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Post by ccretarolo on Aug 4, 2009 20:02:49 GMT -5
It was a very small piece of chicken neck bone. It wasn't much but at least it was something. I gave it to him and then he actually picked out a piece of bone from the bowl and ate it on his own. Knowing that he's a lot healthier than when I got him makes me happy. He was healthy from day one but now he's truly thriving.
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Post by ccretarolo on Aug 10, 2009 2:12:56 GMT -5
Thought I would bump this up a bit.
Things are the same as usual. Mogli will eat some chunks but only if they happen to be licked up while he's going after actual mush.
I've been adding ground mice as a regular part of their diet although Mogli won't eat mouse on it's own. He loves it if it's added into some pork or chicken.
Also... He's eating beef now! It's about 1/4 of the total mix right now but he's still eating it. I know I won't give him beef as the majority of any meal but it's great to know my options have expanded. I might also eventually add in lamb if my dad can get some on sale.
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Post by bigsis7 on Aug 10, 2009 15:21:35 GMT -5
Yay go Mogli!! I think it's great that he's starting to branch out more. I don't expect him to all of the sudden start eating bone and whole meat, but I think we're on the right track! Lamb would be a great meat to add, too!
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Post by ccretarolo on Aug 17, 2009 15:03:36 GMT -5
Sorry it's been so long since I replied. I've been out a lot recently and haven't done any more meat shopping yet.
Later this week, I'll be going and getting some more meat for my brats since I'm just about out.
I now have Mogli eating beef on a regular basis so now I have a guaranteed three meat sources for him. I'm going to pick up some beef heart as the beef source since it will be the easiest for him to chew.
I'm thinking that in addition to the beef heart, I'll get a couple of whole chickens, a cornish hen or 2, a pork shoulder, some chicken and/or turkey hearts, and whatever else I can find that's cheap.
Since Mogli is starting to eat small pieces of bone, I'm going to start giving small slivers of meat in the mush in addition to some small pieces of bone. I really think that he might possibly be coming to the end of his switch since I'm going to start phasing out the mice until I can afford to pay for them myself.
I have to admit that I'm really proud of his progress. He's now a lot healthier than I ever could have imagined. His coat is so soft and shiny and his teeth are starting to go back to white without getting them cleaned. He also has a lot more energy than he did when I first brought him home.
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Post by bigsis7 on Aug 18, 2009 10:41:06 GMT -5
Sounds great! I also think he's getting closer :]!
I'm proud of how well you and Mogli have done! It's amazing how raw meat helps their health! And yes energy is definitely a big part in them eating meat, lol!
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Post by ccretarolo on Aug 21, 2009 1:32:38 GMT -5
Now that I actually have some more meat, I'm going to start giving small slivers instead of turning it all into mush. I currently have some beef and chicken hearts mushed up. I'm going to be adding some slivers of pork and/or beef testicle when it thaws out.
In a couple of weeks, I'm going to go to one of the local asian markets to pick up some more meat. I'm thinking about getting some quail to add to the beef, pork, and chicken to give them some more variety.
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Post by bigsis7 on Aug 21, 2009 21:28:15 GMT -5
Great! Let me know how Mogli likes the slivers of meat. Quail would be a great meat to get and I think Mogli would like the taste :]!
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Post by ccretarolo on Aug 22, 2009 18:13:59 GMT -5
So, I finally got a chance to get to the asian market today. They didn't have any quail in but they had duck hearts for less than a dollar a pound. I'm figuring that I'll try and get them to eat the duck instead of chicken hearts for maybe a week or so (once my current mush runs out) for a little variety.
I also saw that the market has pork liver, a variety of duck parts, whole rabbit (although it's a bit pricey), and pork brains. I'm thinking about buying some duck heads the next time I go in so they can eat the eyes and brains... The organ to bone ratio should insure that things balance out.
I also will be getting some chicken trim for free from one of the local mexican butcher shops.
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Post by bigsis7 on Aug 23, 2009 19:25:30 GMT -5
Oooo duck is great too! Yep yep! It's great that you have places to go for so much variety :]!
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Post by ccretarolo on Aug 27, 2009 23:23:12 GMT -5
I started putting down a new mix for the boys. It's duck hearts, chicken legs, bull testicle, liver, and chicken necks. I made sure to leave some small pieces of bone and cartilage along with some whole and chopped up hearts. So far, I've seen Mogli eating the bone pieces and some of the whole heart.
I'm thinking that I'm gradually going to put in less mushed up meat so they both will have to eat more actual pieces of meat and bone. If things go right, I should have them off of the mush by the time I go back to school in a little less than a month.
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Post by bigsis7 on Aug 29, 2009 12:58:46 GMT -5
Nice variety in that mix! Mogli is doing well! Sounds like a good plan! As long as Mogli is eating, that's great. I don't think you should have a problem getting him to eat more bone and meat chunks :]! Great job!
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Post by ccretarolo on Sept 3, 2009 1:48:00 GMT -5
Another update. I made a batch of food that has very little mush in it. I'm thinking that I'll be able to get rid of the much with the next one and stick with chunks of meat. So close now!
The current mix is similar to the last. Chicken thighs (with the bone chopped up), duck hearts (mostly whole and pieces with a little mush), liver, gizzards, and some chicken backs/necks. I've also noticed a pretty big difference in Mogli's back teeth since he hasn't figured out how to munch on stuff with his canines yet. He's been making a lot of progress though.
It also ends up that he went through his coat and weight switch to fall a little early. He's now well over 3 pounds and has a very soft and silky coat that's at least a half inch longer than Ozzy's.
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Post by bigsis7 on Sept 4, 2009 15:08:21 GMT -5
I'm so excited to see how Mogli does without mush, hah!! Don't you love that soft silky feeling? I just want to cuddle with them all day, but of course they don't stay still long enough for that  . 3 pounds is an awesome weight too! I love big ferrets! |
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Post by ccretarolo on Sept 10, 2009 1:33:55 GMT -5
Great news! Today is the first day without mush and Mogli is eating wonderfully! It took him a while to realize that he wasn't going to get any mush but he did eventually get hungry enough to just go ahead and eat the food that was in the bowl.
I'm currently giving the boys some familiar meats so they don't get too confused. Right now it's chicken hearts, gizzards, and some necks and backs for bone.
I did try to get Mogli to eat a whole mouse last night but that didn't go over too well. I think that when it comes to any whole prey for him, it might just be better to add it to soups as a way to disguise it.
I'm thinking that since now I can feed chunks on a regular basis, I'm going to start making soups with a variety of meats along with either whole prey or frozen, pulverized greens for fiber. I'll then freeze it into cubes and have them split a cube a day. That way they stay familiar with soup and they also get some fiber on a daily basis.
I have to admit that since I haven't been giving them any fiber on a regular basis... The poops have been pretty runny. I was just waiting until this point to reincorporate fiber into the diet since I didn't want to risk backtracking due to too many new elements at once. But now that I'm at the point I wanted to get Mogli to, I'm going to buy some ice cube trays ASAP and get some soup made.
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Post by bigsis7 on Sept 10, 2009 20:51:36 GMT -5
That's so great! Yeah for right now I think familiar chunky meats is best as it'll probably help Mogli eat it even better.
How do they do with the backs? Can they get some bone out of it?
For now I think that's probably best to keep it in soups. Don't want to throw too much at him!
Sounds good! I'll admit that I'm terrible at remembering to give my ferrets some fiber, so I understand ;].
Keep me updated on how he's progressing! Sounds like he's on the right track!
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