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Post by wmella85 on Jul 15, 2008 18:52:19 GMT -5
okay, thats what i came up with also. i had to put some water in the food processor so that it wouldnt stick to the sides of the processor. i got it pretty small. i think i am going to mortor and pestle it. to dry it maybe i will spread it out on a glass cutting borad and let it dry out. okay.......so i just worked with the marrow bones that i spoke of earlier. i dont know if i have a really really sensitive nose, or i am just parinoid.... but i thought it smelled spoiled. my mom is a doctor and asked her if bone marrow is supposed to smell. she came back at me like i was crazy, "Lauren, do you really think i go around snelling peoples bone marrow? really?" lol. damnit, what good is she if she cant answer allllllll of my questions!!!!!!  so. is it supposed to smell? in one bone it was like pink pudding liquid. in the other bone it was kinda waxy. what is it supposed to look/smell like?  |
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Post by wmella85 on Jul 16, 2008 20:52:00 GMT -5
:)so we have moved on to nickel/quarter sized peices of pork chunks.  |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 16, 2008 20:55:37 GMT -5
Whoo hooo! Thanks for the update! As for the beef marrow, I honestly cant say if it was bad or not. I dont ever feed beef marrow. |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 19, 2008 18:01:58 GMT -5
How are they doing, Lauren? Haven't heard from you in a while and Im curious how the babies are progressing. Let me know! |
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Post by wmella85 on Jul 19, 2008 21:04:16 GMT -5
well, we finished off the pork chunks this morning, so i went to the grocery store to find some new goodies for the babies. i found a cow heart. and that is what baxter just stuffed his face full of. all the others went and got in the highest hammock and watched him eat. so maybe when they get to tht point where they need to eat they will. i am going to have to refil it before i go to bed. the only thing is that i used duk soup mix to entice him. the kid will eat anything with duk soup on it. the others are not so easy. but we will get there! so there you go, add beef heart to baxters "I ate it list".  i also bought some chicken wingettes to start working with them, how do i introduce them? |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 20, 2008 9:22:49 GMT -5
Yay! Beef heart is a great source of taurine. Consider it a "boneless muscle meat" As for introducing the wingettes, just cut some slits into the meat (so they can get a good grip) and offer them to the ferts. Make sure they are kinda hungry when you feed them these (this will encourage them to keep gnawing on the bone even after the meat is gone feel free to use the duk soup to get them to try it. Good luck and keep us posted! |
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Post by wmella85 on Jul 21, 2008 16:52:19 GMT -5
so everyone ended up eating the heart. i fasted them for 8 hours before i gave them a chicken drumstick with the meat hanging off of it. penny and matilda seemed interested, the boys were sleeping. penny tried gnawing on the chicken, mattie just sorta licked it and looked at me like, "where are the chunks mom??" lol, poor goober. so i left the drum stick in the cage and walked off for an hour or so and came back to see baxter dragging the drum stick into the litter box, left it there and shoved litter onto it. BRAT!!!! so i washed it off (thank god the box had just been cleaned, the woulda been gross!), put it back in the bowl. it was still there this morning. so i figured i moved too quickly from chunks to on bone. sooooo we are onto thick strips, which they seem to be enjoying. we will get to on the bone soon. we are making good progress. i am having to do alot of ferret laundry however. they keep hiding meat in the blankets next to where they are sleeping. i am attributing this to pure lazyness, and wanting to have a quick snack when they wake up without having to get out of bed. |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 21, 2008 19:51:56 GMT -5
Chicken drumsticks are a little bit more "advanced" for bone eaters. Try chicken wings Cut them into 3 segments (at the joints) these are alot easier to eat and you SHOULD see some progress if you offer these. Try putting a few chunks on a plate and then put the wing segments on the plate. You can cut into the meat a bit to give them a "head start". Give this a shot and let me know how it goes Im happy they are the beef heart (even i you did have to use a little persuasion lol!) |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 21, 2008 19:53:19 GMT -5
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Post by josiesmom on Jul 24, 2008 6:59:43 GMT -5
HI Laruen!
Giuli has paired us together for your ferret's venture into the natural world. I see you've been offered several ideas and are meeting with some success. Woohoo! Usually the tasting is the hardest part to get them to do. Yours seem well on their way to enjoying new flavors!
I'll send you my personal contact info via a PM.
With a little time, some perserverance, patience and luck we should be able to put our heads together and get your fuzzies on the route to optimum health!
Cheers,
Kim
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Post by wmella85 on Jul 25, 2008 15:41:51 GMT -5
Hi, nice to meet you kim. so basically, they are refusing to eat at the moment. stomping their tiny feeties at me. i put larger chunks of meat in the bowl and they just sorta lick at it. i need to add more fat into the diet. all the kids are itching/scratching alot more than normal.
so yesterday, we were in the vets office for 3 hours!!! goodgrief! so they all got checkups and then their distemper and rabies.
