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Post by katt on Nov 13, 2010 5:28:45 GMT -5
Just a little bump for an update.  |
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Post by lozza on Nov 13, 2010 8:03:12 GMT -5
Sorry! i went quiet for a few days again! I will do that every now and then, when things get hectic.. but know that i am still alive (and so is rufus!)
Currently i am going through my freezer and using up everything that is there.. once that is done, i am going to buy a whole heap more and make mixed bags.. when i get to that stage i will get some more ideas on what type of meats go best with what... it will take a while to get used to it all.. and that's why i'm here.. to learn =oD
I've started trying to make the meat different for Rufus - it was warm the other day so i put the meat in there frozen.. he seemed really interested and spent a great deal of time licking the meat..
I am also putting kibble in there less and less and putting more and more raw meat in... im finding he isnt scratching at the case as often asking for food which is good =oD
I will also partially cook it sometimes, and sometimes leave it raw and room temperature.. just so its always changing and so he doesnt get bored... even though he doesn't seem fussy at all for now, im wondering how long it will last for LOL
=oD
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Post by lozza on Nov 13, 2010 9:43:20 GMT -5
Also - just a quick question.... When I got Rufus I was told egg whites, unless cooked, are bad. I mentioned that to some people on another forum and they said they had not heard this. I've fed Rufus beaten raw egg whites/yolks several times before, including tonight...and he loves them...but there is so much mixed information out there....
Are raw egg whites bad for him or not? Help!! Lol. If they are I will stop feeding them to him immediately and only feed him the egg yolk (he really loves one or two every now and then as a treat!)
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Post by lozza on Nov 13, 2010 9:45:29 GMT -5
And also (this is a lot less important of course) would you be able to help me with figuring out how to set a profile picture? I have had a look under profile but couldn't find anywhere to set it
Thanks sorry for all the questions!! :-)
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Post by lozza on Nov 13, 2010 9:48:28 GMT -5
Oh! Last thing I want to add! I've noticed Rufus seems to be definitely losing the excess weight he had on him and is now a good weight and has a lovely glowing coat. Am very happy with how his diet is going - thank you so much with everything you've taught me so far :-D and thank you from Rufus too!! :-)
Ok I won't write anything more now lol I promise :-P
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Post by katt on Nov 13, 2010 13:33:30 GMT -5
Sorry! i went quiet for a few days again! I will do that every now and then, when things get hectic.. but know that i am still alive (and so is rufus!) Currently i am going through my freezer and using up everything that is there.. once that is done, i am going to buy a whole heap more and make mixed bags.. when i get to that stage i will get some more ideas on what type of meats go best with what... it will take a while to get used to it all.. and that's why i'm here.. to learn =oD I've started trying to make the meat different for Rufus - it was warm the other day so i put the meat in there frozen.. he seemed really interested and spent a great deal of time licking the meat.. I am also putting kibble in there less and less and putting more and more raw meat in... im finding he isnt scratching at the case as often asking for food which is good =oD I will also partially cook it sometimes, and sometimes leave it raw and room temperature.. just so its always changing and so he doesnt get bored... even though he doesn't seem fussy at all for now, im wondering how long it will last for LOL =oD Haha No worries! I get busy too, so I know how it goes. I just like to put out a friendly bump when I haven't heard anything for a bit. It sounds like you are doing a great job, and like he is getting his fill.  You will find on a raw diet that after a bit, he will eat slightly less (he's probably about at that point now). When you first start, they are typically craving the extra protein and vitamins, and will eat extra to help make up for what they have been missing. Same thing goes for kibble, because it is lower in the nutrients they need, they have to eat more of it to get the nutrition they need. You will also notice, if you haven't already, that he will eat a significant amount more in the winter, and much much less in the summer. Of course there are always exceptions, but that tends to be the general rule. When you are ready to restock the freezer just let me know and we will figure out what meats to stock up with. Also, it is great that you are serving it different ways. Keep enough variety and you shouldn't have a problem with him getting bored with his food. haha You can also cut the meat into differently sized chunks and use different textures like whole meat with the occasional ground. I would also suggest occasionally feeding soupies. This will keep him familiar with it in the case he does every get picky. Then, if he is ever sick it will be much easier to get him to eat his soupies. I make soup by blending raw meat into water, with a little bit of this and that. I add a base meat, a little organ. Then for fiber as there is no bone, I add some squash baby food, or some canned pumpkin, and occasionally a little meat baby food. You can do this with cooked meat too (that is usually how we start the switch actually is a kibble/cooked meat/baby food soup), but I personally prefer raw. You can also do both obviously. haha |
