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Post by katt on Apr 25, 2011 18:06:48 GMT -5
Fenton did another cute thing, when I woke him up for evening playtime he was very groggy and he sort of whimpered, almost like a dog, when I woke him up! Funny... I have also heard him whimper in his sleep, while his legs were twitching almost like he was trying to run in his sleep! I wonder if he was dreaming?haha Too cute! Kenai does this too, it is so sad. Sometimes he FLIES awake too and just shoots across the room. I have to snatch him up and comfort him. It makes me wonder what he is dreaming that is so scary. No luck so far with Fenton and mice. I will try the scruff and stuff method you suggested. Would it help to try starting him on pinkies rather than a big furry mouse?Yes. That is the next step if he does not take to it via the scruff and stuff. What you do is get him to eat pinkies, then we can get him to eat fuzzies via one of many tricks depending on how receptive or not he is. Then same thing for hoppers. Once he gets past the fur getting him to eat larger sized mice should be easy. You may or may not need to repeat this process for rats or any other prey that you decide to feed. I saw they ate some of the ham hocks, but it didn't look like they ate very much. Maybe it was hard for them? Yes bigger bones are too big. They are good chew toys and often they will pick the meat off and then chew/lick the marrow out of the bones but the outer bone itself is too thick and hard. I got kind of worried that they might not be getting enough food and picked up some ground beef. I wondered if they would like it. Oh they liked it all right... Most ferrets love ground meat and soups! Check around for some commercially ground meats for pets. We have a store here that carries Columbia River Natural Pet Foods which is a commercial food. It's basically ground meat, bones, and organs and they carry meats that you can't always find in the supermarket. They aren't the best to feed too often if you can avoid it because it does not clean their teeth, but is very easy on the digestive system and adds variety to the diet, both in prey animal and meat consistency. Not to get off-topic, but I noticed Fenton is doing something lately that worries me. When he gets really rowdy and excited playing and he's running around and stuff, every once in a while he will just stop right in the middle of play and lay flat on his belly on the floor, wait maybe 3 to 5 seconds, then get up and resume playing. It almost looks like he is plopping down on his belly from sheer exhaustion and then when he catches his breath he resumes playing. I'm just guessing though. The other thing I thought it might be is that the floor is cool and it's warm here this time of year, maybe he likes laying on the cool floor when he's all heated up? Anyway, just wondering if I should be worried. It seems like I read somewhere that this kind of behavior could indicate low blood sugar. Just keep an eye on him. It sounds to me like he is just getting tired. We had a member here before, Heather - Firefox is her username - whose baby Merlin was doing that. I forget what they determined but he is happy and healthy now and I do think he stopped doing that. He was about the same age as Fenton I think as well. I would make a post in the Health and Medical section and see if she pops in to read it. I will ask her if I see her on Skype tonight too. I think he is fine but keep an eye out for any other signs, like lethargy, dehydration, not eating, etc.
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Post by katt on Apr 25, 2011 18:12:10 GMT -5
Last night I fed them only chicken livers (whole) and strips of beef heart. They ate both. Good news! I had rabbit meat and bones in the freezer and I'm leaving that with them this morning to work on all day while I'm work. I was surprised, they immediately started chewing on it, even though it's a new meat! Most ferrets LOVE rabbits. It is the prey they are bred for. I found mine took to rabbit much more quickly than other new meats as well. Interesting... The last few days have been good, they are eating pretty much anything I put in front of them!Good! Keep it up! I want you to start making a menu of a week's worth of food that has the proper balance of 10-15% bone, 10% organ and 75-80% muscle meats. Be sure to include heart. I also recommend fiber, especially during shedding season. Just a teaspoon of canned pumpkin per ferret a few times a week will help keep their digestive system healthy. It essentially replaces the fur that they would be getting regularly in the wild. The more whole prey you feed, the less often you need pumpkin. Be sure as well to keep a variety of animals for bone, meat, an organs. Have your tried turkey yet? Now is a good time to find turkey gizzards, livers, and necks with all of the Easter leftovers.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2011 19:39:56 GMT -5
OK I will get some pumpkin and start working on a feeding schedule. This will be good, maybe I can lay out some meals in advance and freeze them in baggies or something? So far it has been a little chaotic, having to decide each day what to feed, and keeping track of what items were frozen and what were thawed, etc. I'll try to get some chicken hearts tonight, they looked perfectly-sized for a ferret to carry around hehe.. As for turkey, they already love t It was the 2nd meat they learned to eat. So far they seem to love rabbit the best, followed by ground beef, then chicken and turkey equally. They like pork too but don't seem too big on it, and they seem reluctant to eat beef heart or chicken gizzard, though they will eventually eat it when everything else is gone. When I gave them soupie that had beef heart and chicken gizzard chunks they ate around them until nothing else was left, then eventually came back and ate the chunks hehe. Also, just before I started going raw, I bought a bag of 8 in 1 Ultimate kibble. I offered it to them the first day I offered meat but they didn't eat any. They are only used to eating Marshall kibble. I really want them to be used to 8 in 1 kibble in case I need to leave them with someone to take care of them and that person isn't willing to feed them raw, then I can just leave them with a bag of 8 in 1 Ultimate. Should I try to get them eating it now, between meat meals maybe, or should I wait until they are more adjusted to meat before teaching them to eat the kibble? What is this Skype room, is that something forum members do, or just mentors or something?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 3:02:31 GMT -5
I have a question! I hope my ferrets don't get sick.. I took my ferrets to my sister's house to show my nephews. We played with them in a bedroom for a long time. At one point, Fenton became obsessed with the trash can for some reason. He finally was able to climb into the trash can, and when I went to pull him out, he was nibbling on a cantaloupe rind he found in the trash! I took it away, which he didn't like at all. Later he got it again while we weren't watching and ran off to hide with it. Fiona tried to steal it away and I actually heard him hiss at her I managed to get it away from them but it was like they were obsessed with it! I have never seen them want another food item as much as they wanted this cantaloupe rind. They were jumping in the air trying to get it back from me! Isn't that weird?
