R Awesome ferrets

24/03/2024

Ferrets are OBLIGATE carnivores! Which means they EVOLVED to THRIVE upon animal proteins, sinews, bones, fatsand skin! Ferrets do NOT have the digestive capability to eat plant items! I have been feeding Ferrets as obligate carnivores since 2006! When transitioned off of crap-in-a-bag kibble, they become vibrant, active, beautiful ferrets!Fat ferrets trim down and muscle up. Skinny ferrets fill out and tone up! Oral health improves. Biting ferrets STOP biting! They become their best selves! This video is just one of the hundreds of times I have prepped RAW MEATY BONES for ferret meals! Feeding raw meaty bones is MUCH cheaper, ounce per ounce, than buying crap-in-a-bag kibble and tons healthier! P.S.: their odor diminishes at least 85 to 90%, and their deposits reduce too, because they CAN digest so much more of what they eat!

15/02/2024

Do NOT post about ferrets for adoption on my page! I will delete all such posts! This page is for discussing the proper diet for ferrets and how to offer them.good health ONLY!

15/11/2023

Yet ANOTHER processed pet food recall due to Salmonella! This infection has affected multiple PEOPLE! remember to wash your hands!https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/mid-america-pet-food-expands-voluntary-recall-include-additional-dog-and-cat-food-products-due?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery -announcement

07/10/2023

Stop asking if I sell, breed or give away ferrets!!! NO! I do NOT! this page is simply for people who want to learn the benefits of feeding their obligate carnivore like a carnivore!

27/06/2023

12/19/23 update!12/19/23 Stitch and Dipsy Danger are doing great! They have become beautiful healthy happy ferrets. Stitch, who came in 12 oz, now weighs 1 lb 12 oz! Yes! She has more than doubled in weight! And it is healthy, muscled weight with just a touch of fat. Her coat is thick, fluffy and long. Her before and after photo can be seen in my comment. FB doesn't allow videos and photos in the same post. Imagine that.🙄

7/7/23 Stitch and Dipsy Danger are now in with the regular Gang! This has been a very smooth introduction. I think because everybody smells pretty much the same, since all are now raw meaty bones chompers. Not even Fat Tail Jenni, who is usually the antagonist of the bunch, barely gives them a passing glance! Stitch is in love with Sullivan and both of them are often found snuggled together. Dipsy Danger is loving the massive Axle Rose and his buddy Dusty Rose, but she also will pile onto Code D. Girls still outnumber the boys, 7:4. Tonight's weigh in for these two:
Stitch is now at 23 oz, an increase of 11 oz in just 11 days!
Dipsy Danger is now at 25 oz, an increase of 10 oz in 11 days!
Both ferrets have just about doubled their weight and continue to gain an ounce per day! I offered a midnight snack of "Chicken paws" (feet) along with bone marrow fat and some big beef soup bones last night and all but one toe of the chicken paws got devoured and the meat was scraped clean off the soup bones. I really do enjoy seeing them become their true selves. Happy healthy ferrets! I was worried that they had been so skinny for so long that their systems might have shut down. But from what I am seeing and the amount of weight they are putting on, they got rescued in the nick of time.

6/29-6/30 At their midday meal on 6/29 I added some regular sized raw meaty chunks. This is the same size chunks offered to all my ferrets. Roughly 3/4" to 1" chunks of raw meaty bones. Both Stitch and Dipsy Danger chowed down! No hesitation, no wrinkled noses, no reactions as if the new size of food was poisoned! When they are eating you can see their concentration as they carefully chew a chunk and move it side to side in their jaws. I am still giving them a raw egg yolk daily. Likely will continue until they are at a healthy weight. Speaking of weight; in just 4 days Stitch has gained 6 oz, and Dipsy has gained 5 oz! Yes! You read that right! These guys are gaining over an ounce per day! Considering Stitch came in at 12 ounces and now is 18 ounces, that means she has gained 50% of her bodyweight in 96 hours! And Dipsy Danger who came in at 14.5 ounces ; now is 20 ounces, so she has gained 1/3 of her bodyweight in 96 hours! I added a couple more panels to their quarantine corral, giving them more room to play. A tunnel and a sweet gum tree branch (non-toxic) along with a simple paper bag have been great fun for them! Many ups and outs through the day for lovins and brushins and they are beginning to open up and act like happy ferrets.

