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Post by Jaycee on Jun 28, 2008 18:59:40 GMT -5
Yes, once a week. Preferably 1 liver per ferret. On organ meat day you can also feed heart and gizzard (as much as theyll eat of these two foods). I like to also feed an egg on organ meat day. I let two ferret split 1 egg. I mix up the yolk and the white and I sprinkle crushed eggshell on top. Some good organs (if you can find them-----try local ethnic markets) include: Kidney Pancreas Spleen Lung But if you can find these its okay to just offer liver, gizzard, and heart (even though liver is technically the only organ out of the grouping.) Sorry, Walmart is fresh out of lung, pancreas, spleen and kidneys! Seriously...walmart and kroger is about as ethnic it gets where I live!  So, what should I do? I'm getting too close to graduation, to slip up now!  |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 28, 2008 19:01:59 GMT -5
Well, you can buy organ online lol but the shipping can be expensive. Honestly, as long as you give the liver, heart, and gizzard, you should be fine. Some places MIGHT have kidney, since people do eat this food. If you look around you MIGHT be able to find it somewhere, but if not, all is well. Let me know when ALL of your babies are eating bone and organ. Then you can start adding in new foods  |
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jun 29, 2008 0:10:51 GMT -5
I second everything Giuli said. LOL Mine mostly get heart, liver and gizzards. I can find sheeps brain every once in a while and other then that they get the organs from the whole prey that they get feed. I am soooo happy to hear that they are eatting the wingetts without any kibble on it. You can also ask at Krogers where if anywhere there is a butcher around you, and they should be able to get you the other organ meats. |
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jun 29, 2008 16:49:10 GMT -5
OK Im home so i will be getting back to you faster.
How are the babies eating today?
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Post by Jaycee on Jun 29, 2008 17:12:28 GMT -5
Well, for starters...the buisness of 8 is no more. It's now the buisness of 9 (at least, it will be as soon as my husband gets home!) They are eating ok from what I can tell. I ran out of wingettes yesterday, and am having to use wings instead. IT takes them quite a bit longer to get through the wing...and Harley likes taking his to the potty box and eat in there (ick) The poop is kind of gross. Sometimes green and slimeyish, others are more tan. And, most of the poo I see has small rounded bits of bone which didn't get digested. Normal for the color and texture?  I am not sure about that. |
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jun 29, 2008 17:22:27 GMT -5
I just saw that you are getting a new one--congrats ( i am running through all of the new posts playing catch up).
Yeah that sounds like the poo that i remember when they were switching, it will change to normal solid brown poop sooner or later. It takes a while for their systems to adjust to the new diet. And of course it will be 9 different systems adjusting so you will have 9 different adjustment times. LOL
Glad to hear that they are eatting their wings. YOu are almost there.
DO you know what the new one is eatting as of right now? is she going to be a new switch for you?
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Post by Jaycee on Jun 29, 2008 17:25:49 GMT -5
Well, I am guessing the idea of feeding ferrets raw is not the most popular of feeding choices....yet. I am almost certain she will have been eating kibble for the past year. Soooo......here we go again. From square one! |
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jun 29, 2008 17:28:21 GMT -5
Its ok you have 8 under your belt so at least you know some tips and tricks. Start off with the soup again and move from there and you never know her seeing the others eating the chicken may help her to realize that it is food sooner. You have been doing a great job so far you can do it again.  |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 29, 2008 18:02:18 GMT -5
9???!?!?!?! lol! *scurries to go update Jaycee's info on my excell spreadsheet* Congrats you crazy lady! Bwahahahahah!  The whole undigested bone and weird poop sounds normal. Like Jas said it takes them a bit to adjust, but once they do they should be fine. If you continue to notice really funky poop after about a month on raw, then its possible one of your ferrets just cant tolerate chicken well, however if they were eating chicken kibble, this would be unlikely. Just start from square one with the new baby. It will be easier because she will have 8 teachers to show her how to eat this. Shouldnt take her long to learn. Good luck! Get them used to the wings, then start offering the other parts of the chicken, like the thighs and legs. Keep going, almost there! |
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jun 30, 2008 20:39:39 GMT -5
So how are we doing today?
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Post by Jaycee on Jun 30, 2008 21:03:47 GMT -5
Well, since you ask....AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I now see why it is important to have a feeding cage. I've got a chicken wing here, a chicken wing there, everywhere a chicken wing (and bits of wing...I'm not sure what it is!) However, when I set up the old cage I use to use for my first two, and put food in, and shut the cage, none of them would eat. At all. And, as soon as I open the door, Riven is running like a dog with a bone in his mouth, to his stach hole. I can't win. Suggestions?
Not only that, but I am still having to spoon feed our newest addition. It is stressful right now.
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 30, 2008 21:26:32 GMT -5
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jun 30, 2008 22:04:11 GMT -5
i dont have a feeding cage but hubby made a wooden box that sits on one level of the fn cage and the ones that dont eat on the level that we feed them on in the fn take their food into that box. so we only have two sections that the food is on in the cage. mine didnt like the feeding cage and i do not allow food outside of the cage(with the kids, cat and dogs running around i feel its safer to keep all food in the cage). you can see how the feeding area leads right to the box. feeding box(and dark box)  feeding section leading to the box  This might help in your cage too--i do not know what kind of cage you have. |
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Post by Jaycee on Jul 1, 2008 16:59:37 GMT -5
I've got a question....I know, I know. That's rare, huh?? Exactly, how many chicken wings (not wingettes) should my troop of 8 be eating during the course of a day. I put out two this morning, that are mostly gone, and I've just cut up and placed out two more. It just doesn't seem like it should be enough for 8 ferrets....4 wings. Whisp is also still not eating on her own. I am still having to spoon feed duk soup, but she will not eat if I put a bowl out to her. Her teeth all look fine, and no sores in her mouth. I have never had this much trouble from a ferret. She is still very energetic...I just don't know. I will give her a little more time to adjust to the new surroundings. |
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jul 1, 2008 19:18:34 GMT -5
ok my 9 got 4 chicken wings this morning, cut up like this, the wing tip, and then cut the large piece at the joint i then cut these two pieces into two or threes depending on how large it is. with this they got a handfull of gizzards and hearts. this lasted them till about an hour ago. they will get mice tonight for dinner.
As for whisp atleast she is eating from a spoon, which is good.
I would give her some more time to get adjusted to her new home too.
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