feeling sorry for himself

[lorelei0922]

Well my whole boys have been seperated out but together for the past few months...because so many jills have been coming into season a bit early... they all get along fine with a few hormonal squabbles thrown in so we're getting them taken care of one at a time and today is Twisty's turn for the manly chop!

The nurse loved him of course cause he's such a cheeky but lovely boy... never bites just a goofy bouncy guy...i explained about his back problem and that he'd been healthy since he finally learned to walk at 10 weeks... and they were happy to carry on with the castration. Unlike the others they decided to use an injected anesthesia instead of the gas because they think its safer for him and at 4 pm when he was ready to come home he was a happy lil guy.

The nurse had obviously been givin him a few cuddles cause she smelled very much like a whole stinky hob lol

Unfortunately they ran out of skin glue so Twisty has a single stitch making sure everything stays where it should while he heals and it didn't take long after we got home that we found him gnawing at it... sighs...

so we got out the modified buster collar we had made when Penny's Ferran was spayed and pulled all her glue and stitches out .... and fixed it up attached to a harness .. otherwise they can pull it off...

so now our Twisty is spending the next lil while inside .. on his own.. in a big old plastic collar until his checkup on monday... and feeling rather sorry for himself too.. but the picture was too cute to pass up or for me not to share ....

[greta]

Awww! Poor little Twisty. Don't worry so Baby, that collar will come off after your check up on Monday. You are such a precious little Munchkin and so very handsome. And you're lucky to have a mommy and daddy that love you so much. They just don't want you to hurt yourself, Honey. Warm cuddles and soft kisses to you from your Auntie Greta.

[Erica]

Poor thing! Cuddles and kisses!

[huronna]

That is one big adorable boy. I bet he'll be even more cuddly post op LOL

[yukkabelle]

Omg, I will not be able to stop to cuddle, kiss and pet him. How cute he is. Twisty is in my thoughts and prayers for a speed recovery. Sending many love to your sweet big boy

[lorelei0922]

He is a cuddly boy... like his brothers and half sibs last year... he never ever bites.. never has from a kit... loves a quick snuggle and a good scratch all over...

this winter he topped the scales at over 5 lbs... his brothers were as big and his dad was last year but not this year... sorta chunk up their first winter...

cant wait to see how his coat softens up with the spring moult! though it is soft and lovely now... after castration they tend to get even silkier!!

the poor love though... this is the first time i've had to actually USE a collar on one of my own .. usually they leave the wound alone..

Luckily he settled down alright last night .. didn't hear anything from the living room after we went to bed and he's still asleep this morning so least he isn't stressin out

its like pictures of wet kittens .. you go awwww cause they look so miserable and so cute at the same time lol

[wildbunch]

He is adorable even with his collar on. Hope he feels better soon.

[greta]

I'm so glad little Twisty had a good night and was able to sleep ok. He's looks so pitiful and so darling in the photo you posted, I just want to reach into the screen and lift him up in my arms so I can hold him close to me and comfort him. No doubt you and your husband are already doing just that. Hugs, Greta

[lorelei0922]

He had a really good night last night snuggled up in his lil hammy.. doesn't much like the cage he's in... but is enjoying the extra run around the sitting room time .. the extra cuddles and the treats for dinner... his appetite is back as normal... had two chicks for dinner last night... lol finally figured out who keeps leavin the feet in the food bowl lol

[huronna]

lol finally figured out who keeps leavin the feet in the food bowl lol

HA HA HA that is just hysterical

[Erica]

What is this about chicks? I hear about it, but I'm confused!?

[lorelei0922]

we feed our ferrets on 90% whole prey and about 9% raw meats and on the rare occassion a tiny bit of kibble if we're absolutely desperate ( NOT VERY LIKELY they like to tell me lol)

one of their weekly meals is Day Old Chicks... now i know you say AWWW POOOOOOOORR baby chicks.... well let me reassure you... these chicks would be killed even if my ferrets didn't like them for dinner .. they are the males from laying hen farms... baby boy chickens dont lay eggs unfortunately.. so they are culled.. most are chopped up and used in pet foods or as fertilizer... some are gassed with C02 and boxed up for animal consumption.. ie birds of prey or ferrets...

they LOVE their DoC ( Day old Chicks) if you have a weak tummy its best not to watch cause they rip em up .. fight over them... and toss them around the shed... can be a lil gruesome lol but even my fussiest foster ferrets who have never seen anything but kibble in their lives will have a go at a DoC when i bring them home...

