kibble with water, so I'm trying that right now. If they'll eat that mushy, then I can start to mix in something that's also not dry.

[bluemoose]

Wysong is room temperature. It's like this www.ferret.com/item/wysong-ferret-archetypal-1-diet/650332/

[katt]

Ok so I didn't read the whole thing, but I saw the canned food thing. I just wanted to add really quickly that you should not feed a primary diet of canned food as that is very bad for their teeth. They need bones and meaty chunks to chew on and strengthen their jaw muscles as well as to clean their teeth. Be prepared to spend time and $ on dental care if you feed just canned food. Now if you mix canned food with other foods, that is a different story. Sorry if I'm repeating what you already know.

[otterwoman]

Right now I'm just trying to get them to eat anything but kibble. They won't eat anything soft, I'm thinking of the raw food, it's not hard like kibble. Tomorrow I'm off from work and I'm going to get some Bravo and Wysong if I can find it and see if they'll take that. Right now that's my goal.
I slightly moistened their kibble and they aren't eating very much. I don't know how long I can watch them not eat as much as they usually do.

[sherrylynne]

I think you might be further ahead to sign up for a mentor, or to start a post in the newbie section to get you going with them. Some are very...difficult...with a diet switch. Don't forget- they imprint strongly on food, which means to them, anything else is quite literally poison!

[WTFerret]

I've got 3 out of 4 of mine eating whole prey and mine won't touch soup. I stared by giving them full grown live mice and playing on their instincts, they didn't eat the first 2 they killed but in the third try; success. Now I can give them fuzzys for treats and mice as meals now it's time to see if I can get them to eat quail and guinea pig >,<

[katt]

Nov 5, 2010 9:28:50 GMT -5 sherrylynne said:

I think you might be further ahead to sign up for a mentor, or to start a post in the newbie section to get you going with them. Some are very...difficult...with a diet switch. Don't forget- they imprint strongly on food, which means to them, anything else is quite literally poison!

Agreed! The mentor program is really great, and even if you don't want to do that you will find that it is much more productive to start a post in the newbie section. Not everyone visits this part of the forum, but pretty much everyone frequents the feeding section. You will get a lot more input and we can help you set up a structured program. Like Sherrylynne said - they can be VERY Stubborn about changing their food. The mentor program is fantastic. *wink wink* haha Good luck whatever you choose!

[otterwoman]

I filled out a mentor application. The store I went to today that was supposed to carry Wysong didn't; I ordered a bag to try online but the postage was almost as much as the food! If they eat it and I want to get it, I'll have to figure out a way to buy it at a store somehow.

[sherrylynne]

Not sure where you are exactly, but do you have any "specialty" pet stores near you? Sometimes they'll be willing to order things in. Also, have you checked with Casey's Hidden Pantry? She's got some reasonable shipping rates.
www.caseyshiddenpantry.com/