nibblesandspazz
Going Natural
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Posts: 165
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Post by nibblesandspazz on Nov 2, 2009 19:19:01 GMT -5
thanks. I tried to scruff and stuff some heart liver into them earlier but they werent to thrilled. I gave them the soup earlier. Tigger and Nibbles chowed down but Spazz will only eat it off my finger
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 3, 2009 10:19:15 GMT -5
Hey, taking it off your finger is a really good second step! Boris still has to have soups from my finger before he'll trust I'm not poisoning him
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nibblesandspazz
Going Natural
Forum Artist Extraordinaire[/color]
Posts: 165
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Post by nibblesandspazz on Nov 4, 2009 0:51:21 GMT -5
lol. When I made the soup My fiance really wanted to add 1 egg to it without the yolk, so after much debating we did and we wont feed them any more egg by itself for quite sometime since they are getting a bit each day in the soup. Spazz has finally ate the soup from the bowl but....i forgot to feed them this morning. I feel horrible about it but i guess he now realizes thats what hes stuck with. he dug right in. 3 ice cubes and they are already completely gone. I figure I'll put in 1 for each baby, how much should I give them and how often
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 4, 2009 10:34:29 GMT -5
It depends on how active they are, male or female, size, etc. My girls eat anywhere from 1 oz per day to 3-4 oz. My boys eat 2-5 oz per day. Winter appetites generally double what they eat the rest of the year(although that only lasts for a month or so) As a rule, ferrets won't overeat. You'll also notice that they will eat a LOT for the first 2 to 4 months, until their bodies adjust to the raw.
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nibblesandspazz
Going Natural
Forum Artist Extraordinaire[/color]
Posts: 165
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Post by nibblesandspazz on Nov 4, 2009 13:05:05 GMT -5
ok good to know thanks. I've been having to put the cubes in both bowls because my winter fatty (Nibbles) is such a pig right now. Spazz is looking for another cube right now so I'm gonna pop one in there real quick.
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Post by krazyferrets on Nov 4, 2009 14:33:19 GMT -5
Hi ferret friends I just want to add in my 2cents. I read that your ferret was diagnosed with ulcers, which can be a misdiagnoses for IBD Inflamed Bowl Disease -the main culprit of IBD is carbs...and all those kibble have carbs. My ferret has IBD..and that why I am switching. You may want to ask your vet about IBD. Your ferrets are So Adorable!!
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nibblesandspazz
Going Natural
Forum Artist Extraordinaire[/color]
Posts: 165
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Post by nibblesandspazz on Nov 4, 2009 23:30:08 GMT -5
krazyferrets my vet did say it could be irritable bowl disease but he prefers to try to treat with antibiotics and ulcer meds before putting the little ones and their parents wallets through a blood draw. I'm pretty sure its tested for with a blood draw. I'm not sure but he did say it would be easier to try this first and if she didnt get better within 2 days to take her back in. She is fine now and better than her old self. We will be taking them all to the vet after my second paycheck from my new job. They all need a check up. I'll be sure to get her checked for IBD when she has her other blood work done thanks for the advice Sherry they ate an entire tray of ice cubes already! I only made 1 tray of cubes soo unfortunately we had to give them a small amount of kibble til I can make more soup tomorrow. I would do it tonight but I am having serious health problems and starting a new job so I'm way to worn out. but I'll have it done tomorrow. I'm hoping since they LOVE the soup it wont be a set back
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 5, 2009 19:38:29 GMT -5
Shouldn't be too much of a problem . I've had some stay in the vet's on an emergency before, and they feed kibble there, and they devoured their raw when they got back home. And that's great that they dove into the soup so well And the test for IBD is a bowel biopsy, not just a blood draw. If it were to be ulcers, generally there'd be blood in the stool, turning it blackish, and your ferret should be showing signs of pain, like teeth grinding, rubbing her face in the bedding, floor, etc, due to nausea. Nor would she want to eat.
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nibblesandspazz
Going Natural
Forum Artist Extraordinaire[/color]
Posts: 165
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Post by nibblesandspazz on Nov 7, 2009 0:28:12 GMT -5
those are all the symptoms tigger had. she is no longer rubbing on the floor except for right after she has ate, she does that with new foods idk why. her poo is no longer black and or bloody and she has more energy than when we originally got her
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nibblesandspazz
Going Natural
Forum Artist Extraordinaire[/color]
Posts: 165
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Post by nibblesandspazz on Nov 7, 2009 0:29:05 GMT -5
oh also, i made more soup. they love it. i gave them some whole peices of heart and chicken. they bit some off of it but not much. its a start at least
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 7, 2009 11:39:47 GMT -5
Sounds like she's healing up! That's great. I'd watch for a reccurance, though. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 rounds of the antibiotics to clear it up completely. Scrubbing her face on the floor after eating is simply wiping her mouth and whiskers clean I've got a few who do it every time, and some who only do it once in a while. So glad the soup is a hit! That's the route a number of people have to take to switch their ferrets(mine included ). Just keep making it a bit thicker with every new batch, til they are eating straight ground. And if you offer them pieces, try making the pieces small enough that they can simply swallow them without chewing right now. Once they get used to the taste, then we can work on the chewing bit Just the fact they bit into them is fantastic!! Shows they're not totally averse to it! After all- they could have simply sniffed and walked away. Boris is still a pro at that
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nibblesandspazz
Going Natural
Forum Artist Extraordinaire[/color]
Posts: 165
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Post by nibblesandspazz on Nov 12, 2009 16:39:42 GMT -5
I got them eating semi whole pieces of hearts and gizzards! We ran out of the soup so we bought a package of hearts and gizzards last night, cut em up small and they ate it! Tigger has been chewing the pieces but Nibbles and Spazz are just swallowing them. Soo what do I do now?
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 12, 2009 18:47:22 GMT -5
Buy more chicken Breast, thigh, drumstick, wing, or whole. You can cut it, bag it, and freeze it. I'd try cutting the pieces just a wee bit larger than you are doing now, see how they handle it. If all they do is stash, you can always dig them back out, and cut them smaller. Are you taking the kibble out of the cage for a while before feeding them yet? A bit of hunger can really add a lot of "spice" to a meal . And it certainly won't hurt them! If you can, take out the kibble right before you go to bed, and feed them the pieces of meat in the morning, as long as you can keep an eye to see who's eating what. Let me know how they do.
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nibblesandspazz
Going Natural
Forum Artist Extraordinaire[/color]
Posts: 165
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Post by nibblesandspazz on Nov 12, 2009 19:49:10 GMT -5
They havent had kibble in days. just soup and pieces of heart and gizzards. My fiance is bringing home some chicken tonight. I'll try giving them some small pieces
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 13, 2009 19:26:54 GMT -5
That's excellent! In that case, now we work on getting them to accept larger pieces, enough to make a full meal
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