6/28/23 10:30 : Introduced minced raw. This is less than 48 hours since arriving at Hole in the Wall Gang! This is their 7th plate of raw meats! They *feel* a little heavier. A weigh-in will happen later today. I got smooches from Dipsy Danger yesterday! See photos below.

6/27/23 07:30 They polished off their raw puree overnight! I want to point out that these ferrets were starving. A starving animal will eat practically anything if it has no choice to eat what it naturally would choose.

6/26/23: Well, it happened again 2 little ferrets that needed to find the Hole in the Wall Gang, have done so! I will NOT say where they came from - such info does not matter. I will say they are 2 very lucky little Marshall's ferrets who managed to get through snake and reptile handlers safely! WE hear so many horror stories about ferrets becoming food for the ectotherms that it makes OUR blood run cold! Kudos to those previous handlers who sought proper refuge for the fuzzy ones!
Names will be changed so they can completely be free of their past. We have a white little girl whose tail looks darkened with grey ink. I already had a "Parker" so was thinking of "Quill" - what do you guys think? Is Quill too close to Kill? And I have already had a Sketch, Scribbles and Doodle. I COULD call her "Stitch" for double meanings - today is 626 Day and "Stitch" is Experiment 626, and the one dark marking on her tail could be a single sewing "Stitch". Then, what to name her friend, a dark sable, with a dark nose and white toe tips on her front paws? OH,oh, oh! I have it! "Dipsy Danger!" Get it - toe tips, Tipsy, Dipsy, Danger - she is out of danger now! Yup, meet Dipsy Danger and Stitch!

I trimmed their talons, did a quick check for fleas. They smelled and felt like they had had a recent bath. Did not see fleas. But will apply Revolution on them in the morning. And will also clean their ears. Their teeth look ok, typical of youngster's teeth. Breath smelled fresh. No irritations around the p**p chute. Except for being malnourished and very underweight, they are alert, active, hearing is intact, limbs functional and eager attitudes. Typical ferrets!

I already put down a water crock for them and they both drank. Good, because their help photo showed them with a water drip bottle - which is NEVER sufficient for hydration of a ferret - especially if kibble fed!

I prepared a raw mush for them immediately with pork, chicken, beef, chicken heart, beef liver, chicken skin, pork fat, pork skin a whole raw egg, and added FDR Chicken and liver with a half teaspoon of pulverized toasted eggshells.

Dipsy Danger started lapping at it right away. But Stitch kept looking for an exit door. She settled down and a couple hours later a solid 1/3 of the large helping I put on a plate had been devoured!

Two deposits neatly placed in the corner of the litter pan and obviously some urine too. Good color! SO, at least their plumbing is functional!

Their instinctive need to survive is literally how breeders, such as Marshall's farms, get the kits to eat their crap from a bag! The kits that WANT to live have no CHOICE but to eat the junk put in front of them!

To KEEP the kits eating that kibble mush crap, Marshall's sweetens the kibble. Yes, ferrets can taste sweet, and sweet attracts them to keep eating, sugars are highly addictive. So if you are trying to convert your ferret off kibble onto raw, always remember you are dealing with breaking an addiction!

I do NOT endorse starving a ferret to get them eating raw, but letting them get a bit hungry will help. In this case, these youngsters had already missed many meals, so being offered a raw puree, was happily welcomed! Both were eating raw puree, free choice, in less than an hour after arrival!

So follow along here to see their transformation!

