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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 5, 2010 18:29:53 GMT -5
The only time I really keep an eye out is if I'm doing the food diary. You don't have to know exactly who's eating what, but it just makes you more aware so that if someone is just grabbing and stashing, as compared to taking a piece and eating it in their corner. Since you are still giving a mush right now, it's more just to get you into the idea of doing this. It does come in really handy. My last entries were along the line of: Two wings, segmented Vincent- grabbed wing piece, sat in corner eating. Sinnead- grabbed wing piece, ate in hammock Boris- grabbed wing piece, stashed, came back for another, stashed. Went to sleep in hammock. Lucrezia- started eating where the meat was. That lets me know Vincent now prefers to eat off by himself, which he didn't before. Why? Is someone stealing and stashing the food he's grabbed? Sinnead prefers eating in bed , Lucrezia couldn't care less where she eats(and she never has). But more importantly, it lets me know to keep a closer eye on Boris, just in case he's not feeling well. And since I now know approx. how much each will eat, the amount I pull out at the next feeding time will let me know if it's likely Boris ate later on. This is obviously not something you can, or even need, to do on a regular basis, but getting into the habit of doing it randomly for a few days to a couple weeks also lets you know if they are likely getting enough of what they should. It will certainly never be exact. Just more to give you a general guideline. And it really does make you more aware of their habits, which is always a good thing. That way, when they deviate for some reason, you can keep a closer watch, and maybe catch the fact that something's "not quite right", before it gets really bad. Because ferrets always try to hide it when they aren't well, but one of the places it frequently shows up is in their appetite, and behaviours.
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Post by halblingefrau on Sept 10, 2010 9:50:31 GMT -5
We ran out of soupies last night. I'm having a really hard time planning ahead with their meals. Seems like I am always running out before I notice that I need to make a new batch.
Anyway, since I couldn't feed them raw last night I gave them a treat of a lard lick. Asher went NUUUUUUUTS and started licking the thing. Then he tried to drag it off! I broke up the lard into smaller pieces and he started to learn how to chew. He started to bite pieces off after that, so I think that's a major step for him! Juno was interested and sniffed it a lot but I could not tell if she ate any. Loki didn't care one lick. It's funny, I always thought Loki would be the easy one to switch.
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 10, 2010 10:07:00 GMT -5
Maybe just get into the habit of making new every 3-4 days. And make each new batch thicker than the last. That's great that he likes the lard lick! It will come in handy for the winter time especially, since they need the extra fat even more then. I should tell you, though, don't be too surprised to see a whitish poop. Scared the bejeepers out of me the first time I saw that! Just had a thought- when you try them with the soup with a bit of texture in it, have you tried simply spoon feeding it to them? Sometimes that can make all the difference. With a couple of mine, when I'm introducing a new meat I have to do this a few times, and have even had to put it on my hand so they know it's not poison :DIt normally take those two of mine at least a half dozen times of doing this before they'll willingly eat it on their own
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Post by halblingefrau on Sept 10, 2010 12:19:04 GMT -5
I will try spoon feeding, I haven't before. And the soup is about as thick as it can be (I add no water, so it's literally ground up chicken, lard, eggshell, liver, and heart). They actually have to chew it instead of lick it up so I don't think their refusal to eat chunks is due to having to chew. I think the reason they don't eat the meat chunks is that it "tastes weird." Like, it doesn't have the organs or fat so a bite of it tastes different than a bite of soup.
Maybe I should make this batch of "soup" with nothing but chicken and fat so they get used to those two flavors alone. I could offer a more liquidy organ soup a couple of times during the week to supplement.
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 11, 2010 0:19:26 GMT -5
why don't you try mixing in a bit of the fat they like into their ground? If you don't have to step back, don't! I know mine really like their "momma" time, where they get held and spoon fed I try to alternate who I do this with weekly. It also helps a lot with bonding!
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Post by halblingefrau on Sept 11, 2010 14:23:48 GMT -5
I will try putting lard in with their ground. Here's what I did last night. I used one chicken breast (skin on, bone in) and cut most of the meat off it. I buzzed it in the food processor to make small chunks. I have the meaty bones in the freezer for when they're more apt to chew the meat off.
I gave a dish of this "soupie" last night. Asher went hoggy again as usual. Loki and June smelled it a lot but wouldn't try it so I added a tiny bit of water. It didn't really mix in with the meat, but the flavor of the meat and fat was in the water. That's when Lok and June started eating.
This morning, I gave the soup again without water. Loki chowed down right away. Asher ate once he woke up and realized there was food. I'm about to go grab fatty-fat June and give her some.
