I feed 22 different brands of food, including ferret, cat, kitten, and
one dog food.  (I heard those gasps).  Wonder why?  Because I bought the
brands that each ferret that entered our home was eating so that the food
issue wouldn't be a source of stress on them in addition to the new home
issues.  Ferrets do not normally change foods easily.  If a ferret has
been eating a low quality food and then is suddenly switched to a high
quality food (i.e. higher meat protein and fat content) this can lead
to gastro-intestinal distress and the ferret not eating proper amounts
needed, resulting in diarrhea, vomitting, and wasting.
 
Oh and their favorite cereal too - Marshmallow Mateys.  The dog food
came from when I had dogs, the ferrets loved stealing it and even though
the dogs are gone I still serve the dog kibble, to the delight of the
ferrets.  The cereal and dog food help to entice the little ones to eat,
sort of like our appetizers.
 
I also serve 4 different recipes (duck soup - my own versions) morning
and night, that have the nutrients the little ones need and that everyone
eats.  The kibble content in the main recipe is made up of 5-7 different
kibbles (Felidae, Evolve, TF, Zupreem, Pinnacle, SD, Chicken soup for
the kitten lovers soul) with a can of A/D tossed in, oatmeal baby cereal,
brewers yeast, electrolytes, vitamins and supplements.  The other recipes
are made with baby food, one with lamb, one with Turkey and one with
chicken.
 
My goal is to keep the little ones eating well and that includes allowing
them to eat the foods they like, in addition to the recipes.
 
Several little ones eat only the recipes, ferret preference as to which
one.  Peanut and Ferrets are close to 10 yrs old and they eat kibble and
recipe (both are terminal but we take it one day at a time).
 
Peanut has been with us since early 1998 and was estimated at 2.5 yrs
when he joined our family.  Peanut has severe IBD, kidney failure, and is
adrenal, walks on his tippy toes (his feet look so fragile and old) with
his ferrety back hump held high and his tail arched up over his sparsely
furred back.  Ferris joined us in 99 and I was told he was 5 yrs old
then.  Ferris has to have his bladder expressed and has some sort of a
neurological problem which causes his head to turn back towards his right
shoulder then he tips over and arches his legs out.  It's heartbreaking
to see but Ferris's attitude is priceless - he lays there till his
seizure stops then he gets up and toddles around again.  Ferris often
falls into his recipe saucer but he takes it all in stride and then when
he falls over he spends his time licking himself clean of recipe which
he prefers to the baths.  Ferris doesn't like to be assisted and will
struggle to be left to do it on his own.  I can't count the many times
I've put him in a bed he was trying to get into, only to have him crawl
back out, glare at me, circle the bed and go back in himself.  He will
sometimes allow me to hold him while he laps up his recipe but not very
often.
 
Both boys aren't long for our realm, and I'll have to make that decision
sometime, but for now we take it one day at a time and I sneak in as many
cuddles and kisses as the boys will allow.
 
Tle
www.ferretfamilyservices.org
[Posted in FML issue 4836]