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Post by Heather on Oct 6, 2009 22:47:46 GMT -5
Does Bastien require total feeding or just starting off? That's great that he's starting to put on weight. How often do you feed your furbabies? Once Calypso started eating (I would start her) but I would then put the spoon in the bowl and she would just be sitting on my lap and eating the food, I started feeding her on the floor and sitting on my lap. Then I just sat beside her. I then started feeding her only twice a day and trying to get her to eat on her own, and then tweeking it down to once a day making sure that she was getting a good meal. I also weighed her on a weekly basis to make sure she wasn't loosing weight. Just some little ideas that worked for her. She was probably my most difficult switch even though she was only about 3 yrs old. ciao
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Post by mustelidmusk on Oct 6, 2009 22:53:34 GMT -5
WOW!!!! I just thought I'd see how things are going since summer was being slow going. Look at your little guys go!!!!! I'm so happy for you and your babies!!!! You've done such an amazing job of sticking through all this. And I'm so proud of tsslilsis for doing such an awesome job supporting you through the switch!!!! I don't know if you feed commercial raw or freeze-dried commercial raw, but STella and Chewy's has a new "flavor" called "Duck, Duck, Goose". It comes in both freeze-dried and frozen form. Duck/goose are darker meat with higher fat content. That might be an option that will help with variety. As Heather mentioned, you can mix a bit of other meat types in very slowly with the stuff they like. Keep up the great work! (And I know it really has been WORK!) -jennifer
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Oct 16, 2009 11:00:02 GMT -5
Made a tiny bit of progress today! Melinda ate a couple of small pieces of chicken (1/4 inch) and chicken neck all by itself - no baby food or duck mixed with it Bastien, of course, wouldn't go near it I waited about an hour and then added some ground pork and olive oil to the chicken - Melinda then pigged out and Bastien ate some from my hand (He even licked the plate a couple of times, although he wouldn't eat from it directly.) In answer to questions - I feed commercial raw from Hare Today as well as a little Cornish Game hen, chicken backs/necks, etc from the grocery store. I haven't tried freeze dried - if I can find a source that won't cost as much as raw, I may try it. Melinda and Bastien get fed twice a day. I leave the leftovers in their cage until the next meal. Every now and then, Melinda will eat a little during the day but mostly the dog gets the remains at the next meal time. I feed them from a plate on the floor. Melinda runs straight to the plate and starts eating. Bastien usually runs the opposite direction so I have to catch him. As soon as I put him near the plate he tries to run off again. I have to sit on the floor with him and give him a taste off my finger. If I am feeding duck alone, he may eat on his own. If there is anything other than duck on the plate, I have to feed him completely by hand. (When he gets a piece that he might actually have to chew, he runs away to a "private place" to eat it... then I have to chase him down and start all over again ) I keep trying to get him closer to the plate but even when my finger is resting on the plate, he only wants to lick my finger. I have tried using different dishes, feeding him separately from Melinda, putting food in one of his boxes, locking him in his cage with the food ... Do you suggest working on meat pieces or bone first? Or is it better to work on both at the same time? I can't believe we have been at this for almost a full year!!! We have been "kibble free for 11 months There is no way for me to thank all of you enough for sticking with me through this. The monsters have definitely been a challenge but I know they are healthier. teri
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Post by Heather on Oct 16, 2009 22:15:12 GMT -5
What would happen if you didn't put the meat on anything but a towel? You can feed meat or bone in meat as you will. It seems to me that he's having you but I'm always concerned with just leaving him to get hungry. I would try feeding him one good meal, and letting him figure it out on his own for the next. Just leaving him with his dinner. You can choose which meal you want to start him with or hand feed him but try only feeding him one meal and see if you make any headway. Ferrets quite often like to have a private place to eat their meal. My Loki would steal the whole bowl when he was feeling better. If you've been kibble free for almost a year then there has to be some trigger that we're missing. I'm thinking it's his need for privacy to eat his dinner. I know that Captain Jack was my private eater. I knew he was eating (he was getting fat ) but I never, ever saw him at the food bowl. I was continuing to feed him one good meal and it was probably a couple of months before I felt comfortable just leaving him to eat. I honestly think he was eating prey before he was actually eating whole meats (I caught him munching at the very back of an empty cage one day). Let's try and get your little boy to be a more independent eater. Let's see if letting him get a little hungry might get him to eat on his own. ciao
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Oct 28, 2009 23:19:49 GMT -5
Well, I was really hoping to have more progress to report by now. Honestly, I think Bastien could out-stubborn a mule! As soon as he figures out that I want him to do something, he goes on a hunger strike. Could barely get him to eat anything for about 3 days. (I tried not hand feeding him one meal a day and then almost had to force him to eat anything at the next meal) He did eat on his own tonight - of course, it was duck and he did eat a little on his own yesterday (a couple of bites before I had to resort to hand feeding again). Ok... it's a start... I'll keep at it...
