|
Post by Klarissa on Sept 23, 2015 13:56:54 GMT -5
Will, Bear, and Freyja Switch - An Overview (mostly for my sake/sanity!) I've stopped pushing them as much, because it been a crazy, anxiety ridden few weeks & there is another 2 weeks to come. However, they all eat meat 100% of the time - no kibble whatsoever in this house They are all (including Freyja) up to consistently eating slivers without fuss, and bone pieces from bone grinds. Once this chaos is up, I will be back to push, push, pushing them. To be honest though, I'm really loving the grinds - the meat is antibiotic & hormone free, grassfed/free range, local, human grade & comes in convenient containers. The smell of raw meat has never been pleasant, but recently I cannot handle the smell at all - my husband insists the meat smell hasn't changed. I have to wear a hospital mask or pull my shirt over my nose to feed/meal prep. With the grinds its scoop, weigh & serve. Weights: Bear: 1.6 lbs (+0.2) Willy: 3.6 lbs (-0.2) Freyja: 1.4 lbs (first weigh) New Ferret Meal Plan Monday AM: Chicken grinds; bone in (contains no organ) Monday PM: 100% Heart Tuesday AM: Chicken grinds; bone in (contains no organ) Tuesday PM: 50% Heart, 35% Kidney, 15% liver Wednesday AM: Pork Butt (super fatty cut) Wednesday PM: Duck grinds; bone in (contains liver) Thursday AM: Chicken grinds; bone in (no organs) Thursday PM: Beef muscle with egg Friday AM: F/T Mouse Friday PM: 50% duck grinds, 50% kidney Saturday AM: Pork Butt (super fatty cut) Saturday PM: Chicken grinds; bone in (no organs) Sunday AM: Beef muscle & egg Sunday PM: Duck grinds; bone in (contains liver) SO, the duck grinds contain liver & heart. There are no fruits/veggies/carbs etc. The proportions are Muscle Meat % 75 Organ Meat % 10 Bone Content % 15 I've only been using it for the last week, only got to my laptop now to post the nutritional values. I'm really hoping its okay I also have pure lamb, rabbit (no liver), boar, bison, turkey - same proportions of meat/bone/organs. I've made notes on the fridge schedule. "If feeding rabbit... full liver meals" "If feeding duck...cut back liver" etc. I do 99% of the feedings, the other 1% I'm laying in bed telling my husband what to feed I was going to rotate the duck grinds with the other grinds on a weekly basis. It feels good to be feeding raw
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Sept 23, 2015 20:01:32 GMT -5
Menu looks good, it does look like you may be a little short on the liver though. If the duck contains 10% organs and they are heart and liver then it is probably only 5% liver. So just going by the percentages I added up 27.5% liver and 85% kidney, it should be closer to 75% each in order to get the 1.5 organ meals. I'm not a huge fan of grinds because they lack the jaw strengthening and teeth cleaning benefits that actual bones give, so I am going to encourage you to keep working them up to whole bone in things and larger chunks of meat!
|
|
|
Post by Klarissa on Sept 24, 2015 21:01:43 GMT -5
So, I will up the liver, and little less kidney. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't giving too much liver. The grinds aren't fine, and contain bone pieces comparable to a smashed chicken back & neck. But I get where your coming from & will continue to push them forward. Last night I put out heart chunks, Willy are half an oz before bed & Bear ate a little overnight. Freyja ate none & had no interest in being hand fed heart chunks. Freyja for dinner tonight are 0.75 oz of slivered pork & 0.75 oz of ground hamburger, whipped up with an egg. Willy has lost 2oz since the last time I weighed him & has become a picky eater since I tried adding in pork. Today I got him to eat a little soupie with a lot of slivers. Then out him & Bear with a bowl if chicken grinds which they are eating at their usual pace. Bear & Willy are sharing a hammock right now, I couldn't believe it! Hopefully this is the start of a awesome friendship. On the other hand, today Freyja escaped the Superpet cage. It's door locking mechanism is stupid & so we warp the bars a bit to keep it secure. I had grabbed Freyja's food dish & was just running to the kitchen to fill it so I didn't close the door since warping the bars all the time will break them (we are coming up with a new fix tomorrow). Anyways, so I'm in the kitchen not 30 seconds later & I hear screeching! I sprint to the ferret room (like 10 steps, my apartment is small) & Freyja had made a beeline to Willy. Willy is normally a gentle ferret, but Freyja is aggressive with Willy & Bear, she bites HARD. I separate them, examine Willy - nothing. Poor, poor Freyja I feel awful. She has some bad bites & scratches. Definitely at home first aid is sufficient, but she has been sad all day. I put on one of my husbands oversize shirts, folded up the bottom & tied with elastic to make a pouch. Carried her around with me. She puttered around for a bit, but is still one sad fuzzy. I feel terrible.
|
|
|
Post by Klarissa on Sept 25, 2015 11:58:50 GMT -5
They will sleep together, but if they are up & about, Willy goes anywhere near Bear she becomes an ornery jerk.
