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Post by murphysmom on Oct 11, 2009 20:12:31 GMT -5
No biggie about being away! Hope everything is ok.
That's why I had went up to the pet store was to get some different patties. I think they have one that has beef and chicken it, so I am going to try and grab that one next. Murphy is doing really well, so is Athena and Lady G. Hammy will eat both, doesn't seem to mind either way. Ollie is so-so and Koda, as usual, thinks I am trying to kill him.
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Post by cristina on Oct 12, 2009 8:12:17 GMT -5
Thats perfectly alright, some take longer to switch than others...its very normal! We will get Koda to lighten up a bit hopefully soon, just keep introducing him repeatedly to some raw soups (maybe with some crushed kibble as well) Ollie seems to be on his way, slowly but surely!
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Post by murphysmom on Oct 12, 2009 21:20:48 GMT -5
So, should I offer the patties separately or continue putting it in the kibble or both?
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Post by murphysmom on Oct 13, 2009 13:52:33 GMT -5
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Post by cristina on Oct 14, 2009 16:01:35 GMT -5
sounds like a good list of things.....usually we are told to do one meat a day (like if you do a chicken patty in the am, then do it in the pm as well, and so on) each day my guys get a different meat (every other day they get bones as well, but correct me if Im wrong but I think those patties have ground bone in them?) (you just have to have a minimum of at least 3 different meats you feed) I would keep mixing the kibble with the commercial since if you leave them both out seperate everyone will go to the kibble only again, so until everyone is on board with at least a little raw (like if you are worried someone wont eat if you take it away then we shouldnt yet), we can start taking away the kibble.
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Post by murphysmom on Oct 14, 2009 21:03:53 GMT -5
The patties have ground bone in them. The other products do not, only meat and vitamins an' stuff. Would my patties count as my 3 meats? There is lamb, chicken, and beef (the last 2 are in one patty, mixed together). Plus they are getting the chicken and venison- fish treats too. I did 2 bowls- one a kibble, patty mix and the other a all raw mix. When I got home- about half of each bowl was gone, so I mixed what was left into one bowl for them to finish.
Wanted to know too- For the ones eating the raw- will the consumption decrease some since their bodies are getting more of what they need? I know when I did this for my dog she really only eats the patties I give her( I free feed her kibble as well, she only eats when she is hungry).
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Post by cristina on Oct 15, 2009 9:25:57 GMT -5
Yes the patties count as different types (even if they are mixed, but I personally would get 3 different mixes at least because the more variety the better! ) The 2 bowls that you gave were a good idea and I would continue with that, although try to see if everyone is eating it, because if they are you can switch to one bowl soon. Yes, when ferrets (or any animal for that matter) are on a natural diet, they dont need to consume as much food, they wont be eating as much or as many times throughout the day because they are going to be "full" of proper nutrients, therefore their bodies dont require as much food as they would would if they were eating kibble. For instance (I feed pure raw meat that I cut up myself and my 3 fuzzies get 6 pieces in the morning and 6 at night, and the pieces are about the size of my thumb maybe, and there are usually leftovers they stash ) So when I buy lets say a cornish game hen, I cut it up into many pieces, put it in baggies and freeze it and pull them out every so often *mine do get soups and treats too all day like dehydrated lamb and chicken fillets as well as freeze dried liver snacks and minnows....so they dont "pig out" anymore like they use to when they were fed kibble
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Post by murphysmom on Oct 15, 2009 11:30:07 GMT -5
I saw some dried minnows at the pet store I go to. Do they actually like them? I might have to pick some up. I will look into getting another type of patty meat to add to the mix. Plus I want to get some more meat treats too.
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Post by cristina on Oct 16, 2009 21:58:57 GMT -5
well the minnows are kinda a hit or miss for my crew, only one out of all 3 likes them.....though I make my own batch of a supplement I add to their soups (it consists of dried minnows, dried liver, dried lung and taurine all ground up together) so they eat them (but they dont know they are!)
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Post by murphysmom on Oct 17, 2009 21:32:04 GMT -5
Neat!
I have been super busy as of late. I am ferret sitting the 2 fosters plus their little sister ferret until Monday. So I have 9 ferrets in the house! I am still giving mine the raw/kibble mix and putting a bowl of raw in there too. That's about it at this point.
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Post by cristina on Oct 18, 2009 19:59:34 GMT -5
thats ok, it sounds a bit hectic but fun in your house right now!
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Post by murphysmom on Oct 18, 2009 20:31:22 GMT -5
It is! Thank goodness they go back to their mom's home tomorrow! But they have been good. I will be calling the vet tomorrow to see if I can get Ollie in. He is declining and while I do not feel that I will go through all sorts of test, if there is something simple to do that will help him, I will do it. It is a sad thought, but he is older. Poor guy.
Nothing new on the food front.
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Post by cristina on Oct 19, 2009 13:06:38 GMT -5
Poor little guy, well I must say that with the older any animal gets come more medical issues....so I know it can be frusterating!
I hope all is well with him overall!
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Post by murphysmom on Oct 19, 2009 15:38:58 GMT -5
Bought some S&C duck crunches today to add to the mix. Ollie has a vet appt at 3pm today. My ferret room is an absolute disaster. The main cage is full of crap since someone has decided that the litter box isn't good enough to use.....
Ok, I hadn't posted this before I left, so I will go ahead and give you the update. Ollie is on a special diet now with Hills A/D and Liqui-Tinic and Prednisone. He has a cataract in his right eye too. She said that just by looking at him and not doing any labs or xrays- he looks like a geriatric ferret. He weight was 2.2 lbs. She hopes that the steroids will help and I have 1 refill on that and to start supplementing his diet with the A/D and some nutri-cal.
My friend is coming over tomorrow to help me combine my two FN 142's ! Very excited about that! I am down to pretty much EVO ferret kibble (The Orijen is almost gone) and will only get the EVO if I haven't fully switched them over by the time it is almost out.
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Post by cristina on Oct 20, 2009 14:04:48 GMT -5
I bet you'll be done with kibble by the time your out hopefully! I never did get into cages (they won me over and took over not only my dresser but my whole bedroom! ) But I hear they are very nice, so that should be pretty cool, pix of the final project would be cool!! I am curious to know what it will look like! Ollie's diet is actually pretty normal that I have seen with older ferrets so its a pretty easy diet to follow and its good for them too, I do hope he likes it though, it took a while for my friends fuzz ball to get use to Hills a/d.....but Im sure he will do just fine! Just keep on with the rest of them, start to lessen the kibble and see how they react
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