25/06/2023

If ANY one from ANY FB page has come here from a link I posted as R Awesome ferrets or as Kim Hillegas, please do engage with any questions or observations you choose!

I am so FED UP with Ferret FB pages that proclaim they want to HELP people HELP their ferrets but when actual HELP is offered, all they REALLY wanted was a pat on the back and "Oh sweetie, you are doing the best you can, keep it up." All they want to do is sugar coat buffered replies to the OP, who already know they could do better! I am so SICK and TIRED of the Sweetness and Light Brigade!

Facts MATTER! And sometimes the FACTS don't align with the way we were taught or the way we did something for years. Ferrets, especially get short changed by their breeders, by shippers, by pet shops, by first time owners, by kibble manufacturers, even by veterinarians!

So when we find information that allows us the opportunity to DO BETTER for our ferrets we are beholden to BE BETTER for our ferrets! This means opening our eyes and ears, reading more information, listening to those who have DONE the hard work, implementing what is learned and shared and SHARING again with others and ALWAYS striving to do what is better for the ferrets in our care!

You want to talk housing? Sure! Cages? Corrals? Free Roam? Ferret Proofing?

You want to talk Harnesses? Definitely! Style? Sizing? Always on? Always off? Collars? How to teach? What are the benefits?

What about Bite training? Actually that should be NO BITE training. Absolutely!

What is the best litter? That one ALWAYS comes up in ferret rooms! There are a lot of Mythconceptions regarding litter use. Then too, there is always how to get the ferret to USE the litter pan.

Lighting? Activity? Cage mates? Solo? Multiple? Trick training? Traveling with ferrets? Other pets with ferrets? Houseplants and ferrets? Home chemicals and ferrets?

Topics are endless and ALL can be discussed her openly, freely and without curtailment by the sweetness and light brigade!

PUB Med is a great source for info being tested or previously tested on or for ferrets. Do a Google Search for "Bob Church Ferrets" and be amazed at the info that shows up! I and the Golden boy Roman (ferret in my R Awesome Ferrets profile) had the pleasure of meeting Bob Church in person and spending a day with him! Also search for "Dr. Bruce Williams DVM pathology ferrets" for more medical ferret info. Look into the history of Marshall's farms, this will both enlighten your mind and churl your stomach; however the reality is our the majority of U.S. domestic ferrets get their start from that place. I have been lucky enough to have ferrets from the 3 main breeders in the U.S. and can attest to the differences among the breedings. Still same species of course but the breeder's influences were significantly notable!

As a rescue, I have had now, more than 80 ferrets come to me. This is NOT as large as many rescues out there, but I know my financial and time constraints and I want to stay able to help the ones I can. I do NOT EVER rehome any ferrets that come to me.They have simply,bluntly, honestly, been bounced around enough to be uprooted yet again! The cold hard reality is that by the time a ferret gets to its first home it has already been from breeder, to shipper, to pet shop and then to its first home - that is 4 places and the kits are barely 3 to 4 months old! They were barely 2 months old previous to the distemper outbreak caused by Marshall's farms! By the time I get them, they have usually been from first home to 2 more homes, then to me - "as basket cases", cage ragers, confirmed vicious biters, extremely emaciated, not fed, severely dehydrated, advanced adrenal, poisoned, forgotten in f***s filled cages and oil encrusted hammocks, scared from being hit, had things thrown at them, water sprayed and literally thrown against walls!

So When I say I WILL speak out LOUDLY for those with no voice, I mean what I say, and I will say so matter-of-factly! I speak from a position of experience, facts and with candor! While I may seethe about a particular situation, I do try to NEVER digress into ad hominem attacks - and I expect the same in return!

Debate a topic all you want, but start calling me names or cussing and you will be shown the exit! Please do, present your side of a discussion with more than "my granpappy always done it that way!". I like new ideas, I like new science, I keep an open mind! Do You?

