|
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 9:55:17 GMT -5
I made my first batch of soupie last night. I think it went pretty well. Alvin readily ate a few licks, first with some soupie mixed with oil and then soupie alone off of my fingers. I have already started to defrost an "ice cube" of soapie for his first feeding of the morning. Here is what I did: about 8 oz chicken thigh, approx .7 oz chicken liver, heart is on order (as someone suggested I will also check my local grocery stores to see if they have some on stock) so this first batch is heart-free and therefore not enough turine, 1/2 tsp powdered egg shell. I had to add a lot of water along the way in order to puree the chicken in my magic bullet. Should I keep a measure of the water as well so I have an idea of how much actual meat he is getting? Here are the photos of the preparation and Alvin trying it for the first time: I am defrosting .8 oz (23 grams) of an ice-cube frozen soupie which I will mix with plenty of water. I'll post after he tries his first raw breakfast! Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 10:50:14 GMT -5
I'll try to get some pics of his belly and back a little later today. I'm also going to look for a good pet scale for him today.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 15:51:42 GMT -5
It sounds like your first soupie meal went quite well. Let him get use to the soupie texture and each time that you make soup, add a little less water. I used a magic bullet also. I found that it's a little easier to cut the chicken up some. You'll still probably end up with a few tendons wrapped around the blades, but you can pull those off.
Don't forget to add some of the skin in. Fat equals energy for ferrets. If you see seedy poops, that will simply be some of the undigested fats.
Tyson's sells packages of hearts and gizzards. You'll be lucky to get two or three hearts, but you can freeze some of the gizzards for Alvin's next step after soupie. Gizzards are great for cleaning teeth and building jaw strength. They are a muscle meat and when he moves to Frankenprey, gizzards can be one of his muscle meat meals.
:thumbsup: Nice Job.
|
|
|
Post by raynebc on Feb 1, 2015 18:50:22 GMT -5
It's hard to blend chicken skin, the smaller you can cut it up first, the easier it will go. Try not to let the pieces of it stay too big, because I ran into difficulties where it would wrap around the blades during blending instead of getting cut up further.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 22:59:10 GMT -5
Thanks, everyone! Well, I think and hope I tracked down the problem with Alvin's tummy issues. I believe the new bag of kibble I bought him last Sunday and used Sunday night was a bit bad. It looked darker than the other bag which I had just a scoop left over and I noticed a lot of dark splotches and even one speck of what looked like gold glitter. EWW - not what I want to feed my baby. Just another reason to switch him to the raw diet!!! At least I control what goes into it. He is on his way, but I am still giving him kibble as he isn't eating enough soupie right now. I bought him a fresh bag of kibble to tie him over. I'm still going to work on switching him, but hopefully with this his upset tummy will calm down. He'll probably take to the raw just fine as we work on it (he seemed to enjoy his first few licks). I just don't want to have a starving kiddo with an upset tummy.
I will look for the Tyson's hearts and gizzards tomorrow. Thank you all for your help! I'm hoping that Alvin will be willing to experiment as I try to get the technique down.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2015 23:16:32 GMT -5
Gave Alvin some more soupie tonight. He at .4 oz with just a little ferretone mixed in. Then I mixed the remaining .8 oz with a half a jar of baby food and so far he ate half that plateful. I'll offer him the plate when we get ready for bed. I probably shouldn't mix but I really want him to eat. He seems ok with the kibble but he has only short Spurs of energy. I took pictures of him from the back and front so I will post those this weekend.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2015 9:35:46 GMT -5
I'm not sure if these pictures are really going to show much, so if you have suggestions to improve I'll be happy to hear them. These were taken a few days ago. This one is from last night when he at a full serving (about 1.2 oz total) of soapie and some water. The first 0.4 oz was mixed with a bit of ferretone (just to get him started and while I am waiting for salmon oil if he'll like it) and then the rest was mixed with some baby food. Going to look for the hearts today. We're also letting more soupie defrost a bit before having breakfast. He is now on pred 0.15 ml twice a day. I had to use a food scale with a plate (not the greatest set up right now) and his weight is 2 lb 6.2 oz. I just noticed while he was standing in front of his plate that he is getting pretty thin in his backside between the legs. I'll keep an eye on that. He seems to be doing well with soupie this morning as long as I mix it with the baby food. He did get some pure soupie while starting off. I'm encouraged that he is trying it and seems to enjoy something new and healthy.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2015 11:52:23 GMT -5
Alvin is a very handsome boy. He doesn't look too thin.
