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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 8, 2008 16:56:58 GMT -5
Thank Jennifer, she made that chart  |
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Post by quill on Jul 8, 2008 18:52:31 GMT -5
Thank Jennifer, she made that chart Thanks Jennifer! |
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Post by quill on Jul 8, 2008 18:54:23 GMT -5
Nikko's first pinkie mouse   |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 8, 2008 22:50:49 GMT -5
OMG I am so proud! *beams with pride*  !!!! Did he eat it?!?!?!?! |
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Post by quill on Jul 9, 2008 5:51:56 GMT -5
OMG I am so proud! *beams with pride* !!!! Did he eat it?!?!?!?! Not right away. I think he thought it was a toy.  I had to slit the pinkie's belly. **yuck*** I haven't check this morning to see if it is all gone yet. I buried what was left under his chicken last night. (Nikko is a night feeder) |
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Post by quill on Jul 9, 2008 6:15:49 GMT -5
Good News...I caught Yuki eating thigh meat! Good News...Nikko and/or Yuki at a thigh bone last night! YAY! I mashed the bone with a hammer. Good News...Nikko and/or Yuki ate part of the pinkie mouse. Not all of it was eaten, but that's ok. They had chicken meat, too so they probably just ate what they liked the best so far. Next time I'll wait until time to eat and offer only pinkie |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 9, 2008 8:40:38 GMT -5
Sounds like you are getting there! Im happy to hear about this progress, Trina! Are you excited? (I am!)
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Post by quill on Jul 9, 2008 9:15:29 GMT -5
Sounds like you are getting there! Im happy to hear about this progress, Trina! Are you excited? (I am!) Yes, I am very excited!  I think my fuzzbutts are well on their way to being raw/whole prey feeders! |
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Post by mustelidmusk on Jul 9, 2008 9:28:04 GMT -5
YAY!!!! You're at the point of no return!!!! Your babies won't allow you to switch them back This is great news - they'll eat new items more readily if you offer they new items first when they're not half full. -jennifer |
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Post by quill on Jul 9, 2008 9:37:21 GMT -5
YAY!!!! You're at the point of no return!!!! Your babies won't allow you to switch them back This is great news - they'll eat new items more readily if you offer they new items first when they're not half full. -jennifer Jennifer!!! Aren't you so proud of them!!!! YAY! |
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Post by mustelidmusk on Jul 9, 2008 14:45:35 GMT -5
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Post by quill on Jul 10, 2008 8:38:32 GMT -5
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Post by mustelidmusk on Jul 10, 2008 12:25:10 GMT -5
I'd try the cornish game hen with bone to reinforce bone eating. Give them the Boney meats first. then add some flesh and organs once they've eaten some bone (if this is feasible for you). BUT...if you're fixing something different for your own dinner, such as beef, pork, lamb, etc. you can always offer a small taste of something new. The worst thing that happens is your ferrets sniff it and don't eat it. It commonly takes a few sniffs before something new is accepted. The more different types of foods your ferret gets to sniff, the more accepting he will be of new foods. It's like wine tasting for ferrets I never hesitate to introduce new smells to my ferrets, it's great enrichment for them - even with non-food items. Sense of smell is a very important "input channel" for ferrets. You're at a really fun stage of the switch now. Your kids are looking to see what you'll bring them next! So, have fun watching their little noses twitching at new smells!!! -jennifer |
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Post by quill on Jul 10, 2008 12:47:59 GMT -5
new problem:
Today I have been watching Yuki and Nikko closely to see who is eating what. Of course we already know that Nikko is eating raw/bones, but I wasn't sure about Yuki. Well, I put the kids in the playpen while I cleaned their fn, replaced the food and water. When I put them back, Nikko ran for the chicken wing grabbed a piece and took off with it. Yuki sniffed around at everything in the cage, went back to the food, sniffed at the remaining pieces of chicken wing and ran to find Nikko and started trying to take the food from Nikko. They didn't fight, just kinda tug of war. Nikko did hiss at her though. Yuki gave up and climed into her hammock. I picked a piece from the bowl and offered it to Yuki, but she didn't want it. I realize that it is a good thing that Yuki wants the wing (YAY!)
Do you think Nikko had the 'best' part and I need to put two of everything in the cage. I hate to do that because it seems at times I throw away alot of uneaten meat and dh throws a fit about that.
Any suggestions?
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Post by mustelidmusk on Jul 10, 2008 17:30:29 GMT -5
I'd try to split the food and separate the babies if possible. I had to sit on the floor and parse out the food into 4 separate feeding bins. Otherwise, they'd all be hissing and tail thrashing - really adorable to watch, but I was afraid that they all may not have been getting all the stuff (meat, organ, bone) they need. SO, I started feedinga small portion of bone stuff first to each ferret in a separate den. When they finished that, I gave some organ meat, and finally the most familiar...the muscle meat. I actually ended up with less waste this way. (save the best stuff for last.) Also, the separate bins allows my pickier ferrets more time to get through the bone without stress. They're OK now that they realizie that the meat is here to stay Polecats are solitary animals, and ferets have adapted to living together. BUT, when the meat comes out and raises their primal instincts, they want to run off an hide with the food. Also, being fed meat while being held is also not a natural thing for ferrets to want to do. You can use cardboard boxes (I think it was Meli who used a carboard 6-pack holder for with a hole ripped into the side of it for feeding her ferrets. It worked great - nothing fancy required here! Your ferrets will settle down once they learn that they learn there's enough meat for both of them. -jennifer |
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