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Post by bigsis7 on Mar 5, 2010 23:58:43 GMT -5
Let me know if you find the hearts!
Sounds like a good mix! Have you tried omega 3 fish oil in the puree? It's really good for ferrets, especially during winter time, because it helps the skin not to dry out.
Nope can't over do hearts. They're considered more a muscle meat than organ. I believe kidneys have to be fed like livers, but I'm not sure. Never tried kidney's with my ferrets.
N-bones are great! I don't know of any treats that basically every ferret loves (except ferretone), but really any kind of meat my ferrets loved. I'd feed them little pieces of chicken nuggets sparingly, and they loved it. Chicken wings are great for ferrets to chew on, but since she doesn't like chunks of meat that probably won't work.
When I would freeze the livers they lasted about 3-4 months, but I'm not sure how long they last otherwise. Probably a month or so if kept in the fridge.
Once Cassi is doing really good with the puree, trying some ground turkey would be great! Maybe watered down a bit, but it's really easy for ferrets to chew since there's basically no chunks (I found it stringy). Would give her some variety in meat, too. But only when you feel she's ready, since we don't want to overwhelm her ;].
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Mar 6, 2010 21:41:07 GMT -5
So the livers were fine according to the date, but they smelled terrible and made the soupy smell terrible. So i tossed that batch and remade it without the liver in it. she's had that now for today and once last night without the liver. I'll pick some more up tomorrow and freeze what i don't use right away.
I found a place near us that has almost everything i'll need. livers, gizzards, turkey necks, backs, goat meat, wings etc... but they don't have hearts or ground bone. Where the hell am i gonna find this stuff.
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Post by bigsis7 on Mar 6, 2010 23:50:24 GMT -5
Hmm weird. Liver usually smells, but you definitely know when it's gone bad cause it smells like something died . Is she still eating it ok? More by herself or off fingers? That's so weird! Most of the places I shopped at had hearts, but never really any "exotic" meats like goat or duck. I'd ask the butcher at the store and see if they can save the hearts (and maybe gizzards, too) for you. It's possible you could get them for free ;].
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Mar 7, 2010 16:47:32 GMT -5
Found hearts!! now all i need to find is ground bone or bone powder. any thoughts on where i can find that? I'm not terribly keen on crushed up egg shells.
Can you mix gizzards with livers? is there any danger in overdosing gizzards? what are the percentages for meat vs organs vs bone vs fat again?
Also, can i measure out all the ingredients to her puree, put them in a bag and freeze it. That way i would just have to defrost a bag each time i needed another batch of puree.
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Post by bigsis7 on Mar 7, 2010 23:48:24 GMT -5
Yay! I have no idea where you could find ground bone, though. I've never looked for any.
Yep! Gizzards are also just muscle meat. It should be somewhere on the forum...I'll see if I can find it. Rule of thumb is meaty bones 4 days a week (wings, legs, etc), muscle/non boned meat 2 days a week (boneless meat), and organs 1 day a week (liver, kidney). But since you're feeding it puree form it's harder to calculate that.
Sounds like a good idea to me!
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Mar 9, 2010 12:49:32 GMT -5
She had a bit of a relapse yesterday. I have been keeping some of the kibble in the cage only, since i'm worried about her not eating enough. Her interest in the puree seems to have gone down since i added the heart to the mix. It takes some coaxing to get her to eat it. yesterday she ate quite a bit of kibble despite my efforts to fill her up as soon as her feeding time comes so she is too full to want the kibble.
What can i add to the soupy to make it more enticing for her? I tried some ferretone, didn't seem to work.
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Post by bigsis7 on Mar 10, 2010 18:28:48 GMT -5
Have you tried grinding up some of the kibble and putting it in the puree? Pouring the puree over the kibble and mixing it in? You could try a different meat and see if she likes it more, but if her interest is in the kibble adding some to the puree will make her interested enough in it, then we can start taking the kibble out after a while.
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Mar 15, 2010 11:52:24 GMT -5
So the pre measuring out meat and organs to add to the puree and freezing the portions is working out really well. Every three days I just defrost the next baggy and food process it that night, add some egg shell and a little bit of fish oil. This last batch i accidentally made a little more watery, she seems to like it better, so i'm gonna try to make them this way again.
She's eating more, about .8 oz per meal, twice a day. her weight is stable at around 1lb 7.8oz. She also has stopped needing me to let her lick it off my fingers before she will chow down. now i just have to hold her on her eating carpet next to the feeding den and let her sniff it a few times and she dives right in. She's pretty much off of kibble for nutritional needs. She still likes it and i will give it to her as a treat or a VERY small snack.