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Post by katt on Apr 26, 2011 5:03:51 GMT -5
This will be good, maybe I can lay out some meals in advance and freeze them in baggies or something? Ooops... Sorry. I thought you knew. My sincere apologies! You can stock your freezer full! Meat will stay good almost indefinitely in there - a little freezer burn won't hurt them. What I do is I go out and buy usually about $40 worth of meat and get everything in proper balance. So in that $40 of meat I have for example: whole rabbit (organs/heart included), small whole duck (organs and heart included), pork meat, pork side (uncured bacon) chicken heart, pork kidney, pork heart, pork liver, turkey necks, and goat meat. Then I chop it all up and put it into ziplock sandwich bags. I label these by writing on masking tape and sticking it on, and then stuff them all in the freezer. I can then feed from that, from fresh meats I bring home, freeze dried, and commercially ground raw. As for turkey, they already love t It was the 2nd meat they learned to eat.Oh yeah! lol Sorry. Should I try to get them eating it now, between meat meals maybe, or should I wait until they are more adjusted to meat before teaching them to eat the kibble?They won't eat it because now they know what real food is! In al honesty I would not even bother with the kibble. Look for freeze dried raw. Casey's Hidden Pantry sells Stella and Chewey's FD for a good price. It is expensive but perfect for pet sitters. It gives all of the same benefits of raw, they LOVE it, it is easy on upset tummies (Koda my IBD ferret does very well on FD raw). Also, it is expensive to feed ONLY FD, but I have found it is not that expensive to supplement with it and use it for times when I am out of town or too busy to prepare food for them. It is just as convenient as feeding kibble but WAY healthier. If you are not interested in that and still want to feed the kibble let me know. BTW Part of the problem with kibble + raw is that they digest at different rates, so fed too closely together they can cause upset tummies. What is this Skype room, is that something forum members do, or just mentors or something?Nope! Do you have a skype account? Just post your skype name and I can invite you to the group. There should be a thread in general chat.
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Post by katt on Apr 26, 2011 5:05:23 GMT -5
As for the cantaloupe, totally normal. haha Ferrets LOVE sweets. Of course they like most things that are bad for them. It should not make them sick, I wouldn't worry.
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Post by katt on Apr 26, 2011 5:13:26 GMT -5
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Post by katt on Apr 26, 2011 5:15:14 GMT -5
Stella and Chewey's - I LOVE this stuff. I have tried a few kinds of FD foods and S&C is the best. Best price, best nutrition, best consistency, and best compatibility with Koda's sensitive belly...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 12:13:26 GMT -5
Cool, I will have to order some of the freeze-dried stuff for when I go out of town.
I am actually very worried about what I'll do with my fuzzies when I'm out of town. I can easily bring their cage to whoever's house they will be babysat at, but I worry that the person babysitting them won't be willing to give them the playtime they need!
Maybe I can find a ferret owner in the area I could pay to keep them with theirs LOL...
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Post by katt on Apr 26, 2011 13:06:33 GMT -5
That is something I worry about as well. I am leaving for a month in the fall and can't take the fuzz. :S I have an iguana as well. I worry not that they won't get the tine out of their cage that they need so much as that the person won't watch them closely enough and they will get into something, hurt themselves, eat something (Koda is a serious chewer and has already had one blockage surgery and a few close calls), or get sick and them no know what to do.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 18:12:05 GMT -5
Hey, since my ferrets are young and growing and using lots of energy, do you think I should add more fat to their diet?
Usually when I feed chicken or pork or even ground beef, there is at least some fat in there. For example the pork and chicken have skin on them, and the ground beef is 80% lean, 20% fat. Is it enough though?
Then there are days like yesterday when they got rabbit meat. That stuff is extremely lean! I read somewhere that people can get sick eating only rabbit meat because it's so low-fat. When I feed something lean like rabbit, should I also feed them some bacon or something to add fat?
Just want to make sure they are getting enough fat! They both are staying slim and slender and I wouldn't mind them being a little more pudgy LOL.
