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Post by kraesmom on Jul 18, 2015 15:06:12 GMT -5
Glad it doesn't seem to be having lasting repercussions. Maybe feed them with separate bowls for their favorite meals? And yes, always feed enough that there is a small amount left until the next meal. That way, they won't be food aggressive due to hunger.
So if you could post their menu and beginning weight/current weight each week, that will help me to help you evaluate their status and troubleshoot any areas where you aren't as confident
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2015 20:05:57 GMT -5
Sorry I've been absent. I've been working and sleeping a lot and getting ready for my surgery.
This menu is for next month. I have to buy in bulk this month because I won't be able to shop, but if I make any changes I'll let you know.
Sunday- A.M- Quail P.M- Chicken Heart
Monday- A.M- Chicken Wing P.M- Ground beef w/ egg
Tuesday- A.M- Pork Button P.M- Gizzards
Wednesday- A.M- Beef Liver/Beef Heart P.M- Quail
Thursday- A.M- Beef Strips P.M- Bone in Duck
Friday- A.M- Ground lamb with egg P.M- Bone in Chicken
Saturday- A.M- Chicken Liver/Kidneys P.M- Cornish Game Hen
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Post by kraesmom on Jul 28, 2015 10:58:13 GMT -5
I don't know how you are doing your prep, but when buying in bulk, many of us have developed our own routines to break down the food into portions. My routine: get out cleaver, cutting board, snack size baggies, sharpie, kitchen scale, either plastic shoebox containers or gallon freezer ziplock bags. I thaw any frozen meats until I can cut them. I start with the first protein and cut it into 1-1.5" chunks and toss them into a bowl. My three boys eat about 4 oz combined per meal. Therefore, I multiply the number of lbs of that protein by 4 (number of servings per lb). I write on the snack baggies what it is (C=chicken, T=turkey, GE=Ground Emu) I then put them into the container for that protein (I used to use gallon baggies and that worked well too). Stick in the freezer. Move to next protein... If I plan ahead well, I can take tomorrow's meals out of the freezer and stick in the fridge to thaw. By the time that meal comes, all I have to do is dump it in the bowl. What happens more often is that I forget to move the stuff ahead of time and end up floating the baggie in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 min to thaw, then dump. Doing the prep work ahead of time makes mealtime less daunting, especially if you are trying to recover from surgery. All in all, this is a great menu. You've got varied proteins, a combination of red meats and white meats, some are lean and some are more fatty...egg, bone in meals after organs to keep the poo from getting too runny... Really good! Ordinarily, the Wed AM meal would be 1/4 liver, 1/4 other secreting organ, and 1/2 heart. Instead of organizing by protein, you could put your little baggies in a container or gallon bag on a per week menu basis. That way, you don't even have to think about it. You know that the offerings for that week are balanced regardless of which order you feed it. The only thing you have to be cognizant about is that you feed bone-in after the organs and try to spread the organs out, rather than getting to the end of the week and having nothing else left. You are doing a great job with Noodle and Panda so far. How are they doing? Do they readily accept all of the above meal options? How are the poops? Energy levels? Are they maintaining their weight? Do they look or feel any different to you?
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Post by kraesmom on Aug 13, 2015 10:26:12 GMT -5
Donovan,
I know things have been rough lately with your wrist and your roommate situation etc., but I really need you to check in at least every 3 days or so, so we can identify imbalances or issues and correct them right away.
How are things going?
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Post by kraesmom on Aug 13, 2015 10:30:57 GMT -5
In the meantime, I'm going to post some bits and blurbs of info that will help you understand more of the science behind the menu. So it has long been passed around that freezing and thawing degrades the taurine content of meat. This is actually a big misconception. HEAT does indeed degrade taurine (cooking), FREEZING however does NOT. Below are two studies to support this statement. "Taurine has been shown to be very stable at high temperatures(18), and it is not affected by freeze–thaw cycles(19). Consistent with these observations, our data indicate that although the samples used in our study were frozen for almost 20 years, levels of serum taurine were similar to the values reported in the literature using samples stored for a shorter time." www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3128499/Page 3 of this study: biocor.umn.edu/assets/files/ANALYTE%20STABILITY%20&%20FREEZE-THAW%20INFORMATION-1.pdf "Taurine is not affected by freeze–thaw cycle" Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/13653/taurine-degrade-when-frozen#ixzz3ii2HHfvu
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2015 22:59:56 GMT -5
The last menu is what we will have until I'm done recovering from surgery because I can't prepare anything else until then. I've been working 18 hour shifts every day so I haven't been able to be around except for the few minutes I see them before I sleep, but my roommates say they're doing good. I'll have to weigh them if I see them tomorrow. My surgery should be next week.
