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Post by katt on Dec 26, 2009 13:30:25 GMT -5
Well I found an inexpensive Ulu pretty easily (they are everywhere in Alaska  and the best cutting device ever invented - or so I have heard). I used it last night and it works PERFECT!  I was able to get a tiny sliver of bone with marrow on it and fed it to Koda (meaning popped it in his mouth) and he chewed on it a bit before spitting it out (no he did not eat the marrow). I put 2 large chopped wing drumlettes in his bowl last night and made sure that the bone was mashed up good with lots of marrow. He dragged one to his litter box (really need to get that feeding den set up) and didn't touch the other. He has eaten chopped meat from the wings before, though he seems to not like it as much as the hearts (he will eat those whole now not just chopped up  ). Should I withhold the chicken hearts and just feed him chopped wings for a while? HE has eaten meat off of the bone before, but lately just stashes anything with bones in it (no eating off of it!) and eats everything without bone in it. |
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 26, 2009 14:33:59 GMT -5
I'd try giving him segmented wings, chopped into about 1" pieces for 2-3 meals in a row. With the wing tips, just try cutting those in half.
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Post by katt on Dec 26, 2009 15:29:55 GMT -5
Oky doky! Will do. Thanks!
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Post by katt on Dec 27, 2009 5:49:13 GMT -5
What do I do if he is not eating the food, but just stashing it instead? He won't even eat it when I put it in his mouth, he just carries it off. Also, his poop started to look funny suddenly today. Is this normal? They were normal for a few days even after the switch, then as of today are weird. I am assuming this is from the change in diet, but is it normal for it to not change until a few days after the switch?
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Post by weloveourweasels on Dec 27, 2009 21:05:48 GMT -5
I feed mine only in the cage because they just wanted to stash at first when I fed them outside the cage.
For your other question I don't know.
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 27, 2009 21:31:58 GMT -5
If he's not eating it, try going back a step until he's comfortable with what you're doing again. You may have moved to quickly for him.
What do you mean by "weird"? Sometimes on raw, my ferrets stool will change a fair bit, depending on what they've eaten. Are they really loose? Funny coloured?
If they're loose, you can add eggshell powder to his meat.
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Post by vkoslin on Dec 28, 2009 20:21:19 GMT -5
If he's stashing and not eating it, he's not at "that point" yet. At that point, I would assume that he is not going to eat that raw, and you need to step back.
Mine stash too but usually to get it away from the others so they can finish it later. I always feed in the cage, and have to be careful to check their mouths when out to play... sometimes they trick me and sneak some chicken out and then I find a piece of fossilized chicken in their mouth from last week as they run across the living room.
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Post by katt on Dec 28, 2009 21:49:56 GMT -5
I only feed him in his cage. And the poop was green and mucousy. Like thick diarrhea. Now it is looking a little more normal.
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Post by vkoslin on Dec 28, 2009 22:36:28 GMT -5
I believe that's normal when trying a new diet, in general. Just keep an eye on it!
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Post by katt on Dec 30, 2009 15:16:01 GMT -5
Woot Woot! He is now eating Small chopped bones, chicken wing meat, chicken hearts, and chicken gizzards! That is bone, muscle, and organ! His poop is looking more normal, and is DEFINITELY starting to smell less! Soon I think we will be ready to add more variety, bigger foods, freeze dried, etc. For the next step: Now that he is eating bone, what is the best way to transition to whole wings? I noticed that now he will eat the smaller pieces, but still seems to stash the big pieces. Should I just start chopping the bone into bigger and bigger pieces? I am also worried that he doesn't realize that there is yummy meat and bone under the skin, and yummy marrow under the bone. I have gotten him to eat skin in the chopped up food I have been giving him, so hopefully now he will begin to realize? I think here soon I will chop up some rat pinkies (eeeewwww) that I have sitting in my freezer and mix those in with the choppy mix of wing/heart/gizzard he is eating really well. |
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 30, 2009 23:21:40 GMT -5
If you've chopped the bone to, for example, this size[ ], try just cutting it to this size[ ]. In other words- just a little bit bigger. If all he does is stash, and not eat, he doesn't realize it's food.
You can also slash the skin and meat to the bone in several spots, and cut the bone lengthwise to expose all the yummy marrow for him.
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Post by katt on Dec 31, 2009 13:31:38 GMT -5
Ok, well that is what I tried this morning, so we will see how it goes when I get home tonight. |
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Post by katt on Jan 16, 2010 5:33:08 GMT -5
Just an Update... He finally started eating bones! Woot woot! Koda is now eating: chicken wings/chicken wing bones (only if they are cut up small, otherwise he stashes them but will not eat them, but he is sloooowly eating bigger peices) chicken gizzards chicken liver chicken hearts lamb (flank or chops can't remember which) cut up rat pinkies (added last night!) he had a little egg once salmon (only a little) N-bone Still to come: bigger pieces of all of the above turkey+turkey pieces mice meat (pinkies to start with) cow heart Cornish game hen more eggs halibut (just a little) water-no-salt tuna mice/rats pork+pork pieces cow tongue beef freeze dried food (possibly) Missing anything in the to come list? What other bone-in meats can I give him? Also, any food suggestions to make traveling easier? (other than freeze dried or kibble...) |
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 16, 2010 13:11:09 GMT -5
Only thing I'd be careful with is the fish. They really shouldn't have it more than weekly at the most, and if possible, the small fresh water fish are better.
The problem with the larger ocean going fish are the toxic build up in the body. Particularly mercury. Small fish have some, they get eaten by bigger fish, who will also then have a larger mercury accumulation, who are eaten by even larger ones, with more accumulated mercury, etc.
Other than that, you've got a good variety of proteins, organs, and bone.
Other bone in meats are rabbit, turkey necks, some riblets(usually pork, but not the actual ribs themselves), and tails, if you can get them.
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Post by weloveourweasels on Jan 16, 2010 14:27:06 GMT -5
more suggestions:
cow heart/kidney (at wal-mart for really cheap)
and quail sold in the frozen meat section at food city. $10 for 4 quail. 1 quail feeds my 4 for a whole day. And they LOVE it.
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