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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 0:25:11 GMT -5
If his poops aren't like water but more like pudding, so a little loose, then I wouldn't worry too much but definitely have a Vet check, pet store babies especially that young can have some issues. Only cooked bones tear through the stomach and cause issues, RAW bones are perfectly safe, my dog is raw fed, no problems because the bones are raw. They are designed to eat bones, I'm not sure how the digestive system breaks it down but probably the typical stomach acid and such. Heather, bitbyter, katt... can we get some info on how bones are digested by our fuzzbutts? Bone-In is absolutely necessary in their diet, and I don't think we have ever had a problem here with any ferrets having issues. My girl is just beginning eating bone pieces and I only see perks, cleans the teeth, gives you the nice bone-poops, etc. (giggle) No smashing, I mean you can but probably don't need to, mine are older and will take several months to be on full raw, but yours is only a few weeks old, do you have any raw meat right now? Tomorrow do you think you can go and pick some stuff up? I have confidence he could be on a fully balanced raw diet within a week or two. Let me know when the earliest you can go shopping is, and I can help you with a list. Oh, @poncesmom would like this, she just loves to shop! Haha.
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Post by gfountain on Dec 18, 2014 0:26:50 GMT -5
Yes, they can actually eat them. They just chew and swallow. And I'd guess that as young as your little guy is, he'll just eat anything you give him. My little girl was 10 weeks old when she came home. Her first order of business was to steal her new big brother's pork chop and eat it, bone and all. HE couldn't even eat that bone, but she finished it off in about 10 minutes. Raw bone is perfectly safe to feed. Digestive acids will work on it as it passes through the digestive tract and IF any of it remains to come out the other end, it will be sort of rubbery with rounded edges. Cooked bones, however, are a definite no-no. They will splinter and can perforate the digestive tract. Babies are tummies-with-teeth. Just give the boy a chicken wing. He'll figure out what to do with it.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 0:26:54 GMT -5
Oooh and we LOVE the name game! Have you named him yet? We could help, hehe.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 0:40:04 GMT -5
Oh my, I just love y'all already- I don't know how I'm getting any sleep tonight, all i want to do is talk about my ferret! lol. I also got a fresh poop pic coming yalls way, lol. As per the list, here's what they got at HEB down the road, Chicken Necks;Turkey Necks; Turkey wings; Chicken Wings; Chicken Filets; Pork Chops; Beef Hearts; Beef Liver; Chicken Liver---- Ill have to go to an asian market to find more organs though. As per name I need help.... now that I know its a boy i can start thinking a bit more about it =)
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 0:42:17 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 0:57:15 GMT -5
We're all more than happy to help, don't hesitate to ask any questions. I didn't formally welcome you, how rude of me, haha, Welcome to HFF my name is Emily, and of course we all LOVE pictures so any of your boy that you have we would all love to see, hehe. Every meat you listed would be fine, I imagine chicken filets would be more pricey, try and pick up Chicken Hearts, Chicken Liver, Chicken Thighs (boneless, skinless), Chicken Wings and Chicken Necks. You want to stick with ONE protein at a time at first, because if he has any allergies if you switch proteins around too fast you won't know what he is allergic/sensitive to, we start with Chicken, usually is the easiest taken and cheapest to find. Then you can try Pork, or Turkey, or Beef, take your pick, mine was Pork. You can google some Asian Markets near you, if you have trouble you can Message me or Poncesmom your location and we can help you find some places, she found an Asian Market for me, thank goodness because I was lost! (giggle) When you pick up the meats, take your boys kibble out and 2-3 hours later put him in his cage or wherever he stays, put a chicken wing in front of him and watch the magic. And as for the questions, please, ask away! I enjoy answering them and the more you know and learn the better. The poop pic looks pretty normal, like a normal kibble poop to me, then again I haven't seen a kibble poop in 2 months lol, I did see them for over 3yrs. I'd say it being loose was him being stressed. Does he eat Marshalls Kibble right now?
