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Post by suzieszoo on Apr 12, 2010 21:25:59 GMT -5
We are still working on the finger feeding, Maisey will eat it but Hunter not so much.....I am stubborn though
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Post by sherrylynne on Apr 13, 2010 20:29:20 GMT -5
Hey- keep up the finger feeding for as long as you need to! They will covert to eating out of a spoon/bowl sooner or later. You can try giving them a couple tastes off your finger, then basically holding the small bowl or spoon right in front of their faces so they pretty much have to eat it.
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Post by suzieszoo on Apr 17, 2010 0:07:11 GMT -5
Just touching base- they have a taste for the soupie now, I did what you suggested adding the eggshell and organ meats- they took from spoon so I also have been adding it to the regular meal- kibble/wysong/raw soup/warm filtered water. They seem to really gobble this up
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Post by sherrylynne on Apr 17, 2010 18:20:24 GMT -5
Excellent news!!! Now is the time to start phasing the kibble out of the mix then. Their consumption of Wysong's will go up for a bit, but that will help to keep their nutritional needs met while switching. Don't forget to take out the regular stuff prior to giving them the soup, to make sure they are hungry enough to fill up with the soups. Once the kibble is out- we'll start adding some texture to the soup by making it thicker.
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Post by suzieszoo on Apr 17, 2010 22:39:05 GMT -5
Ok, and very exciting!!! I found they are very attracted to it with the warmed water, it must smell more interesting Ollie is changing color now, is he losing baby fur or is this typical? His birth cert says champagne, but he is turning grey with white undercoat. His fur is really thick now! He seems bigger every day! Maisey changed a bit, she is getting cream colored fur she didn't have before. Just wondering if it can be the better diet or if ferrets typically change colors LOL Ollie's hairs glisten more too-the other two are dull.....must be those chicken wings!
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Post by Heather on Apr 20, 2010 0:19:24 GMT -5
Sounds like you're doing well Great job. Warm water increases the scent of the meal. Many carnivores prefer their food to be at room temperature. Sounds to me like you're seeing the effects of a better quality food You will probably see a change in colour (I've seen a change in 100% of my switches in colour and coat textures). Please keep posting regularly, even though Sherrylynne's computer is down. One or more of the mentors will continue to follow up and assist you. Good luck and one of us will check in on you tomorrow. ciao
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Post by suzieszoo on Apr 20, 2010 9:12:54 GMT -5
Yes I noticed this with Ollie and his chicken wings....he can't seem to smell them if I serve them cold. Thank you for assistance I will keep posting I had to go back to spoon, as soon as I put them down they run off and lose interest in bowl of soup. They eat more if I am holding them....am I coddling too much? LOL Hubby just shakes his head...
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Post by sherrylynne on Apr 20, 2010 21:29:45 GMT -5
I still hand feed mine their soup sometimes Especially Boris. They really seem to enjoy the hands on closeness of it, so I wouldn't worry. They'll graduate to a bowl on their own. To get mine eating from the bowl, I'd put them and the bowl on my lap, and let them have it there for a while. Once they got used to eating it on their own from the dish, I put them on the floor with it, and kept my hand on their backs for a while.
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Post by suzieszoo on Apr 22, 2010 23:04:00 GMT -5
Still phasing out kibble, I am trying to graduate it to finish out the bag, there isn't much left so hopefully it goes ok- I better order more Wysongs!
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Post by suzieszoo on Apr 28, 2010 14:49:42 GMT -5
They all decided they would rather wait for the soup, they have been ignoring the kibble so I guess the cats will have to eat it LOL! They each have approx. 2oz of soup daily, Plus Ollie eats his wings and some of the soup....he is like the cleanup crew-no leftovers! We are off the lap feeding-I guess I will put in a few small chunks this PM?
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Post by sherrylynne on Apr 28, 2010 19:15:25 GMT -5
Hey, that sounds great! I wouldn't make the chunks very big, though. Maybe the size of ground meat? If they take those(they won't have to chew), then you can look at increasing the size a bit.
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Post by suzieszoo on May 1, 2010 9:54:49 GMT -5
Still working on the chunk sizes, I think I went a bit too big this a.m.... Also Ollie has been hardly eating anything the past couple days. He is still active and pooping and having a ball however his voracious appetite disappeared. Is this typical with young ferrets? My husband thinks he had a growth spurt- He just sniffs and picks a little
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Post by sherrylynne on May 1, 2010 18:40:35 GMT -5
When they are growing, their appetites will go up and down. As long as he's behaving normally, I'd not worry too much. Are you leaving the food with them for a while? He may be eating when you aren't looking The method I found worked best for mine was to slowly add less water/broth every time I made up the soup, thickening it as a result, til they were on a thick mush, and started mixing in ground meats, then to small cut slivers, and working up from there. I increased the size every 3-4 days, mixed slightly larger in with what they were accustomed to.
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Post by suzieszoo on May 2, 2010 0:10:02 GMT -5
Yes he seems to be behaving normally and I leave the food and it is gone when I get home. I am going to try your method-sounds great
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Post by sherrylynne on May 2, 2010 11:20:41 GMT -5
Let me know what happens!
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