Kibble and raw digest at a different rate. That can cause an upset tummy or a bacterial overgrowth. So, try to allow a few hours between the kibble and the soupie. Also each soupie, use a drop or two less of ferretone. Try to wean him off of that.
He seems to be taking to the soupie well. Try adding tiny slivers about the size of your fingernail crescent. See if he will accept a piece hidden in his soup.
Persistent and patience is the key, just keep working with him and sitting with him. Try for "just one more bite".
Alvin is doing so well and so are you. (dance)
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2015 21:22:28 GMT -5
Off to a new ferret expert vet highly recommended by the local ferret rescue in the morning. I was able to catch them right after a cancellation. Alvin didn't seem to eat any kibble today and he is gobbling down some baby food. I didn't get the soupie defrosted yet and I think he was hungry! I read that ferrets to eat raw do not eat throughout the day (kibble has too many fillers that make them need to eat all day in order to get the nutrition?) so I'm not too surprised if he ate a large portion of baby food and soupie this morning. For the slivers, should that be chicken thigh or some other meat? I got some good news that the whole foods near my work will be carrying hearts consistently so I won't have to order them any more. They will be in the store on Thursday.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2015 14:02:03 GMT -5
If you like this new vet, please add him to our Vet list. If you need the link, just let me know. I'm curious to see what the vet says and whether he approves of raw feeding. Alot don't approve. They see too many pet owners who don't feed raw correctly and they make a little profit from selling expensive kibbles.
I always leave food out. Mine are free roam and keep to their own schedules. However, you are right about them not needing to graze. They eat more frequently on kibble because of the fillers which are simple wasted and pass thru them. Ferrets have a 3-4 hour digestive track. I find that mine eat a big breakfast, ask for a snack to stash during the day and then eat a light dinner. Mika is my night owl and eats in the middle of the night.
Hooray for having a steady source of hearts. That's almost always the toughest thing to find for most of us.
Chicken thigh is great for a starting sliver. Chicken thighs are fatty (fat equals energy for ferrets), inexpensive and have a nice amount of Taurine in them.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2015 14:06:59 GMT -5
Thanks poncesmom. I do like this vet. I mentioned that he was currently eating kibble, baby food and raw and mentioned specifically that he hasn't been eating the kibble this past week and only the baby food / raw by his own choice. He didn't say anything negative or try to "correct" me. I thought that was good. Alvin was confirmed with insulinoma and we have a more appropriate dosing for the pred now that he is confirmed. We ran other bloodwork and I hope to have the results this afternoon, but certainly by Monday. Otherwise the vet said Alvin looks really good and seems well hydrated and said he is very sweet.
Please send me the link to add to the vet list.
I'll try slivers tonight. Alvin has really taken to the raw diet so I'm hopeful that this will really help with his BG.
Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2015 14:14:52 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2015 20:33:50 GMT -5
I bought a small bottle of Grizzly Salmon Oil (packaged for dogs). Is it okay to try giving Alvin a drop here and there to see if he'll lick it? I don't want to try to change too much too fast, but he does seem eager.
Aso, is there a good pet or baby scale that you can recommend?
Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by raynebc on Feb 7, 2015 21:59:06 GMT -5
Sure, offer him some oil on your finger and see if he'll lick it up. A kitchen scale with a high level of accuracy is a good choice, I use one that is accurate to .05 oz to prep their food (http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B004164SRA/ref=pe_385040_121528360_TE_dp_1). Ferrets don't often sit still for weigh in unless you can distract them with a treat like oil. I set mine in a plastic container for a few seconds, long enough to get an accurate weight.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2015 19:49:14 GMT -5
Alvin really likes the soupie when I make it the consistency of baby food. He has eaten a few slivers. I'm still very nervous about his lack of energy though since last Wednesday or so. He has a big appetite when I sit and hold him when he eats. He can eat 1 - 2 oz at a time. He is on .25 cc (4 mg / mL suspension) twice a day until Saturday and then if he responds we can reduce to once a day. So far his energy hasn't changed.
What should I try? How much soupie should I offer at a time (am I trying to get him to eat too much)? He still has kibble in his cage which I know at some point needs to be taken out, but I'm afraid he won't eat the raw if I'm not there to offer it. If he eats kibble during the day or night and I feed him raw will that upset his tummy? I think Sherry mentioned the residence time in his digestive system and that could throw his balance off. How frequently should I feed him? Can I leave any raw soupie in his cage while I'm gone (I work a 9 hour day plus commute so if i leave it it will be there all day)? His room is set to 66F which should be good for soupie but is this too cold for Alvin?
I'm hoping to get a plan down, but I'm not sure where to start.
Thanks!
|
|