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Feb 8, 2010 12:51:20 GMT -5
Post by bridgettecheri on Feb 8, 2010 12:51:20 GMT -5
Okay, my son got his baby about a month ago! Needless to say, I have been doing a TON of research! We are feeding him Marshall's, only to find out that it is not the best for him! I am interested in starting him on a better diet! Jack is 3 1/2 months old, very active and has us trained quite well!! lol I'm a bit concerned with change though, because he seems to be a picky eater, or maybe its just me!! He has pnut butter treats and Nbones that he WONT touch at all. I have even tried to smear his bones with hairball goo and all he does is lick it off So I guess I am open to any and all suggestions here!! I know that this is the place to go for awesome info!
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Feb 8, 2010 20:03:22 GMT -5
Post by spiritualtramp on Feb 8, 2010 20:03:22 GMT -5
The switch to a better diet takes enormous amounts of patience, and to a degree, creativity. Go ahead and sign up for a mentor, who will help you step by step with the switch, in a personalized and one on one fashion.
For now, chuck those N-Bones and Peanut Butter snacks. He doesn't like them and that's for the better! They're full of sugars and questionable ingredients. At his age, switching off of Marshall's and onto a natural diet shouldn't be too difficult, but it may take some adjusting. Kibbles are extremely addictive to our furkids, so it can be a fight to get them eating something healthier.
What are your goals with regards to Jack's diet? Do you want him onto a fully raw diet? Knowing your goals can help us to offer better advice on how to get him interested in other foods.
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Feb 8, 2010 20:45:24 GMT -5
Post by sherrylynne on Feb 8, 2010 20:45:24 GMT -5
I agree- toss the nbones and other treats. Healthy treats are meat based, frequently jerkies. What the heck- try mincing up some chicken breast and offer it- see if he takes it! Can't hurt, and might give him a head start
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Feb 9, 2010 14:15:24 GMT -5
Post by bridgettecheri on Feb 9, 2010 14:15:24 GMT -5
Yes, I think that after all of the reading that I have done on here, I do want to switch him. Yesterday, I gave him his first egg, and he loved that! So maybe it wont be as difficult as I thought! The next time that I go shopping, I will pick something up.. any suggestions???
Thanks for all of your help! Being a newby is so much easier when there are pros like you guys to help us!!
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Feb 9, 2010 20:20:57 GMT -5
Post by ccretarolo on Feb 9, 2010 20:20:57 GMT -5
Yesterday, I gave him his first egg, and he loved that! So maybe it wont be as difficult as I thought! The next time that I go shopping, I will pick something up.. any suggestions??? Looks like you have a baby who wants to be on a raw diet! Some ferrets just pick up on a natural diet without looking back. Just consider it good luck. To start with, I would suggest that you pick up chicken hearts. Also, try to find some decently priced game hens. If you can't find game hens, pick up a small whole chicken. And try to find a video showing how to carve up a whole raw chicken. It'll take a little more time to prepare meals, but you'll end up saving a lot of money in the end. Plus you won't have to worry about not giving him enough variety within a protein source. Past that, you can try giving him some chopped up pork or beef from family meals... But I wouldn't buy anything other then chicken at this point. Then again, I think that it's best to start with a single protein source and then incorporate other types of meat later on.
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Feb 9, 2010 21:29:25 GMT -5
Post by sherrylynne on Feb 9, 2010 21:29:25 GMT -5
I start mine out with either chicken breast or thigh. Easiest to get, milder in flavour. As ccretarolo has suggested, start with one protein source. This way, it's easier to tell if your little one has a problem(sensitivity, or even allergy) to a particular meat, or even if it's just a bit too rich for his tummy. Dice or mince it, and offer him some. If you are unsure, or just want some extra help, sign up for the mentor program! Lots of one on one that way
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Feb 10, 2010 10:36:37 GMT -5
Post by bridgettecheri on Feb 10, 2010 10:36:37 GMT -5
Great!!! Thanks for the suggestions!! Im going shopping today, so I will get some hearts for him.
Just to make sure that im doing this right. One egg a week?? I mixed it up good for him too. I want to make sure that im doing this right, and not causing him more bad then good!!
Also, on the hearts, do i need to cut them up? Offer them whole?? And how many???
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Feb 10, 2010 10:41:33 GMT -5
Post by sherrylynne on Feb 10, 2010 10:41:33 GMT -5
If it's whole and raw, then yes. Cooked he can have more. As well as the raw yolk alone.
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Feb 11, 2010 9:28:06 GMT -5
Post by bridgettecheri on Feb 11, 2010 9:28:06 GMT -5
I though that it was okay to give them a whole egg provided that it was mixed up well?
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Feb 11, 2010 10:38:56 GMT -5
Post by sherrylynne on Feb 11, 2010 10:38:56 GMT -5
Some will give raw egg a few times a week, some don't like to. It seems to be the type of egg given. If I remember correctly, the omega3 eggs never more than weekly. The idea behind it is the avidin in the white combining with the biotin in the yolk, with biotin deficiency as the result. So I just play it safe, and never give the combined white and yolk more than weekly, mixed up or otherwise, unless cooked.
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Feb 11, 2010 21:07:27 GMT -5
Post by ccretarolo on Feb 11, 2010 21:07:27 GMT -5
I only give raw eggs... I tried boiled eggs at one point and the resulting gas from my boys told me to never do that again . My boys get one raw egg with the shell in their organ soup each week. I'm very lucky in that my dad owns chickens so I always have access to fresh eggs that have unnaturally thick shells... Sometimes they're so thick that I don't give them due to not being able to get them into a fine enough powder. As for the amount, I never give more then 2 small eggs or 1 large egg a week. And I always feed a very bony meal afterward (duck head) to counteract the runny poop from organ and egg being fed at the same time.
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Feb 13, 2010 11:45:15 GMT -5
Post by bridgettecheri on Feb 13, 2010 11:45:15 GMT -5
Thanks so much for all of the help guys!!! I really appreciate it!! Looks like I might need to get signed up for a mentor soon!
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Feb 13, 2010 11:57:29 GMT -5
Post by sherrylynne on Feb 13, 2010 11:57:29 GMT -5
We've people graduating all the time! So if you do, it shouldn't be very long a wait at all. I believe the list is empty right now, so if you do, the next mentor that becomes available should be able to take you on
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