New to the forums with questions

[jessierose2006]

Hi my names Jessie, as you know i am new to the forums i have to fuzzies Isabel and Achilles. we got them when they were little and will be 3yrs old in feb this coming yr. I have done extensive research and read ferrets for dummies and yadda yadda yadda. So we started them on Marshalls which is a little pricy so we downgraded to Evo we are now back on Marshalls as Achilles just cant seem to keep any weight on him (no worms or other health issues mind you) he is really super active. where as Isabel is a little tubster who doesnt play other than with me and doesnt ever run around but maybe 1 a month lol (shes been super spoiled) I dont know what else to do with Achilles tho. I now own a ball python and was researching mice breeding (which is how i fell upon this awesome forum ) and read about feeding mice to ferrets? is this actually doable do they eat the whole thing or just parts of it? just want to know what kind of gorry carcass leftovers i might have to clean up. also read it was healthy for them. I wanted to try the chicken thing also but I have a SUPER PICKY SPOILED BRAT who coughs at anything the doesnt like and acts like you are trying to poison her (shes rather dramatic, i dont know where she gets it from ) so i would like to learn more on the whole raw diet program and all especially if i have to feed Spike mice anyway (ball python) I look forward to hearing from everyone

[sherrylynne]

First, let me say welcome to Holistic Ferrets!
And sorry to have to tell you this- but Evo is a much higher quality food than Marshall's He likely lost a bit of weight because there are fewer carbs in the Evo!
Anyway- yes, ferrets can eat mice, rats, quail, rabbit, basically anything meat, fur, bones, and all. They are something called an obligate carnivore, which means they get no nutrition whatsoever from anything not meat based- such as fruits, vegetables, or grains.
Check out the nutrition section, read the archives, etc. That will give you an idea of how we get ferrets eating proper food You can also apply for a mentor if you choose to go that route.
My Boris was like your Isabel. It took me 6 weeks to get him to believe I actually WASN'T trying to poison him with this stuff Now, he digs into his meat and whole prey with the best of them!

[Heather]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
Please feel free to prowl, read various thread and ask questions. Everyone's friendly and more than willing to help out. You may want to check out our nutritional section and read through the various threads there. Check out the mentoring section, read through those threads and it will give you an idea as to what is involved in getting your little ones to eat a more natural and healthy diet. It's been years since I've fed kibbles but Marshals isn't a good diet. Too much fish (diet was originally created for mink...same but very different needs)...makes furbabies smell really bad The evo is better quality food, at least it is until PG messes it up trying to make more money Your Achilles may be a grey hound type ferret. They run more on the lean side carrying very little excess weight. My Yuri is like that, he's a very busy, active ferret and no matter how much fat I put in his diet he will only eat so much and tends toward the lean side. He was also the bane of my existence trying to get him to switch, but we finally have it down. I know if he doesn't taste a certain protein for a given length of time I have to start all over again with the curled lip and the gagging . I make him eat it anyway and tell him it's good for him
Good luck, I hope I will be seeing you and hearing more about your little ones. Photos are always appreciated too
ciao

[1]

Welcome to the forum, I've been fighting a losing battle to stay active this fall/winter now that the sun is down at 4:20 But with some encouragement I may still have some uses. If help like a good game gets me focused on what little time i have to give I may be able to tell you simple things like most ferrets can only handle cold for a few minutes then shiver, and need brought back to the warm. (assuming you have winter). Or that a walking collier isn't good enough, even a special harness 1% lose can be slipped out of. Or that their love is more powerful then the sun and a cure for depression. Other then that I sometimes feel like I lost my touch and am not very ferret smart anymore. But we are a forum of team work and everyone hear are like cyber super hero's of the ferret world. Maby one day I'll come out of hibernation and be able to tell you awesome things again like never let a ferret in a large body of water unless your shire they can climb out. t.g.i.f. and good night!!!

