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Post by cloudtickler on Oct 28, 2008 12:32:30 GMT -5
No, but I've read several other threads where you've posted about it and other mentors have as well. We have one right now where they were stashing the toys. It's a shoe box that I wrapped fleece around so they don't chew the cardboard. (Khad use to.) I know I need to go get a plastic one so it's easier to clean.. But is the point to put the feed dish inside of the den, or to put the food elsewhere and teach them that this is an okay place to stash? I need to be able to secure the bowl to the bars of the cage because they're rascals.. My next shopping run is tomorrow so I'll pick up a roast. Thanks  |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Oct 28, 2008 17:32:27 GMT -5
Ferrets are butt heads. You might even have to put the bowl of meat OUTSIDE the feeding den so THEY can choose to bring the meat INTO the den. LOL  Give it a whirl and see how it goes. Don't be afraid to take advantage of sales! I ALWAYS buy meat that is about to reach its "sell by date". Its usually on sale for 30% off, thats a fair amount off! I just take it home, portion into baggies and then freeze. I am able to buy beef and lamb because I buy it on sale. |
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Post by cloudtickler on Oct 29, 2008 1:45:38 GMT -5
Got home and Nyx and Arthas looked awful. They'd been maintaining weight fairly well and felt like they were filling out a bit over the last few days. (They looked great when we got home on Saturday after a week away!) And today both of em were skin and bone.  Since they are already sorta on the lean side it was VERY noticable. Z and I decided that they weren't eating the chunks as much which we sort of expected from those two. So.. We're going to try something different. Arthas will be in a fn141 size space of the cage by himself for the night, and Nyx will be in the playpen. They will each have ten small cubes of food. In 10 hours, if they have not eaten this (when I get up) I will give them each 1 tsp of mush that I'll make up tomorrow. If they haven't touched that by 10 hrs later again (when I get home) then I'm going to have to resort back to mixing in a small amount of kibble. But just for those two. The other 4 look fantastic. Also, we did the cage cleaning today and I set up an area underneath one of the smaller shelves for them to eat. It's mostly shrouded from the rest of the cage. We took out all tunnels and just left open hammys so I can see, quickly, if they are stashing. I found meat in the litter box today. On a completely diff level of the cage from the food. Darned Rex! --added before posting-- I just saw Nyx and Arthas both eat a cube each. So they at least had *something*. I think Arthas' issue is he sleeps 23 hrs a day and by the time he wakes up most the food is gone. So in the future I guess I'll just feed those two individually. Sorry I keep writing novels Giuli  I'm just trying to cover all my bases. I'm a bit of a worry wart when it comes to my "kids". |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Oct 29, 2008 18:14:17 GMT -5
No worries, I LIKE getting detailed posts from my newbies  Lets me know what is up. I think you have a nice solid plan. Dont feel bad, it can be hard when you switch more then 2 ferrets to make sure everyone is eating, but you caught it early and hopefully we can get those two fattened up. Let me know how they do. I am happy to hear that everyone else is doing well. You are doing great, so dont feel discouraged! |
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Post by cloudtickler on Oct 30, 2008 14:47:57 GMT -5
They still are not eating much, even seperated out. Arthas will take a few chunks if I offer it by hand, but Nyx wont unless I put a piece in her mouth when she yawns. The other four have started munching on strips of meat, and tearing them up on their own so that's going well. I'm considering bringing back in soupie for Nyx and Arthas because they need to eat more then they are right now. We made a den area for the larger group, and they're still stashing but are eating more initially before stashing which I can deal with for now. It's mainly Bo and Rex still, but Jaina has put a few pieces in the litter box. (Which is on the opposite end of the cage, and on the lower level... It takes a lot of thinking on her part to do this!) Shadow (dog) is thrilled to bits though-- When I take out the 6-8hr old meat, I give it to him. He loves this game, and is always right at my heels when I go to the cage with new meat...  |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Oct 31, 2008 0:42:36 GMT -5
I'd try the soupie with your two that are seperated. It never hurts. Best to keep weight on them. Slow and steady wins the race!
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Post by cloudtickler on Oct 31, 2008 23:12:03 GMT -5
We did our usual weekly game of keep-away-from-ferrets with a small leg bone that I'd broken in 1/2 and this week Jaina went after it. I let her bring her prize back into the cage and in no time she had the three boys arguing over the other 1/2 of the bone. Sure, she stashed it behind the litterbox but not before stripping it of most meaty goodness, and knawing on the knuckle part. That's a smart girl!! All four of them have been seen stashing but now we're just checking under all the tray covers before we give them new meat, and that seems to let em know they need to eat it within a few hours.