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Post by Heather on Dec 18, 2014 1:30:04 GMT -5
Is that his poops? have you started him on raw? That's a good stool for a raw fed ferret. Babies eating boned meats. That's momma's dinner but they don't care. They know what their bodies need (video) ciao
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 1:31:47 GMT -5
From my understanding he hasn't tried raw yet. How old were your babies when they first started raw, and when they stopped taking moms milk?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 1:45:12 GMT -5
cooked bones are bad, my dog eats raw and she scarfs down the bones like nothing LOL. I am no help with anything else except I am a new ferrent and already obsessed with poops LOL!
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Post by Heather on Dec 18, 2014 2:46:39 GMT -5
Babies started eating raw as soon as they could scuttle those little fat butts to mom's dinner bowl. Two weeks maybe, about that time. They had to follow their noses because they were blind as little bats. Weaned off....they were weaned by about 6 weeks but mom still allowed them to comfort nurse until they were 8 weeks or so. At that point in time she was teaching them bite inhibition and how to use a litter box. She actually starts teaching them to go outside the nest at around 5 weeks but around 6 or 7 weeks she physically puts them in the litter box.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 8:34:56 GMT -5
Getting all that you mentioned and introducing him as soon as I get home today. Going to have someone take that kibble out in advance. In the meantime before I get home I'm going to make a feeding schedule for the chicken you mentioned.
Wouldn't i need some chicken organs though? Like in addition to liver? And the chicken thighs...what category is that? Muscle meat right??
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 9:41:51 GMT -5
another picture, curled up on my bed. he/she is pretty small. It looks like hes got a belly button which i heard meant its a boy? He is darling. That Petco should have given you some paperwork, to "register" him. The Paperwork would have a birth date on it. The Belly Button is his penis, so he is a boy.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 9:52:14 GMT -5
Getting all that you mentioned and introducing him as soon as I get home today. Going to have someone take that kibble out in advance. In the meantime before I get home I'm going to make a feeding schedule for the chicken you mentioned. Wouldn't i need some chicken organs though? Like in addition to liver? And the chicken thighs...what category is that? Muscle meat right?? Welcome to the HFF and Welcome to Ferrenthood. Ferrets are wonderful. They are smart, curious, loving, playful and complicated little guys. I would still start with the soupie recipe. It's balanced and since he is so young, the soup will be good for him. You can put chicken wings in with him at night and that will occupy him, help with teething and teach him to eat bones. The soupie recipe: 8 ounces of raw chicken thigh (muscle meat) 1-2 chicken hearts 1/2 chicken liver 1/2 tsp of eggshell powder. Save your eggshells, let them dry and then grind them into a fine powder. This stores well. I use a clean coffee grinder, that I bought for just this purpose. A magic bullet or a blender will also work well. Blend this up into a puree. Add some warm water to thin it some. You can freeze the soup in ice cube trays and then pop one out and add the warm water. A baby can eat alot. Give him as much as he wants. He may need to feed a few times through out the day. You can also leave the soupie out for him. We usually suggest 6-8 hours, but the weather is cool and I've left mine out longer. If it gets a skin on it (like pudding) add a little warm water and mix it around. Try putting him on your lap. Dab some on his mouth, place your other hand under him and offer him some from a spoon. I use a small plastic child's spoon. If he tries to jump off, gently place him back on your lap and try for a few more bites. Most importantly, have fun with him. Ferrets are too smart to spend much time in the cage. You will want to ferret proof, they can get into everything. Also, don't let anyone tell you that fruits/veggies or grains make good treats. Ferrets are obligate carnivores and eat meat. See you around the Forum and let us know when you find his name. (dance)
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 12:52:36 GMT -5
Yes you'll need organs eventually, imbalances don't show up for a couple weeks, getting him off kibble is #1 priority right now, the younger on raw the better Introduce a chicken wing to him and see how he takes it, get a mallet or something and just smash it a couple times first. Interested to see if he scarfs it down, babies are such easy switches.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 12:56:11 GMT -5
Edible Bone-In meats are the none-weight bearing bones of an animal the size of a chicken or smaller, so wings, necks, etc. You can start with chicken, but then introduce a new protein one at a time, like beef, pork, or a new bone meat like Quail, Cornish Gae Hen, and so on. Chicken thigh is a muscle meat, heart is a muscle meat but categorized on it's own for the taurine, chicken wings and such are bone-in, and liver is also sort of categorized on it own, then kidney, spleen, pancreas, and etc is "other organ" and you need at least one of those for a balanced menu.
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