I do notice however that Fenton feels heavier than when I bought him. Don't know if this is due to the change in diet or just because he's growing.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2011 3:19:24 GMT -5
OK I did some meal-preparing today! With my first batch of meat, bones, and organs, this is what I came up with, 20 days worth of meals all bagged up and ready to go! Maybe I can relax a little for the next 3 weeks I have a feeling each meal portion is bigger than it needs to be for my 2 fuzzbutts, but I would rather feed them too much than too little. They are still growing after all, right? 1 by walkerstop, on Flickr In there is rabbit, beef, chicken, turkey, and pork, beef heart, chicken and turkey gizzards, liver from chicken turkey and cow. I still have another batch of meat to divide into meals and bag up for freezing! Here's the next batch I gotta thaw and prepare, I was thinking this batch could include some chicken hearts and other organs like kidneys, maybe others? 2 by walkerstop, on Flickr Also, the last few days Fenton seems to be getting more energetic and playful. I think he likes this new diet. Fiona on the other hand was always energetic Fenton says "I approve of this diet... and this new toy" P1010179 by walkerstop, on Flickr
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Post by katt on Apr 27, 2011 3:46:47 GMT -5
Awwwww I want to steal him! Gimme gimme! Your food list sounds awesome! For other organs, look around for kidney and spleen. Also, it does not count as an organ but lung is a great food too if you can find it. I get dried lung and my boys LOVE it. Especially Koda. It is somewhat similar to rubber in texture so it really helps him satisfy his desperate need to chew. Any progress on the mice and Fenton? To your earlier question about fat, as long as you are feeding the skin/fat along with the meat it should be fine. Beef and Pork are both relatively high in fat.. Unless you get the lean stuff of course. It wouldn't hurt to add in occasional pork side (this is a bacon cut, but has not been cured in salt, flavored, and otherwise bacon-ized). However, you do not want to add in too much fat. In America the tendency is to like our pets at a weight that is actually overweight for them. Ferrets are naturally slender little creatures and putting on pudge is not very good for them. It can (just like in humans) lead to health issues, heart problems, etc. They will naturally get fatter come winter time, and their winter coat will grow in too (either long and fluffy "Winter Floof" or thick and dense "Seal Fur"). Also, your two are still growing. They need protein and calcium to grow strong bones and muscles! With a balanced diet - which you now have - you don't need to add in any extra fat. Usually that is reserved for cases where the ferret is overly skinny and needs to put on weight. You can try a lard lick, but they are not that healthy. A few people will leave out a small tab of lard for the ferrets to lick at as they please if they feel the need for more fat. Kind of like a salt lick - they should self regulate. The problem with this is that most places you can find Lard do not sell pure lard. Rather, it has preservatives such as BHT in it and these are bad. Ferrets already have a high rate of cancers so it makes me uneasy feeding something that is rumored to have a possible link to increased cancer rates (preservatives). Whether this is accurate or not, preservatives are not good for us and are especially not good for the ferrets. If you can find all natural lard, straight from the animal, without preservatives it would not hurt to offer a little on a plate (separate from the food) here and there. They may or may not be interested. Mine wouldn't touch the lard I bought. I had to mix it into the food (Koda was too underweight after his major IBD attack). Again though, too much fat is a bad thing. It lubes up their GI tract and can prevent nutrient absorption among other possible issues. Now.... I think you're just about ready to graduate! You will need to submit a week's menu of meals demonstrating a proper balance of meat, bones, and organs that also includes enough heart, and variety of meat.
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Post by katt on Apr 27, 2011 3:56:12 GMT -5
The freeze dried will be easy enough to convince them to eat. Tastes just like raw! If they seem resistant you can try Scruff and Stuff, and just sprinkling it over their food. Something to keep in mind for people who may be pet sitting is the dehydrating effect of FD. Because ferrets get most of their moisture from their food, and FD has had it all sucked out, it can dehydrate them. Most people rehydrate it before feeding. Simply let it soak in a little warm water for a bit before feeding. My boys will simply not touch it wet, and honestly I haven't pushed it because I dislike the way it looks and smells when it's wet. Not as stinky as kibble though! If you are not feeding it too regularly, then dry is fine. If you might be gone for an extended period of time however, you would want to rehydrate it. For the mice, if we get you graduated before Fenton will eat them I am still more than happy to help. I can help via PM, or you can start a thread in the feeding/whole prey section to get input. Typically the method I use is as follows: Start with pinkies. He should eat those, but if not chop them into his regular meats and gradually increase the size until he will eat them whole. Repeat this with fuzzy mice, then hoppers. You might have to scruff and stuff along the way, and chop them into favorite meats. Like you might have a plateau at hoppers for example, so you could chop up pinkies, chicken, and hoppers. Then mix it all up to spread the flavor around. onto the hopper pieces, and the hopper-mouse flavor onto the other meats. Start gradually increasing size again. Usually once you get past the fur (fuzzies and hoppers) increasing size to small mouse, med, large, etc is easier. Cutting the mouse open and putting a little of their favorite oil over it (salmon oil is great) will help entice them to taste it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2011 23:16:56 GMT -5
OK I brought home a box of pinkie mice as well as some small mice (frozen). I'll be working on getting Fenton to eat mice for the next few days!
For the menu I'm suposed to submit, do I post it here in the thread?
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