Mostly i just toss a dozen or two in ( 3 per ferret) and watch for a few min then go inside... but i'm always finding lil feet in the food bowl... or in the bedding box ... or in the tubes and tunnels and i couldn't figure out who was leavin feet behind lol... till now .. Twisty obviously doesn't like chick feet lol

[huronna]

Erica, you have to remember that different areas have different ways of caring for their ferrets. Loreili lives in the UK and they usually feed "real food" to their ferrets. I wonder if that is why they are so much bigger and actually healthier then ours who eat kibble. I don't know if I could handle chicks and mice as food, but it's all what one is accustomed to.

Now I could handle the feet in the bowl....but in the bedding? Too funny. Shake out those tunnels and the winner gets the chick feet. Oh my, what a sight to see

[lorelei0922]

lol yeah its sorta like that ... our smallest girl Ivy is a hoarder.. especially now that she is in season ( YAY almost baby time!!) when bits and pieces fall outta the bedding or tunnels she's right there grabbing every piece to hide away in her secret spot under a shelf... lol i just wait till she's done and gather them all up to throw out with the old litter... silly girl...

and yeah i can understand how it could be really hard to feed whole prey stuff... but you do get use to it... and you can feed raw meats instead too... just the same stuff you'd buy for your family in the supermarket... in the right proportions including bones and offal they can have a great diet!

Feeding naturally is one of the reasons i do believe our ferrets tend to be a bit more robust then their american cousins... also natural outdoor lighting, late altering, and genetic diversity add to the lot...

i try to give them as natural surroundings as i can within reason ... and they seem to respond with a healthy happy lifespan...

[yukkabelle]

Thank you Lorelei for the very good update about your baby boy. I am happy to see he is fine
I believe too that your ferrets are in better health because all that you mentionned, food, lighting, alteration, breeding.
Saddly our little ones are almost all sick too young even with all what we are doing in our poor power.
Big Hug to Twisty

[Erica]

So what kinds of raw meats are ok for me to feed my babies? They eat kibble and I'm going to start with soupies as a treat, but I would like to think that the raw meat would be good for them! I would like to give it to them as a treat.

[lorelei0922]

Hi Erica... i would be thrilled to help you get your gang use to some raw meats!!

you can start with tiny chunks of chicken.. cut up kibble sized... try raw.. and if that doesn't work... try cooking it slightly ... you can mix this into your soupies as a start.. then a lil less soupy .. and a lil less.. you get the idea..

Any sort of unprocessed raw meat is ok for ferrets!! no bacon or sausage or ham.. too many spices and salt... tuna is good in oil... fish etc is ok but watch pin bones... and it makes their poo stink a bit lol

if they get on with that... give me a shout and i'll tell ya the next step !

raw meat and bones are the VERY bestest for your ferrets!! Some are stubborn and it takes a bit of patience and a bit of banging your head against the wall lol but if you can get them to like it.. there's no end of the kinds of meat treats you can give them!

[Dar24]

Thanx so much for giving us an Update on Twisty... He has turned out to be a gorgeous boy..
How long did you leave the cone on?? Can't believe he would leave it on..It's hard enough to keep one on a dog..Can't imagine trying to keep a ferret in one.. LOL

[lorelei0922]

He kept it on for 4 days till his check up .. by then the wound was healed enough that if he licked it he wouldn't open it back up...

he is a very good boy really... and didn't fight me at all when it put it on him after eating his dinner or letting him have a lil run around supervised...

he's all healed now and hormones have settled enough to allow him to join the big group again .. he's a very happy boy!!

[yukkabelle]

I am so happy to ear good news about your big precious boy. Thank you for the update