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Post by tink80 on Nov 17, 2008 18:15:28 GMT -5
they haven't licked the plates this clean since i first bribed em with baby food to eat some duck soup (long time ago)..we're thirty to forty percent raw in the soup these days..may try fifty percent within the next few days...(?).. baby bear snorkeled in water today for the first time since he was a kit
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Post by tink80 on Nov 19, 2008 18:51:31 GMT -5
(excuse the mess, hadn't vaccumed yet) photos of eating about fifty percent raw (and lumpy..yay!) :-) eating lumps! licking plate clean :-)
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Post by tink80 on Nov 19, 2008 19:30:30 GMT -5
up to 60% today..
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Post by tink80 on Nov 20, 2008 21:56:22 GMT -5
each baby ate a whole plateful of two cubes worth, one 25% raw and the other 100% raw turkey, today :-) (monkey this morning, baby bear tonight.)
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Post by tink80 on Nov 21, 2008 19:46:07 GMT -5
monkey stole almost all the soup today!!! poor baby bear! ;D
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Post by Jen on Nov 21, 2008 20:51:09 GMT -5
Aww.. that's awesome. Great job, boys, eating all your food! What all (and how much) do you put in their soupy?
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Post by Forum Administrator on Nov 22, 2008 0:28:57 GMT -5
Great pics! Oh wow! I am SO proud of your boys! This is great!
So are they now onto just 100% raw? If so, what is in your raw? Is it just like ground raw turkey? Or is it mixed with anything else (tone, egg, eggshell, etc).
To keep the calcium and phospohrous balanced you'll want to add 1tsp of finely ground eggshell powder (make this at home by rinsing, drying, and crushing eggshells) to every 8oz of meat.
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Post by tink80 on Nov 22, 2008 0:37:09 GMT -5
well they get soup twice a day and seem to munch on kibble if they're hungry while i'm sleeping. (they seem pretty full during the day actually, two cubes for each so its a pretty big serving..is this okay?). it's not completely, still one cube 25% raw PLUS one cube mixed in of 100% raw (the raw is ground turkey). so i think that mixes together as sixtyish percent raw? the semi cooked portion had one eggshell mixed into it which probably doesn't calculate to a lot since it was a big batch. also, there was tone added when i blended it so there's a small amount of that too. there was a slightly boiled mouse in there too but just one so i guess they are getting traces of that. i may start drying out eggshells as it sounds like they need a little more (what do you think? if so, i'll start asap)
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Post by Forum Administrator on Nov 22, 2008 0:41:36 GMT -5
I always save my eggshells I just rinse them, let them dry and put them in a box for later use. Just a tip, the finer you grind the shell, the better it will be absorbed. I would measure out how much soup you are feeding and then use the 1tsp shell to 8oz of raw ratio to work out the proper amount they'll need. Don't go overboard on the eggshell. When Mizu (b/f's ferret) was a baby he was rushed to the E-VET because we filled the poor little dude full of eggshell (We did like 1tbsp of ground eggshell to 2oz of babyfood----oops!!!) and he had a WICKED tummy ache. He had to be put on antibiotics becase the eggshell cut his intestines (only because there was SOOOOO much, and we didnt grind it find AT ALL). Trust me, 1tsp per 8oz is PLENTY. If you do that they'll be just fine and they wont get a tummy ache or get sick or anything. Sounds like your boys are doing great. Even if they arent 100% raw yet they are getting there, and fast! I'm so proud.
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Post by tink80 on Nov 22, 2008 1:22:48 GMT -5
thank you! so am i! i guess each ferret has its own meat it takes to raw easier and in this case it's the turkey, LOL. i don't have a scale (and i can't think of how many ounces are in an ice cube) so i think i'll grind up one eggshell at a time and put a pinch of it to the two cubes of soup used per serving. does that sound like a good plan?
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Post by Forum Administrator on Nov 23, 2008 0:01:33 GMT -5
You can estimate 8oz by looking at your palm (the flesh in between your wrist and where your fingers start). See how big (and thick) it is? Take that times 2 and you've got about 8oz of raw meat.
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Post by tink80 on Nov 23, 2008 0:05:31 GMT -5
oh, thanks! good tip :-)
today baby bear was the one hogging the soup, they are taking turns on different days hogging it, LOL. it's not aggressive just funny because it's a new behavior for them. i try to do it when the other is asleep but then they instantly wake and hobble over and start eating and i don't have the heart to stop that one who's had his fill from eating again, LOL!
i found a tray of turkey gizzards at the store today that i bought (woo hoo, i was running out of chicken gizzards and couldn't find any)
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Post by Forum Administrator on Nov 23, 2008 0:19:09 GMT -5
If they like those gizzards, I'd stock up. You wont find turkey gizzards in your local store (usually) the rest of the year
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Post by tink80 on Nov 23, 2008 22:10:30 GMT -5
made eggshell powder so all good in that respect, both ate their own plate today (monkey licked the plate once baby bear finished it though, LOL). think i'll try two cubes of 100% tomorrow with a cube of 25% and divide it into two servings and making it 75% raw total (i like numbers, OCD..LOL). will let you know how it goes..
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Post by tink80 on Nov 24, 2008 19:34:00 GMT -5
they are both scarfing down 75% raw as i type..soup is finally starting to look pink, yay! (2 cubes raw to 1 cube 25% raw) baby bear is a faster eater so he got more of it than monkey though. contemplating making another serving tonight. they seem to kind of just snack on their kibble these days, i can go several days without refilling their kibble bowl if i wanted to. their second kibble bowl barely has a dent in it as well. are they getting enough nutrition from soup? i don't want to change up the recipe too much at this point as this is kind of a turning point in the raw percentage. :-)
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