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Sept 25, 2015 19:14:07 GMT -5
Aww that is too bad about Frejya but she was sad because she was beaten lol. I'm very glad her wounds are not so bad though, probably the thing that is hurting her most is her wounded pride right now.
|
|
|
Post by Klarissa on Sept 26, 2015 14:57:19 GMT -5
Okay, so I got a real scale for weighing my ferrets. The kitchen scaled I had didn't weigh past 11oz. So I had been weighing myself, then weighing myself holding the ferrets. However, I know its not super accurate.
Willy: 2lbs, 14oz Bear: 1 lbs, 15 oz Freyja: 1lbs, 15 oz.
Willy has become quite pear shaped. However, he is hasn't changed in any other regard - appetite, energy, poops, pees, fur, all normal. :/
|
|
|
Post by Klarissa on Sept 28, 2015 19:02:38 GMT -5
So, tonight while Bear & Willy eat their usual Monday night of chicken hearts, I'm going to try feeding Freyja a f/t hopper. Though she is very sweet, she is feisty & very eager to eat just about anything I've introduced. In just a week she caught up to B&W. Willy's pear shape seems to wax & wane depending on when I'm looking at him. Maybe his belly is tired from ab day Last night I could hear squealing & banging, and dooking while I laid in bed. I go to the livingroom where the ferret room is and behold! Bear is cautiously trying to play with Willy. She would try to engage in play, and he would ignore her because she is a lunatic who can't decide if she wants to play or not. Every once in awhile he would return the gesture, she would dook, dance, and run. If he pursued, she would squeal & hiss. Poor Willy, needs a boy ferret to play with, these lady ferrets are crazy
|
|
|
Post by Klarissa on Sept 28, 2015 19:32:12 GMT -5
Update. Mouse has been eaten. Om nom nom. Mouse is deeeee-lish!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2015 13:27:10 GMT -5
Hiya! I just got back from vacation, skimmed through the last few pages, Fejya is just beautiful! Seems like everyone is doing good, how are they getting along? It's nice to be back, I missed my forum fam!
|
|
|
Post by Klarissa on Sept 29, 2015 13:53:59 GMT -5
I was read the journal of your ferrets vacation with poncesmom. It was too cute! I hope you had lots of fun in your vacation!
Willy & Bear are gradually getting better. Fredzia isn't integrated yet. She is quite aggressive, as she has been a lone fert for 2 years. Willy initially just kept turn his back to her, he didn't want to fight. But she busted out of the cage & beelined for him. He kicked her furry butt & pride.
But she is super amazing ferret & is already caught up. Last night she ate a whole mouse, which Bear & Willy haven't even done yet.
|
|
|
Post by Klarissa on Sept 29, 2015 18:57:50 GMT -5
So, I hate to be a pain in butt. FireAngel, if you have a moment could please you change the name Freyja to Fredzia in the title of this thread? I was speaking to the (actual) previous owner, and the name has a lot of meaning. It's not her ferret anymore, but I feel obligated to make sure her namesake stays the same... Why I feel this way is a mystery
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Oct 1, 2015 20:14:04 GMT -5
No problem, I'm sorry I have been off a bit. Work has just been nuts and exhausting. Will change the name right now for you!
|
|
|
Post by Klarissa on Oct 1, 2015 20:17:28 GMT -5
No problem, I understand! THANK YOU!
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Oct 1, 2015 20:34:22 GMT -5
How is everyone doing?
|
|
|
Post by Klarissa on Oct 1, 2015 20:42:49 GMT -5
Great! For 3-4 days I just kept giving Bear & Willy back the bone pieces they refused to eat in whatever new meal I made. Eventually they ate them. They have also finally taken to pork without a fight. Fredzia is a little champ, haven't found food she won't eat yet. Pork, chicken, duck, fish, beef... I've never really had to show her that new protein is food, since the first night she came home. She tried to steal cookie dough from me last night I didn't let her, mostly because it is bad for her, but also because I don't share my cookie dough But today she ate some fish, no fuss. I have some chicken backs thawing that I'm going to beat the love out of. I don't think Fredzia will have any problems, but Bear & Silly will probably stage a revolt. Tough I did learn for certain that Fredzia is 2 years old, going on 3 years old. And, her name is after the Polish version of Winnie the Pooh. Frediza Phi Phi, is the Polish Pooh Bear. I have Frediza. I have Bear. Willy is close to Winnie...
|
|