[katt]

Nov 5, 2010 17:05:37 GMT -5 sherrylynne said:

First, let me say welcome to Holistic Ferrets!
And sorry to have to tell you this- but Evo is a much higher quality food than Marshall's He likely lost a bit of weight because there are fewer carbs in the Evo!
Anyway- yes, ferrets can eat mice, rats, quail, rabbit, basically anything meat, fur, bones, and all. They are something called an obligate carnivore, which means they get no nutrition whatsoever from anything not meat based- such as fruits, vegetables, or grains.
Check out the nutrition section, read the archives, etc. That will give you an idea of how we get ferrets eating proper food You can also apply for a mentor if you choose to go that route.
My Boris was like your Isabel. It took me 6 weeks to get him to believe I actually WASN'T trying to poison him with this stuff Now, he digs into his meat and whole prey with the best of them!

What she said! haha Welcome and I hope that you do look into our wonderful mentor program if/when you decide to make the switch. As you have noticed, they can be veeery particular about their food, so having a one-on-one thread in which your mentor can guide you through every step and difficulty, as well as answer any questions along the way...well it is a great opportunity and I have not seen anything like it elsewhere. If you do not go with a raw diet, I would highly recommend looking into a higher quality kibble for your fert's health as (sorry but...) Marshalls is actually one of the worst kibbles out there other than Kaytee, Wal-Mart, and Cat food! lol


Also, as Sherrylynne said there are fewer carbs (a GOOD thing in Evo. I recently learned that most (or many at least) ferrets in the US are actually kept a bit overweight, so his weight loos might have actually been a good thing. On a good diet high in animal protein, they will become leaner, and more muscular. But you've got to lose a little fat before you start to put on a lot of muscle. I imagine what you saw was that transition. It is just like in people, healthier diet, leaner body. More protein means more building blocks for muscle. You will find on a raw/high quality kibble diet your ferts will be leaner, muscular, have thicker, softer, shinier fur, cleaner teeth and ears (the ears part is debatable depending on he ferret haha some just h ave Dirty ears regardless), better breath, the will smell a Million times better, will be more excited about meal times, and will be in better health overall.

I wish you the best and look forwards to seeing you around the forum! And we LOVE pictures if you have any!

[jessierose2006]

thanks for the welcome i wanted to post pics but im not very good with computers and wasnt sure how to add pics to the forums...

Yea Achilles has been a toothpick since we picked him up 3 yrs ago i switched off evo to make my bf feel better as he is very worrysome when it comes to our fuzzies its rather cute actually, Achilles will ONLY give him kisses and if he is playing a video game achilles will sneak up bite his big toe then run and look at him like NAH NAH what are you gonna do

Isabel goes for car rides, goes to work, she is very very spoiled the petstore i go to gives her a treat everytime she goes there.

I try to take them outside in our yard isabel loves the outside she plays chase and the real killer is she knows where the door is and which apartment is ours (we used to live upstairs and she would climb all 20 stairs herself and all well we moved downstairs and when it was time to come in she ran up to our old apartment! i was very surprised but now she knows that we are downstairs)
Achilles on the other hand is terrified of the outside world and gets out of every harness available. this of course is because his father didnt want me teaching him manners or taking him places and now i think he regrets it because he has a little terror

I do take isabel out in the snow for 5 mins with her little sweater on then we come inside.

[jessierose2006]

aha found the thread on posting pics so here are a few.

isabel is the silver mitt achilles is the sable

[Heather]

Now, aren't they the cutest batch of little troublemakers Absolutely adorable
ciao

[sherrylynne]

Oh, they are sweet

[eschimpf]

So adorable!

[katt]

They are too cute. I'm hoping to have a sable/silver duo eventually too. It is a nice color balance. They are both adorable.

[jessierose2006]

thanks for all the compliments they started out close to the same color but every spring isabel looses more color esp on her face she had a mask now she looks like a bad eye makeup job