They're working in pairs to tear large pieces into smaller, managable pieces. That's the goal, right? Or are they suppose to be doing it individually? They don't fight over this process unless one ends up with nothing in their jaws. Right now I'm giving that group thumb-sized strips. Arthas and Nyx are at 1/2 of a kibble sized currently.
Z mentioned something today-- Nyx wont eat out of the croc. She will nibble a little bit if Arthas drags the meat out of the bowl onto the tray, and she did this with the mush too. She also didn't like eating kibble out of the croc. She'd wait for Khadgar to dig some of it out for her. Can I fix this at all, or shall I just accept her as she is? It's plenty low enough for her, and I've tried varying the height with no luck.
--Our house had a break-in attempt last night. The jerk cut our phone line (to disable the alarm system) so we had no net till we got the new line set up. I'm really peeved about it, but just trying to calm down and go back to my life. No one was hurt, but still.. So aggravating!
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Post by Forum Administrator on Nov 1, 2008 0:11:55 GMT -5
Some ferrets dont like eating out of a bowl because it pushes on their whiskers. Try a plate Some ferrets are just like that. Sounds like you are doing everything just right. Keep up the great work. I am so sorry to hear about the attempted break in! That sucks! OMG that is SO scary! |
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Post by cloudtickler on Nov 2, 2008 14:06:02 GMT -5
The larger group willingly eats strips of steak now. A few questions: 1: How much should they be eating? I bought a pack of 18 chicken thighs 6 days ago and it's almost gone. 2: I'm feeding them twice a day. They stash a lot but eat that stash quickly. How do I know if I need to *increase* the amount I'm giving? 3: Nyx and Arthas are giving me resistance on the steak. Should I just stick with chicken for them for awhile? 4: Should I be removing the skin from the chicken? I know it's not great for humans.. But they're trying to gain winter weight now, right? 5: I'm getting a chest freezer for fert stuff. What is a typical rodentpro order for you? I know you have 2 ferts so I was going to triple it 6: How long does that order last you? Have I mentioned I love watching them eat the bones? It's awesome. |
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Post by cloudtickler on Nov 3, 2008 1:27:49 GMT -5
Nyx has dropped weight from 581gm a month ago to 382gm today. She is completely seperated by herself now. The last 100gm would have had to be in the last week. I am taking her off the meat and back to soupie (which I've talked about for a few days).
I was at a work mtg this evening when Z noticed how lethargic she'd become (I completely understand!!) and gave her some zupreem after attempting to give her some meat which she refused. She ate the kibble like she'd been starving for two weeks.
I am completely committed to the rest of my group to stay on the switch but Nyx's switch is put on hold until she passes AT LEAST 500gm. She is very not happy right now and I should have noticed sooner but I kept seeing her nibble a bit here and there on the meat and kept seeing her poo so I figured she was okay.
She's not okay.
The other 5 are fine. We're still keeping Arthas seperated too (so now we have two living individually but with playtime with the whole group every day..) just cause he doesn't get to the food before the other boys eat it all up.
Jaina is still pleased as punch with the thigh bones.
I'm completely distraught right now on this.
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Post by Forum Administrator on Nov 3, 2008 3:38:58 GMT -5
1: How much should they be eating? I bought a pack of 18 chicken thighs 6 days ago and it's almost gone.It depends on the ferret. Usually around 2-3oz per day, but it could be more or less. My male ferrets usually eat about 1-2 chicken wings per day or 1 chicken thigh each. With a ground mix, I am not positive. Your best bet is to just feed them as much as they will possibly eat. Ferrets are good self regulators and will not get fat easily. 2: I'm feeding them twice a day. They stash a lot but eat that stash quickly. How do I know if I need to *increase* the amount I'm giving? Honestly, since you are feeding ground raw, I would look every time their food bowl gets empty. Check for stashed food. If there is any food stashed, put it back on the plate. If there is no food stashed, add more food. 3: Nyx and Arthas are giving me resistance on the steak. Should I just stick with chicken for them for awhile?Because of Nyx's sudden weight loss, yes. I would say so. 4: Should I be removing the skin from the chicken? I know it's not great for humans.. But they're trying to gain winter weight now, right?NEVER remove the skin. Ferrets get their energy from fat and amino acids. They NEED the fat. Without the skin it would be like putting your ferret on the atkins diet (cutting out their main energey source. For us its carbs, for them its fat/amino acids). Leave the skin on AND any fat present on ANY meat you feed. 5: I'm getting a chest freezer for fert stuff. What is a typical rodentpro order for you? I know you have 2 ferts so I was going to triple it Yay! I am jealous, I want a chest freezer. Here is a typical rodent pro order. We try to order about 3 times per year. But we feed raw AND whole prey sometimes, this streatches the rodentpro farther. Sometimes the RP lasts the 4 months we need it to, and other times it doesnt. First order of rodent pro: We feed them only whole prey Second order of rodent pro: We feed them raw and whole prey Third order of rodent pro: We feed them raw only Here is what we usually get: 1 bag of Pinky mice 1 bag of Fuzzy mice 2 bags of Weanling mice 3 bags of Large Adult mice 2 bags of Extra Large Adult mice 1-2 bags of Weaned rats 2 bags of Small rats 2 bags of Medium rats 2 bags of Medium guinea pigs 2 bags of Day old Chicks 2-3 bags of 3 week old Quail 2 bags of 10 week old quail Rabbit (6 small) That is just an estimate. If you triple the order, you might just have more food then just 4 months worth, but that would be a good thing. 6: How long does that order last you? About 4.5 months, less if we feed JUST whole prey, longer if we feed raw AND whole prey. Have I mentioned I love watching them eat the bones? It's awesome.I love bone munching!