Their weights as of 7/1/08:
Matilda: 1lb 7 1/2oz.
Baxter: 2lb 10oz.
Oliver: 2lb 11 1/2oz.
Penny: 1lb 12oz.
Their weights as of 7/24/08:
Matilda: 1lb 6 1/2oz.
Baxter: 3lb.
Oliver: 2lb 11oz.
Penny: 1lb 12oz.
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Post by josiesmom on Jul 25, 2008 16:39:51 GMT -5
Well, they are holding their own weight wise- Baxter even gaining a smidge.
Licking the offerings is GOOD! they are exploring! Bugsy was a ferret that tried to hold out for kibble, and he'd often take the pieces of meat out of the bowl and push them away, then eat the kibble.
I'd just put the meat back in the bowl and that way he'd end up tasting and feeling and smelling it twice!
Adding fat to their diet is easy- I offer my guys a lard lick. Get a pound of plain unsalted lard the next time you go shopping, not crisco- lard, its usually in the baking section or the "ethnic ingredients section". Spoon a glob of it into a small ceramic crock and leave it for them free choice.
Don't be surprised if they make absolute hogs of themselves and you'll end up dealing with gooey poop for a day or two. But this will do wonders for their coat and skin and fat is a superb energy source that ferrets make very good use of. So if they aren't chowing down on the meat, but ARE eating the lard, at least they'll still get some good energy.
I'm surprised your vet gave the distemper and rabies at the same time. Usually its advisable to give them about 2 weeks apart so if there is a reaction you know which vaccine caused it. Also only giving one vaccine at a time is easier on the ferret's system. You might want to talk to them about it when their boosters are due.
When you are feeding your ferrets, do they have a "private" eating area? Often watching them eat will give them a complex and they'll try to wait until you aren't watching to explore more of the new offerings. If you remove the stuff before they've had a chance to test it out, they'll soon learn to out wait you.
Go back to less intimidating chunks if they were doing o.k with the ground. Or just offer one or two chunks in their ground.
Cheers,
Kim
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Post by wmella85 on Jul 28, 2008 13:42:51 GMT -5
excellent idea with the lard! i am going to go and buy some this evening. they are eating fairly large slices of meat. im trying not to cut them into nice neat cubes, but try to rip them into the natural sections. i will try and remember to take a picture this eveing when i feed them. i am soooooooo beyond ready for them to be eating off the bone. i think that we are getting close-ish! i just have to remember that we have been switching for a little more than a month and these things take time.  i think that i need another alternative to ground egg shell for calcium. they wont eat when i sprinkle it on their food. they will leave the bowl alone until i switch it with "clean food". i can get it ground to sand texture. i think that i need it to be a powder to get it past them. what can i use? is there some sort of calcium powder i can buy thats safe for them? they are wasting a huge amount of food when i sprinkle egg shells on. at first the kids didnt mind eating in front of me. i guess they were so hungry that they didnt care. i was spacing out feedings so that i could make sure that all of them are eating. but now i know all of them are capable of eating a meal so i just put a bowl in the cage in the morning (around 9am), and this lasts them until around 7:30pm when i usually get home. usually its all gone around six-ish, my boyfriend says. anyways, now, oliver is deffinitly a more private eater. which sometimes worries me, because i dont see him eat. but he is maintaining weight so he must be fine. penny is a semi-private eater, she takes a piece of meat and stands facing the corner while eating. baxter and matilda couldnt care less. they will eat anywhere. so should i get another cage for them to feed in? maybe to the thing that i saw in another section about coupling a cage to the 142 so that there would be a seperate eating area? so we had a success this morning, i was cutting chicken off the bone and colby brought Baxter over and i offered baxt a piece and he took it. this is the first time any of them has taken a piece of food that i have offered without me touching it on their faces first. colby put him down and he ate it! the kids are also starting to associate the fridge with their food. which is funny. when they are running around, if someone opens the fridge door all their little heads pop up, "food for me?!?!?!". i get a big kick out of that. i was surprised also that both vaccines were given at the same time. i made sure that i talked to her about what would happen if a reaction would occur, and what sort of procedures would take place. she gave them all benedryl and waited awhile. they were all fine. the vet had six ferrets herself at one point. so i trust her somewhat. i talked with vet again about the raw diet. she thought about it since last i saw her and she wants me to sear the outsides of the meat before i give it to them to pasturize it. i dont want to do that. does anyone else? or she wants me to buy whole chickens that have been plucked but not cut open. i live in williamsburg va. i dont think that i am going to be able to find that unless i drive out into the country and knock on doors. "um....sir can i have one of your chickens..... " lol. sorry this was so long, im a babbler. |
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Post by wmella85 on Jul 28, 2008 15:52:19 GMT -5
okay, i know that it says that i don't have to do this, but i wanna!!! plus since Kim and i are new to each other i want to give her a cheat sheet on my kids so that she doesn't have to keep looking back into the post for the information! plus i like filling stuff like this out! I'm a nerd. i might not have time to do it all right now but i am going to start it. 1. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names, ages, genders, and do they have any health problems?
