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Post by bigsis7 on Jun 19, 2009 9:08:04 GMT -5
Aww thanks!! Your Fern looks like my Breeze :]!!
Well Jack sounds like he's doing good!! My Oliver is the same way. He'll eat what he wants, when he wants, lol! As long as he's interested and will eat it, he's good!
Hmm yeah sometimes it just takes a while. As long as you keep lowering the kibble amounts when she's comfortable with the current amount, that should be good. Keep me updated!
P.S. I noticed in one of your later threads that you are from Canda! What part? I'm moving to Alberta this summer ;]!
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Post by mindfield on Jun 19, 2009 21:28:37 GMT -5
I forgot to mention that I also give Fern and Jack freeze dried chicken and liver and beef. I only buy pure bites and stella and chewy's, although it's hard to get my hands on stella and chewy's because I can't find them here in Canada!
The amount of kibble i'm giving Fern isn't that much. First thing I do is i try to give her something from Jack's bowl and put it in hers when she wants to eat (just to see if she'll try it out). I'v seen her run away with a huge piece from Jack's bowl too...bone and all and started chewing it all up. Unfortunately she didn't eat all of it and definitely not the bone. I haven't seen her do that again but I was proud and at least we are making progress.
oh, I live in Toronto by the way...The only thing I hate is that it's so hard to get anything for my ferrets, i always have to order stuff online. For example, there aren't a lot of ferret owners around here so its understandable..Canada's not big on ferrets. (or so I think) I joined this group though and we meet up with other Ferret owners and stuff..just a small get together of 6 or so people.
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Post by bigsis7 on Jun 20, 2009 14:51:57 GMT -5
I know what you mean by how hard it is to find any thing for ferrets in Canada. I've been looking for suppliers in Canada, but I can not by any means find one! Jojodancer ships to Canada, though I'm not sure how much it would cost you. I know to Western-Southern Alberta it cost $20 to ship the freeze dried.
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Post by bigsis7 on Jun 28, 2009 10:06:05 GMT -5
Any updates?
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Post by mindfield on Jun 29, 2009 4:35:49 GMT -5
Hey,
Sorry, not much has really changed since my last update, Fern and Jack has been eating the same and Fern has started to eat a few more varieties of meat but she won't eat anything by itself but chicken (sometimes), so we still have a long way to go. She does try to bite the bones now though. Yesterday I went to a ferret meet up and everyone there was saying how heavy and big Jack was. I honestly think being on a raw diet makes a difference because there were some boys about his size but they weren't as heavy.
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Post by mindfield on Jun 30, 2009 19:22:44 GMT -5
Yesterday I found out something very interesting, Fern has a guilty pleasure. It's eating raw! This morning I woke up to the sound of chewing under the drawer...i slowly snuck down and took a peek, I thought it was Jack..but instead, I saw Fern! She was taking the chicken from Jack's bowl and running under the drawer and eating it. Today I left beef and she also ate it, who knows how long she has been doing this! No bone yet for her though... I will continue on trying to get her to eat bone!
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Post by bigsis7 on Jun 30, 2009 21:57:53 GMT -5
LOL!! That's great!! Progress! I love how she didn't want you to know, hehe! Maybe if you just leave Jack;s dish out with bone? Cause you know anyone else's food it better then your own hehe!
I've noticed a raw diet helps ferrets "grow"! Like Chewie and Ollie have a lot of muscle and a tummy hehe!
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Post by mindfield on Jul 3, 2009 10:41:47 GMT -5
Yeah, I went to a ferret meetup and Jack was the heaviest ferret there. He was the only one on a raw diet. There was also another ferret there Oliver and was a little larger than Jack but he wasn't heavy at all!
Fern is starting to take a lot more of Jack's chicken/turkey/liver. She still needs kibble for the beef but I do leave it in Jack's bowl and she does smell it but wont try it by itself. I'm leaving bone in Jack's bowl but I think it's Jack that's eating it all. I'll keep trying!
Also, is it bad to be giving them liver treats 3 times a week? Just wondering.. it's the freeze dried stuff.
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Post by bigsis7 on Jul 5, 2009 10:58:55 GMT -5
Haha yeah I think a raw diet helps size!
As long as you portion it, I don't think it's a problem.
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Post by mindfield on Jul 6, 2009 10:24:49 GMT -5
Today I saw Fern dragging Jack's chicken under the drawer and going away at it. She doesn't like the little cardboard den I guess. Now that I know she eats chicken, i'm trying to give her other things. She already ate liver by itself. She also eats turkey..seems like they think it's the same as chicken or something. I'll keep trying to give her beef without kibble. No bone yet but she does try to chew it up.
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Post by bigsis7 on Jul 7, 2009 10:30:36 GMT -5
Ha Ollie loves hiding his chicken under my bed!
Have you tried pork? She might like that as it's also a milder meat. Well chewing is a start!
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Post by mindfield on Jul 9, 2009 9:02:57 GMT -5
No I haven't tried pork yet since i figured that she should start eating something other than her kibble but it's actually about time I guess since she's eating the chicken and turkey alone now. I was going to get her on beef but if you think pork is milder then I'll try that first. I haven't gotten Jack to eat pork yet either so I can get them to start together. Fern does eat a bit of bone now, she's still getting use to it...she'll drag Jack's unfinished bones under the drawer and start gnawing at it.
Do you know a softer bone that Fern can probably eat? I smash them sometimes but for Jack he has strong jaws and can get through them but I don't know about Fern...maybe she wants to eat it but she's having trouble?
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Post by bigsis7 on Jul 9, 2009 16:05:20 GMT -5
Yeah I think pork may be easier to get her to eat. Beef is a good meat to have in a raw diet, but pork is better than only 2 different kinds of meat ;]! And with getting them both to eat pork at the same time might encourage them further to try it.
Glad she's trying it out more!! I don't think Fern should have any trouble eating the bone, but I believe wing and thigh bones are the softest. Leg, neck, and back are thicker, but shouldn't be difficult to chew. So if you haven't/aren't using wings I would try that with Fern.
You're doing a good job switching them!!
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Post by mindfield on Jul 10, 2009 23:01:30 GMT -5
Thanks!  Right now what i'm doing is mixing chicken with the pork. I'm blending it both together sort of like a soup but I am NOT putting a lot of pork in so they are still eating it. is it ok to blend the bones? Just wondering so that maybe if I do this Fern might get use to it..just the taste anyways. Fern really likes her meat soupy and in little pieces..Jack isnt too picky |
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Post by bigsis7 on Jul 11, 2009 9:55:38 GMT -5
It would be great if you could blend the bones!! I didn't think of that, but it worked for my ferrets getting them to eat bone!
LOL, He sounds like Chewie!!
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