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Post by razzlette on Sept 10, 2008 20:35:12 GMT -5
Lunch today Zuko ate a bit off a chicken leg but not much so I gave him a bit of the meat ball mix. All in all he ate about an Oz. He just got done eating an oz of beef liver. OMG he was such a mess! Liver all over that beautiful white fury face! But he did eat it after a bit of persuasion. Katara is eating some liver now with no hesitation. The liver was for tomorrow but we cooked up all the wings I had out so they didn't get any tonight  . Katara going to town on her lunch:   Zuko's supper:  Does this make me look like a vampire?  |
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Sept 11, 2008 6:43:22 GMT -5
OMG I love the pic of Zuko with the liver all over his face  I would not get to worried about the amount that he is eating as long as he is still uding the bathroon, gaining weight, and has the same activity level. Crash was never a big eatter and he is one of our smallest ferrets. He is about the size of most of our females and the smallest male that we have. |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 11, 2008 19:17:48 GMT -5
Excellent! Thanks so much for the pictures! So what are they both eating each week now? Could you post an "approximate schedule" so we can get an idea of where you are at now. They seem to be doing great!  |
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Post by razzlette on Sept 12, 2008 6:52:32 GMT -5
Right now they don't have much of a schedule. My husband just got laid off last week so I don't have the money to buy all kinds of different things. TBH thing have been so hectic I can't even remember what they had Monday. I can tell you that liver day yesterday went great. They both loved the beef liver. Katara ate about 1/2 oz each meal and Zuko ate his oz and the other 1/2 oz Katara didn't eat. This morning I offered them some NV and they wouldn't eat it. I can not afford for them to get picky right now. We are having a hard enough time feeding the 6 of us.
Right now in my freezer I have: chicken liver, beef liver, chicken wings, chicken breast, lamb & venison NV. Monday I will try to get them on a schedule. Lately I have been thinking maybe I should have just switched them to a good kibble. I'm not only stressing over our lives I'm stressing about feeding them right and Zuko not eating a lot. I feel like I'm going crazy.
~Stacy
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Sept 12, 2008 16:53:08 GMT -5
I can feel your pain we have all been there. I remeber when i was switching the first ones how i thought this was never going to work and sitting on my couch crying. Hang in there you are doing great  |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 12, 2008 17:24:46 GMT -5
I'm sorry things are going rough in your life right now. I know what its like to be tight on money (Tim, my boyfriend and I currently are unemployed and rent is due next month).
Zuko and Katara are young so if you are tight on food and you cant afford to have them be picky, you can pull the "well that is all you get for dinner, take it or leave it" (much like you would with a picky child). They will "get the idea" that alternate food isnt coming, THIS is dinner. I can understand that that may be too harsh of an approch for you or maybe other people, but with a young ferret I feel its OK. Its up to you to decide what you do though, its about what you are comfortable with. If you do go the way of "this is what you eat take it or leave it" be sure that they dont go any longer then 24 hours without eating.
That being said, they probably wont eat right away when you put food into the cage. Are you leaving it out for them for several hours? Ferrets like to pick at their meals and dont usually sit down and eat the whole thing. Ground meats can be left out for about 4-6 hours and bone-in raw meat can stay out for a total of 24 hours. Perhaps they just need more time with the food?
As for Zuko's not eating much, if he is maintaining his weight, you cant see his ribs or hipbones, and he's eating SOME and going potty, he should be just fine.
We are here to make sure you feed them right. If you need help, advice, or just want to vent about them being stubborn, we are here. I really encourage you to stick with it. You are doing great, you really are.
I know the appeal of feeding them a commercial kibble is alot less stressful (especially now at this time your life when you have alot on your plate) but its important to remember there really isnt such thing as a "good" kibble. No matter how "premium" kibble's ingredients, its low moisture content, abrasive surface, and binding ingredients all present issues for the ferret. I hope you can stick with the switch at this stressful time, IMO its certainly worth it. I'd hate to see two young ferrets go onto kibble. I'm not saying you are a bad ferreant for having thoughts of feeding kibble, but I would strongly advise against it, that being said I have a strong bias against kibble, for MANY reasons.
From what you have in your freezer, it sounds like you've got some nice variety. Here is what I want you to try. For the next seven days (starting tommorow, saturday) try them out on this schedule:
SATURDAY: NV Lamb and Venison
SUNDAY: Chicken wing(s)
MONDAY: NV Lamb and Venison
TUESDAY: Chicken wing(s)
WEDNESDAY: Beef or chicken liver
THURSDAY: Chicken wing(s)
FRIDAY: NV Lamb and Venison (and chicken breast)
That will do for now. On days when you feed raw meaty bones, leave them (the raw meaty bones) with the ferrets (preferably in their cage) for 24 hours before removing what is left of them (if there is anything left).
