Mouse on Raw

[mouse]

I guess they are odd at times.

And right now I have a mystery on hand. I felt like doing something out of the ordinary since Mouse did well last night and I figured the meat would go bad soon anyways so no biggie. I have a quarter piece of game hen thawed and just put it in Mouse's cage this morning before going to work. If she ate it, I figured it would be cool.

Now for mystery. I can't find any remains anywhere. Not in the litter box (another story is she stopped stashing in the litter box out of the blew for whatever reason). It wasn't in her bedding. It wasn't on the floor. A quarter of a game hen can't just disappear. As far as I know, my dog didn't find any mystery meat on the floor and walk off with it. I am just freaking out. I can't find any of it anywhere. I can't see how she could have eaten that whole thing. It is just making me go crazy....

Anyways dinner is put out. She isn't really eating but is carrying chunks to stash areas. (OMG, it is still driving me nuts where that game hen went...) I included chicken organ cube. She seems to be doing well now. But where the hell did that game hen go?

[tss]

Breathe!!!

She ate it! This time of year ferrets are PIGS. My two were eating less then 4 ounces a day and now they are eating 8+ ounces a day. Pigs I tell you.. I can't believe she went from being so picky about white meat to munching huge portions like that. Congrats!!

Soon you'll have to get her deploma and cry your eyes out cuz your baby is a big girl now!! Hehe.

[mouse]

I think I finally figured out the mystery.

My bf sweared he kept an eye on my dog when he had her out, but it seems he isn't so sure now. But Mouse had to have eaten a considerable amount of the game hen piece for it to fit through the FN142 cage bars. Plus, the cage is TOOO tall for my dog to reach on her back leg...HAHA

So it is possible, Mouse ate a considerable amount of meat (since she isn't big on eating right now) then it fell through the bars during her stashing/playing. Then my dog came along and ate up the rest leaving no trace. (My dog is a piggie so I thought it odd she didn't eat as much of her dinner as normal. Guess she filled up earlier.)

Either way, she ate white meat...haha Tuesday is grocery shopping day. I will pick up more stuff for her.

[tss]

Ah well, it was wishfull thinking. I'm glad she did eat some of it though... Which dong ate it? Was it Cricket???

[mouse]

Maybe her eating it was a fluke?

I still can't get her to eat meat off bone. She will eat chicken pieces, but when I attempted to make chunks with bone (couldn't go too small since my fingers are at risk with the poultry shear), she wouldn't eat it.

She will eat ground chicken. She will eat premade raw chicken. She will eat dehydrated Stells&Chewy patties. She will eat chicken chunks as well as beef chunks. She will even eat chicken organs, but chicken on bones no.

I did change her cage setup today. She now has a plastic sided kennel (minus the door) in her cage. It took a bit of work to keep her from being able to knock it around. This will hopefully become her feeding den. So far she did drag chicken into it. Some she dragged outside of it so I put it inside the kennel and she is pleased and eats in there. Well she eats in there with her butt sticking out.

So what now?

[tss]

Well, it's good to hear she is still eating well.

What I'd do is take a chicken bone (if you've got them wings they may be best) and strip most of the meat off. Not until it's completely bare, just leave a little bit of meat.. Chop it in half so she can smell the marrow and give it to her. That way she won't get full of the meat, she will have to eat the bone if she wants to eat at all.

[mouse]

I will try it out tomorrow. It seems silly 'ol me forgot to defrost more meat.

[mouse]

So, how many days is it okay for Mouse not to eat? She hasn't really bothered with the meat on bone and can't tell if she has taken any. Considering she hasn't eaten in front of me. She just stashes it.

Should I just stick to premade raw for her and just be done?

[tss]

For a healthy ferret probably 2 days MAX but I'd never go that long without feeding them.

I'll ask some other mentors for assistance, it is ideal for her to eat whole bones. Grinding the stuff can cause some of the nutrients to be destroyed. Go ahead and give her premade for now until we can figure something out.

[amyandfuzzies6]

IME, getting the ferrets to eat bone can take time depending on the age of the ferret. Kits seem to take to it no problem but sometimes older ferrets can take weeks and even months. I recommend starting with something real small - like a wing tip off a CGH. Try holding it and getting them to chomp off small pieces. You could also try holding something like a chicken foot, too.

[Forum Administrator]

So let me get this all straight. Its not that she wont eat bone, its that she wont even eat bone-in meat?

You might have to fast her a little to entice her to eat the chicken with the bone in, but if your ferret is underweight, ill, or insulinomic do not withold food. Ferrets can go up to 24 hours without eating. I would remove her premade raw, I'd remove her chunks and I'd toss her a chicken wing broken into 3 segments (at the joints). Cut several large gashes into the meat so that it will be easier for her to get a grip on the meat. You can add some babyfood on top of the wing, heavy whipping cream, or ferretone, anything to pique her interest. Leave her with this for 24 hours. If she doesnt eat the meat off the bone don't worry, give her something to eat (pre-made or chunks) and we'll try again a few more times. If she absolutely will not respond to this method, there are other ways. Again, never let her go more then 24 hours without eating. Let me know how your first run goes with the sectioned chicken wing. I am hoping for success.

[mouse]

Mouse doesn't look thin and she has been acting normal.

Before I started redoing Mouse's raw routine, she ate when she wanted to. So food stayed all night in her cage. I tried to get her to eat when the food was put down, but it was also said here that it is better for her to just eat at her leisure. But I noticed Mouse started to eat her food when placed in a bowl pretty much as soon as it is placed inside... Of course that was only beef chunks, chicken organs, premade raw, and chicken chunks.

So back to the case of bones... Mouse won't eat meat on bone right away. She will lick it and then stash it. I haven't seen her sit down and eat meat on bone so far. That isn't saying it might not be happening. I just haven't seen it or any evidence that says yes 100%. I can't watch her for 10 hours at night when the food is made available to her.

As stated a while back earlier, she used to eat chicken/game hen off the bone. Back in the day when I had Jack. Back then, you would find drum long section and a carcass of game hen remnants.

So dinner tonight is wings. Broken into segments at the joint and a smudge of ferrettone. (She loves that stuff.) Too bad she probably licked most of that off now...

[mouse]

OMG, I just heard bones crunching. I think she has it...

Do the same tomorrow night? Maybe add organs or not yet?

[Forum Administrator]

Who hoo! Isn't it an awesome sound? I love it (but maybe that is just because I'm insane ) Yes, I would do the same thing tommorow night. I'd wait on the organs. Give her 1 week to adjust to the bone

[mouse]

Yesterday was no fluke. I heard bones crunch again today.

Last night's left overs looks well chewed on. She had to eat bone for what I found left.