B3@N!
Gnawing on bones
Ben & Cassiel
Posts: 91
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Post by B3@N! on Nov 29, 2010 10:34:37 GMT -5
Hello All, My name is Ben and I'm new to this forum. I do not yet have a ferret but I have had 2 in the past and intend to get a kit here shortly. I do have some questions and I'm not sure what thread it goes in so here goes: The kit will have started on Marshall's kibble diet. What's the best way to switch to raw? Do they take to it instantly? The kit will be about 8-12 weeks old depending on the store. Thank you for your help!  |
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Post by jacksmomma on Nov 29, 2010 10:50:02 GMT -5
Greetings Ben!
I just got a kit a few weeks ago. He was ~9 weeks old and of course on Marshall's. I got him home at about 6 pm. I didn't give him any food that night but plenty of water. he saw my vet first thing the next morning. As soon as we got home from the vet's office i offered him some chicken soupie. He ate it and then ate my other guy's chunks of chicken. Sooo he was switched. I didn't give him the raw that first night because his belly would have been full of kibble and i didn't want him getting sick. and the ~12 hours of no food put an edge on his appetite and made him willing to try his soupies. At that age, they'll eat anything and everything. Greedily.
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 29, 2010 11:05:46 GMT -5
Hi, and welcome Glad you are going to start your little one out on a natural diet right away! Please, feel free to browse, ask questions, and join in on the coversations. You will want to check out the nutrition section, read through the various posts there, as well as the mentoring section. At that age, he/she will most likely switch very quickly. I've started them out with chicken bits almost as soon as they come through the door  Oh- and don't forget pics!!!! |
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Post by katt on Nov 29, 2010 14:48:53 GMT -5
Hi and welcome! AS sherrylynne metioned, check out the feeding and nutrition section of the forum and feel free to ask any questions. We also have a great mentoring program that you can sign up for. Both of my ferrets came in as kits who were eating Marshall's kibble. I didn;' even bother buying kibble. The second they came through my door, they got nothing to eat but raw meats and loved it! Koda - my first - was as easy as pie. I put a chicken wing in front of him, and he gobbled it up (hissing at me I might add ). Kenai, the kit I brought home a few days ago, was more difficult. The first night wouldn't eat raw chunks so he got my version of "duck soup" made from raw meat, boiled chicken, squash (for fiber), and meat baby food. I put raw chunks in it and in the morning the soup and chunks were gone! After than he went right to eating chunks, bones, and killing his first whole prey as if it were nothing! Kits are ravenous little beasts, and they have not yet imprinted on their food (this happens at around 4-8 months I believe, I don't remember exactly I haven't looked it up since I first brought Koda home, sorry  ). Anyways, they will eat almost anything that you put in front of them. Which is a good and a bad thing sometimes.  Switching a kit should be easy, and you can get a feel for diet in the F&N section of the forum. You can still sign up for a mentor if you would like and they can help you with anything the kit may be stubborn about, and getting a properly balanced menu set up and what not. Or you are welcome to just start your own feeding thread and ask questions there too. Whatever you prefer. I can't wait to see pictures!!!! javascript:add("%20  %20") |
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Post by Heather on Nov 29, 2010 17:01:38 GMT -5
Hi and welcome Please feel free to prowl, check out the various threads and post questions. Everyone's friendly and more than willing to help out. Don't sweat the kibbles for the baby. They're just furry tummies with teeth . Napoleon was eating a thickened soupy while we were going through the checkout at the petstore. The clerks were sure he was going to drop dead on the spot The poor wee thing handn't eaten since he and his little fellow travellers had come in the afternoon before. They were being fed kibbles and kibble mush, and some sort of really stinky soupy  Napoleon was purchased as a fert friend for Little Mischief who had just lost a friend who didn't survive a surgery. Mischief's dinner was in the travelling cage that we popped Napoleon in so we could finish paying for him and doing all the paper work. Mischief moved aside to let the kit eat and Napoleon cleaned the bowl. He never looked at another kibble again. Please post pics when you finally choose your little furfriend, pictures are always appreciated ciao |
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Post by sunnyberra on Nov 29, 2010 17:51:29 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. Like a lot of others said, generally kits are appallingly simple to switch. Both of my babies were switched the same evening as I got them (cubed boneless chicken breast). Yogi (first kit I switched) had a bit of crushed kibble dusted over his, becuase I didn't think he'd eat the meat otherwise. I was wrong and he spent minutes nudging off the bigger kibbles so that he could eat the meat plain. I learned after that, and my next kit, Sian, got a bowl of the chicken bits plain a few hours after coming home. She ate them right away Also, - when you get your baby! |
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B3@N!