23/06/2023

This tick attack and check applies to ferrets also, that are allowed to wander or explore in the grass. Scruff the ferret using the "Third hand method" ( see video here on this page) and examine your ferret closely. Since ferrets are so low to the ground - do an all over body check, especially the ears! Keeping your ferret on Revolution For Puppies and Kittens ( I get mine from www.Joespetmeds.com ) will kill ticks. But check your ferret anyway!

PSA -Be sure to check between the paws when your dog returns from being outside in the woods. 😳 (Feel free to share)

08/06/2023

Raw VS Kibble!
Cost and basic nutrition info!
Sorry but FB Meta - does not offer a "Files" section on these pages. - whatever FB, you do you, I will find a work around!

Edit to add:
This batch yielded just short of 40lbs, which I cut up and packaged into twenty 2 lb containers. 2 lbs daily is keeping my 11 ferrets well fed. So this batch breaks down to 440 meals!

Remember too, this is from human grade raw meaty bone sources - not spoiled, diseased mystery meat that kibble uses.

20/05/2023

How to give Opthalmic (EYE)medicine to a ferret.

20/05/2023

How to give ORAL medicine to a ferret.

15/05/2023

Kibble cruncher warning!

14/05/2023

How to check your ferrets oral health. Ferrets live fast. Their metabolism is fast. They pack 10 of their years into one of our years. So every 36.5 days our ferrets age one more year in their life! So that 3 year old ferret is actually 30, that 7 year old ferret is actually 70! Keeping this in mind gives new meaning to "Living life in the fast lane", right? So, one of my recent intakes here at The Hole in the Wall Gang is showing various lumps throughout his body. These may or may not be benign. A vet visit will determine. This video helps show a way to examine a ferret's oral cavity safely for you and stress free for them.

14/05/2023

Use your third hand to hold your ferret! "How to get a ferret to hold still for nail trims."An oil free method!

06/02/2023

11/01/2023

How to check your ferrets teeth:
1. Firmly, gently scruff ferret.
2. Cradle ferret upside down against your body so their body is fully supported.
3. With opposite hand, using forefinger and thumb, gently stroke cheeks.
4. Ferret should soon start licking or loosening jaws.
5. Continue stroking cheeks and ever so slightly loosening scruff hold.
6. Ferret should soon give HUGE GAPING yawn.

This is a handy management maneuver that keeps your fingers from being perforated if attempting to pry open their mouth. Is not rude to them by forcing a stick into their mouth.
You can set up your phone on a box or stack of books in record mode and video the entire scruff/stroke/yawn then go back into your video editor and find the frame, and save it,that displays the wide open mouth. I used this video capture method several years ago when mouth ulcers ers showed up in several of my kids. I sent the images to the vet, so we could brainstorm healing approaches!
Pictures of the insides of their mouths also help long term so caretakers can see any oral or dentition changes!

As you can see here, FatTail Jenni is happy to show off her raw fed 5 year old pearly whites! Please note zero tartar or plaque build up, that her gums are very moist, bubble gum pink and show no irritation (even after crunching bones earlier). Notice the spikey, rough tongue papillae. Besides shredding lips when Jenni smooches me, these are used by ferrets to strip the last bits of meat clean from bones!
You can also get your ferret used to this non-invasive exam by saying "B I G Y A W N " and soon the ferret will be yawning when turned on their back and the cheeks are stroked! Your vet will be amazed!

