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 Should I be concerned?
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FuzzLove

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Should I be concerned? - Wednesday, November 05, 2014 9:19 PM
Hi everyone I am new here. I have 2 ferrets named Lemmy and Zelda. We just got Zelda about a week ago from a family who didn't have time for her. She is 3 months old. When we picked her up they told us she drinks water like a camel..which I didn't think much of it because Lemmy has always drank a lot of water. Well Zelda is definitely like a camel..she drinks and eats CONSTANTLY. I have to fill the water in their cage 3-4 times a day and fill the food atleast 4 times a day. Lemmy has never eaten this much! She will eat constantly and even sleeps right next to the food and water dishes. This is turn causes her to poop/pee a lot. I have never seen a ferret urinate so much at one time like her. She fills the whole side of her liter box very quickly-more than I have ever seen. She seemed pretty thin when we got her..within this last week I feel like she has already put weight on. I am starting to get concerned if there is something wrong with her? I have to check on their dishes every 3 hours or so and fill them..I have never had to do this with Lemmy or my old ferret I had a few years ago...can someone give me some advice?
unclejoe
Re:Should I be concerned? - Wednesday, November 05, 2014 10:58 PM
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FuzzLove

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Re:Should I be concerned? - Thursday, November 06, 2014 9:42 AM
They are on a dry ferret food from our pet store. She felt so skinny to me when we first got her i wanted her to gain weight. I thought maybe they weren't feeding but thought she would calm down a little and realize she will always have food! :) maybe i can cut back a little if shr doesn'
unclejoe
Re:Should I be concerned? - Thursday, November 06, 2014 2:04 PM
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Seelen

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Re:Should I be concerned? - Saturday, November 08, 2014 2:05 AM
I think I'd try swappinmg food like unclejoe suggested. I know that at first a lot of the foods that are rated well seem quite expensive. But at the same time if you're filling the bowl with the petstore food up to 4 times a day then it might be more cost effective to buy a more expensive food that fills the ferrets up.

I have 2 cats and 3 ferrets and they all eat the same food - I feed them Wellness Core Original. It is 38-46$ a bag depending on if there is a sale or not, but I feed all 5 of my animals on it and it lasts just under 1 month. When I only had 2 cats and 2 ferrets it was lasting us just over one month. If you have 2 ferrets only it could cost you that much in 2 months time - which isn't too bad.

Of course everyone has their own preferences about foods, but I think you can make a well thought out decision based on your income and the chart unclejoe posted and find something that fits your budget and the ferret's needs.

For reference: I fill my cats' bowl once a day and they both get enough from that. I fill the ferrets' bowl 1-2 times a day (depends if they were locked in the cage all day or free roaming, mine tend to eat less when they can be out exploring).
FuzzLove

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Re:Should I be concerned? - Saturday, November 22, 2014 12:29 AM
Hi everyone! Thanks for your replies.just wanted to update you. Zelda has literally grown twice in size and has slowed down on her eating/drinking. None of her bones stick out like they did when we first got her. She looks and feels so much healthier. Unfortunately we think by not havimg time they were not feeding/watering her :( i am happy though she is in a better home with us. Now to tackle her litter box training!
unclejoe
Re:Should I be concerned? - Saturday, November 22, 2014 9:46 AM
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brendan

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Re:Should I be concerned? - Saturday, November 22, 2014 11:30 PM
I honestly wouldn't be concerned b/c she is still growing. I personally just picked up 2 ferrets that are 2 months old, and they eat a lot. I recommend you get her 1- a larger food bowl, maybe medium or large which they sell at any pet store, and 2- try feeding her either Marshall ferret diet (if you aren't already are..) or Max Cat Kitten Food, which smells less, is cheaper, and higher in nutrients so it might reduce her eating habits a little.
[font="'courier new'; line-height: 1.4"]I hope the following information I supplied helps you in anyway possible..
brendan

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Re:Should I be concerned? - Saturday, November 22, 2014 11:31 PM
Also if you do choose the Max Cat food and she doesn't eat it right away, just mix it in the bowl with her old food to lean her over to the new diet she'll have.
[font="'courier new'; line-height: 1.4"]I hope the following information I supplied helps you in anyway possible..
unclejoe
Re:Should I be concerned? - Sunday, November 23, 2014 8:37 AM
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brendan

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Re:Should I be concerned? - Sunday, November 23, 2014 1:09 PM
what food do you feed your ferret unclejoe?
[font="'courier new'; line-height: 1.4"]I hope the following information I supplied helps you in anyway possible..
FuzzLove

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Re:Should I be concerned? - Tuesday, November 25, 2014 10:22 PM
Here they are! I had some better pics but they were too big in size.
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Seelen

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Re:Should I be concerned? - Saturday, November 29, 2014 11:10 PM
unclejoe

... better food also means less stinky poops.  



I wish this was true for my cats. Feed all of them the wellness food, and the ferrets smell improved. But my cats HOLY COW they can clear out a room or two O.O


Your babies look adorable, Fuzz :D
Jfranks85

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Re:Should I be concerned? - Sunday, November 30, 2014 6:27 AM
There is so much better foods out there then Marshalls, I used to feed that but switched to Nature Variety Rawboost Duck and Turkey. Sometimes, if I have extra money to play with they get Evo mixed in. It all just depends, but my boys love the NV, and they've gained a little weight and slowed down on eating since the switch, and they're both teenagers, so they definitely weren't eating a lot because of the kit stage. Good luck to the new ferret owner, they're a lot of work and research but well well worth it. :)
unclejoe
Re:Should I be concerned? - Sunday, November 30, 2014 8:34 AM
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FuzzLove

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Re:Should I be concerned? - Sunday, December 14, 2014 12:18 AM
We are reading a lot about foods and looking for our best option in our price range. They were fed walmart cat food.before we got them and I can see a huge difference in their coats and poop on a higher protein food. I dont think it is the best they can get but they are definately getting there! So our female who was severely malnourished is doubled in size and bigger than our male now! She is thriving I cant believe in a month how much healthier she is. No accidents in a few weeks either...doing great with her litter box!
unclejoe
Re:Should I be concerned? - Sunday, December 14, 2014 3:05 PM
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