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Post by oskimosa on Jan 26, 2011 13:34:34 GMT -5
Hi! I've had ferrets for 6 years now and was a strict Marshall's buyer. I thought it was premium stuff since it was more expensive. When my ferrets started showing signs of adrenal disease, I started doing research and switched to EVO last year. I never thought to go raw until a new vet I talked to gave me Susan Brown's article on whole prey and raw. What an eye-opener! I feel so guilty for feeding my ferrets bad food all these years; I even lost one to insulinoma. I was never told to change their diet, and it never occurred to me to do so.
I've been lurking here for about a week and I feel like I've read half of the threads here but I still have alot to learn. I can't wait to meet everyone here and pick your brains for helpful info!
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Post by bluemoose on Jan 26, 2011 13:43:48 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum! Don't feel bad for not knowing better about diets. When it comes to ferrets, everyone is always learning new things. Keep reading and ask any questions you'd like. Everyone is friendly and helpful and no question is considered silly. When/if you feel ready to start the switch to a raw diet, definitely consider signing up for a mentor. It's a great way to get one-on-one help with all your questions and concerns during the switching process. holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=newbie&action=display&thread=3454 |
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Post by Jackie on Jan 26, 2011 13:54:18 GMT -5
Hello!  Welcome to HF. Feel free to pick our brains away! Everyone here is full of insight and information, and are more than willing to help! I agree about signing up for a mentor! They are a bit backed up at the moment, but it'll be worth it to get that individual time. However, you don't have to wait to start the switch to raw! I started with freeze dried raw, and it was rather simple to get my two to try it.  We all loves pictures, too! Show us your fuzzies! |
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Post by oskimosa on Jan 26, 2011 15:46:24 GMT -5
Thanks! I've started raw last night. It's a bit of a struggle getting them to think the stuff isn't poison, but I'm following the advice here and so far there is progress  So here are the three I have right now, Mimosa (DEW), Mabel (sable) and Midna (silver mitt). This is Mimosa, she's 6 1/2 now. Always been really thin, explorative, but since she's older she enjoys a nice back scratching and giving kisses. Sometimes she'll sleep on my lap. She is the MOST resistant to food change!  This is Mabel, I rescued her a few months ago. She has a bit of hairloss from adrenal disease and is showing signs of insulinoma. I know the people who dropped her off at the SPCA had her on cedar bedding and fed her cat food. She had sinus congestion when I first got her and had obviously never seen a ferret tube in her life. She was really shy at first, and didn't seem to know how to interact with other ferrets... Now she's not shy but her health is not as good as I thought it would be. I really had thought switching to EVO would do the trick. She's starting to take the raw soup from a syringe willingly today. Sleeping with Mimosa:  Sleeping again!  Midna is my little girl, rescued her just after Mabel. I got her from the SPCA, someone had left her in a carrier on the side of a street. It had been so cold there was frost on the ground.  She had a cage mate but that ferret was adopted before I got there. Only pic I have of her right now is this one where she is sleeping with Mabel in my pants drawer (their favorite hidey spot) She is FULL of energy and has the fullest coat. No idea what she was getting before, but her tail is crooked and she was terrified of heights like she was dropped by her previous owners. My little brother also made her alarmingly nervous, so maybe she was around kids...  Bonus pic of them sleeping in their Gator!  I guess whenever they're NOT sleeping I'm too busy playing with them to grab the camera! |
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Post by sunnyberra on Jan 26, 2011 15:48:15 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum! Poke around, ask questions - there's a ton of great info and great people more than willing to answer *any* question you have.
Don't feel bad about not knowing - all of us went through that, too. You've found out about it now, though, and can take the steps needed to get your guys where you want them.
Also, PICTURES PLEASE - we're obssessed!
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Post by sunnyberra on Jan 26, 2011 15:49:24 GMT -5
Or, whee, that was quick, your guys are so precious, I esp. love that last pic!
