There is this company out there called Marshall Farms it is selling stuff for ferrets and telling humans that the stuff they sell is good for our cousins. We have to ask you humans that are owned by ferrets to be careful and be sure it is safe and okay for your ferrets. We are going to give you and example of what we mean.
" Uncle Jim's" Original Duck Soup: It may be their original Duck Soup but it is NOT the real Duck soup!!!!!!
The real Duck soup was designed for and used to help ferrets that have insulinoma; a long; long; long; time ago, way before we was borned. The real Duck Soup was designed/made by a human that was owned by ferrets and the one ferret that had insulinoma was named Duck. That is why it was named DUCK SOUP!
Now the Marshall Farms soup is NOT harmful BUT it does not appear to have the ingredients that are necessary to help your ferret that has insulinoma. So if you are buying the Marshall Farms "Uncle Jim's" Original Duck Soup for the purpose of insulinoma it can not help our cousins the way the REAL DUCK SOUP was designed for!
So PLEEAASE if you have a sick ferret go on line and look for the REAL DUCK SOUP so your fuzz Butt will get the correct ingredients they need to help make them feel better. There are many many versions that contain the correct ingredients for the purpose of helping fur kids with insulinoma.
If some of our cousins have never tasted REAL DUCK SOUP we wants you humans to treat them to some before they is sick and needs it! We ferts don'ts like to try new things when we is sick. Dad makes us soup at least three or four times a week ; we looooove Real Duck Soup. Our sissy Sierra gots it 2 times a day after her Adrenal surgury to make sure she would get better quicker! AND SHE DID!!!!
Here are some places to find some recipes:
Archives of the FML http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?S1=ferret-search&D=0
Ferret Health List http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth Lakeroad Ferret Farm ferretfarm@earthlink.net Our Dad feeds us Aunte Brenda's REAL DUCK SOUP UMM UMM GOOD !!
TheTerribleTrio
Stevy, Sierra, & Frosty
A Note from Uncle Mike Janke
Just a little note to let you know that the ferret who the soup was made for was actually named "Lucki Duck", hence the duck soup name.
This is from Ann Davis of Acme Ferret...
"Lucki Duck the Acme ferret is no longer around, but his soup recipe is still doing wonders for old and stressed ferrets."
Mike
Thank You Uncle Mike !!
Lakeroad Ferret Farm Rescue Shelter
Duck Soup
Ferret (Duck) Soup
2 cups (2 cups kibble) or your kibble mix
(I save all my crumbs to use for soup) 12 Papaya Enzyme Tablets
2 tsp. Lecithin (dry)
2 caps dry Vitamin E
2 ml. Karo Syrup
2 Pet Tabs for Cats
2 ml. Pet Tinic
**1 can A/D
**1 sm. Jar baby food…chicken (IAMS?)
2-½ cups water (more if you want soup thinner)
Let mixture sit for 30 minutes to allow minerals to “work”. Only good in the refrigerator without freezing for 24 hrs. Freeze in ice cube trays. This recipe will make approximately (56 ice cubes). This is considered a double batch. One blender full
** These ingredients should be omitted if you use the Totally Ferret kibble
You can also order the dry mix from our store
Just add the water.
How to serve, remove from freezer, place one cube in a small crock, place in microwave oven. Set oven on defrost, heat for 75 seconds. Once defrosted add warm water till crock is full. Let ferret eat it warm. If meds are required you can add meds to soup once the soup is ready for eating. I do not recommend heating soup with meds in it. It may alter the medication. I also depend more on warm water to heat the soup than I do the microwave. I only defrost the cube till I can mix it well with warm water.
How to teach your ferret to like soup
When I have a new kid come into the shelter, I try to get them to eat soup so that I can keep the stress of being dumped into a shelter down.
1. Remove cube from freezer place into serving bowl (I included one for you) place into microwave oven on high for approximately 40 to 60 seconds.
2. You do not want the soup mixture to become hot just thawed enough so that when you add warm water to the mix it will be warm for serving.
3. Fill the dish full of warm water stir.
4. The first introduction you are going to wear more than they eat.
5. I start by dipping my finger into the soup and letting them lick it off my finger, if they do not balk at that, then I take a dropper and offer it to them with the dropper. Sometimes they will take right to the soup, allow them to eat just as much as they want.