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Post by Heather on Oct 30, 2009 23:00:36 GMT -5
I'm sorry that he's such a little bum. They can be soooo stubborn but then I don't have to tell you this Let him eat his duck, for a couple of weeks if you can supply him with this. Let's play his game for a bit. You're not going to throw the balance off by feeding him duck for a few weeks (in fact you can probably feed it to him for almost 6 months without any damage) He will eat the duck on his own, lets give him what he wants (if you can do this) feed him duck until he's really comfortable eating this on his own, until he's actually looking for his dinner. Once he starts eating without any problems, without you interferring or having to feed him, then we will start adding little amounts of other proteins and get his so he's eating something other than the duck. Ok? ciao
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Oct 31, 2009 22:15:23 GMT -5
Thanks Heather. I will give it a try and see what happens. teri
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Post by Heather on Oct 31, 2009 23:40:06 GMT -5
Keep me posted. Good luck ciao
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Nov 4, 2009 14:27:21 GMT -5
Four days without fighting with Bastien over meals - it's been so nice! He still looks at me like "so, ok, are you going to feed me now or not?" but once I put him in front of the plate he starts eating. He still doesn't eat as much as I would like but I'm just letting him stop when he's wants. Hopefully, he will start eating more on his own and then - dare I say- something other than duck teri
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Nov 7, 2009 21:50:42 GMT -5
I should have known it was too good to last!!!! Last night Bastien barely ate anything. This morning, I put some duck on my finger to get him started - he ate that but wouldn't eat anything else. Tonight he wouldn't touch the duck unless it was hand fed...Melinda pigged out and ate almost all of it. (I figured as long as I was hand feeding, Bastien might as well get a change so I fixed pheasant and olive oil - he ate a little but not much.) Oh well, tomorrow I have to be out of the house before 7AM so I won't be spending too much time trying to force feed. Maybe he will get hungry enough to eat on his own... teri
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Post by Heather on Nov 7, 2009 23:19:08 GMT -5
good luck. They can be such little sh**s sometimes. Yes, you're right you might as well try something else if he's going to be like that and you have to hand feed him anyway. When you leave tomorrow, leave him with the duck, which is what he supposedly likes . What is his activity level like? poopies? Is it possible that he's not feeling well or has he just decided not to eat. Good luck, keep me posted. ciao
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Nov 10, 2009 14:49:05 GMT -5
Bastien is just being Bastien! He is as active as ever and his poops are normal. Last night he ate some on his own and this morning, once I got him started, he ate more than Melinda (This morning's meal was 1/2 duck and 1/2 pheasant) I probably shouldn't say this, but I think we are actually making some progress. YEA!!! teri
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Post by Heather on Nov 11, 2009 0:31:11 GMT -5
Ok, so your little Bastien is just a littl Booger He may do what some of my guys do, which is just pig out and then eat light for a day or so. I find that usually at the end of that particular stint of not eating well that their activity level drops and they seem to sleep more. The following day they come out like the house is on fire and they're eating everything (they're also into everything, there is much dooking, screaming and wrestling) The amount of disagreements over everything from sleeping space to food and territory becomes a huge issue too. I think you're making progress. It's never easy having a difficult fuzzbutt, but the rewards when they start eating properly it feels so good I will check in and see how your little fuzzbutts are doing with their feasting tomorrow. ciao
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Nov 13, 2009 9:54:31 GMT -5
We've done pretty well the last couple of days. I've had to get Bastien started but then he has pretty much eaten on his own. I even mixed a little pork in with the duck last night and this morning Still going to take it slow - don't want to scare him off again and have to start all over! I ordered some duck necks from Hare Today which I should get next week. I'm hoping that both Bastien and Melinda will find those more interesting than the chicken that I've tried. (Was having a little success with chicken necks a while ago but then they both got stubborn.) teri
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Post by Heather on Nov 14, 2009 16:34:17 GMT -5
My guys went a little off chicken necks too Try pounding them with a hammer. They're lazy little sods and if they have to work at something they just won't bother I also found that cutting them into smaller pieces also helped....again lazy little so and so's No I agree with you take your time. There is no deadline or rush, we want this to work, I've seen too many times where the little sods dig in their heals and they just stop eating You're doing fantastic. Keep me posted. ciao
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