If they dont seem to be eating, dont panic, Just leave them with the food and wait 24 hours. Chances are they will get hungry and eat (its not like they have never eaten raw before, they know its edible). Providing the variety every few days might help to encourage less pickyness. If they dont eat the food one day, put new food in the next day and try again.
We'll work through this. Jasmine, your mentor (and I) are here for you. Switching is frustrating, especially when they pull the "I dont feel like eating that today" attitude, but we'll get through it.
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Post by razzlette on Sept 12, 2008 18:19:24 GMT -5
Thank you both for all you support! Don't get me wrong I DO NOT want to go back to kibble. It is just so much simpler. Today I did do the "This is for lunch, if you don't like it tough" approach (I do this with my kids because I can't make 5 different meals a night). Zuko ate 1/2 oz of NV for breakfast 1 1/2 oz for lunch. Katara ate about 1/2 oz for breakfast and did not want it for lunch so she didn't eat. She just woke up so I gave her the NV again and she is now eating it (she just ate almost an oz).
They just had NV today so should I move the schedule?
Saturday: Chicken wings
Sunday: NV and meatball mix (I forgot I had some)
Monday: Chicken wings
Tuesday: Liver and raw egg
Wednesday: Chicken wings
Thursday: NV and chicken breast
Friday: open
I just weighed them 9/12/08:
Zuko 1lb 15 1/2 oz
Katara 12 5/8 oz
Almost 2 lb for Zuko is great. When I first got him I thought he was to skinny. Katara I think is doing great, right now I can't think of what she was when she came home but she is slowly getting bigger.
STRESS is KILLING ME *sigh*
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Sept 12, 2008 19:07:34 GMT -5
I personally do not have a schedule with my ferrets. So I do not see a problem with moving something around if you do not have what is supposed to be feed for that day.
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 12, 2008 19:22:54 GMT -5
Move the schedule around, its fine. I dont really have a schedule either, and you dont need an EXACT schedule either. The main thing I stress with people is that once they are fully switched to a whole raw diet they need to feed 4 days a week raw meaty bones (can be any edible RMB: chicken wings, legs, etc) 2 days a week of boneless muscle meat (any muscle meat: turkey, beef, pork etc) 1 day a week of organ meat Obviously you are dealing with a stressful time right now so dont worry about the above "schedule outline" just yet. Just focus on getting them to eat when you tell them to  I think the "its your dinner eat it or you dont get anything else" can work quite well. Its funny how much young kits are like kids. They sure do like to test your boundaries and see how much they can get away with Be firm, hang in there, and we'll ge through it. Once things stabalize we will work on getting them on the 4day rmb, 2 day mm, 1 day om schedule. But for now just get them eating when you say so. |
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Post by razzlette on Sept 14, 2008 19:53:23 GMT -5
I'm not sure how well the kids ate this weekend because I worked long hours. I do know that some tips of the bone were gone Saturday night when I got home. They had NV & meatball mix today (Sunday). This morning I mixed each bowl 1 oz of the NV and 1 oz of the meat ball mix together with one egg shell (I figured that would give it a different taste). I left after that but they did eat it. About an hour or two after I got home through all the crazy wind we had, they got the same mix minus the egg shell. They ate about and oz each. I have been leaving the food in the cage because I just put in the feeding den (the new cage is DONE!).
pics coming soon of the new cage!
~Stacy
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Sept 15, 2008 15:23:29 GMT -5
Cant wait to see pics of the new cage Great that you made them a feeding den. They will get there. I know that unless mine are really hungry they eat their dinner after we have all gone to bed at night. |
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Post by razzlette on Sept 15, 2008 16:57:03 GMT -5
This morning I gave them 2 leg looking parts of the wing. By lunch they had them most of the way gone. I put in another leg part for lunch. All I have left is 3 bones. I'm going to put in another leg or 2 over night and see what I get in the morning.
Tomorrow liver and raw egg day.
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Sept 17, 2008 9:08:11 GMT -5
Hey sorry it took me a few days to get back to you--Mine do not always eat all of the bones from the legs either so you are doing great there. Let me know whats going on and how egg day went |
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Post by razzlette on Sept 17, 2008 11:26:40 GMT -5
Liver & egg day went well. They each had a chicken liver 3 times yesterday and they ate almost the entire egg. They left about a tsp in the bowl. I hope that helps with the poo. It has been quite runny. Today is wings, and they are doing ok with that.
Is there anything else we can do to thicken up the poo? I think yall said that once they start eating the bone that will help but is there any thing I can do before then?
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 17, 2008 13:24:28 GMT -5
You can add 1tsp of crushed eggshell powder per 8oz of meat It will add calcium and some fiber. Looking good! Looks like they are getting closer to a raw diet based on the prey model. I'm excited for you! |
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