jules
Gnawing on bones
Posts: 82
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Post by jules on Aug 28, 2010 12:50:56 GMT -5
Okay I can do that.  So far the cornish hen is going good. I put a wing cut into two pieces and they each took a piece and stashed it.  I think they are going to take to it no problem. I don't know about getting duck now, the one I bought wasn't as cheap as I thought after it was weighed, (frozen with 6% retained water) would of been over 10.00 for it. I may have to resort to something else. Get them duck for the holidays as a treat.  Or, I will have to track down some duck hunters and befriend them. They are definitely more active now. Roughhousing with each other and having a good ol' time. Big switch from just wandering around aimlessly and sleeping. Lucy has found a way to get into just about anything she can, including the windowsill. |
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Post by sherrylynne on Aug 28, 2010 20:59:42 GMT -5
That's one of the big things I noticed with mine. They went from playing for an hour or so, then crashing, to playing for 3 hours, nonstop! Now, they don't always do that, but most of the time, yeah. The problem I've found with duck, is they won't take the really fatty ones(1/2 inch or more of fat layering the meat), but adore the duck with maybe 1/4 inch of fat on them. Problem is they only have them around Xmas time!!! And one of my little beggars has to be convinced that anything he hasn't had for a month or more isn't poisonous   |
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Post by Heather on Aug 28, 2010 21:44:59 GMT -5
Way to go Boris....your picky taste buds are becoming notorious. Funny thing...my Boris will eat anything, now let's talk about Yuri  I can only get duck at Christmas...if you're lucky wait until after the holidays and they sell them off a little cheaper ciao |
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Post by sherrylynne on Aug 29, 2010 10:08:59 GMT -5
Now how did you know which one I was referring to Heather But if you can pick a few of those up around Xmas, they'd likely last a while! |
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jules
Gnawing on bones
Posts: 82
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Post by jules on Sept 6, 2010 21:11:12 GMT -5
I actually did end up buying the duck but it is still in the freezer, I decided to get them eating the hen by itself first then try the duck.
How about the rib bones on the chicken and cornish hen? Are they okay for them? It seems like they are quit small and just want to be sure before I feed them any more of them. I hear them act like they choke or cough when eating (by the time i look they are still eating and not choking) so I'm not sure if it was the bone or what.
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Post by Heather on Sept 7, 2010 11:27:03 GMT -5
Go ahead and feed the ribs, they're excellent ferret feed My guys love them. You can feed leg bones too...they will eat the knuckles but leave the long bone (too hard for them to eat) Ferrets are a lazy chew...they will definitely not eat bones that are too big for them . That choking that you hear if often a fuzz who's swallowed a piece that is too big to go down (remember lazy ) they have to cough it up so that they can actually chew the piece. Usually, not a big worry. Little newbies, keep an eye on but for the most part I've never had any real problems with choking. ciao |
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jules
Gnawing on bones
Posts: 82
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Post by jules on Sept 8, 2010 22:29:16 GMT -5
That makes me feel better. Thanks. I will be back when I have some news about how the duck goes next. |
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jules
Gnawing on bones
Posts: 82
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Post by jules on Sept 15, 2010 14:35:27 GMT -5
Well, Stitch seemed to enjoy the wing tips of the duck and didn't do much eating of it after that, moved it from one place to another and gnawed on it a little but that was it. Lucy would take it and put it somewhere but wouldn't eat it. Bad news about Lucy, she sneaked by us somehow Sunday evening and got outside.  A neighbor saw her about 2am but didn't know what to do, whether she was friendly and didn't want to go knocking on doors wee hours of the morning.... he thought he heard screaming or a cat fight and it was me running around trying to find her with her squeaky toy. I didn't get much sleep that night. |
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 15, 2010 15:03:03 GMT -5
Oh, no! I gather you've not yet found her then? Keep asking around, check with vets, shelters, etc. Keeping fingers crossed she comes back safely!
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jules
Gnawing on bones
Posts: 82
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Post by jules on Sept 18, 2010 21:29:11 GMT -5
Thanks Sherrylynn, I am keeping my fingers crossed too. It is hard in the evening I sit outside hoping she shows up. I have a new member in the house names Rufus, he is a year and a half old that I am going to switch next. I think I want to go cold turkey with him I have zero kibble and I don't really want to feed him anymore cat food. (that is what he was given for food) I gave him some ferrovite to let him know that food comes from me and it seemed to do the trick, now he follows me to the kitchen and has only been here a couple hours. I can use any advice on this, should i let him go with now food and hope he catches on watching Stitch or make some soupie for him first? |
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Post by Heather on Sept 19, 2010 13:50:39 GMT -5
Sherrylynne may pop in and offer a bit of advice otherwise but I find that unless we're absolutly positive about a ferret's health I'm not into switching cold turkey. I almost always start off with soupy and do a gradual switch. If they take to it right off then go for it, move as quickly as the ferret will accept but with all the health issues that ferrets have I'm very reluctant to switch by starvation. JMO ciao |
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jules
Gnawing on bones
Posts: 82
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Post by jules on Sept 19, 2010 15:20:06 GMT -5
Understandable, they were feeding him cat food so to start with soupie it would have to be a mix of raw that I make and put in the freezer. I don't have kibble in the house anymore. Is that suitable? Then get him to eat it off my finger or should i buy whatever kind of cat food they gave him and do it the same way I did Lucy and Stitch? I can't believe that the very first ferret I ever owned i did the same thing, fed it cat food because that is what I was told they could eat besides ferret food. I owned a cat so it made it very convenient.... |
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 19, 2010 18:22:11 GMT -5
It all depends on how well he takes to the raw. You can try dicing up some meat, and see if he'll eat it. But- they WILL starve themselves if they don't like or recognize the food. And they can suffer from hepatic lipidosis the same as a cat can. If he won't eat the tiny pieces, then give him a raw soup. If you are diligent enough, you may be able to get enough nutrition into him to keep him from developing the fatty liver disease, but it would require you syringe feeding every 3-4 hours with the soup. Much easier just to keep him separate at night, and give him a kibble then, if he doesn't take to the raw right away. That's what I did with my last one. She slept alone with kibble in the dish, then during the day, the kibble came out, she was with a raw eating ferret, and only raw was in the cage. I also spoon fed her raw soup a couple times a day to fill her up and get her used to it. After a month or so of this, she was eating raw chunks on her own  |
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Post by Heather on Sept 19, 2010 20:47:46 GMT -5
That's basically what I did with Yuri. My problem with him was that he doesn't get along with anyone, so he's had to learn on his own. He's either scared poopy or so aggressive that up until the last week or so he's been on his own. I finally put him with Napoleon (who needs some exercise anyway). He's eating raw soupy right now, so we are making headway.....slowly
ciao
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jules
Gnawing on bones
Posts: 82
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Post by jules on Sept 21, 2010 13:58:23 GMT -5
I couldn't get Rufus to really eat any bites without that furovite on it so I put him by himself with kibble last night. I am going to make some soupie today and get started on that. I gave him cat food that i had from feeding a stray that was hanging around, I don't know if a switch to ferret food and raw at the same time would be good or not.
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