They like the chicken fat just fine, but I have found that if I'm just giving them lean ground (or meat without the skin) I have to add in the lard or they don't eat it. I think they're starting to fatten up for winter.
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Post by halblingefrau on Sept 12, 2010 0:36:46 GMT -5
You were right. June wouldn't eat it from the bowl, wouldn't eat it when I scruffed her. But put some chicken on a spoon? "omg thanks mom!" Brat.
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 12, 2010 17:03:57 GMT -5
Some of them just like the closeness. I think it also lets them know this food is safe, in a way that stuff/scruff, or a bowl, doesn't. Once Boris got used to having it from the spoon, I started lifting the spoon less and less, until he'd actually eat it off the spoon sitting in the dish. At that point, we started doing the same thing with him, plate, spoon on the floor. I found for the first while on the floor, I actually had to keep my hand on his back while he was eating. He just seemed to feel more comfortable like that. And yes- every week, one or more still get their soups on my lap, being spoon fed I figure it helps with keeping a stronger bond, as well as keeping them accustomed to it just in case one of them are too ill to eat their normal food.
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Post by halblingefrau on Sept 12, 2010 23:58:53 GMT -5
We're trying some ground up lamb in the soupies tonight. The kids go crazy for lamb. On a different note, in cleaning out the fert cage today I found an entire stashed chicken liver. ICK!!!!!! It was so gross, thanks Asher. At first I freaked because it looked like a placenta. I was like "WOAH is Juno still a Jill?!"
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 13, 2010 11:01:05 GMT -5
Got to love those stashes! Someone on another forum has actually found a wing in her bed, between the sheets, and a liver under her pillow Mine get fed in the cage, other than tidbits by hand for treats when they are out and about, but they still manage to push some out of the cage for later stashing that I don't catch til I'm cleaning Let me know how the lamb goes over!
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Post by halblingefrau on Sept 13, 2010 15:35:25 GMT -5
Lamb was a total fail. While Asher ate it from a spoon, he didn't eat greedily like he does with his chicken. Loki and Juno flat out refused, even when I mixed in some yummy lard. I'm going to mix bits of it into their chicken soups.
I've noticed that Asher and June usually eat their chicken soupies right away, and Loki comes by later. I am not sure if that is because he doesn't want to deal with all the shoving and gobbling, or if he'd rather nap first and eat later.
Tonight's menu: Chicken thigh meat + skin and fat, tiny bit of lamb, buzzed in food processor with lard to make thick paste w/ chunks (chunks usually the size of a pea). I will add 1 tsp of water if they won't take it as a thick paste.
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 13, 2010 18:50:24 GMT -5
Sounds like a plan. With some foods, you really have to trick them into eating it. Lamb is such an unusual flavour, especially with them used to a mild taste, that it doesn't surprise me too much. Just keep doing as you are doing by slowly increasing the lamb in the mix. And that's great that they are taking the smaller chunks!!! You could likely start increasing the size of those slowly as well.
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Post by halblingefrau on Sept 15, 2010 10:33:17 GMT -5
Last night fed a soupie of 1 chicken thigh + skin, 1 turkey heart, "handfull" of ground lamb, and a spoonfull of lard. Whipped it around in my food processor till it was thick with small chunks.
None of the kids were interested in it as I watched. They were all tired from playing. However, it was ALL gone in the morning. Going to put it out tonight BEFORE play time and see if they'll eat it while I watch.
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 15, 2010 15:05:49 GMT -5
Oh, most excellent! At least someone is eating it, and if no one is throwing it back up, odds are it's not just one then If they are used to eating after playing, don't be too surprised if they want nothing to do with it before hand. Ferrets are nothing if not bound by routines For the longest time, one of mine refused to eat if it was the wrong dish
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Post by halblingefrau on Sept 15, 2010 23:14:57 GMT -5
LOL at the wrong dish!
Tonight I fed them before playing. Juno jumped right in and started eating. Loki sniffed and started eating too (but uh he just puked). Asher didn't eat right now but I'm not worried because he eats like a pig... i have seen it.
Do you think Loki ate too fast? He's puking it like crazy right now, but I watched him eat and it didn't look like he ate TOO MUCH.
As for learning to chew, I make the soup VERY thick and leave it in a big hunk. I'm teaching them they have to bite pieces off to eat. It's much easier to chew than meat chunks b/c it's essentially a thick mush, but it is (hopefully) teaching them they have to take bites.
Ok, Loki puked twice and seems to have stopped, although now he seems pissed off. A little worried, even though I've read it's normal for them to puke if they eat too fast/ too much/ too???
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