glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Apr 6, 2009 21:09:54 GMT -5
That's good about the bone because so far I haven't had much luck finding anything else with bones small enough for them. Maybe when they get better at eating bigger pieces... We made progress this weekend!!!! They both at some chicken liver Ok it wasn't a lot but they actually ate a few little pieces without spitting it out! (although Melinda did have to shake her head at least once - I think she was trying to be sure I realized what a sacrifice she was making!) I am going to be very busy this week so I may not be posting much but I did want to let you know that we are still here. I'm thinking that I may try giving them some bigger pieces of bone in meat one night when I won't have a lot of time to sit with them. Maybe a game hen leg or wing in the cage while I am gone just to see if they will do something with it...
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Post by tsslilsis on Apr 8, 2009 22:18:52 GMT -5
Wow. Little liver eaters!! I'm very impressed.
The head shake was probably just her getting a taste of it.. Sometimes Weezer will taste something and shake his head then lick his lips.
I'm glad you dropped in. I was just thinking maybe you hadn't been on because it generally takes me a while to respond to your posts so you didn't want to keep coming online to no avail. I do appologize that it takes me awhile at times. Life can can be hectic at times. And.. Shhh. We are thinking about getting a fourth fuzz baby. Not certain, though.
But in any case, I am going to try to keep up with everything on here and while you will be away I'll be cheering for Bastien and Melinda in hopes that they will keep taking steps up in their raw feeding journey!
-~Ketlin
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Apr 9, 2009 16:02:15 GMT -5
Really bored at work - thinking of all the things I could/should be doing at home and figured while I had time I'd try to organize thoughts on Fert diet. Tuesday night I was on the go so I tried giving the brats some larger pieces of game hen/bone in their cage. They hadn't eaten anything by the time I got home so I cut it up into smaller pieces. They ate some but not as much as I would have liked. Last night I gave them pork chunks (and baby food, of course). The chunks weren't all that big - definitely of a size they have eaten before. They weren't interested at all. Looked under the bed to retrieve a piece Melinda stashed and discovered a large pile of game hen/chicken It wasn't really dried out so I'm figuring it was most of what I thought they ate Tuesday. I know that they are both dropping their "extra" winter weight but neither of them can really have much extra and Bastien is already looking a lot thinner. (Yes, I am rationalizing giving in to the brats) I took the pork that they weren't eating, added some game hen, chicken liver, and lamb and made soup. Naturally, they were much more interested in the soup than in their first course Tonight I will be on the go again so they will get the soup with some game hen bone that I already cut up. I am going to put the food in the cage so I will have a better idea of what they eat while I'm gone (without having to check under the furniture!) I think I need to start a journal of what kinds of meat they are getting when. I have been trying to mix it up but it still seems like chicken/game hen is the majority of their diet. (I even started thinking about whole prey but then I looked at Rodentpro.com again - just can't do it. Raised too many hamsters, gerbils, squirrels, guinea pigs ... can't feed pets to my pets even if they are already dead I keep trying to tell myself that meat is meat and I have no problem with the stuff I buy at the grocery but it just doesn't LOOK like some of my babies... Yes, I am a whuss! )
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Post by tsslilsis on Apr 11, 2009 23:19:24 GMT -5
Don't feel bad. Obviously they are eating some of it.. If they had been stashing everything then they would be have they would probably be Very skinny by now.. And they did eat the liver while you were watching them the other day so that is a start.
So are you thinking everything you found stashed was from Tuesday or do you think they have been stashing it all along?
I have problems feeding whole prey, too.. And I have been holding them back from trying live prey. My sister feeds them their whole prey. I can't stand to do it because I have had mice as pets and I have kept a new born wild mouse alive for 3 days by nursing it with an eye dropper and KRM which is a good accomplishment. I went to get the pups breakfast out the otherday to see a frozen, skinned sheeps head stearing at me, eyeballs and all. It was the most disgusting sight. And the babies have their own freezers, btw, so that stuff doesn't get out human food icky.
You could get them some skinned rabbits, I think Rodent Pro has them.. Looks less pet-like And if you ever do become interested in feeding them mice, let me know.. There is a small family owned place here that raises them and even after shipping they are WAY cheaper than Rodent Pro. I am so glad we found them, and since they are right by us we don't even have to pay any shipping.