6. If they decide that you are trying to get them to eat poison then you are going to have to force them to take it by dropper.
7. I tuck them under my left arm; place my left hand around their neck. I do not squeeze nor do I scruff. Holding them under my arm and around the neck keeps them from backing up and getting away.
8. Offer them the dropper of soup. SLOWLY so you do not get the soup in their lungs. I will only force 1 ml at a time.
9. Do this several times a day, I have to feed soup at least 2 times a day to my sick kids, so each time I do meds and soup I offer the new kids some soup out of the bowls that the kids are going to eat. Less wasteful.
10. Once they take it willingly from the dropper I move onto a spoon, from there a plate.
Food & Treats
Hey! Stevy, Sierra, & Frosty here with a bit of more important information for you all! Now you need to pay real close attention to this because it could mean the life of our cousins so take care and read carefully!
You know when you go into the store to buys us fur kids things like food and treats? You know when you see a package with a picture of a ferret on it, you know; the kind with handsome face just like mine;
Well just because the package has a handsome face like mine on it does not make it GOOD or SAFE for us.
There are some companies that make ferret food and treats that have bad bad bad things in it that will hurt us fur kids. These foods and treats are called BLOCKAGE IN A BAG and BLOCKAGE IN A CAN! At least that is what our dad calls it. That is not the real name of it but dad says we can not say the name of the stuffs we are talking about, but it comes in a green and purple bag with food in it and it comes in a blue and caramel color can with treats in it. Dad says it is full of dried fruits and veggies that we fur kids is NOT suppose to have. So if you see any of these kinds of food or treats that has things like dried bananas, papaya, carrots, corn, raisins and such; it belongs in the garbage NOT in our tummies!
SOOOOOO PLEEEAAAASE do not buy this kind of stuff for our cousins cause it will hurt them real real bad.
TheTerribleTrio
Stevy, Sierra, & Frosty
Nose Flicking
Hey Stevy, Sierra, & Frosty here with a bit more important information for you all! Now you need to pay real close attention to this because it could mean the life of our cousins so take care and read carefully!
Okay I know some of you humans do not want to hear this but you NEED too! When one of our cousins bites you before you flick their little nose we want you to flick your nose as hard as you would ours. See how it feels! It HURTS! It makes our eyes water it HURTS so bad. Now when you humans hurts yourself you know how angry and up set you get, sometimes you punch something or you kick something because it hurts so bad, well that is how BAD the flick hurts our noses. So all you are doing is making us want to bite you more and harder. Here are some reasons some of our cousins nip or bite.
Nipper: This is when they grab your hand, ankle, or arm quickly (we call it hit and run) leaving a bit of pain but not breaking the skin. Most generally this is for several different reasons. Some of which are:
1) Play with me please.
2) Tag you’re it!
3) I am frightened, hurt or annoyed.
Bite: This is a bit more serious. Our cousins not only grab your hand, arm, or ankles, but our cousins literally draw blood and sometimes do not let go. Your first question should be WHY?
1) Have they been hurt?
2) Have they been abused?
3) Are they being tormented?
4) Are they in an environment they do not feel comfortable in?
Once these questions have been answered, you can start teaching our cousins how not to bite. BUT you also have to remember that there is a REASON for this. You must find out, as best you can, the cause. Most generally animals do not bite unless provoked or have been trained that you humans cannot be trusted. Actually you are not teaching our cousins NOT to bite you are teaching them that you can be trusted NOT to HURT them so they have no reason to hurt you!
1) We DO NOT recommend Scruffing; we recommend gently putting your hand around their neck so that they cannot look away, placing their face in front of yours Sternly say NO BITES, but no yelling that frightens us! (Keeping the animal away from your face if you have a real biter.) Scruffing is an aggressive move if your pet has already been taught that humans are aggressive and mean they then will only bite harder and faster.
2) NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, flick the nose, hit our cousins or shake him or her. If you feel the need to flick a nose, flick your own (see how good it feels.) Hitting our cousins is only reinforcing the “I don’t trust human reflex”, and shaking him/her can, and will, cause the same brain damage that human children suffer with shaken baby syndrome.