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Post by Forum Administrator on Nov 3, 2008 3:41:56 GMT -5
Nyx has dropped weight from 581gm a month ago to 382gm today. She is completely seperated by herself now. The last 100gm would have had to be in the last week. I am taking her off the meat and back to soupie (which I've talked about for a few days). I was at a work mtg this evening when Z noticed how lethargic she'd become (I completely understand!!) and gave her some zupreem after attempting to give her some meat which she refused. She ate the kibble like she'd been starving for two weeks. I am completely committed to the rest of my group to stay on the switch but Nyx's switch is put on hold until she passes AT LEAST 500gm. She is very not happy right now and I should have noticed sooner but I kept seeing her nibble a bit here and there on the meat and kept seeing her poo so I figured she was okay. She's not okay. The other 5 are fine. We're still keeping Arthas seperated too (so now we have two living individually but with playtime with the whole group every day..) just cause he doesn't get to the food before the other boys eat it all up. Jaina is still pleased as punch with the thigh bones. I'm completely distraught right now on this. Try not to get upset. You caught it and are correcting the problem. Get her weight back up to 500g and then we will worry about her. If you have to feed kibble to get her weight back up, that is totally fine. Just try and get her to eat WET kibble, if at all possible. If she wont touch wet kibble, then give her dry. The goal here is to get her to eat and fatten up. 0.5-1tbsp of heavy (carageenan free) cream daily will get her weight up in no time. This should be used in conjunction with her regular food. Be sure you feed her the cream AFTER shes eaten her regular food, you dont want her to fill up on the cream and not eat her other food. I used the cream daily for 1 week for Delilah when she got really frail during her initial stages of the switch to raw. Fattened her up right quick and worked like a charm. |
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Post by cloudtickler on Nov 3, 2008 3:50:02 GMT -5
quick sidenote: I had not been removing the skins-- it was just a discussion between my housemate and I, so I figured I would ask the question. Also, since Nyx is having problems, my earlier question doesn't apply to her anymore. She's happy with her soup and Z and I are trading off feeding her frequently. She's looking a little happier, even just two hours later. She's content on soup which makes me feel a little better because I didn't want to have to go all the way back to kibble. She will eat the soup off of a spoon, or a flat dish. She has two dishes available to her right now. I will be picking up the cream tomorrow on my way home from work, and will offer it after she's eaten her soup. Thank you for replying promptly. Z and I have been worried about our tiny girl!! ETA (Monday 1pm) We put Arthas back with the main group, so now we have a group of 5, and Nyx is in the 141 area by herself. She will still have daily playtime and naptime with the others. She didn't eat any more soup after 2am, so I put some *slightly* moistened kibble on a flat tupperware lid and she took some of that. She will eat soup if offered to her on a spoon or on a finger (or even if we are holding her, and the dish.) but she wont go after it on her own anymore. As I said earlier, I'll pick up cream on the way home today. Also, when I put new meat in, I always wake Arthas up at which point he will be happy to dig in. That way I don't lose track of his health too. |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Nov 3, 2008 18:06:51 GMT -5
Hang in there, you are doing great. Its rough to switch such a big business! You should be proud of yourself. |
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Post by cloudtickler on Nov 4, 2008 23:01:28 GMT -5
Nyx is now refusing everything unless offered by hand. We will play this game for as long as she needs. Z and I trade off every few hours offering her wet kibble and soup.
Arthas likes being with the other group, though we still put him in with Nyx when we're not feeding her. (She has a plate of soup and a bowl of kibble avail 24/7 so Arthas could eat that too.)
Also, as I was typing this, OBAMA WON! *WOOOOT*!!!!
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