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Post by Lynxie on Jan 14, 2010 20:29:10 GMT -5
Sayen has Marshall ear spots, so I know where she came from. It was only Citrus who was of unknown origin.
I'm really hoping that she doesn't have adrenal. I can imagine that monthly lupron shots would get expensive, and my fiance and I don't make a fortune.
I looked at their teeth, and I didn't notice any clearing at all.
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 15, 2010 9:47:23 GMT -5
Bit of a breakthrough.
Citrus is eating completely on her own now, out of a dish. Still some kibble mixed in, but I am going to phase that out soon.
I'm still having to hand feed Sayen, though she actually got curious about the bowl her "sister" was eating out of, and hung around for a bit, licking at crumbs on the level's floor. She also licked at a small piece of beef heart I offered her! I've been trying to make it a point to let the two little ones sniff at Zoe's food before giving it to her, so that they can get used to the different smells.
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 15, 2010 10:30:12 GMT -5
Yes! Today is breakthrough day!
I was about to take a nap, when I heard someone nomming in the cage. I've been trying to make it a habit to look and see who it is when I hear it, so I sit up and take a peek.
Who was it, you ask? Sayen! She's eating the ground chicken/kibble mix like there is no tomorrow. :3
I snuck a couple of tiny slivers of beef heart into their bowl. Should be interesting to see if they get eaten.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 16, 2010 0:05:26 GMT -5
Good news! I'm happy to hear they're branching out on their own and eating what is offered. You can start phasing out the kibble bit by bit if you'd like, but pay VERY close attention to their appetites. If either of them change, you must step back and add in more kibble. They're undergoing a lot of stress and can snap at any point and stop eating entirely, so we need to keep within their comfort zones for a while.
Hope that someone ate that beef heart!
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 16, 2010 8:34:11 GMT -5
So far so good. They didn't eat the beef heart, but I minced up a small piece of lamb from Zoe's dinner and mixed it in, and they ate as if it wasn't there. :3
My fiance has his EMT National Registry Practical Exam, so today might be a bit slow. I'll give you an update when I get home though.
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 16, 2010 20:11:02 GMT -5
His testing went well. Passed with 100%, no retests. :3
The girls are doing good. Zoe got liver/oil soup for dinner. I dribbled a little liver juice in the girl's food, and they didn't seem to notice.
Also, out of curiosity, what is left before I can say Zoe has graduated?
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 16, 2010 20:42:34 GMT -5
Congrats to your fiance! That's wonderful!!
As for Zoe's graduation, all I need from you at this point is to make me a sample menu, detailed to include what meal is fed am/pm each day of the week. I need to see that she is getting a proper balance of things over the span of the week and that this plan while it can vary needs to be fairly consistent on the bone/muscle meat/organ ratios, as well as have a source of taurine weekly (which I know you have added the heart to the diet.) Then, I'll get Heather and Giuli to check out your menu and we'll get her graduated, and talk about if you want the others still enrolled in the mentoring program if you think they need the help, or if you would like to go at it on your own.
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 16, 2010 22:06:42 GMT -5
Alright. A menu? Do you want, like, detailed meats? I can do that really, since I usually feed her the same meats, sometimes throwing in something else here or there if I find it on sale.
Monday: AM - Chicken Wing pieces PM - Chopped up bone in Chicken Thigh Tuesday: AM - Chicken Gizzards/Hearts PM - Boneless Beef pieces Wednesday: AM - Boneless Pork Pieces PM - Boneless Beef Pieces Thursday: AM - Quarter Cornish Game Hen PM - Chicken Wing Pieces Friday: AM - Boneless Pork pieces PM - Chicken Gizzards/Hearts Saturday: AM - Liver/Kindey/Oil soup PM - Beef Heart pieces Sunday: AM - Chopped up bone in chicken thighs PM - Cornish Game Hen quarter
Any of this is subject to change with an equally viable option (bone in or out mattering on the day), mattering on what is on sale.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 16, 2010 23:17:45 GMT -5
Great, thanks. What I would like to see is more bone meals, generally we say four meals boneless, one organ, and the rest bone-in. How are her poops? The calcium/phosphorus ratio of meals is pretty important for all the body systems, and excess bone, as you know, helps to firm up stool. Let me know if this is a doable variation.