Matilda (Tilly,Tilda, Mattie): 1yr 10months old, female, no health problems. Dark eyes.
Baxter (Baxt): 1yr 2months old, Male, burgundy eyes,
On may 7th this year Baxter was severely in distress, vomiting, tiny slivers of poop, severe lethargy. took him to the vet and got him checked out. and he had had a blockage we think and he passed it, however, the digestive distress caused his pancreas to swell and his bowels to stop working. so he had exploratory surgery. where nothing was found but an enlarged pancreas.
he is fine now, but i keep a strong eye on him.
Ollivander (oliver/ollie): 8months old, Male, Deaf. Burgundy eyes.
Penelope (Penny/Pen): 8months old, female, no health problems. dark eyes.2. What are your ferrets currently eating? What Kind of diet do you want to switch to? Currently they are eating chicken strips (not chunks). I will post pictures of the sizes tonight.
to date they have eaten/tried:
boneless-skinless chicken breasts (they like)
cubed pork (they like)
ground lamb (liked but gave them the squirts)
ground beef (they eat it, but don't seem to enjoy it)
cow kidney (Baxter took a piece and hid it, but the others hated it. it looked like it smelled offensive to them, did to me also though)
beef brisket (they didn't mind it, but didn't seem to really enjoy it)
cow heart (Baxter was all about it, the others just found it hohum)
chicken taken off the bone with skin (like it okay)
I want them to eat whole prey and maybe live prey but I'm sorta on the fence, i will cross that bridge when i get to it. 3. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone? Their weights as of 7/24/08:
Matilda: 1lb 6 1/2oz., she is sooooo little and bony, i think she is underweight, but the vet didn't say anything.....sooooo?. she has pretty good muscle tone.
Baxter: 3lb. good muscle tone, too strong for his own good and mine (lol), not overweight
Oliver: 2lb 11oz. still got his baby pudge, but not overweight, he is toned under his pudge .
Penny: 1lb 12oz. also has her baby pudge, not overweight, decent muscle tone. 4. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?) i will this evening 5. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat. Matilda: sable, soft with a wiry texture, she has her adult coat, i would like her to be softer, but her coat is fine. thin-ish right now b/c of summer.
Baxter: lol, not really sure of what his coat is called, ill describe him better when i get home.
Oliver: i suppose he is a silver, majority of him is white, but has dark guard hairs,
Penny: she is a cinnamon, she gets the most compliments on how beautiful her coat is, she still has her baby fluff and is as soft as can be (when she is clean).
i will take pictures tonight to show their oddities 6. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom? they go alot, i have four, so its hard to keep track of, there is always one in the litter box whenever i go by. so average i suppose. i change the litter boxes every two days. 7. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell? as a group, not strongly, not as sweet smelling as when they were eating kibble. more later, when i am next to it. 8. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor? I dont know about all ya'll but i love sniffing my kids. i dont think they smell bad at all. this may make me weird, but i love it and i do it daily! Matilda: Baxter: has a dirty ear thing, so his ears smell like "dead head" is what we call it. but when we celan his ears they dont smell as bad anymore. his body smells fresh right now, like clean laundry. funny story, i just picked him up to give him a good wiff, i came up with taco on his left side, cinnamon and sugar on his right. cracked me up. i walked into the other room and found out my boyfriends brother had taco bell and Baxt got in the box with it. Oliver: when dirty, smells faintly of corn chips. Penny: doesnt really smell like anything identifieable. you gotta stick your nose right into her fur to get a wiff of anything though. 9. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level? Matilda: 6-7, occasionally a nine
Baxter: he is always going, so an 8-10
Oliver: laid back baby, 7-8, when out he is a 9-10
Penny: I'm not sure she ever sleeps (lol), she outlasts everyone, and will scratch at the cage forever to let you know she is pissed that she is back in the cage. 10. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)? we don't eat kibble anymore! Gross!!!  but with raw meat... they are all eager, except for baxter, who is thrilled he is being fed 11. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share? |
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Post by josiesmom on Jul 28, 2008 20:40:39 GMT -5
Wow! You've had an interesting induction to the ferret world! Exploratory surgery with no conclusive results has got to be extremely alarming as well as frustrating!
YOu've got a pretty good variety of meats going and I'm jealous you can get beef kidney- I haven't found any here, yet.
But an area for concern is a calcium/ bone source- try cornish game hen, these are well received by ferrets and the bones are easily eaten. Also chicken necks offer great connective tissue and bone.
My guys won't eat chicken feet- but some ferrets love them. Another calcium/mineral source is crushed egg shells. I pulverize an entire egg shell with the egg contents and offer that to my kids.
With so much meat going into your guys I'd imagine their deposits are rather smooth and gooey. Bones and egg shells will help firm these up.
Cheers,
Kim
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