Eschimpf's Switching Thread/Luci

[Heather]

Name:Erin

HF Forum Username: eschimpf

1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets?
Here on this forum, I googled Ferret Forums and checked this one out first, so far its the only one I choose to register to.

2. Please describe the type of diet you would like assistance in switching your ferret(s) to. Be sure to include if you are interested in feeding whole prey (live or frozen-thawed) and if you are wanting to FULLY switch to a natural diet or PARTIALLY. If you are unsure what kind of diet you want to put your ferrets on, please express that and we can help you find the best type of natural diet for your ferret.

I'm interested in doing a raw/ frozen-thawed whole prey full time. My mom has a few African soft furred rats her snakes wont eat so that will start me off, I've found a seller in my area for feeder rats and mice for the whole prey. I buy mostly pork and chicken as it is so thats not a problem. I also get lots of bison, deer and moose, but I don't know if that is good to feed.

UPDATE: I have started feeding him duck soup, so far all is going well you can read more on it here:
holisticferret.proboards.com/inde....lay&thread=6115

3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet?
I used to have a dog that I fed raw to, he lives with my mom now because he had issues with small children, which we didn't know at the time we got him from his old owners, when I called them about it their number was disconnected. I want whats better for Mr. Bean, hence why I am switching

4. Do you understand that switching your ferret to a natural diet can be a lengthy, arduous process? Its not an overnight switch. It can be a commitment of several weeks or even months. Your HF Mentor will be more then happy to assist you in switching your ferret(s) to a natural diet, but you need to be equally as committed. If you aren't willing to tough out a potentially lengthy switching process, or if you have major life changes approaching (baby on the way, moving, starting school, getting married/divorced, etc) then it might be a better idea to wait on switching your ferret's diet until you have more time. Are you willing to make the commitment?
Yes, I am.

5. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names? Ages? Genders? Do they have any health problems? Are they overweight? Underweight?
I have one, Mr. Bean (yes we decided on that), Male neutered, he is deaf. They told me 2 years old but I think he might be younger. His weight is 2lbs 11oz (weighted him tonight, I have a scale for my guinea pigs its digital I LOVE it)

6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc)
I just got him yesterday, as far as I know he has had a free flow diet of living world ferret food. I bought Blue Buffalo cat food (its the best they had at Pet Smart last night I can get the link with information if you need it). There was no supplements given to me so I don't think he was on any, and he came with chicken flavored chew sticks which he really seems to like.

UPDATE: He is now getting duck soup, kibble only at night. Still gets half a chew stick every few days.

7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened?
No.

8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share?
I am a mum of three human kids (5 years, 3 years and 4 months) I also have 7 guinea pigs (You can read more on them at my blog here: The Schimpf Pigs Blog)
As for information on Mr. Bean, he's to new to the family to add anything more. Hes sweet and very lovable.

9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer?
Daily unless I need to go away to my parents for a holiday or weekend, and if I do I will let my mentor know well before hand.

10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible).

Hi and welcome to the mentoring program. In a little while your mentor (Luci) will introduce herself and you can get started on a new adventure in natural ferret care and diets. Please remember to post regularly (daily or as per arranged with your mentor) so that your mentor can assist you move along safely in this adventure. If you experience computer difficulties or are going to be away, please notify your mentor and most of all relax and have fun . Your mentor is here to help you on this journey.
ciao

[luci]

Hi Erin! Welcome to the mentor program. My name is Tara and I'm happy to be helping you on this journey. A few quick things before we get started.

I want to go over what will be expected of you. I don't want to come across as a harda$$, but I (and all the other mentors) have spent a lot of time, energy and worry mentoring students that just disappear after a while. So I want to lay down the ground rules right off the bat so that we are both clear on how this will work.

#1 Understand that this is not something you can do half-heartedly. Your ferret's health and well-being depend on you learning how to formulate a proper diet for them.

#2 I expect you to post in this thread every day. Even if it's to say that nothing has changed since your last post. I understand that things come up and sometimes it's just not possible to do so, but to the best of your ability keep this thread current.

#3 Read other posts on the forum. There is a LOT of info on this forum. I am here to be your personal guide through this journey, but there are many teachers here. Learn from them. Gather different opinions. Ask questions and stay an active forum member.

#4 If you go missing for more than a week this thread will be closed and you will go back in line for another mentor. Please... don't let that happen.

#5 I will send you a private message with my emergency contact information. Please remember that I am not a paid employee here and use this information for a true emergency only.

Okay. Now that that's out of the way, let's get started! It seems like you're off to a great start. He really likes his soup (remind me... is it Heather's recipe?) and that is a huge step. Let's not jinx ourselves and move too fast. Keep giving him all the soup he'll eat and in a couple of days let's try upping the ante. How does that sound?

[eschimpf]

HI Tara!

Oh I was so excited to see that I finally had a mentor!

I understand all of the above, and trust me I am not going anywhere! I am letting you know right now, this christmas I am going away to my parents and will not be able to do any updates. Mr. Bean will be coming with us so I will take photos, but I want have computer access. I don't know how long yet it might be for but we are looking about about 3 to 7 days.