31/01/2022

9 days after arrival and 2 new kids are venturing into the raw realm! Came in with a 4 brand mix of kibble. I introduced freeze dried raw which they ate after a few days. I have been putting them in their own corral at nights, allowing them out with the big crew during the day. The big crew is full raw and free roam so the meat plate and fat lick are always available. This keeps the new kids exposed to smells of meaty bones and allows them to watch the others eat, crunch and stash the natural food.
Tonight I nudged up the transition a bit with a Scruff n Stuff approach. This usually only takes a few times and the *click* that carnivore switch turns on!
Here is video on how to do a Scruff n Stuff:

23/10/2021

Essential oils should be used with great care and many cautions around ferrets. Their respiratory system is very sensitive and many essential oils affect them adversely some can even be toxic to ferrets! This is one more reason to be cautious:
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/22/1048188690/walmart-recalls-aromatherapy-spray-dangerous-bacteria

Officials are looking into four confirmed cases of the dangerous bacteria discovered in the sprays. Two deaths associated with the bacteria are being investigated.

08/10/2021

Water is the elixir of life! Ferrets should drink fresh water from a bowl! Drip bottles keep them in a state of persistent dehydration. Ferrets lap water like dogs do. They cup the water in their tongues. The bowls used will impact their health! While this article suggests stainless as best for reducing bacterial contamination, I find that a heavy wide low sided ceramic bowl works best.
They cannot tip it over or push it around.
Use 2 so one is available for drinking while the other is cleaned and allowed to air dry.
Exchange them daily!
My well water has high minerals and sediments, so I run their water through 2 Brita filter pitchers.

This article is quite interesting, especially the part about discoloration of the noses!

So ditch your plastic! Use clean ceramic or glass for food and water!

I have been feeding raw exclusively since 2006 and the ONLY time a bacterial infection caused a vet visit and medication was after feeding "Arctic Mice" packaged prefilled and frozen whole prey purchased from a Pet Store!

Whole prey I raised myself never created any bacterial infection.
Raw meaty bones fed have NEVER created any bacterial infection - not even after they eat their hidden morsels!
Clean water bowls do not create bacterial infections.

THE INVISIBLE SLIMY MONSTER IN THE WATER BOWL

Ever rub your fingers on the inside of your pet's water bowl and you feel a slippery slime of sorts? Well that invisible goo is called Biofilm.

Biofilm is a collection of organic and inorganic, living and dead materials collected on a surface. It is made up of many different types of bacteria bound together in a thick substance that acts as a glue to both hold the bacteria together and adhere it to a surface.

Biofilm can often be good bacteria but there is also the bad!

Biofilms provide a safe haven for organisms like Listeria, E. coli and legionella where they can reproduce to levels where contamination of products passing through that water becomes inevitable.

Bad Biofilms have been found to be involved in a wide variety of microbial infections in the body such as urinary tract infections, middle-ear infections and bladder infections.

Many pet parents are guilty of simply refilling the water bowl over and over without a wash and this becomes a wonderful environment for biofilm to soak around in.

How to reduce Biofilm:

Remember to clean your pet’s water bowl at least once a week if you can and change water daily.

For pet daycares where a host of different bacteria float around in water bowls, wash daily!

For best results, run your water bowls through a hot cycle in the dishwasher with an eco friendly, non-toxic soap to really clean out the biofilm!

Rodney Habib Pet Health Site

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

(P.S. - I am going to get lambasted over the "wash once a week at least" concept. However, after a wonderful discussion with a well known pro-active veterinarian/scientist, when she studied the bacteria looming in pets' water bowls she found if you have a healthy beast, biofilm can actually be full of wonderful, healthy bacteria. It's like playing in the mud as kids and having good bacteria all over you! So sometimes cleaning regularly can wash all the good stuff away. ;) )

18/08/2021

More than 130 dog deaths, 220 illnesses linked to company's pet food, FDA warns

The FDA says products made by Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. have been linked to aflatoxin poisoning that has killed or sickened hundreds of pets.

30/07/2021

Life is good!

12/04/2021

Fish are part of a raw fed ferret diet. This batch of raw offerings have chunks of Smelt. Somebody in the Business either wanted to really go fishing for their dinner, or attempted to "Free W***y"!

