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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 18, 2008 16:06:59 GMT -5
I hope you are alright. I won't delete anyone's thread if they have to be gone for a bit AS LONG as I know that they will be gone for a while. Its when people dissappear for no reason and then wont return my PMs, Posts, or Emails that we delete the threads  So don't you fret. Its okay if your b/f doesnt post on the thread. Just focus on feeling better and when you are ready to post go ahead. You will be in my thoughts  |
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Post by cloudtickler on Sept 19, 2008 10:31:50 GMT -5
Still at home for the time being. Working on insurance issues. (ugh.) On to the ferts: We're getting our two new fosters in today. I'm excited about that. For my current business: how can I make it easy on myself to know when they've eaten the mashed kibble? I can't exactly just fill the croc cause it settles after awhile.. (That, and they aren't eating it right now. They are digging at it, or stashing it inside the arc boat toy hammy thing.) Suggestions? |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 19, 2008 10:37:52 GMT -5
They are stashing the wet kibble? Hmmm. Interesting. Well if they wont eat it when its been mashed, then take a step back and hold off on mashing it until they get really comfortable with the wet kibble. I know its frustrating but sometimes you've got to take a step back to go two steps forward. When you've got more then 2-3 ferts I think the best way to monitor if they are eating or not is to weight them. I know its a pain in the butt, but short of sitting and watching who is eating, its the easiest way to make sure everyone is doing alright. A cheap postage scale will do. Its best to find a scale that measures in grams, anything that measures in pounds just won't be that precise. On a side note, imagine having 10+ ferrets that you are switching, and trying to make sure they are all eating (I think that's why our other "newbie" Jaycee might be on the verge of a mass fuzzy "murder" (Im joking of course ) Im sorry about insurance (dont even get me started on that, phew) I hope everything works out okay in the end. Congrats on the new fosters! |
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Post by cloudtickler on Sept 19, 2008 19:20:34 GMT -5
We do have a small kitchen scale, and it is in pounds :/ but it's out three decimal points.. so hopefully it will be okay. I also have the option of kgs, which I prefer cause that's what we use at work.. Either way, I'm monitoring Arthas' weight frequently and will start on the other three asap. Thanks. I'm in it for the long haul. No givin up over here. |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 19, 2008 19:31:28 GMT -5
Excellent. If you want you can post their weights here (so you can keep track of them), but you arent required to Well get through this |
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Post by cloudtickler on Sept 21, 2008 13:07:54 GMT -5
I'm back home (as of an hour ago) but wont be back on my feet till Wedn-ish so fert care is still Z's responsibility for now. I'm helping introduce our newbies to the troop, and that's going well.
They were eating marshalls diet, and Z started adding a little bit of water to it on Friday.
I'll get weights soon.
Z says nothing to report from the past few days. He's not sure who is eating the mashed food, and who's eating just the wet kibble.
We added a BUNCH more bedding to both cages, and that has, so far, made it so my group of 4 has gone back to using the litterboxes 100%. (Thank goodness!)
The newbies have a 100% hit rate in and out of cage. Heaven.
That's all I've got to report.
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 21, 2008 19:02:25 GMT -5
Sounds good I hope you are feeling better soon. I'm happy to hear that litter training is back on track. I HATE when they suddenly "forget" their potty manners Let me know how things are going once you have a chance to rest and recoup. |
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Post by cloudtickler on Sept 21, 2008 21:54:13 GMT -5
The base weights:
(of our original 4) And I found out our scale does grams too..
Khadgar: 1140grams
Jaina: 1003g
Arthas: 1007g
Onyxia: 635. Seriously. We weighed her 4 times.
Our two newbies:
Blaze: 1188
Albino: 1038
Wonderful update!! Z mixed up some kibble in the blender cause we were having a hard time fork-mashing for some reason. So he made a mush of it (looked like refried beans) and I put a little watered down ferretone on top. Khadgar and Jaina went to TOWN! Arthas and Nyx were both seen grazing on the wet kibble, which I still had out for them in a seperate bowl.
Finally!! They're showing interest in mush!