Dealing with a severe biter: This is a biter that will bite to the bone, and literally hang from what ever part of the body they have attached themselves to. We highly recommend you find a reputable human/shelter that has experience with severe biters to work with, and rehabilitate these cousins. These guys have been undoubtedly hurt by a human for one reason or another, and they will hurt you every chance they get to keep from being hurt ever again. It takes a very special human to be able to hold the animal that is biting them, with blood flowing down the skin, to talk softly, telling the animal that all is right with the world and they will not be hurt ever again. That Master Largo Kid was one of these cousins and our Aunt Brenda made him all better, BUT not before she gots lots of scars on her arms and legs. That Master Largo turned out to be an okay cousin he did.
So what we is telling you is STOP hurting our noses! Our cousins do not like to be hurt any more that you humans do so if you are gentle with them, if you are patient with them you can get them to trust you enough to stop biting you.
Frosty was a bad bitter the lady that first had us did not know he was deaf and when he did not see her and she startled him he bit her and the more that she hurt him the more he bit her.
Our Mom could not pick him up at all he would attack her, but now she gets kisses and cuddles and no bites.
It took Dad a long time to teach Frosty not to bite but now anyone can pick him up and get kisses just like they do from Sierra and me.
Give us love and not Hurt !!
TheTerribleTrio
Stevy, Sierra, & Frosty
Collars
Hey!! The Terrible Trio here again.
We have to comment on some of the recent posts about collars on our cousins.
We know how cute we look with the pretty collars that all of you nice people take the time to make for us but we just want to remind you of a few things.
1. Never leave us where you cannot see us if you put the pretty collars on us. 2. Be ready at a moments notice to help us if we get stuck! the collars do not always slide off. 3. Never put us in a cage with the collar on us. 4. Always make sure that the collar is not tight. 5. Remember there have been quite a few of our cousins that have been hurt real bad from the collars catching on things when we run and dook and dance for you.
We know that a lot of you will not like what we are saying here but, we have to say it. If we can save just one of our cousins from getting hurt we don't care how much you complain about collars saying that you leave them on our cousins so you can find them.
If our cousins that live in your house are like us that have a room of our own with the cage doors always open, and the race tubes always there to run in and out, and all of the other toys that we play with that we hide in the places that you cannot always see you will never know until it is to late if one of us gets caught and can't get free.
Remember all of our posts like this are just to help keep our cousins safe, healthy, and we like to keep all of our cousin's mom's and dad's informed of the dangers that are lurking out there.
The Terrible Trio
Stevy, Sierra, & Frosty
Lakeroad Ferret Farm Rescue Shelter
Nipper or Biter?
(how to stop it)
You have a new baby ferret (kit) in your home. Please remember ferret kits are very much like kittens, puppies, and human babies for that matter. They use their mouths to investigate, taste, and sometimes nibble, nip and bite. I am going to do my best to explain the difference; then help you to train your ferret not to nip or bite.
Nipper: This is when they grab your hand, ankle, or arm quickly (I call it hit and run) leaving a bit of pain but not breaking the skin. Most generally this is for several different reasons. Some of which are:
1) Play with me please.
2) Tag you’re it!
3) I am frightened, hurt or annoyed.
Bite: This is a bit more serious. They not only grab your hand, arm, or ankles, but they literally draw blood and sometimes do not let go. My first question is WHY?
1) Have they been hurt?
2) Have they been abused?
3) Are they being tormented?
4) Are they in an environment they do not feel comfortable in?
Once these questions have been answered, you can start teaching your pet how not to bite. BUT you also have to remember that there is a REASON for this. You must find out, as best you can, the cause. Most generally animals do not bite unless provoked or have been trained that humans cannot be trusted.
Training your nipper not to nip: There are several things you can do. My first recourse for a nipper is Bitter Apple. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES spray this in any pet’s face or on them directly! Place the Bitter Apple on you wherever your animal is nipping, including your clothes. I spay my socks if I choose not to wear shoes around the house. Bitter Apple tastes badly and usually one taste will stop the nipping. However you may have to use it for several days to get it across that nipping is unacceptable. If Bitter Apple does not work (sometimes it is not offensive to some pets), then the next step is for time out. This is a bit more time consuming and you must be much more consistent in your training.
Time Outs: Get a small carrier; place it in an area near a timer if you do not have a timer that can go to the carrier.