I have noticed that they've been stashing 80% of their food. They're fed twice a day but when I'm home I've noticed that most of their food is hidden away in boxes so that's something odd
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Post by kraesmom on Aug 14, 2015 8:04:17 GMT -5
Are they going back to eat it later? How many oz are you feeding as a meal. What are their current weights? Everyone pooping ok? That much of a reduction is worrisome. How long has it been happening? The menu is just a tiny portion of what you have a mentor for. ? I get to help you worry about them too
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2015 8:27:01 GMT -5
They don't eat it later because I end up feeding them again.. their poop is solid, normal color. They play just like normal. They are fed 4 Oz a meal twice a day. I actually think they store a bit of their food and it adds up and looks like a lot by the time I'm home long enough to clean it (my roommate told me they eat most of their food while she's in my room.)
Panda is 2 and a half pounds and Noodle is 2.4 pounds.
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Post by kraesmom on Aug 30, 2015 14:59:13 GMT -5
I feed 4oz per meal for my three boys. You can skip a meal every once in a while so they'll clean up their stashes.
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Post by kraesmom on Sept 8, 2015 13:01:33 GMT -5
Okay, quiz time:
1. Your ferret has some really soft/loose stools...how do you fix it? 2. How do you know if your ferret is getting enough to eat? 3. Are leaner meats better for your ferret or fattier meats? Why? 4. What is a healthy diet item that can be used for hairballs, and his often should you give it? 5. What are two sources of taurine? Does it degrade when frozen? 6. Are cooked bones ok for ferrets?
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Post by kraesmom on Sept 23, 2015 15:36:06 GMT -5
Donovan, I'm giving you a heads up: program guidelines say you need to check in every couple of days. If you can't uphold that requirement, they may lock down and archive your switching thread. Since Noodles and Panda are eating 100% balanced raw, I'd love to be able to graduate you, but you'll have to answer the quiz questions.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2015 14:39:53 GMT -5
I'm really super sorry I havent been on... So much crap is happening. Surgery didn't happen and so I'm trying to deal with that and then I've been in and out of court because my roommates stole money from me and then I almost got arrested because they stashed drugs in my bathroom (Luckily I did a drug test and that came back negative and since he had already been arrested for drugs before nothing happened to me.) Just.. So much crap has been happening. Panda and Noodle are doing great. Panda is still giving me a hard time with her mischief and Noodle mostly hides my socks and tries to watch T.V. A petstore opened up by me that deals exclusively with raw diet so I'm really excited. That saves me a lot of time because they special order all of the stuff I need and its wonderful. Panda loves going there because they give her chicken hearts as treats. Quiz time: 1. For loose stools I'd increase their intake of bone in meals, or when I feed them beef I mix in an egg and a bit of powdered bone meal or egg shell and that does the trick. 2. If I notice that my babies (Usually Noodle because Panda is a glutton) have lower levels of energy or are sleeping more often than normal, I put out more food. When they're well fed and happy I can tell because I'm usually rudely awoken a few times during the day by wrestling and dooking. They think my tummy is the best place to wrestle and fight. Another way I tell if they're getting enough to eat is to check their poop. They both poop in separate litter boxes so its easy to tell whose is whose. If its not a nice sized poop I know that they didn't eat very much up to 4 hours before and I'll adjust their meal time accordingly. 3. Fatty meat is better because its a good source of easily digested energy. 4. Eggs are a good way to prevent hairballs. I give my babies egg once or twice a week when they have ground meat. (Panda wishes i would give her egg every day 5. Heart meat is the best source of taurine, another would be tongue or working muscle. Working muscle produces taurine. It does not degrade when frozen. 6. Cooked bones are super bad for ferrets, or any other animal. They will splinter and cause choking or lacerations. Hope thats good.. Again.. I'm super sorry. If I would've known the past few months would be like this I would've waited to sign up for a mentor.
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Post by kraesmom on Sept 28, 2015 17:24:59 GMT -5
Very good. Can you post a finalized menu and a list of the various proteins they will accept?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2015 12:45:10 GMT -5
I've got to run and take a test but I'll have it up today
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Post by kraesmom on Oct 7, 2015 19:14:00 GMT -5
I read about your neighbor and your dog. I'm sorry. I know you've got a lot going on right now, but I'd really like to see the current menu and weights for both Panda and Noodle please.
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