Starting raw: Questions & Progress

[eschimpf]

Thanks for the heads up justahannah.

[eschimpf]

Update:
So I learned a few things about Mr. Bean today.

1st: He likes to hide all his food
2nd: The metal bowl is way to light
3rd: He's a strong little brat!

I gave him 2.5oz this morning. I waited until he started eating it and once he did I left him alone to eat in peace. About 30 mins later I can back to my room to see how he was getting on with it. But there was no bowl!!!!

He had picked it up, put it into his hammock and turned it upside down. YUCK!!! Duck soup everywhere!!! So I clean it up, removed the hammock to be washed and placed his bowl on the bottom level. 10 mins later I return to find the bowl missing again! This time it was upside down under his fleece blanket. SIGH.

So I wanted to see how he was doing this, so I flipped it back over, closed his cage and sat on my bed. He walked right over, picked it up in his teeth walked it over to his fleece, flipped it and dragged the fleece over top.

I took it out, put it into a plastic bowl that is non flippable and it worked out a lot better. He finished it all up since he could not hide it. Now he's sleeping off his 2 hour flipping, hiding and eat adventure.

Question:
How often should he get his duck soup? I've taken his kibble out during the day and have read that he should be getting about 5oz, is that daily or per feeding? If its daily should I for right now, be giving him 2.5oz morning and night of the soup? He really likes the soup so I am thinking of trying a small chicken wing tonight to see if he likes that at all. Its not very big, about half the size of a normal wing. Should I wait a few more days or see if he will take it tonight since he likes his soup?

[Heather]

I really wish I didn't understand what you were talking about with the missing dinner bowls (dumped ones either). It started with Loki Bears (I miss that little bum)

When he passed on, Lady "B" suddenly started this and unlike Loki who would at least keep his bowl in either the dining room or the sitting room, she felt it was necessary to take the food bowl and stash it under the water bed (it smells really bad ). Now Yuri has taken up the flag and he's really ingenious with the whole stashing thing. I've found it on the second level of one of the ferret nations and even stashed in the cat/ferret condo

Give him the chicken wing. If he shows no interest, smash it with a hammer, if still no interest cut it into chunks and dip it in his fav soupy Messy but often effective
ciao

[3kaw]

thats funny the first thing i thought when i saw your bowl was `zeke would dump that` lol
he`s even tried to dump the dogs water bowl though it`s too heavy for him he still trys.

[Heather]

Actually, they're two part bowls. That plastic bowl that you see Loki stealing is the inner bowl. It fits into a heavy plastic bowl. It takes a bit of work to take the inner bowl out of it's outer bowl. If you plan to be away for awhile you put water in the first bowl and the second tucks in on top of the two bowls and then you freeze it. You then put the meat in the bowl and it will stay cold for most of the day, extending it's out of fridge time considerably. This also works to keep it cooler during the summer.
ciao

[eschimpf]

Heather that is so funny!

I wish my computer didn't act up last night, I would have been able to read what you posted about the wing. He didn't eat any of it, just hid it. Ate all his 2.5oz soup though.

[Heather]

The fact that he hid it is part of the battle. At least he acknowledges it's something special. He just doesn't know what to do with it yet
ciao

[eschimpf]

*laughs* well at least he is half way there

[odin]

My little girlie has been on soupy for months now...

I'm super happy she is on raw, but she is just so stubborn about moving up to chunks. no matter what, she just spits them out...

anyway, my little one only needs about 3oz a day (she's less than 2 lbs) and i space her feedings out 12 hours as best i can. breakfast and dinner. and she will even skip a meal sometimes, but as long as shes eatin, poopin and dookin... all is well.

Just a heads up on something that was a big surprise to me when i started, even though it makes perfect sense: Cassi started peeing way more on raw. All that great moisture in raw food keeps them well hydrated. And don't freak out if the pee isn't super yellow sometimes. If it is always clear, that's a different issue, but just like us, every once in a while it'll be clear with all that extra water. (i only notice when it's an accident

[Heather]

Good point.
ciao

[eschimpf]

Thanks Odin, Mr. Bean has been eating tiny chunks since last night and doing GREAT with it!, I have noticed a higher peeing in the litter box, but less water in take from the water bowl, thanks for the information cause I was about to freak out *laughs*

[sherrylynne]

It's surprising to think that is how much they should have been voiding all along, had they not been partially dehydrated!

[Heather]

Makes you realize why so many cats have blockages and they're starting to see this same problem in ferrets. It also makes it much clearer why kidney failure is such a common problem in our carnivores.
ciao

[sherrylynne]

Agreed. My cat vet was also mentioning kibble is one of the main reason feline diabetes is skyrocketing as well. All those carbs. To be honest, one of my cats had a urinary blockage yearly, til we got him on wet food. Hasn't had one since.

[bluemoose]

I recommend wet food (or better yet raw ) to every cat owner I meet. My own parents insist that dry food is "just as good" and feed dry to 2 of our 4 cats. Not surprisingly they are overweight and low energy. One of them is the most obese cat I have ever seen in person The wet food fed cat is a healthy weight and has good energy and the whole prey fed cat has insane energy (too much actually but he is a kitten ) and the softest fur I've ever felt. I saw the effects of switching a cat from grocery store dry food to high quality wet food when I switched my dear Felix after learning how terrible his old food was. He went from being overweight with an average coat to a healthy weight with a soft coat. People would comment how soft he was and ask me what my secret was. Nothing convinces people like living proof