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Post by katt on Nov 13, 2010 13:37:42 GMT -5
Also - just a quick question.... When I got Rufus I was told egg whites, unless cooked, are bad. I mentioned that to some people on another forum and they said they had not heard this. I've fed Rufus beaten raw egg whites/yolks several times before, including tonight...and he loves them...but there is so much mixed information out there.... Are raw egg whites bad for him or not? Help!! Lol. If they are I will stop feeding them to him immediately and only feed him the egg yolk (he really loves one or two every now and then as a treat!) Raw egg is fine - the whole thing! An egg is an almost perfectly balanced set of nutrients as it has to completely support a growing animal for a long period of time. That is why eggs are so healthy. Obviously eggs alone are not a balanced diet, but it is well balanced food item as far as many vitamins and such go. lol Sorry, now I am blathering. Anyways, keep feeding him egg, but be sure he gets the whole thing if possible - yolk and white. Will he eat the egg shell? If not, you can keep them and wash them. Then grind them into a suuuper fine powder (powdered eggshell!) and you can use this as a calcium supplement on occasion. For example a little bit in soupies or sprinkled on a boneless meal (just a tiny bit) can give him a little extra calcium boost here and there. |
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Post by katt on Nov 13, 2010 13:56:46 GMT -5
And also (this is a lot less important of course) would you be able to help me with figuring out how to set a profile picture? I have had a look under profile but couldn't find anywhere to set it Thanks sorry for all the questions!! :-) Ok, so first you need the photo in photobucket, or another online type photo album. Open your profile. At the top, it is kind of hard to see if you aren't aware of where it is, is a line of bolded words: Member's Bio - Modify Profile - Bookmarks - Social Networks. Each is a link. Click on Modify profile. Then, scroll down and where you see avatar, you will see a line that says "Avatar URL." Go to the picture you want as your avatar. Right click on the image, and select "Copy Image Location. Go back to your profile screen and paste this into the Avatar URL bar. Go back to the top of the page and be sure to type in your password. Then scroll to the bottom and click "Modify Profile." If the file is too large it may give you a message, in that case you can resize the picture or do the same thing with a tumbnail version. I hope that helps. And don't apologize for asking questions!  That is why the forum is here, and why I am here as your mentor! We like answering questions around here! |
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Post by lozza on Nov 15, 2010 3:19:57 GMT -5
OK, i will let you know when we run out of things.. at the moment i am trying to mix up the things i give him and get a few different types of meats out of the freezer at once.. if it can stay in there for 24 hours then i figure if i put a bit more in there, he can just eat it when he wants.. awesome idea with the cutting of the meat differently.. i do that with the necks.. sometimes i cut them into bits and other times leave them whole.. i am giving him a neck tonight so i think i will cut it up this time (for variety!) but still leave it in big enough chunks for it to do a good cleaning job on his teeth hehe
He has stopped pigging out on the meats now. I notice he does like to eat his meat overnight when no one is watching... I put meat in his cage in the morning but notice he just doesnt touch it until the afternoon/evening... and then he generally leaves some for the night time (and when i wake up the next morning its all gone)
One thing that i did notice with some meat that i put there in the morning was that it just didnt get eaten - ive noticed this twice now, its like he prefers fresher meat (kind of makes sense) so if it sits there all day he is less inclined to eat it.
Is there any problems with me just sticking to this feeding habit? Im happy to give him his main meal at night, considering he is only eating in the evening/overnight as long as this is ok :-)
He is hardly touching his kibble now.. i think when he runs out i just wont bother to buy anymore.. he seems very content and isnt scratching on his cage looking for food, generally there is always some meat in there (over the last couple of days it is only from mid afternoon to evening that there is no meat available for him to eat.. and he is usually sleeping during this time)
PHEW.. im so glad full raw egg is fine.. several different types of people have told me that the raw egg white is bad and it scared me =oS LOL its funny you should say that because i did give him a broken up egg shell one time and all it seemed to do is create a big mess because he didnt eat it, only played with it and spread it all through his cage.. i am still finding bits of egg shell LOL
Good idea with the grinding of the egg shell.. i shall do that and then add his muscle meats occasionally :-) i think i need a motar and pessle (or whatever they are called) so i can do that.