5) DO NOT place any food, blankets, hammocks or comfort in the carrier. No amenities!
6) When your pet nips or bites, pick him/her up, get right in their face and very sternly say NO BITES. Then place them in the carrier, set the timer for 5 minutes, and walk away.
7) When the timer rings, let your pet out, and continue to play with your pet. If your pet nips or bites, repeat the process. You must always place your pet in time out no matter how little they nip if you are going to teach them that nipping is unacceptable. Once it is okay one time and not the next, you will have succeeded in confusing them.
8) I DO NOT recommend scruffing; I gently put my hand around their neck so that they cannot look away, placing their face in front of mine. Sternly say NO BITES! (Keeping the animal away from your face if you have a real biter.) I have found that scruffing is an aggressive move if your pet has already been taught that humans are aggressive and mean. They then will only bite harder and faster.
9) NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, flick the nose, hit the animal or shake him or her. If you feel the need to flick a nose, flick your own (see how good it feels.) Hitting the animal is only reinforcing the “I don’t trust human reflex”, and shaking him/her can, and will, cause the same brain damage that human children suffer with shaken baby syndrome.
10) All this said and done, your instincts are the best for teaching your pet not to bite. If you do not feel comfortable dealing with a biter, find someone who will.
11) Dealing with a severe biter: This is a biter that will bite to the bone, and literally hang from what ever part of the body they have attached themselves to. I highly recommend you find a reputable shelter that has experience with severe biters to work with, and rehabilitate this animal. These ferrets have been undoubtedly hurt by a human for one reason or another, and they will hurt you every chance they get to keep from being hurt ever again. It takes a very special person to be able to hold the animal that is biting them, with blood flowing down the skin, to talk softly, telling the animal that all is right with the world and they will not be hurt ever again.
12) I have had many ferrets come into my shelter with such baggage that I could not turn my back on some of them. I have the scars to prove it on the backs of my legs. However, the ferrets I have worked with (I currently have one in the shelter) have become trusting, loving and wonderful pets; most I would trust to hand over to any of my ferret friends. So teaching with love, patience and kindness will get you a loving pet.
Brenda Johnson Lakeroad Ferret Farm Rescue/Shelter
Recommendations
Using Brenda's technique of comforting and soothing the ferret when they bite, has been wonderful. I took in a viscous fear biter about a year ago now. Nothing worked to get him to stop biting. I scuffed him, and spoke harshly to him, telling him no, like all the books say to do, and the second he was free he would come at me more viciously that than what he he got yelled at for doing. I knew Brenda had taken biters in before, and was great at rehab with them, so I asked for her help. I played with him with puppets, stuffed animals, and any other toy I could find that would protect my hands and arms yet still letting him learn that I was not going to hurt him. Let him learn to trust me. Learn that he did not have to bite to prevent himself from getting hurt. This is how he was. He was going to bite me as hard as he could to make sure he got me first. It took months of playing with him and loving him to earn his trust. The first time I got kisses from Chompers I was thrilled. He trusted me. Do I trust him? Yes, to an extent. I trust him 100% to give me kisses on the cheek. But, even after a year, when Chompers is out playing, I try to wear long pants, and shoes. He no longer bites out of fear, but he does bite. A week or so ago, I was having a bad day, and apparently so was Chompy. After the third attack and third set of teeth marks in my leg I scooped him up, scruffed him and told him enough. When I set him down, he came at me like the first day I brought him home.. So using Brenda's technique I have a very sweet, loving, normal ferret, what I forgot was I need to remember every day, that I must work to keep his trust. I also think it is important to remember just because your ferret trusts you, does not mean he will trust anyone. Caution should be taken when other people are around. I do not know what kind of trauma Chompers experienced before he came to me. All I know is who he is now, and that trust is easily broken with one bad day. If you have a biter, I could recommend no better system to earn their trust. Thanks Brenda , for helping me make Chompers a loving and trusting ferret.
Ret
You helped me back in February with my deaf biter Blaise (who is now one of the sweetest ferrets imaginable!) someone had recommended you to me. Your advice helped & she has not been a biter since! Even with other people (except for white socks, she still has trouble resisting them :)
Anna
F.E.R.R.E.T
Ferret Emergency Response Rescue and Evacuation Team
http://www.ferretemergency.org/index.html