Khad keeps sticking his head too far in the bowl-- snorkling I think. So he shakes his head, sneezes, and goes back to chowin down.
I'm in bed, watching them. I'll post a pic of our cages on the cage/fert room thread in a minute.
As a side note: is the ferret.com forum having tech probs? I haven't been able to even access the page in several days.. Any ideas?
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 22, 2008 4:21:29 GMT -5
Hooray!  Sounds like they are doing great As for ferret.com, yeah, I have been having trouble getting on there as well. I guess something is up  |
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Post by cloudtickler on Sept 22, 2008 12:10:06 GMT -5
Does Nyx's weight pose a concern to you? She's tiiiiny in general, but she's also older.. (and wiser, of course.) I knew she was small but that was startling to me.. I'm at work but Z messaged me and said they're still eating the mush. (he's made a few new batches but I imagine soon he will make one medium batch and store it in the fridge or something.) He's been so helpful. But I'll tell ya.. all this fussing over the ferret diets is making my dog feel jealous. :/ |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 22, 2008 16:35:43 GMT -5
I wouldnt worry unless she FEELS or LOOKS underweight. De only weighs 455g and she is just fine (just really tiny!) she is smaller then a young kit! She just never grew I'm happy to hear the mush is going well. *plants thought into cloudtickler's head* Ya know if your dog is jealous, he/she could always go raw too (*evil grin*). An EXCELLENT site for switching your dog to a raw diet is: www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_DietI highly recommend this thread, which includes a spreadsheet for calculating how much (and of what) to feed your dog. This spreadsheet SHOULD NOT be used for ferrets, as they have different metabolic needs then dogs www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_Diet/thread/431875 |
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Post by cloudtickler on Sept 22, 2008 20:58:18 GMT -5
We've been discussing switching him to raw as well, as it'd just be easier to have the whole house doing the same thing. But right now the concern is the ferts. Thanks for the link |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 22, 2008 22:06:23 GMT -5
I can understand focusing on the ferrets first In fact I switched my ferts first then my kitty. If I did it all at once I'd have gone mad . Dogster Raw will be there for you when you are ready for the puppers. They can help you more then me. I don't have a dog, but I do know SOME about raw feeding dogs, but I have no first hand experience to help you. |
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Post by cloudtickler on Sept 25, 2008 1:01:28 GMT -5
Note to myself to reweigh the group tomorrow or Friday.. I want to do this twice a week so I can keep a close eye on the two smaller ones.. They're still eating the mush, but it's apparent that they prefer the kibble (even moistened kibble) Currently we are out of the house for 11-12 hour days, so I can't exactly leave them all day with the mush cause it will get old. So I've been leaving three dishes: one with a little bit of mush, one with a little bit of moistened kibble (which they are STILL stashing!!) and one with a medium amount of dry kibble. That being said, we attached the two cages together yesterday so the group is still figuring out where the food/water/litterboxes are at! Poo levels have gone up noticeably. Not sure if this is because of food still, or because they're awake more often during the day cause they're all together? OH and I'm SO happy to report that Arthas has FINALLY found a friend!!! Bovane (the albino) and him have been spending a lot of time together. They like to use the waterbottles at the same time lol. hehe I'm chatty today  Suggestions on what to do during the day for food while I'm out of the house? I don't want to leave them without food for 12 hours. Hope your school tests and vet shadow stuff went well!! |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 25, 2008 18:30:05 GMT -5
Poo levels are probably going up because most ferrets are increasing their food intake this time of year (winter is coming ) . Pee levels will be increasing do to the increased moisture content of the food. As for what to do while you are out of the house. I would leave a bowl of dry kibble and a bowl of kibble mush. Another option is freeze-dried raw food. PM mustelidmusk (one of our mentors) for some info on this stuff and let me know what she says. It can be a bit pricey for certain brands, but maybe she can point you to some good deals. Getting them onto a mix of freeze dried raw (in one bowl) and moist kibble mush (in another) can help you progress the switch without having to fall back on the dry kibble. If you cant afford the freeze-dried raw, dont panic, we can figure something out. |
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