I don't know if this was mentioned somewhere down the line but when Melinda or Bastien is acting like what you are feeding them is gross have you ever tried rubbing it on their gums or tongues? Earlier for example I was trying to give me NEW BABY! her first raw meal and she thought it was gross but after rubbing the wing tip on her gums and holding it in her mouth and letting her take a few chews the itty bitty booger ate the whole thing!
-~Ketlin
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Apr 14, 2009 19:30:16 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure most if not all of the stash I found the other day was fresh so I know they have been eating some. (Of course, as I type this, Melinda grabs a piece of chicken neck and deposits it under the bed ) Bastien is once again doing his "I only eat what you hand me" routine... Sometimes I really wonder if they will ever actually get the idea that they can eat food that hasn't been cut up in little pieces for them. They are SO Spoiled I know how you feel about keeping the newborn mouse alive... I've done the same with hamsters and squirrels. If I hadn't I probably wouldn't be so squeamish about feeding fuzzless things to the ferts. Once you get all maternal with them though, it's hard not to picture them as pets instead of prey. Ok. I have had some strange things in my freezer at times but You have definitely got me beat with the skinned sheep's head - YUCK! I have tried rubbing different food on Bastien's gums but I haven't tried holding it in his mouth. I'll try that next time. I'm glad your new baby is doing well.
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Post by tsslilsis on Apr 15, 2009 8:15:24 GMT -5
I see. Stashing is natural for ferrets. Lillian stashes food under her bedding and the boys stash it by putting it back on the plate (They like being clean, I guess). I'm hoping that holding the meat in/at his mouth will be successful for you. If you want me to get Heather back in here, just let me know. I think she has more experiance than any of us, or maybe all of us combined. Hey, I looked it up and found this www.hare-today.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_46&products_id=210 which is a REALLY good deal.. You couldn't go buy a pound of live mice for $5... I don't know what shipping would be, but if you want to look into it they have a ton of things that would be great for you. The ground mice would actually be a complete diet, bone, meat and organ! You would only have to feed a couple other varieties of meat that they like. I really hope things start heading in a better direction for you. -~Ketlin
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Apr 19, 2009 20:25:13 GMT -5
Stubborn, Stubborn ferrets. This morning I tried giving them chicken back cut up in two inch pieces. Left it in their cage all day and they didn't touch it. Tonight I cut it up into bite sized pieces. They both nibbled but made it clear that they were not going to eat what they had refused all day. I finally gave in and fixed them some of the frozen soup that I had. They cleaned the plate without slowing down... even Bastien sucked it up without me having to finger feed him at all. I've never seen them clean a plate that well before.
I am considering ordering from Hare Today. With shipping costs, it comes out about the same cost as Nature's Varieties. Would it be better since there aren't any added fruits and veggies?
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Post by tsslilsis on Apr 20, 2009 1:13:49 GMT -5
Well, I asked Heather to step back in when she gets a minute.
I'll give my two cents on the Hare Today - No added fruits and veggies would be a good thing. Most prepackaged raw foods are stuffed with vegetables and things.. Ferrets especially do not need the extra sugar in the fruit.
