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Post by faunafreak on Aug 18, 2009 22:11:36 GMT -5
Well, it took a few days for her to come around, but Skit has finally decided that she does indeed like the duck, - however she refuses to eat it if it's still on the bone (sigh). We've tried cutting strips to hang off the bone, but she won't have anything to do with it. Morphia hasn't regurgitated any duck, so maybe this is a meat we can use with her. I've been going very slowly, and only giving her a little at a time, just to be on the safe side. Anna, Llullu and Ushba are still holding out
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Post by Heather on Aug 18, 2009 22:22:58 GMT -5
Picky, picky, picky That's great news about Morphia...great another protein source she can eat. Yes Great news about Skit...to bad about the bones though....silly little one. What if you mixed a tiny bit of the duck with something that Anna, Llullu and Ushba like really well, I've had a couple of students gradually convince their hold outs to eat different proteins that way. ciao
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Post by faunafreak on Aug 19, 2009 22:10:08 GMT -5
That's my next step - I just need to get the soup blended up. I think it's a bit "duck-heavy" this time around, but it's generally the texture that gets them, since there's usually duck in the soup anyway. Skye cut off some more duck for Skit tonight, and she wouldn't stop howling until he put the bowl down - at which point, she took one look and walked away . Fortunately, she did end up eating it. I don't know why she walked off to begin with.
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Post by Heather on Aug 19, 2009 22:29:14 GMT -5
She didn't want you to believe that she actually made that much noise over getting it. She didn't really want it. Merlyn, nasty black kitty is like that. This morning yowling and screaming at me to get his food (I was busy), so I stop doing what I'm doing and get his breakfast. He then takes a sniff and walks away...like what did he really think I was going to get him He's a cat, what can I say . He too, returned later and ate it Let me know if any of the picky threesome ate your newest mix. ciao
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Post by faunafreak on Aug 21, 2009 22:05:32 GMT -5
Well, I think that Keller and Skit can tell if the meat's too spoiled for them to eat. I put some meat out for them, and Skit took one sniff and walked away, but Keller kept licking it, circling, trying for a different area, backing away, circling some more . . . I finally threw the meat away and put two pieces that haven't been thawed as long. I brought Keller back, and he immediately started trying to eat it (it was a duck thigh, so a bit large for him). Skit came back to check out the meat, and the next thing I know, they're sitting at the bowl together trying to figure out how to eat these large bones - at least until Keller grabbed the bone that Skit was working on and dragged it away. At that point, Skit pulled the other bone out of the bowl and threw it into her water dish, then walked off . At least they tried - and Keller carried that bone around with him for at least a minute or two.
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Post by Heather on Aug 22, 2009 16:24:45 GMT -5
I agree with you, I do believe that they can tell when most meats are too spoiled for them to eat. I've got a couple who are finicky about old meat, prefering fresh but then there's Odin...he's my trash monkey...he likes his meat old and crusty At least they tried the bones...is there anything that's small enough for them offered with the duck bone wise? The fact that they're picking them up they're thinking about it. Now, it's going to fill that need that they're starting to feel. ciao
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Post by faunafreak on Aug 30, 2009 21:59:21 GMT -5
Finally got the new batch of soup ready (hubby didn't realize that I'd hoped he would blend the last batch IN THE MORNING when I set it out, and when he tried that evening, the stink was so awful we just threw everything out. It took a day or so to get the smell out of the kitchen, and we had to bleach ALL the pots and other equipment to git rid of the smell there. This time I cooked everything the night before a day off, and spent at least part of the next day blending everything). Skit ate some duck, chicken heart, and rabbit while I was cutting everything up for the pot, and I tried to half everything - one heart for the pot, one for raw, etc. I also tried to portion everything out in bags so that each bag only contained a 2-3 day supply. Too much meat is being wasted by being out too long. Also, I finally ordered a postage scale, so when it comes in (sometime this week I hope), I can use it for food (human and non), animals, AND postage. I can't wait - I'm really no good at judging 2 oz of meat or 5 oz of something else, so I don't know if Skit's getting too much or not. Skit left a chunk of meat from this afternoon, so I cut it up really small and mixed it into the soup (which the ferts were VERY happy to see was back on the menu - it's got duck meat/organs, rabbit and pork meat, chicken hearts and gizzards, and beef kidney - along with some pumpkin for shedding). Unfortunately, they didn't eat the bits, so I just mixed the remnants back into the as-yet-unfrozen soup. I cut some larger small pieces and mixed them with canned for Anna and Skit, which was only partially successful. I didn't try with Morphia, because Skye forgot that she can't eat large game and bought some canned EVO venison for the cats. It's almost gone, though, so I can go to the canned rabbit in the next day or so. Keller's enjoying his mice - I'm trying to put one in the food bowl every night when I put the ferts up so the others will start getting accustomed to it - but Skit seems to have forgotten that mice are for eating.
