|
|
Post by Heather on Oct 9, 2008 15:43:36 GMT -5
Quick question  One of the other ladies that I'm mentoring is interested in information about your grinder. She's thinking of buying one and you are happy with yours?!! She can't get ready access to ground meats either and thinks that this would be cheaper in the long run rather than ordering and shipping the stuff in. Talk at you later.  ciao |
|
|
|
Post by ferretpalooza on Oct 10, 2008 18:01:38 GMT -5
I got it from Northern tools. Is is the electric meat grinder #168620. It cost me 119.99 but was on sale for $20 less last week. It is not made for bones and skin. I cut the skin in squares. It did grind the thigh and leg bones from thighs slowing just a little. I will probably break the bones a little with a hammer next time to not stress the motor too much, however, it did a great job.
Not much different here except the poos are getting gross again, so I am holding with the kibble, jerky and soup. Ive been down with a back problem so I spent the day laying on the couch in their room today. Chuckie and Boudreaux are also eating soup during the day.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Oct 10, 2008 22:54:01 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. :)and take it easy and get better. Your guys can wait....I wish I new why their poops are going south again  Sounds like you might want to up the bone in their raw....That might do it. Do you have access to chicken necks? Sometimes that is a little heavy with bone, but it just might help clean up the poopy problem, especially if it's really liquid  It might also be a bit of change as your guys start getting used to a new difference to their diet. Good luck, take care of that back. I will check on you tomorrow. ciao |
|
|
|
Post by ferretpalooza on Oct 12, 2008 9:37:55 GMT -5
These guys are so goofy!!!! One day, they will inhale bowls of the stuff and the next they are back to being picky. I think the black poos are coming from the lamb treats. Would that make any sense?? It seems to be the lamb eaters that are doing it. Killa is continuing to look better each day though and everyone has energy, although I think they are slowing a little with winter coming on. So we are staying in this holding pattern for a bit. Max and Bubba will take big chunks out of the bowl and chew away. I think Im going to get some wings and break them up and see if they will play with me. I really think those two could start on something more than soup if they were receptive.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Oct 12, 2008 22:08:22 GMT -5
Maybe the lamb treats are too rich, are they yours or are they something that is manufactured? Do you know what's in them? If they're too rich, say constructed of liver then yes, it's a good possibility that your guys poos will be black. I find that my guys also swing widely from day to day as to how much they will actually eat (of course there's no telling my guys may have remembered where they hid a secret stache too  The thing is, remember the phrase, balance over time....it's in all things. Amounts, ingredients, awake times, sleepy times. There will be days when my guys are just insane, active, hungry little knotheads...there are other days I have to wonder if I even have ferrets...all they do is sleep. They don't really eat much, and then I start looking at some of my older guys and start to worry and then the little sods are up and I'm wondering why I was worrying If they're consistently not eating, or when you hug them you realize they're loosing weight, which is why everyone gets multiple hugs in a day then you worry. As you are already feeding bone, when you feed your ground mix, you are now in a position to experiment in trying to get them to eat chicken wings or feeding other boned meats to see if there is something they really like. Do your guys like pork? Try those little riblet things (they're quite cheap and the bone is very small, the right size for a ferret ) I will check back with you tomorrow. ciao |
|
|
|
Post by ferretpalooza on Oct 13, 2008 21:58:34 GMT -5
We've not been making any changes since I have been moving a bit slow...LOL I made an appt with a chiropractor and they have identified the problems and started therapy so Im better and going back to work tomorrow. The piglets are all looking well. Killa is really starting to fill out a little and past the stage of me worrying as much about him. When I let them out, I make a fresh bowl of soup and the piggies (max, sully, chuckie,killa) usually inhale it. Then I make another one and the ones who didnt get some of the first one, snack on the second one and the leftover go in the pen when they go up. They are mostly out twice a day and they are just about eating all that I make now. The dogs arent liking that.....ha ha ha Anyway, I have some catching up at work for the next 10 days but if I get some down time I may start playing with some pork chunks/chops and chicken wings. I was reading where someone was playing tug of war and they would run off with the "prize" if they ripped a piece off........sounds interesting.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Oct 13, 2008 22:27:35 GMT -5
I was going to suggest that you try playing tug with some chunked meat or tying it on a string to let them chase it a bit (it's a bit messy but they enjoy it ) I've also tied a piece of meat to an elastic (sewing type, the narrow kind that you use in waste bands, not the elastic type) and let them chase and bounce it around (suspending it over their heads allows them to bounce up and grab it ). Their idea of play is very similar to cats so anything that would appeal to cats will often appeal to ferrets. They each have their own idiocyncrasies but it's a good general assumption . That's great that they're all eating very well and are starting to put on weight. You've done very well by your guys. This is really fantastic Keep up the good work, take care of yourself and I will check with you tomorrow. Don't work too hard ciao |
|
|
|
Post by ferretpalooza on Oct 17, 2008 16:43:26 GMT -5
Hey, just popping in to say hi. Nothing much new here. I have to fit 2 hours of chiro/physical therapy 3 times a week into my schedule so this week has been pretty busy!!!! The reason the poos have been black is cause the lamb cubes are pure lung!!!! Gross as that sounds, I have three that will eat all I put in there, especially Buster!!!! So I have some other chicken jerky and lamb jerky that is meat/fat. I assume lung cubes are considered organ and should be fed once weekly?  ? They are eating well, havent had a chance to play tug of war but will find some time this weekend. Other than that, everyone is well. |
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Oct 17, 2008 21:17:44 GMT -5
Hi Thanks for popping in. Yes, lung is considered an organ meat, no I don't think it's gross and yes that's why some of your guys are having really black poopies. I certainly wouldn't be feeding it as a predominant food...that being said, it's not as bad as say...liver but I wouldn't feed it more than say twice in a week....maybe 3x but no more than that. How's Killa doing? Still putting on weight and eating well? Stay in touch, let me know if anything changes Work at getting better. Have a good weekend and take it easy if you can ciao |
|
|
|
Post by ferretpalooza on Oct 17, 2008 21:39:42 GMT -5
Killa is looking well. He is a small ferret he's not ever going to be a chunk like the others but his body looks balanced. He has plenty of energy. The kibble consumption is just a dribble, but Buster is looking a little thin since I took the lung out....ha ha ha ha He had substituted lung for kibble so he's a little confused now. There is still a small bowl of kibble in there, they usually have soup with ground meat in there and a choice of kibble. Im only going to feed the lung once a week cause I dont want him starving till I put it back in there. I did take some chicken leg bones and split them and left strings of meat hanging off. I was playing with them and they would take the meat and drag it off, but when they see the bone, they get turned off and just leave it and walk away. My biggest frustration is that it is easier when you feed kibble cause you always know there is food in the cage if are away from home for a long day. I will make a big bowl of soup/ground and sometimes they eat it all, but then you have several days when you have to either throw it away or feed it to the dogs. I asssume if they were eating like, whole chicken legs or large pieces of meat, it wouldnt be a worry for them to eat as often. When they eat the soup, they eat a good amount and I dont know if they are just being picky during the day when Im not there, or just not hungry till night playtime. Now noone is getting bony and I know what is going on with Buster, but it is frustrating to waste the soup/ground mix since it takes a lot of work to prepare and freeze it all. You have any ideas? ? |
|
|
|
Post by ferretpalooza on Oct 18, 2008 15:13:53 GMT -5
Oh man, I took Buster and Bubba with me to Petsmart to get some litter. They had a blast. They got more attention......ha ha ha I think the cheap chicken jerky from Sams is not the best so we went to our small mom and pop store and got some chicken, duck and lamb strips. it is a good brand so Im hoping they will eat more of the jerky. I broke down and gave Buster a little lung since he and Bubba were wonderful ferret ambassadors today. They were so well behaved. I also got some more beef ribs and pork chops and sliced half of them into strips and put in ice cube trays to freeze dry. I had some meat freeze dried but it thawed and refroze when we lost elec. last month and I had to throw it out. So I have lamb, chicken, and duck jerky and fresh pork and beef. Ill see if I can get them to start eating bigger chunks of meat.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Oct 18, 2008 22:41:44 GMT -5
One must always "treat" the special "fertambassadors". Don't they enjoy doing the meet and greet thing. My guys so look forward to meeting and enjoying other people's company. I know that my guys don't eat a lot of food during the main part of the day. They eat a lot in the am and then they once again eat a fair amount later in the evening. One thing you could do is take a look at the amount (or measure) that you put in for them for their use during the day. Then, look to see how much they eat during the day. Give them a smaller amount with possibly one boned piece for them to chew on. You can then feed them again their larger amount in the evening when you get home and let them out to play. One of the thing I noticed, is that when we're travelling that if they're caged they eat and play less when they're in their travelling cage. Even my big eaters don't eat as much when they're caged. Perhaps, because they don't expend that much energy when confined they don't feel hungry. I would suggest maybe feeding a little less during the day but offering that amount when they're up and about and on the prowl. Just a thought. You may find that you're feeding less to the dogs:) (I do this at the end of the day, all the ground food that isn't eaten, my puppy gets, but I'd just as soon not feed him the ground meats) Give it a thought, I will check back with you and see what you've found out ciao |
|
|
|
Post by ferretpalooza on Oct 20, 2008 11:25:57 GMT -5
OK, the punks went on a starvation stand down yesterday. Me and a friend spent the day in New Orleans so when they were out yesterday morning, I made a bowl of soup, ground, cut up pork,chicken and beef. Well they nibbled during playtime and I put the bowl in the pen. They didnt get out last night since I got back late so the mix was in there for 24 hours.....they barely touched it!!! There was also still kibble in the cage. Looks like they rooted through the jerky bowl looking for lung and spread the jerky all over the floor so I dont know how much was eaten. They were in a great mood this morning, all playing, dancing, jumping around and wrestling with me. I made a fresh bowl and they all came and ate some. They carried a lot of pieces of meat off under the chair and left them......ha ha ha I want them to start eating bigger pieces and not as much soupy stuff. so, I cleaned out the cage and when they went back in for the afternoon, I put the mix in. Buster went to see if I put more lung in, Bubba grabbed a big piece of jerky and went to an eating den. Chuckie grabbed a piece of some kind of meat from the bowl and went into an eating den. While they were eating this morning, Max, Bubba, Chuckie, and Killa were chewing chunks in their back teeth. Max is a real good meat eater. He is always grabbing chunks out and chewing with his back teeth. So they ought to be fairly hungry today. We'll see how much they eat. If Im going to be wasting and feeding to the dogs, I say lets try and move ahead a little. The chunks of pork and beef are from on sale meats and easier to produce than the soup and ground mix.
Ok, I got home this afternoon and they havent touched it. What a bunch of babies......ha ha ha I may try just cutting the fresh meats up tiny tonight, Ive been making the mix chunkier and chunkier. We'll see if the bite on the smaller pieces. Maybe they will get a taste for the fresh meats and eventually start eating bigger pieces. I dont want a weight dump over this. Oh brother!!!!!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Oct 21, 2008 0:51:09 GMT -5
Ok, let's take a look at what has changed (other than telling the little sods that they can't have lung 24/7 ) It sounds to me as though they're eating the meat, so I wonder why they've decided to not eat when you're not there?? Little sods were lonely? It doesn't sound like they're any worse for wear if their activity level is still up. Fuzzies are finicky little creatures, some of them if there is a perceptible size difference they may not touch it. One thing you might try is a mix of big and little pieces, or taking some of the larger pieces and nicking them so that they have smaller chunks to grab at even though they're still larger than what they've been eating. Just some ideas. Drop me a line and let me know if they've picked up eating today. ciao |
|
|
|
Post by ferretpalooza on Oct 21, 2008 18:58:06 GMT -5
They still want me to either dip my finger in it and let them lick it to get them started or spoon feed them. I have 4 main eaters that I see in the bowl on a regular basis. I got up for water last night and boudreaux was in there eating. I did cut everything up in small pieces and they ate about 1/2 the bowl. Some of them are starting to put their winter coats on and sometimes when I let them out at night, they dont play very much so they may just be sliding into winter mode. Dont they slow down eating too??? Killa is looking great. The only thing I changed was starting to add chunks of meat again. They do have the jerky to snack on and that is 100% meat, but I dont understand why they are such punks. They do, however, from time to time, finish the whole bowl.
|
|
