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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2015 18:45:33 GMT -5
I think he got stressed. He is doing better but he does sleep a lot. His gums are doing better! Not quite as red or swollen and they're bleeding less. I think he is improving. He is chasing the cat now.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2015 1:42:56 GMT -5
aww, I'm glad he's feeling a bit better. keep up the good work with him. Is he still on soft food or is he accepting slivers?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2015 6:57:56 GMT -5
He will eat very small and very soft slivers. He prefers to sleep and sometimes only eats if I hold him. I try to strongly encourage him to eat on his own. He just doesn't seem interested in anything. I may get his rice box going again. He loved that but I had to take it away when he started eating the rice. I'm wondering if a larger bean would work in lieu of rice.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2015 14:24:28 GMT -5
Some ferret's use dry beans or little balls in lieu of the rice. It makes me sad that he's not interested in eating, but at least he's eating.
Is he still having organs and hearts as well? Just want to make sure this meals are balanced.
If he's stressed, you can buy rescue remedy the pet one. You can massage some on his paws, his ears, and add a few drops in his water. But, wait until saturday to see what your vet says. I'm worried about Alvin </3
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2015 18:17:31 GMT -5
Thanks Jocelyn. He is also eating Stella's to try to balance his diet. I didn't argue with him too much this morning for breakfast. I've been strongly encouraging him to eat to keep his BG steady. I came home, a bit worried that he was going to be limo and tired. He woke up before I got all the way down the stairs. I normally need to hold him a while before he gets active. He looks a little brighter, his poops were solid and he was able to run up the stairs. He even chased the cat around for a short while. I'll put the video on Facebook. He doesn't have his endurance back yet but I'm hoping his burst of rnergy this afternoon is a good sign. Was it possible I was feeding him too much? He was only getting an ounce at a time. His BG had been stable.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2015 23:52:52 GMT -5
Remember that all ferrets are different but normally a male fert eats about 3-4 oz a day. But, then you also have to factor in that it's spring so they tend to lose weight around this time (lucky them lol, I'm here trying to lose 10 lbs haha).
I'd like him to get his heart meals and organs as well but he's your little one and only you can decide what he will eat.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2015 7:13:03 GMT -5
3-4 oz per day on average makes me feel a big better. Alvin ate his pork slivers all by himself last night without me spoon feeding him. He also did not have carafate yesterday so both a great improvements. I bought a new package of hearts yesterday so he will get a heart meal today. Alvin was free-roam almost all day yesterday and I think that really cheered him up. He got to do what he wanted, and that was sleeping in new hurry holes, chasing the cat, sleeping more in yet other newly found places. He even played with his tubes a couple of nights ago. Have a lot to do today including grinding more egg shells and hopefully getting s good cleaver. Thanks! I hope you have a good weekend!
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2015 22:58:24 GMT -5
Oh that's so great! I love hearing good news about Alvin. (dance) Keep up the good work, Pretty soon we'll be back on track on getting him to eat slivers alone, then chunks and bones. Baby steps though, baby steps =)
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2015 22:50:29 GMT -5
Another great eating day. He had Stella's for breakfast as my parents arrived a few hours earlier than expected while I was trying to get out of the house for a charity race. He ate that on his own. Dinner was quail. Second dinner of a bit more Stella's with a quail egg. Tomorrow is more quail and liver (with egg shell). He saw the vet yesterday as a follow up. His BG was a touch lower at 77 but vet wasn't concerned about that. He said Alvin looks really good, although he is a bit fat. Love that he no longer is too skinny. Got blood work back today -all came back normal! Liver, kidney both normal. Alvin is doing so well now.
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2015 15:43:05 GMT -5
Oh thank goodness!! I'm so happy that he got a clean bill of health. He had me worried for a bit there. I'm glad that he's eating alone again! Keep up the good work, try to keep his meals more on the meats versus fdr side. We want him to get used to eating slivers by himself again. =)
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2015 18:25:00 GMT -5
Updates?
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2015 12:15:31 GMT -5
Hi Jocelyn, sorry I did mean to send you some updates! Alvin is eating larger slivers now, mostly chicken thigh and pork with eggshell. He eats half on his own and then I help him with the rest. I still give him a touch of baby food to get him interested. It's the only treat he likes but it is no longer a meal or even the bulk of a meal. All meat with a bit of water and a baby spoon sized scoop of baby food. I'm making his slivers larger now with each meal and mixing them with smaller ones to try to convince him nothing has changed.
Alvin ate some beef tonight. He is eating larger slivers each meal. He is looking so good and has more energy. My folks are visiting with their two dogs and while Alvin isn't allowed to play in the room the pups are in, he is having fun exploring the house and chasing the cat.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2015 23:58:48 GMT -5
No it's okay. I was just poking my head in and seeing how Alvin was. This is great! Larger sliversss! How are we with bones? Did you ever get around to buying a cleaver? Just wondering is we should move into the next step: crushed bones.
Oh! How are his gums doing by the way? Getting better with the brushing, right? I'm hoping that they're doing better since he's eating slivers now!
Haha, I'm sure he's having a blast roaming around into new territory. They love that. lol
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2015 23:04:25 GMT -5
I am hoping to get a cleaver on Sunday. I tried even larger slivers of chicken thigh this morning and he ended up spitting out the tougher pieces. He tries but the tough ones are still too hard. His teeth and gums are doing better with the slivers and brushing. I would like to give bones a try soon. I do have a few questions: 1. How can I best use the meat tenderizer to crush bones? I have one but I'm hesitant to really whack the hen or quail as I don't want to make a mess. 2. Are there any bones to avoid when preparing hen or quail? I think you may have told me that non-weight bearing chicken bones are ok.
Thanks!
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2015 14:44:08 GMT -5
Hey! Sorry for the delay. It's been a bit hectic getting things ready for work since the semester began again.
How did the cleaver hunting go? Now to answer your questions:
1. Put them in a bag and cover it with a towel and it will contain the mess. But if you don't using a mallet to smash the bones smaller, use your cleaver to chop them down to smaller pieces.
2. Nope. Most pork bones are too big, though some ferts (not all) can eat pork rib tips, pork buttons, or oxtail. Large-animal bones like beef are too big for obvious reasons. they can't eat weight bearing bones unless smashed.
Hope that helps clarify your questions. If not, let me know. Hope all is well =)
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