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Post by faunafreak on Aug 31, 2009 22:31:10 GMT -5
Ushba and Llullu ate some slivers of duck tonight! Granted, it was only a sliver or two apiece, and I had to spoon up some with soup for them to get the first bits, but then I watched them each eat a (tiny) piece out of the soup bowl.
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Post by Heather on Aug 31, 2009 23:39:44 GMT -5
Poor Skit, the furry dinner has become Keller's entirely. I'm sure he's absolutely heartbroken . I'm sure that Skit will figure it out again. That's great that Ushba and Llullu tried some of the small pieces, great work and on their own too. Great ciao
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Post by faunafreak on Sept 1, 2009 23:50:50 GMT -5
I hope Skit does figure it out again - I left a mouse in her bowl last night, and didn't check on it before I left for work this morning. This evening, Skye was NOT pleased to see a dead mouse in the water dish I can't say I found it pleasant fishing the mouse out, either. Oh - My scale came in!
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Post by Heather on Sept 2, 2009 1:25:35 GMT -5
Hmmm, maybe Skit felt that the mouse needed marinating Have you tried cutting the mouse in half or slitting the skin to show the meat? It might be what's needed to get things going again. Play tug with it...not the drowned one, I don't suppose it's much good now That's fantastic your scale has come in, now you will have some idea as to how much your guys are eating. Good luck ciao
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Post by faunafreak on Sept 2, 2009 23:56:47 GMT -5
Tested the scale today, and it seems to be working pretty well (although part of me wishes it wasn't - Skit came in at a whopping 14 lbs 14 oz, and she's only a year old. Would've been nice to discover that it was a scale error rather than a fat cat ). The really nice thing is that I discovered that 2 oz of meat is actually a bit more than I expected. I pulled out a normal-sized chunk to feed her, and it was about .6 oz. It's been awhile since I've tried dangling the mouse in front of her, so I'll try that again. I know that the last time I tried cutting it open she wouldn't even play with it - just looked at it and walked away.
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Post by Heather on Sept 3, 2009 0:07:46 GMT -5
Isn't that just like a cat and what a cat. Sounds like you have the same problem that I have...a lard butt for a kitty. Merlyn definitely has the old bowling pin shape down Have you tried tying the mouse to a string and playing catch me with it? Food and exercise ciao
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Post by faunafreak on Sept 3, 2009 23:19:44 GMT -5
Haven't tried the mouse and string, but we invested in a laser pointer about 2 months ago . On a more successful note, the soup with bits is still working well. I made sure to spoon up two piece of meat to Ushba (which he tried to slurp around, but finally gave up and ate), and a few for Llullu. After the 2nd piece, she didn't even pause when she got to the meat, just nibbled it up and kept going. I think she got some out of the bowl, too, because she occasionally turned away and appeared to be trying to work something out of her teeth, then returned to the bowl. Now if we can just get past this stage As for Keller - how should I work portion control with him? since I don't have to coax/trick/force him to try different things, I could probably go ahead and switch him over (except, of course, for the fact that kibble gets left in the cage for Ushba and Llullu, which Keller is more than happy to eat). I've thrown a mouse in the food bowl for 3 of the last 4 nights, and haven't come across any remnants yet, so it seems that someone is eating mouse as a midnight snack. I don't want to have to separate Keller while I'm switching the others, but I don't want to remove the kibble until I'm more confident that the ferrets won't go hungry
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Post by Heather on Sept 4, 2009 15:34:09 GMT -5
Sounds like Keller is ready to try some other meats...work him forward with different fare and let him eat his meats. I think though he's probably eating kibbles he's not eating huge amounts of it by this time. I know that some of my guys will not even try it anymore. No I agree, don't remove the kibbles until everyone is eating some other foods, regularly. I've heard of too many fuzzies loosing weight when switching and their people decide to use tough love. I know the starvation method does work, but I'm not a strong proponent of it. Keep adding more and more bits to the soupy and less and less soupy as they become more into eating the bits. Ushba is getting there, he's just got his own timetable Good luck, talk at you later. ciao
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