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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2015 21:34:25 GMT -5
I'm getting a head start while I wait for my mentor. I spent all night making soupie cubes. (I used beef since it was on sale today. Beef liver, heart, and meat strips) Lots of blood.. I seem to struggle with touching animal flesh... But I pulled through. (Very strange because I work in a cadaver lab in the Fall usually and I have NO problem handling dead human... idk) Here was my setup. (Blurry picture. Low bloodsugar = shaky hands) I made one tray of cubes. I plan on finishing up tomorrow. I just had to take a break to go visit my Partner, and play with my woozles. They're going to start their soup tomorrow.
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Post by Celene on Apr 30, 2015 22:02:02 GMT -5
Yay and congrats! Just because you don't have an "official" mentor doesn't mean we're not here hanging around ready to offer advice and answer questions I don't really eat much meat, and rarely cooked it at home so I definitely struggled with handling meat at the beginning (despite having worked in a butcher shop when I was younger). I can tell you that you'll definitely become a LOT less squeamish/grossed out the more food you prep (although truthfully I still gag when handling organs). A couple tips that might help: - Put on some upbeat music or TV to distract you
- Rub some vicks/strong essential oils under your nose to help cover the smell (I usually apply mine with a qtip so that I'm absolutely sure none touches the ferrets' food)
- Cut/handle organs when they're in a semi-frozen state. They will be a lot less smelly and have less of that gross organ-y texture
- Wear gloves. I actually haven't tried this one, but I bet it would make things easier if you're not making direct contact with the meat
Good luck with the soupies! Ferrets are really fussy and imprint on their food so might not take to the soup right away. Beef also has a stronger flavour compared to chicken which may or may not make things (slightly) more difficult. A couple things you can try if the ferrets don't want their soup: - Dab on their nose or gums so they have to lick it off. Usually once they get a few good tastes and realize the soup isn't poison it gets a lot easier
- Let them lick it directly off your finger
- Top it with something yummy like salmon oil or egg yolk
- Try it at different temperatures - I often hear people suggesting warming it up, but there are also ferrets who HATE their soup warmed and prefer it very cold or even slightly frozen
- Don't force them too hard. Chances are they'll act really dramatic like they think you are feeding them arsenic or something, but you also don't want them to associate soupies with a traumatic experience
Let us know how it goes!
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2015 13:15:04 GMT -5
Minor setback... Panda may ha1`v1+9 (I'm leaving that as evidence of how hard it is to type with two very curious baby ferrets free-roaming) ANYWAY. Panda may have swallowed a small piece of tinfoil (the hole from the piece of it that she managed to get from my garbage while I was taking it out was no bigger than the head of a nail) so I'm going to watch her for 24 hours. She had a liquidy, mucousy poop, so I gave her some fish oil mixed with petroleum jelly and she had a more solid poop, so I'm not super worried, but I don't want to start them on the soup right after having to give Panda laxatives. Raising ferrets is a lot of work. She just seems to know exactly what it is that I don't want her getting into and she does it anyway. Soupies are starting tomorrow morning though!
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Post by Blue on May 1, 2015 15:33:55 GMT -5
Do you know the blockage protocol? Many ferrents have had to do it... it works pretty well. It's in the medical files section (well, there's a link) but I'll paste it here for you:
Don't hesitate to start a brand new thread for yourself if you need help. There are several tricks like mixing fish oil with vaseline to help it go down (kind of what you gave her, so good job!).
Good luck! You're getting the full ferret experience, aren't you?
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2015 16:03:38 GMT -5
Yep xnx No matter how hard I try to keep them out of things, they always find SOMETHING. Panda is still doing well, but we're going to keep doing the pumpkin and Vaseline until tomorrow night just to be safe.
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Post by Sherry on May 1, 2015 22:05:31 GMT -5
Please do not do a protocol that long. Just until you get some nice big orange poops. 5-6 hours as a rule. If after dissecting those you do not find the entire object eaten then reduce pumpkin to 1 tsp a day for 3-4 days max
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Post by Desiree on May 1, 2015 22:06:05 GMT -5
Once you see bright orange poops you can stop the protocol. A floating blockage can happen but normally if a ferret passes the pumpkin they are in the clear. Make sure the poops are big and full. Thin and stringy poops can mean a partial blockage. Too much pumpkin and vaseline isn't good for them. Be sure to feed Panda. If she is on soups, that's good and may also help to push things through. Again, don't do the protocol for that long, if she hasn't pooed after 3 to 4 hours you need to go the vet. If she has pooed, keep an eye on her poops and check for any foreign material.
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Post by Heather on May 1, 2015 22:07:03 GMT -5
You will need to follow the protocol until there is a pumpkin stools. Check her stools for the offending piece of tinfoil too ciao
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2015 22:22:46 GMT -5
She's pooping nice big poops. I haven't seen any objects yet, but I may have missed it. I stopped the pumpkin and lax a few hours ago after seeing nice big orangey poopies. She just went to the bathroom a few seconds ago and had no problem, she just went right back to playing. I'm pretty sure we're in the clear.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2015 9:48:41 GMT -5
We're starting soup this morning! I'm just about to go mix them up! Is it one meat cube per ferret baby? And only twice a day? I'm not too sure on the feeding protocol for 3 month old fuzzers..
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2015 9:57:20 GMT -5
You have to figure out how many ozs they each eat per day. When I used soup, each cube was about an ounce. Babies can eat upwards to 8 or 10 ozs a day. I'd start with 4oz and if they gobble it up, up it until they are leaving some behind at each meal. Then you'll be able to provide the perfect amount at each meal time.
My ferrets don't eat all in one sitting, I feed them in the morning and at night and they eat as they feel throughout the day/night. There is always a little bit of their previous meal left at the next meal, so I know that I'm giving them enough.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2015 10:51:05 GMT -5
Um.... I think I can skip the soup and possibly the sliver stage with Panda... She picked out a chunk of beef that wasn't ground up very well and just went to town on it. Noodle is being picky as heck... So we'll have to do this slowly for her. But wow Panda.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2015 10:59:19 GMT -5
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand now I have to figure out how to keep her from stashing meat in my bed.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2015 11:28:08 GMT -5
I hook the meat to the side of the cage, and don't let them eat anywhere else (I am squeamish and hate raw meat). Others have built feeding dens using storage totes. If they're both very young they should take to it quickly. One she sees her sister eating the meat, she'll likely do the same. It could take a few days of soup though. ETA: here is the link to my switch thread, if you'd like to take a look. holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&post=242576 I started with my two that were ~5 and ~4 months old. The 4 m/o took a few days but after seeing the other, caught on. On that thread I introduced 2 more ferrets under 6mos as well. They're very quick with monkey see monkey do, lol.
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Post by Celene on May 2, 2015 13:17:24 GMT -5
Go Panda Go! At that age ferrets haven't imprinted on their food yet and are MUCH easier to switch. Truthfully, you could probably put Noodles straight onto slivers too. The only thing you have to watch out for is that ferrets are really (REALLY) smart and will manipulate you into getting what they want. Since soupies are just lapped up and require no effort/chewing they will usually prefer it over slivers and chunks, even when they're perfectly capable of eating them As for amount, it's really trial and error. Ferrets tend to eat a lot more on the first couple weeks of raw, and growing youngsters also eat a lot more too. When I switched I kept a log of how much (in weight) I fed them and when, and how much of what I put out they actually ate, until I figured out how much on average they were gobbling up. For now you basically want to feed them as much as they will eat, so every time you feed take some more out to thaw and keep feeding them as they finish, making sure they always have food in their bowls. Soupies are usually "good" out of the fridge for up to 8 hours (depending on your indoor temperature). Now that I have a good idea of how much my girls eat I only feed them twice a day - the larger the pieces the larger they can sit out without going "bad". The good news is ferrets can smell when meat is off and won't touch it after that point. As for stashing... Some people just "accept" it as part of the raw feeding process, but I do NOT want rotting meat all over my home so I treat it more like litter training. I have a dedicated food shelf near the top of their cage so if one tries to run out with a chunk of meat I have time to intercept them, scold them, and put them (and the meat) back on the shelf. They don't try stashing anymore
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