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Post by oskimosa on Jan 26, 2011 17:15:24 GMT -5
Hehe, thanks! I love my girls. Right now I'm syringe-feeding the raw soup I made from chicken hearts and gizzards, a bit of duck breast and a raw egg. I know they need to get some bone in there too, and I can't remember if the heart and gizzards count as organs or not. I do have some freeze-dried liver I can mix in. I'm not sure if that's enough fat, either...
Midna really really likes the drummets, but she can't figure out how to eat it. Those muscles of hers just aren't built up enough. She tries to tear it but cant. All she got was a tiny string of fat.
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taratee
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Posts: 255
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Post by taratee on Jan 26, 2011 17:27:20 GMT -5
hearts and gizzards are both considered organ meat they will need bone in their soup too or they wont have solid poops. if you want a soup recipe you should follow heathers its pretty good my little ones took to it pretty fast
"8 oz raw chicken thigh meat (including skin and fat)
1/2 tsp of crushed eggshell powder (take a raw eggshell. Rinse it out. Let it dry. Crush to powder)
1 raw chicken heart
1/2 raw chicken liver
Water or broth(use more to make it soupier, less to make it thicker)
Blend ingredients together. Some prefer it at room temp. Try putting a dollop of "soup" onto your ferret's nose and they probably will lick it off. I use my finger. Sometimes this takes a little bit trying to convince them that you're not trying to poison them I find within a very short time they're licking this off my finger. When I see that they're willing to eat freely off my finger then I use a small spoon to try and get them to eat from that. Try to get them eating the soupy on their own. It might pique their interest." direct quote from my mentor thread from the lovely miss Heather.
when you give them food like the drummets make sure you crush up the bones with a hammer or something, mind especially love chicken wings and i go to town on those with a hammer and for my girls who are more timid eaters i then slice up the outside it turns out being kinda funny looking but its a bit easier for them to learn that way.
im thinking raw egg is supposed to be a treat food im not sure that it would be good to give every day when you crush up your eggshells , if you arent using the egg in human food you can plop it in a muffin tin or an icecube try and save for a later snacky.
your girls are beautys!!!
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 26, 2011 17:27:48 GMT -5
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Post by oskimosa on Jan 26, 2011 17:28:35 GMT -5
Posting here made me realize I haven't enough pictures of the new ferrets! I have some videos of them just dooking around with the tubes and rough-housing, though. Well, here's a really good pic of Mabel I took today:  You can really see that hair loss on the back. She's so thin. Can you believe she's put on quite a bit of weight since I rescued her? Here's Midna waking up...  "RAWR!" lol too bad those teeth aren't getting put to good use yet!  |
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Post by oskimosa on Jan 26, 2011 17:32:05 GMT -5
Oh I didn't see those responses yet! Great advice... I have read so much that it's like some of the info falls back out of my brain >_< I'm guessing the egg powder is to replace bone? I'm looking at getting a grinder. Can I make my own egg powder or will I not get it fine enough?
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 26, 2011 17:33:05 GMT -5
I just use a coffee grinder I keep for that purpose  A few spins with that, and it's perfect! |
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taratee
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Posts: 255
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Post by taratee on Jan 26, 2011 17:35:31 GMT -5
i use a mortar and pestal to grind mine up at first i used a rock (cleaned of course)
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Post by oskimosa on Jan 26, 2011 18:17:02 GMT -5
Talking about the egg shells or bones?
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taratee
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Posts: 255
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Post by taratee on Jan 26, 2011 18:19:05 GMT -5
eggshells, they take the place of bone, when i get chicken thighs for the soup i get bone in and i leave some meat on the bone they might like that to snack on, once they realize theres marrow in them they will go for the bones lol. but the marrow makes their poo more liquidy
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We'll get them all there, even your stubborn one! Here's a link giving a basic breakdown of meat/bone/organ, and what they are: