Alitasha, BillyBob, TrichBezoar, Unagi's Switch

[ferretfreke]

So couple of things to report. I'll start with the not-so good first. I decided to try meal worms with Bezoar one more time to see if the vomiting was just a fluke last time. I blended up about three in their soup, which they all ate right up. About five minutes later he started vomiting violently and once all his stomach contents were out, he dry-heaved for at least another 5 minutes It was so sad. He's done fine with everything else, so I'm just not going to offer them to him again. So it's not a big deal. It does make me concerned that Billy will have the same reaction with mice, which is a bigger deal because I'm hoping to get to where that would be a main staple of their diet.

The really good news is I went and bought some 3 wk old baby chicks from IFA today and I offered them a live one and Alitasha went straight for the kill and Unagi was trying to help. Then everybody but Bezoar was fighting over it. He didn't quite get it. It was a really hard thing to do and I'm not sure I want to again. Why do the chicks have to be so d**n cute? But I figured if I had the ferrets kill it themselves that they'd get the idea that it was something to eat better and it worked wonderfully. They've pretty much devoured the entire thing. There is the head and one wing left is all. I'm very proud of my babies even though it was kind of a horrific experience for me. I did enjoy seeing them acting on their natural instincts and I'm happy to see they were very efficient in their kill. I'm not all all surprised that Alitasha was my most efficient hunter. She chews on me daily . I euthanized the two other chicks I bought in my Co2 chamber. That wasn't as hard. I wonder if I offer them a live mouse if I would have as good of results. I'm pretty sure they would kill it, but not sure about the eating it part.

[cristina]

Thats great to hear they were efficient hunters! I know they are so cute which is why I am still iffy to give mine chicks (I dont think I could handle it ) I do bet they would do the same with the mouse, especially if its live and they have alrready killed and ate their prey once on their own before, I bet that they would eat the mouse since they would get the whole satification of the "hunting" idea..try it out Im curious to see if there is a difference!

Thats sad the meal worms have that effect on Bezoar, but at least now you know and like you said its not too big of an issue to cut those out of his diet....but I do understand your concern for mice with Billy, I would say give the mouse a try with him again (to either conform or figure out if its a fluke) but give it to him in small pieces so he only gets a small amount in his system and see how he handles it. Then from there we can see how it goes and make some adjustments with him as well, I know you want mice to be a part of the diet and if this cannot be reached we will figure out something else in replace for him!

[ferretfreke]

Everything is going well with the ferrets. I offered one of the euthanized chicks for dinner last night and BillyBob snatched it up immediately and was hissing at the others that wanted some too. They all got some after he got his share. They ate the entire thing. I am going to mentally prepare myself to offer some live mice. I think I'll get some frozen pinkies first and mix a blended one in soup for a few days first. Plus I want to see if Billy will puke if I do that before giving him a live one.

[cristina]

Go Billy!!

I think thats a good idea, IMO, I would just give him a little at first and see if it settles in his system and slowly give him more if he is keeping it down.

Good luck! Let me know how he does!

[ferretfreke]

I finally found some beef heart and kidneys! Okay so how much do I feed?

I mixed in a blended pinkie tonight and so far so good. No vomiting and they all ate well.

[cristina]

General rule of thumb is once a week feeding of organs, I dont know if you know but but Ill throw it out there in case...usually gizzards and hearts are considered meat, so you can feed these as much as you like.....personally, I do liver, kidney and such once a week, organs are very rich so I think once a week is good for your group too especially since Billy maybe has some sensitivity to rich things

Im glad to hear the mouse is settling well in his tummy, maybe he just needed to get use to the richness

[ferretfreke]

I have a question about cow kidneys. What is the stinky white-yellowish crap in the middle. I should know from my production animal class but I don't. Am I supposed to feed it to them or cut around it. Cus I wouldn't want to eat it. It smells like urine.

[ferretfreke]

K I have another question... I did the ferrets weight checks today and BillyBob and Alitasha have lost quite a bit in the last 2 weeks. I've always done regular weight checks of my ferrets and recorded them. Billy and Alitasha are at the lowest they've ever been since I've owned them. Billy has lost 4 oz in the last two weeks. His normal weight is around 3 lbs and he's at 2 lbs 9 oz. Alitasha is normally around 1 lb 11 oz this time of year and she is at 1 lb 4 oz. Both Bezoar and Unagi have only lost 1 oz, which doesn't concern me at all. I know I'm supposed to expect weight loss from the switch since they are no longer consuming carbs, but do you think I should be worried or that I'm under-feeding them? They both seem to eat well. Billy is the one that has to have his share before anyone else does. Billy has always been my huge boy (but not fat, just big) and I loved that. He's my Best in Class at the ferret show. He'll never be tiny cus he has a large frame, but I'm just kind of sad about it still. So what do you think?

Oh, I guess I should also mention that nobody is shedding right now. Billy concerns me more also because, I forgot to mention, when I took him in a couple of weeks ago when he was lethargic and not eating on his exam my vet could palpate a small mass in his abdomen that he thinks is an adrenal mass. That's what area of the body it is in and we already know he has adrenal disease. I've been managing it so far with melatonin implants. He's supposed to go in for an adrenalectomy/exploratory soon.

And how often can I feed them quail eggs? Lots of questions today .

[cristina]

Ok first of all the cow kidneys, I have never fed these before (its always been chicken or turkey) so I am not sure about the stuff in the middle, I will find out tomorrow if its edible or not so Ill get back to you on that one (that is kinda weird though! )

Now about the weight loss...this time of year (spring) is when they lose the most weight since they are coming out of their "storage" mode from winter, plus shedding takes a toll as well....although if Billy isnt shedding it could be due from anything like not being on the "correct" season internally (like my Boomer has his seasons mixed up and has a full coat in the summer and vice versa ), this is something I would ask your vet about though since it could also be due to his condition...ask about the weight loss as well, personally I wouldnt be too worried about it since its this time of year but its better to be safe than sorry (in case it could be something internally). [personally I leave raw food out at all times for them to snack on throughout the day, I dont know if you do this but I know with my 3 fuzzies that they can get pretty greedy so I like to make sure everyone has more than enough if they wanted it]

I know when I worry about weight loss such as this, I begin to add KMR second step powder to their soup (its a kitten formula that helps with nutrients and weight gain), my vet told me to give this when I feel they need to gain some weight or if they are sick....this takes on the same role as feeding cream, and this isnt as "milky" either plus it contains vital nurtients that just feeding cream doesnt so I find it to be pretty beneficial (IMO).

About the quail eggs....I usually feed an egg a week, in soup (any type of egg)...I use this as a general rule of thumb, I mean you can feed more but they shouldnt have too much egg white in their diet since its not good for them in large quantities. Also Im not sure how big your quail eggs are, I have seen different sizes that vary, but from what I do know...once a week is good. (eggs are rich too)

[cristina]

ok I am sorry this is taking soo long to get back to you about this weird stuff in the kidneys ....I asked a veteran of raw feeding (haha) they would know more into detail about that issue, so I am guessing I will have a certain answer for you tomorrow

[cristina]

Ok I have an answer for you about the stuff in the kidneys, and I am siding with Heather on what she has told me about it so here is what she told me:

"Most kidneys that we buy have already been partially cleaned. I personally wouldn't feed that part...it's usually full of hard fats and I'm just not comfortable feeding it. It's also very tough, I'm not sure they would eat it, (I'll probably find that I've been throwing out some really good parts ) but I usually cut it out."

I hope this helps!

[ferretfreke]

K thank you. I didn't really want to feed it due to it being so unappetizing to me. It really reeks and has a gross texture.

I started offering the ferrets more food and it's mostly getting eaten so maybe I wasn't offering them enough. When I first started the switch I was offering them a lot more and they'd let a lot go to waste and so I started reducing the amount. Maybe it's because they are more willing to eat the food now so they aren't letting it just go to waste. I am almost positive that it's not seasonal as they already went through their seasonal weight loss about 2 months ago and it's way low for their normals for this time of year.

I've been giving them a little soup with a blended pinkie mixed in once a day all this week and they are doing very well with it. I'm planning on offering them a live mouse on Monday (I don't have money to buy one til then).

I found out I can order Primal chicken and turkey necks and chicken backs through my work and that means I don't have to pay the expensive shipping! So I'm excited about that.

Thanks for finding that out for me.

[cristina]

oh yea no problem, thats y Im here! Thats great about not having to deal with shipping, I wish I had that!

I usually leave out just enough food (I feed 2 times a day) between each feedings, but I think also since they have gotten "more use" to raw that they will eat more like you said, plus they are growing little guys!

[cristina]

So hows everything going? any weight gain? hows the mouse feedings holding up?

[ferretfreke]

Everything is going good. Alitasha and BillyBob's weights have gone up a bit. They are still eating the pinkie soup well. I was going to try offering them a cut up pinkie today and see how that goes. Other than that, there isn't much to report.