Gnawing on bones
Ben & Cassiel
Posts: 91
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Post by B3@N! on Dec 2, 2010 10:35:00 GMT -5
Great update! Initially my partner was not accepting of a ferret but he is allowing me to get one for Christmas!! I will post pictures as soon as I get the fuzzy.
The color I want is a Black Mitt or a Black Sable. I'm so excited!
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Post by jacksmomma on Dec 2, 2010 10:38:52 GMT -5
Whatever little fuzzy you end up with will win him over and he'll be wanting a second one! they're too sweet to not fall in love with!  |
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Post by 3kaw on Dec 2, 2010 14:14:08 GMT -5
Welcome! Happy christmas present shopping! We just brought home a 6month old, and gave him raw coming through the door. On day 3 and eating better then my other 3 who are still in the process of switching. |
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 2, 2010 18:41:51 GMT -5
Congratulations on the permissions You will have the time of your life with a ferret in it |
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Post by katt on Dec 2, 2010 19:26:07 GMT -5
Great update! Initially my partner was not accepting of a ferret but he is allowing me to get one for Christmas!! I will post pictures as soon as I get the fuzzy. The color I want is a Black Mitt or a Black Sable. I'm so excited! As someone who has done the Only Ferret thing...I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend going with a pair. Having one ferret is a Million times the work of having 2! To give you an idea... holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talking&action=display&thread=5903 |
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B3@N!
Gnawing on bones
Ben & Cassiel
Posts: 91
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Post by B3@N! on Dec 2, 2010 20:25:13 GMT -5
Well the ferret would be one of three pets which is somewhat the argument to get the fuzzy. I have a Silver Bengal cat and a German Shepherd dog. The dog is getting WAY too big for the cat and sometimes that cat would like a break.
I proposed that the ferret would get along with the cat because of the size matters and the dog would have a new playmate that would keep bouncing back for more. All under strict supervision of course.
My work schedule allows me to be home a lot too and I'm kind of a homebody anyway so I would definitely be part of the playtime. A second ferret MIGHT come at a later date but the fuzzy I buy now would definitely NOT be the only animal in the house.
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Post by 3kaw on Dec 2, 2010 21:43:33 GMT -5
LOL yes thats how we started... I got 'permission' for one. We have 4 now. LOL Shhh dont tell your partner that he may back out. |
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Post by Heather on Dec 2, 2010 23:52:47 GMT -5
Take care thinking that kitty will appreciate this little intruder. Your kitty could but I wouldn't go into this relationship thinking they're were going to be best friends. We do have people here on board that have ferrets and kitties who think they're siblings. They sleep, eat and share sleeping places. A lot more of us have cats that want nothing to do with those flying weasels, who bite too hard, are totally unpredictable, use kitty's litter boxes, steal their toys and make sleeping peacefully in the sun totally impossible Please understand this is only a warning, I'm not saying that your cat won't get along with your ferret. I'm just saying there is a very good possibility that they won't get along. My cats are willing to share sleeping spots with Napoleon, only Napoleon. There rest of the furbabies are greeted with hisses, slaps and bites. Mad Max lost an eye and part of his tongue to a kitty's paws and claws. ciao |
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B3@N!
Gnawing on bones
Ben & Cassiel
Posts: 91
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Post by B3@N! on Dec 3, 2010 7:12:33 GMT -5
I love how loving everyone is here. Heather, you are very right in the sense that my cat may not accept a fuzzy. I am definitely hoping for the best and I feel I might have a good chance since the dog and cat are both only a few months old. Time will tell though and of course I will post pictures.
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