Yes,
the bird seed poops are frim undigested matter, especially fats.
The green tinge is from bile. The food is moving through your ferret's system too quickly.
How long has this ferret been eating the raw food?
How long has your ferrt has these birdseed poops?
Did these poops start with the raw diet?
How were your ferret's poops on kibble?
Did your ferret ave any occasional trouble on kibble?
Any stress for your ferrets recently? Added a new ferret, etc.
How old is your ferret?
Is it a male or female ferret?
?
Has your ferret ben given any medications or vaccinations within the last 2 months?
Many things can cause ferrets to get birdseed and green-tinged poops. SInce only one of your ferrets is having a problem, I suspect he (?) may have a sensitive tummy and may be a ferret that stresses out more easily than the others.
ECE tends to affect multiple ferrets in a group. Any significant bacterial issues from food would be showing up in more than one ferret . However, if you have a ferret with a sensitive system, bacteria may grow in the gut when your ferret is under additional stress (such as a vaccination, medication, changes at home, etc.)Bacterial overgrowth can typically be cleared up with a run of antibiotics.
Some ferrets have food sensitivities. The most common meat source ferrets tend to be sensitive to is chicken. It's beleived that this is because most kibbles are chicken-based. Years of over-exposure to chicken has led to some intolerance in some ferrets/bloddlines. (Kind of like food alllergies in people) In fact, Pear2Apple's ferret (Apple) was having the greenish birdseed poops on chicken, so we switched him to mostly rabbit and lamb. He's doin grat now!
There are also a number of Irritable bowel type issues ferrets can have. These issues sometimes go hand-in-hand with diet and food sensitivities. Irritable bowel issues can be mild and intermittent, or they can be more severe requiring periodic treatment with meds. If an irritable bowel issue is supected, the only way to determine the extact type of problem is to biopsy the colon. many vets will just try various meds to see what helps since the response to treatment varies fom one ferret to the next, regardless of the type of issue involved.
And again, there's alwayjust the plain old case od "stress poops" that can bother a ferret for a couple of days!
ANy time your ferret gets the poops, you need to keep hm hydrated. If you scruff the back of the neck and the skin oesn't immediately snap back into normal shape (It stays pinched up longer than normal), your ferret needs fluids. You may want to make a duck soup using pedialyte as the fluid if your ferret won't drink the pedialyte as is.
The following is some text I copied from a post I made earlier today. It discusses the use of probiotics and enzymes to help improve food absorption. I used this approach when I transistioned my brats to raw. An time a ferret is having absorption problems, I use the following approach...
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We'll talk about the pro-biotics first...
Pro-zyme is a decent brand. Now please be aware that many people (even some very ferret-knowlegeable vets) will tell you that the pro-biotics will go right through your ferret and do no good because the ferret's digestive system is too fast. But I've also had ferret vets recommend them, and some of the breeders I know swear by them. They definitely seemed to help my ferrets transition a bit easier. But here is the key...I fed my ferrets the pro-bio's with a small amoint of oil in between meals. The idea here is that the "empty" stomach allows the probios to hang out in the gut and imbed in the stomach lining rather than being carried through the system.
There is one pro-bio that I prefer called Vet-zimes V2 - it's really hard to find even on the net, so I'm starting to think you may have to get it through a vet, which is how I got mine. But, the pro-zyme is a good brand as well.
I used the bottle I got, by then, and poop issues had long since disappeared. I recommend giving the pro-bios twice a day between meals. I used aprox. 1/8 tsp. with some baby food or some salmon oil (or flax seed oil, olive oil, etc.) If you're unlucky and have to work for a living like most of us , the between meals can be tough. Essentially, I could do that on the weekend, but the weekdays were impossible to control. During the week, I gave the probios as soon as I woke up,got ready for work, and then fed the brats just before going out the door. When I got home, I fed the brats first thing, and then gave pro-bios before going to bed.
Now for the enzymes... (Papaya extract, which is called papainor pineapple extract, which is called bromelain)
Yes, the enzymes you bought will work fine. You'll need to crush the tablets into a fine powder. The key to using the enzymes (to increase protien digestibility) is to allow the enzymes to work on the meat before it is consumed....When you take the meat out of the fridge the night before you intend to feed it to your kids, Sprinkle a big pinch over the meat while it's still frozen. Allow the meat to thaw over night in the fridge. In the morning, take the meat out of the fridge first thing in the morning. mix the powder into the meat and allow the meat to sit for about 20 minutes or so.
You may want to start adding the papaya extract in smaller amounts first to make sure your kids won't simply reject the food.
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Please let me know if you have any questions. I'll be checking this thread and/or you can send me a PM.
-jennifer