Yes I am using Heather's Duck Soup recipe. He really likes it. Last night I tried a small chicken wing, he stashed it but didn't eat it, I had to take it out this morning. He's been eating 2.5oz of the soup, I gave him that yesterday morning and last night. He ate all of it, but not at once, took him a while to eat it all, is this normal? I'll keep up with the duck soup.

Don't worry about being a hard..... I'm not thick headed and rules should be placed down in the beginning. I'd rather have some one who is up front than someone who girl thingy foots around

[luci]

So is 2.5 oz what he's eating per day or per meal?

All critters are different and since Mr. Bean doesn't have any competition for his food he may feel comfortable just grazing instead of eating it all at once. That's fine.

A chicken wing is probably too big and intimidating for him right now. I would suggest as a next step to add tiny minced up bits of mild meat (chicken, turkey, pork, etc.) to his soup or to try thickening his soup. The trick is to only change one thing at a time. Food is about sight, smell, taste and touch. Only change one of those things at a time. So let's work on the touch part by changing the consistency. Sound good?

[eschimpf]

Oh okay

His soup, isn't very soupy. I put in maybe 1/4c of water into it. He's eating 2.5oz twice a day. This morning he did a little better. He ate a small amount, had a nap for about an hour came back and ate the rest (about 2oz give or take). He's going to be getting his supper soon as tonight is my 2nd anniversary and I will be going out tonight with my hubby for supper, first time since the baby was born yay!!!

Do you want me to post his weekly weigh ins? I weight my guinea pigs weekly and have already made a chart for him. So its no bother to post it ere for you.


ETA: Oh I will try and get a photo of his soup so you can see how "thick" it already is just so we are on the same page. I'm going to go get his food right now so I'll take a photo and post it once I get home.

[luci]

That all sounds great! Eating 5oz of soup a day is wonderful. Are you still giving him kibble at night?

[eschimpf]

Only about 1/8 a cup, but he hasn't been eating it, I'm wondering if I should even keep it up?

Here are the photos:




I could not resist adding this one in:


As you can see its about the same as mushed up canned cat food, I didn't add a lot of water when I made it. He seems to be eating it, so I must be doing something right

After eating about 1/4 of his yummies he decided to take a nap, cause we all know how tiring it is to eat

[eschimpf]

I don't know if this is good news or bad, Mr. Bean will not eat his kibble. He had stashed some chicken skin that was in his soup that my blender I guess didn't want to mush up. I didn't know it until he walked over to his kibble dumped it and pulled out the skin to eat.

I'm going to feed my kids, make some more soup and he ate the last of it last night.

ETA: He ate half his soup and went to bed. I pulled out some pork to add to his soup tonight but I will wait until you post to see if that's ok. I'm thinking of chopping it up so it will make the soup have chunks in it, and I'm talking like 1cm pieces.

I'm also weighing him today as well, its been about 6 days since his last one. Hopefully there has not been any weight loss. Last weigh in he was 2 lbs 11oz.

[luci]

If he is not eating the kibble I take that to mean that he has decided that it's garbage not worth eating. That is excellent! Take it away. He's a smart guy.

Ohhh yeah. That's a nice thick soup. Go ahead and add in some teeny tiny minced pork and see what happens. If he doesn't eat anything that means we've gone too fast. Back up and give him just the soup for a couple of days until he forgets. If he eats around it, that's fine. Keep adding the same amount until it disappears (check for stashes of course). If he eats it right away, WOO HOO! Then keep doing what you're doing for a couple of days until he gets used to chewing and the new texture.

Great job! He is adorable!

[eschimpf]

Sounds like a plan. I'll add the meat in and see if he likes it. I'll also post his weight later tonight. He is a smart little guy!

[luci]

You might want to aim for a mince smaller than 1 cm if you can. We're hoping that he'll accidentally get one in his mouth and eat it. A one centimeter cube is big enough to eat around. Know what I mean?

[eschimpf]

Gottcha

I'll try my hardest to mince it into tiny bites, just like I do with veggies in pasta sauce for the kids. I'm a mean mama what can I say *laughs*

[eschimpf]

So I chopped up the meat, about 1/2 cm. He LOVED it! He chowed right down. I haven't weighted him yet, he's running around my bedroom blowing off some energy.

I'm guessing I should keep adding the meat to his food for the next few days?

I'm really lucky he's switching so easy. So far he's been pretty good about everything. I hope once we get to the bones he'll be just as good but I have a feeling thats where my luck is going to run out.

[luci]

Yay! Great job! Yes, let's stay at this step for a couple of days for his main meals. If you want to experiment with leaving a 1" or so chunk of meat in his cage to see what he'll do with it I think that would be good. If he eats it then we can move faster. Sound good?

[eschimpf]

Sounds good, I didn't get a chance to weigh him, long story short my mom lives out of town and she is staying over for the next few days and we just HAD to play with in instead of weighing.... I know bad bad eschimpf!

He HATES my mom's shoes! LOL