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 17, 2010 11:59:11 GMT -5
What I have there is three days of bone in, three days boneless, and one organ day. I can give her more bone, but her poops seem fine. Lemme see here - would this be better? I think my main hangup is finding variety in bone. I haven't found a source of rabbit or quail that fits my budget yet, so I'm a bit stuck on what to give her for bone. I've been putting eggshell in her soup as well.
Monday: AM - Chicken Wing pieces PM - Chopped up bone in Chicken Thigh Tuesday: AM - Chicken Gizzards/Hearts PM - Quarter Cornish Game Hen Wednesday: AM - Chicken Wing Pieces PM - Boneless Pork Pieces Thursday: AM - Quarter Cornish Game Hen PM - Chicken Wing Pieces Friday: AM - Boneless Pork pieces PM - Chicken Gizzards/Hearts Saturday: AM - Liver/Kindey/Oil/Eggshell soup PM - Beef Heart pieces Sunday: AM - Chopped up bone in chicken thighs PM - Quarter Cornish Game Hen
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 17, 2010 13:58:15 GMT -5
OMG! So I decided to try Zoe on the feeding den idea. I took half of a 12 pack box, and attached it into the cage, before putting Zoe's food in there. Zoe wasn't impressed at first, but she got used to it being there fairly quickly. However! When I walk by the cage, who do I see with her face in the box, chewing away on Zoe's tough, grizzly, big pieces of gizzard? Sayen!
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 17, 2010 14:36:57 GMT -5
Go Sayen!! That's fantastic!! That is a better menu. I know it can be tough finding bone-in meats that they can eat and that aren't out of this world pricey, but even other chicken parts will do, or some turkey bones (some are too large, like the drumsticks.) Backs, breasts (ribs,) wings, etc. What would you like to do regarding Sayen and Citrus? We can continue working together to switch them as well (clearly that won't be too much of a problem now!) or if you feel comfortable going at it on your own, we can do that too and occasionally message back and forth to see their progress. I'm willing to do either with you, as I think you have a good understanding of nutrition and how to tackle hangups - but I understand if you want more support, too Let me know and I will contact Heather and Giuli to graduate Zoe!
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Post by Lynxie on Jan 17, 2010 17:22:52 GMT -5
I think I'd be good going at Citrus and Sayen on my own (though I might occasionally message you with questions, if that's ok). Now that Sayen is proving less picky, and Citrus is quickly catching up, I think they are going to be a breeze to switch. :3
What kind of turkey bones are ok for them? I know drunsticks and thighs are too big, but are wings ok?
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 18, 2010 0:48:46 GMT -5
Yep wings are great, they don't get through the whole wing generally but the end two segments are pretty easily handled. Breastbones and ribs are also good - you can get a whole turkey or bone-in turkey breasts.
I of course welcome messages at any time about the new kids! But I do think that you are more than equipped to do this without me peeking over your shoulder, so I'll let Heather and Giuli know and they'll pop in to check up and see what the verdict is. I'll let you know!
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jan 18, 2010 3:51:26 GMT -5
Everything looks to be in order here. Now that you've completed the switch and had your feeding schedule reviewed, its time for you to officially graduate from the HF Mentor program and for us to retire this thread to the "newbie switch archive"! No one (yourself included) will be able to post in this thread anymore once its been moved to the archive. Please begin posting your diet-related questions in the "whole prey" "raw" or "general feeding questions and discussion" area. We encourage EVERYONE that is archived to continue posting. Feeding a natural diet is a learning PROCESS, there is much to learn after making the switch. There is always lots to learn, and lots to share with the newbies on the site. If you feel comfortable offering the newbies advice, then by all means go ahead. The more help we can get, the better. If you'd rather lurk and not post, thats cool too, its just always nice to have our graduates stick around. We (your mentor and I) will run a detailed "check up" with you (via PM or email) at the 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, and 1 year anniversary since "going natural" just to make sure all is going well and that you arent having any issues.
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