Thanks for the tips with the profile pic, i shall try that :-D
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Post by katt on Nov 15, 2010 4:19:01 GMT -5
Yes, you can stick with his feeding habits. However, I would leave some meat in in the morning, but perhaps just give him a very small amount. Leave in like 2-3 small chinks. If he eats them, the next day try 4-5. Do this until you find the proper amount. That way if he does by chance get hungry in the morning or afternoon, he will have something to snack on. OR you could feed him at night, and leave the leftovers in there in the morning so he has something to eat if he wants and there is less waste. Then take it out for new meat at night again. Or was that what you meant to begin with.   Koda tends to eat late at night also. Do you have a feeding den? If her prefers to eat without anyone watching, a feeding den would help. It also helps contain the mess. If he is pigging out less, that tells me he is getting a better balance of nutrients in his diet and doesn't need to eat as much. Good. I would be curious as to why they thought the egg white was bad? But yeah, the whole egg is fine. Keep up the good work and let me know if you think of any questions. Keep me posted! |
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Post by lozza on Nov 17, 2010 10:18:17 GMT -5
YAY i have a profile picture.. even if it is a small one.. its better than nothing Thank you!! OK onto the important stuff......What ive been doing is leaving the meat in there overnight and if there is still some there in the morning then i have been leaving it in there until the next meal time (when it appears to be stale).. I then put in fresh meat for him.. so generally he has always got food in there, even if its only a little bit.. so he can eat whenever he wants... if he eats all the food overnight then i tend to put some more food in there earlier then what i would normally would do (so he doesnt go too hungry!) As for why egg is bad - someone said to me on my facebook profile their reasoning for believing it is bad but it was a while ago and i cant find the post! I'm glad it isn't though! uhm.... a feeding den?? haha :-) |
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Post by katt on Nov 18, 2010 1:38:42 GMT -5
Your feeding schedule sounds just fine. Almost the same as mine actually! Ferrets like to stash their food, and in the wild eat in a cozy den. Most ferrets will, at some point or another, try to drag their food off to a dark, cozy spot to eat it. A feeding den gives them a nice dark spot to eat, and helps keep food from being stashed...elsewhere.  They are really easy to make. You can use cardboard boxes with a hole cut in them and just replace them when they get too dirty. Otherwise, a plastic tupperware container works well, just cut a hole in the side and then you can wash it out really easily. You don't need one, but it helps contain food and makes for a more "natural" feeding experience. The hole can be cut into the plastic with a razor blade, craft knife, or I have heard melting with the hot tip of a hot glue gun works well. |
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Post by katt on Nov 19, 2010 15:41:36 GMT -5
How is he doing with the bones?
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Post by lozza on Nov 22, 2010 8:11:08 GMT -5
Hope you and all of your animals are going well :-D
Rufus is driving me mental at the moment as he insists on digging all the kitty litter out of his cage, but apart from that, he is going good :-)
I have rearranged his cage so there is a secluded dark section for him to eat in, rather than eating out in the open. He seems to like it :-)
He is doing quite well with the bones. The last couple of times I've fed him his chicken necks he's eaten 99% of it! I am still working my way through the food he has already in the freezer before I buy a whole heap of stuff and mix it up for him.
I've been making sure to keep cutting up the meats differently and also serving it differently. The other light it was a bit chilly so I warmed the meat up - he seemed to like that. Today it is quite hot, so I gave him the meat cold (I figured it would also last longer that way!)
In addition to chicken necks, I want to get some more chicken wings and also some turkey necks (if I can find a butcher to cut them into quarters so they are a good size to serve him to them as part of a meal). What other type of meats are good that have bones he is likely to wanna eat? (sorry if you have mentioned this before...I might have forgotten!!)
:-)
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Post by katt on Nov 23, 2010 4:22:44 GMT -5
I feel your pain. Koda insists on having litter on his cage floor. If I "accidentally" clean it up, he almost immediately re-dirties it for me. So thoughtful of him. Chicken wings and turkey necks are great. For the turkey neck, you can get poultry shears, a bone saw, or my personal favorite, an Ulu knife, and cut them yourself. Chicken and turkey back is good to. I suggest buying whole poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, game hen, cornish hen, whatever you can find) and chopping it up yourself. Then they get a better ratio of bone:meat (since it is in it's natural proportions lol) and a variety of bone. They will get the ribs, legs, wings, pelvis, etc. Any of the bigger bones, you can just chop up for them a bit. He might like some oxtail, and bones from other meats, but typically bones from smaller animals are all that they can handle. They can chew on the bigger bones, and will often at least try (and usually succeed lol) to get the marrow out, but bigger bones especially should be taken out when they start to get dry as they can crack teeth. Adding a little powdered egg shell to a meal here and there (try not to give too regularly, maybe once a week or so but not every day) will add a little extra calcium to his diet. Can you get access to rabbit at all? I know you don't want to feed whole prey necessarily, but if you can find somewhere that sells ground rabbit that is a Great meat for them, and if you can get it with bone and such ground into it that will be good. It sounds to me like you are doing a great job! I love that you are alternating the way that you serve the food. That is great for him enrichment wise, and keeping his interest in food. I am glad he likes his feeding "den" dark-spot too. Just keep it up, and don't stop asking questions! |
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