-~Ketlin
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Post by Heather on Apr 20, 2009 1:35:05 GMT -5
Ahhhh the joys of stubborn furbabies Hi guys getting frustrated? You have my sympathies, the back and forth game of I will eat it ...no I won't is the biggest problem with switching. From what I've read you're both doing great. I get the gist is that you can get them to eat ground but are having difficulty getting them to eat whole meats, consistently. Why not take some of the pressure off yourself as you're already buying premixes. Use either haretoday or rodentpro get a totally balanced diet going with a couple of different proteins and then start adding whole meats again. I use whole meats at night when everyone is confined to their room (I get less food stashed all over the house). During the day, they get ground meats, at night they only get whole meats. Only at risk fuzzies get ground at night and even they get the chance to eat whole meats. They will start eating it. They just seem to naturally start eating it as they're ready to progress...the problem is sometimes it's not as fast as we would like them to I know it's frustrating. Calypso has been my hard one. She suffered shelter shock when she came in and then didn't want to switch. I always switch to ground to begin with anyway but Calypso just wouldn't come around. She wouldn't recognise whole meats as food. She came to me in December, just before Christmas....last night I heard a major screaming match coming out of their sleep area. Here is Calypso, she has a small chicken leg and she's doing a fantastic job at keeping Captain Jack away from her prize and she's giving it a real go to. It came about in her time, I'm not saying stop working at it, no. Just give yourself some breathing space. Get yourself a good quality total mix, get them eating that and then start introducing whole meats. Let them eat everything they can during the day and then confine them to a sleep space and give them their whole meats. They will eat them during the night. Don't feed a whole lot, as you don't want to be throwing out lots of meat and they will just stash it. Just a chicken leg, or a neck....you're guys are already eating these, but if you add variety in ground meats then it's not as important that your variety comes from whole meats. You can then add meats as your guys get more comfortable in their abilities to consume different boned meats. I will check in with you tomorrow to see what you're input is and if you have any questions. Talk at you later. ciao
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Apr 20, 2009 18:25:03 GMT -5
I placed an order with Hare Today - 1 lb ground mouse (that just sounds so wrong!) and a 5 lb sampler. Hopefully, I will get them by this weekend. tonight I gave them turkey meat... Melinda ate it with no problem. Bastien, of course, wasn't impressed He ate a little so I'm hoping maybe he will eat some more later. My feeding schedule has been two meals a day. Generally, NV in the morning and meat/bone in the evenings. A couple of ounces at each meal. Any left overs go in their cage so they can eat if they want it later - they usually don't. (Most food left in the cage ends up going to the dog.) Should I try just giving them ground at both meal times and then leaving some meat/bone in the cage? And should I continue cutting it into little bite size pieces or leave it in bigger chunks? Thank you both for all of your help!!!
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Post by Heather on Apr 21, 2009 14:49:36 GMT -5
Try leaving a couple of boned pieces for them in their cage. Leave a little ground, they may eat some. I wouldn't leave a lot though. I find that usually my guys though they graze throughout the day, usually have a good feast in th morning when they first get out and again later in the evening. When they go to bed then they get either their mice, or boned whole meats. Except for the quail, I usually cut criss-crosses into the meat to make it easier for them to grab... I know, spoiled rotten and they have momma well trained What do you find that they're eating the easiest and best on their own? ciao
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Apr 22, 2009 8:18:49 GMT -5
I know all about being well trained! With the exception of the soupie the other day when they were starving, Bastien hasn't been eating anything unless it comes straight from my hand I keep trying to get him closer to the dish but he's gotten wise to that trick (hey, it used to work). I left a couple pieces of chicken neck in the cage with them last night but they didn't touch it. If they haven't eaten it by lunch, Riley will be a happy mutt! (She loves leftovers and has gotten to expect them any time I leave the ferrets' room. Can we say "spoiled"?) Cornish game hen seems to be their favorite in the whole meat and bone department. Of course, everything has to have a little chicken baby food mixed in but at least it's down to about a teaspoon per meal rather than half a jar. (That stuff's not cheap!)
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Post by tsslilsis on Apr 23, 2009 22:03:44 GMT -5
Has your order come in yet? Not sure how long they usually take to come..
Have you tried putting some warm water on the dish with the chicken when you serve it to them? Or maybe heating it up for a few seconds? Just to make it smell more yummy, you don't want to cook it at all.
-~Ketlin
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Apr 24, 2009 21:09:21 GMT -5
Got the order in today. Ground mouse was definitely NOT a big hit Tried giving it to them plain (heated with a little water) but they ran like it was the foulest stuff they had ever smelled. Left about a tablespoon of it in the dish and added a cut up chicken drumstick (no bone) and about half a jar of baby food. Melinda ate some. Bastien, of course, still wouldn't go near it. I finally added a little ferrettone and he licked a little of the "juice" but that's all. Maybe he'll be hungry enough later and I will put some chicken neck bones in the cage... AHHHHHH...Why do I feel like we have gone totally backward recently? Bastien looks like he's lost some weight. Since he has lost all of his nice thick winter coat it may just be that he's not as "fluffy". Ok, remind me "Must have patience!"
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Post by Heather on Apr 24, 2009 23:27:24 GMT -5
Patience, sweetie....patience. I know. I don't know how often I sat at the table feeding a fuzzbutt at 2 in the morning and going...why am I doing this. When they finally get the hang of it and start going....you know why ciao
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