31/12/2020

One more reason to feed raw meaty bones to your carnivores! Processed pet foods all too easily disguise poor quality or lethal problems!
When you feed your carnivore companion from the same human grade sources you shop, you can instantly see, smell and feel if a problem is there!

https://www.newsweek.com/fda-recalls-sportmix-pet-food-dog-deaths-1558246

An investigation is underway after a potentially deadly levels of a mold byproduct were discovered in cat and dog food.

04/12/2020

Season's Greetings to all you RAWesome feeders!
Please keep your fuzzy companions safe during the holidays! Some tips: just use plain water for live trees to avoid poisoning an experimental ferret. Watch those power cords and extensions! Rubberized items fascinate many ferrets and they could chew themselves into a shocking ultimatum! Do NOT allow ferrets to eat or be fed sweet treats! Keep some freeze dried or dehydrated or bits of raw handy for guests to offer! Zero alcohol, pickled ferrets are not cute and often expire. Check all wrapping and empty containers before burning or trashing! Keep ferrets in interior rooms so nobody escapes! Count noses often! Teach guests the ferret shuffle! Don't do the sofa plop, ease the butts down softly! Make children sit on the floor during ferret time! Ferrets love to play in the crumpled wrapping paper, but watch for entangled ribbons! Cut or unspiral all empty wrapper tubing before letting ferrets play with them! Snow country ferrets have a blast in a plastic tub full of snow! Southern snow can be made in a blender from ice! Check guest coats, boots and hats for snoozing ferrets! If your ferret gets pine pitch in their fur, use dabs of Vaseline, rub the fur and a soft cloth to gently pull the sticky stuff out. If you have more tips, share with us!

20/09/2020

Hello RAWesome feeders!
Welcome to the raw realm!

One common question asked:
"Do you use a menu or have a chart on what to feed ?"
My answer:"No, I do not get hung up on percentages, menus and charts. Ferret food should be fun, different, exploratory as well as nutrient dense and fully digestible!"

What I try to do is, if I am feeding raw meaty bones, is to put down a plate of a representation of an entire animal.
So I try to serve brains, neck bones, rib and spinal bones, meat, sinews, heart, liver, thymus (sweatbreads), cartilage, testicle pieces, skin and raw juices. These items can be from a variety of animal sources.
The ferret's system will guide them to eat what they need.
A newly transitioned ferret may seem to eat a lot of one or two types of offerings, don't panic,once their system normalizes they will branch out to something new.
Just keep offering the mixture with the new items.

A second common question is portioning.
Every ferret is different and some will eat a lot, some don't. A raw diet will have obese ferrets trimming down and skinny ferrets rounding out. You will see significant seasonal body changes. Plump in fall and winter, svelte in spring and summer.
I feed once or twice a day. I feed multiple ferrets. I package up their meats in 2 lb containers. I plan roughly 2 to 4 oz per ferret per feeding. But they actually show me if they need more or less.
If there is food left on their party plate after a half hour, they get fed just once.
If all the food is gone after a half hour, they get a second feeding in 10 to 12 hours.
When feeding raw it is not necessary to keep mounds of food in front of them all day long.
Yes they will stash some pieces. But another ferret will discover that prize and devour it.
If you are feeding just one ferret and have portion packed similar to my way, that 2 lb pack might last for 8 feedings. You can thaw the pack, scoop out half and refreeze then when the first half is fed after 3-4 days, thaw the other half and feed.
Remember that a diet is balanced over time, not in every mouthful. If you are portioning as if an entire animal is in each pack, and your ferret eats that entire animal in a week, you ARE feeding a balanced diet!
Always keep on hand for free access 2 things:
1) Fresh, clean water in a heavy crock.
2) Free access to an unsalted lard lick.
Be adventurous with your raw offerings! Your ferret will love you for it and you never have to worry about recipe changes again!

03/09/2020

If you get a carnivorous pet, FEED IT LIKE A CARNIVORE!

29/06/2020

SND:
Sleeping Not Dead
Ferret