She has started to molt. She's blowing her coat pretty quick. It's funny b/c she's still growing the fur in on her belly from the surgery and it's falling out in clumps on her back. She's all multicolored. Anyway, giving her a little Lax everyday and brushing out loose hair everyday. She definitely seems happy and healthy.
When i start introducing chunks, probably not for a couple more weeks, should i just make the puree chunky or make the puree and add chunks after? Also, should I be concerned that in the beginning like this she is not getting more than one kind of protein? I do plan on giving her more than 3 when we're all switched and i'm doing meat in bone and organ meals, but right now if she's getting what she needs should i just really work at getting this puree as a staple that i know i can always come back to easily?
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Post by bigsis7 on Mar 15, 2010 23:28:07 GMT -5
Perfect! Glad it worked out well! Have you tried a whole egg in the puree? It's a good source of protein and most ferrets seem to like the soups with egg in it (helps water the puree down too).
As long as her weight is stable, I'd say that's a good amount for her to be eating. I'm glad she's eating by herself and off kibble! That's a big step towards a totally raw meat diet :]!
Haha a little rainbow ferret! My ferrets didn't every really blow their coat until around fall/winter of last year. Oh my goodness it was crazy how much fur came out of my Oliver! Don't know where he kept it all, lol!
Either way will probably work fine, but just making a chunky puree might be easier. I don't think it's something to worry about as long as the puree is balanced (which from what you've told me, it is) for now. Maybe try introducing some pork or turkey to her mixed with the chicken in the soup to just get some different nutrients in it. You can freeze the rest if she doesn't eat it. Right now the priority is to get her to eat chunks. Soups are good, but whole raw meat has more benefits.
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Mar 16, 2010 11:53:07 GMT -5
So do you think I should get her really good and used to the puree the way it is now, or should I start pushing her a little every day to eat chunks? She will eat just about any sized chunk of skin she finds in the soup, but she tends to spit out chunks of chicken. Also, I know that the microwave is terrible for defrosting, but she does like the puree a little warm... I've been tossing her meals in the microwave for 5 seconds just to take the chill out, how terrible is that? Do you warm your meals, or know of a better way?
What would some signs be that she is not getting the right nutrition? Like if i wasn't giving her enough liver?
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Post by bigsis7 on Mar 16, 2010 22:09:39 GMT -5
Depends how long you want the switch to take. I'd say pushing her to eat chunks (maybe just a couple chunks a day) until she eats them by herself would be best, but if you're ok taking longer then we can go with that too. Microwaving I guess isn't life threatning or too terrible, but it really is best to try and keep the food as raw as possible. Using really hot water (will cool down quick, but test just to make sure) to put in the puree is usually a good way of warming it up. The easiest way to tell if a ferret is missing something in their diet is their poo. With liver though I'm not quite sure, but I think you're doing fine with that. Just make sure her poo isn't really loose and watery or weird colors (like green, yellow, orange, etc. yes I've seen all of these colors in ferret poo ). Also if she isn't pooing at least every 4-6 hours that could be a sign somethings wrong. Hope that answers your questions!
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Post by luci on Mar 17, 2010 13:12:46 GMT -5
Hi Odin! I'll be taking over as your mentor. It looks like bigsis7 has you well on your way, so I'll just pick up from here.
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Mar 18, 2010 9:39:38 GMT -5
Is everything alright with bigsis?
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Post by luci on Mar 18, 2010 12:21:13 GMT -5
I don't know what the story is. Heather asked if any of us could take over for her, so here I am.
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Post by bigsis7 on Mar 18, 2010 17:33:54 GMT -5
Hey sorry I didn't let you know earlier odin. Thought I'd just pop in here and let your know why I'm taking a while off.
I recently was forced by my parents and land lady to rehome my ferrets. I looked for any other option for my ferrets, but there just wasn't anything except finding them a new home. The home I found I thought was a permanent one, but they couldn't keep the ferrets anymore. So I had help them find where to take the ferrets (I wasn't allowed to take them back) and now they're at a rescue where I get very limited updates. I know I'll probably never see them again.
My family is also moving into my grandma's house at the end of April where I'll have limited computer access. Once school ends my family is moving back to Virginia (we just moved to Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada about 9 months ago). I thought I could mentor, but right now it's just too stressful and crazy for me to commit 100%.
I'll pop in every once in a while. I wish you luck with your switch with little Cassi.
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