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Post by FireAngel on Aug 6, 2015 10:11:42 GMT -5
Oh my, sometimes I swear time feels like time goes by so quickly not sure how I felt like an entire month more has passed though! Poor Teddy, I'm making hm old already! (shy) You can still give hm a chick a day to keep him eating them, or give a chick one day and mice the other. The biggest thing is to keep him eating whole bones and not to spoil him with the grinds.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2015 14:33:27 GMT -5
LOL! Yes. Ted and I are in a standoff this morning with the prey and I WILL WIN! LOL! Can you tell I was a softie with my kids too? Now they are having to deal with their own spoiled children! I was soft when they were small and then not soft when they were teens, so I had my work cut out.
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 6, 2015 19:33:24 GMT -5
It's easier to be consistent then fix it later. Did you win? :heehee:
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2015 14:50:44 GMT -5
Yes. Somewhat! He ate only the top halves of the mice and only the head of the chick!!! Also, I have now named him, "Poof Daddy!"
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 7, 2015 22:14:05 GMT -5
Bwhahah "poof daddy" love it! It's pretty normal although annoying to us ferrents that they eat the upper half of the body. I swear they think brains are the tastiest ever, the head is always the first thing my crew starts with and then the lower half will sit forever until either I put out something else for them or occasionally one will get hungry enough In between to eat it. It sounds like a win to me! How did he do today?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2015 11:49:02 GMT -5
We are up to two mice per day. Eats only the head of the chick. I have taught him to roll over and show his tummy for a rub. I am brushing his teeth with the Oxy toothpaste and my fingers (upper and lower) and still have fingers. Doing it daily. He is a laugh most of the time.
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 9, 2015 12:46:45 GMT -5
That is great!! Have you decided what you're going to do about having him fixed?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2015 16:46:40 GMT -5
Go as long as I can stand it. Maybe it won't be so bad. But if it is, I will take him in and see about the implant or surgery. He is such a stinker I just don't know what to expect. He is still very mouthy and sometimes nips. I hope he won't get aggressive. He is very hard on our old cat.
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 9, 2015 17:06:12 GMT -5
Holding off as long as you can is the right thing I think, if you could actually make it through his first season that would be the best thing but I can understand it otherwise. Poor kitty I hope it has found a good spot to be able to hide from Teddy! Lol
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2015 22:56:12 GMT -5
I know. He has run of most of the house. Can't imagine him hiking his leg and peeing on our furniture and then rolling in it. But maybe he won't. However, if he starts that behavior then I will take him to the vet and have it dealt with. I have to consider that my husband lives here too.....LOL! But we both want to try to do what is best for Teddy. Guess I could put him in the horse barn.....LOL! He could hunt rodents.....LOL! Sleep in the hay. Swim in the water troughs. Chase the chickens. Such the life for a ferret....LOL!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2015 23:00:36 GMT -5
Is there anyone else who has trouble feeding both raw grinds and whole prey? Teddy just really doesn't want to eat the whole prey. I have to starve him for hours to get him to eat half a mouse.
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 10, 2015 10:43:55 GMT -5
It is a common thing yes, they usually do prefer grinds over anything because it is easier for them. The barn idea sounds like a blast even if only in our heads!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2015 14:07:52 GMT -5
Ok. Thought he was just one stubborn ferret. I just can't get over how I can tell him to roll over and he will. My husband and I are so enjoying him hanging out on the couch with us in the evenings. Until he slinks down behind the cushions, pops up, and then bites our butts!
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 11, 2015 16:13:09 GMT -5
They are so smart, not too hard to train if given the time. "Poof Daddy the Butt Biter"! :heehee:
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Post by katt on Aug 11, 2015 23:53:49 GMT -5
Silly fuzz! He's a smart boy - Koda knows a few tricks too. Kenai gets too confused though. (giggle) Keep it up with the mice! It's all about out-stubborning them. RE the grinds and prey....what is YOUR ultimate end goal? Grinds aren't ideal, but it's still raw and plenty of people do a grinds based diet. The big thing with grinds is you don't get any tooth cleaning, and chewing on meat chunks and whole bones works to strengthen the jaw and neck muscles for better dental health in addition to the tooth-cleansing action. Also - and this is purely anecdotal - but from what I have seen on the boards over the years it seems that ferrets on a grind diet tend to be more prone to being overweight than those on Frankenprey or whole prey. It makes sense really as the grinds are already partially broken down and have a higher surface area to volume ratio so would be easier to absorb (great for IBD ferrets, but not necessary for a healthy fuzz and could theoretically contribute to more calories absorbed for the food eaten), the food is easier to eat so they can eat more food and they have to work less to eat it, burning a few fewer calories. Like I said this is purely anecdotal, but it's a pattern I have noticed. Most people do Frankenprey as it is easier and more affordable to use locally accessible/grocery store meats. Sorry if I am giving info you already know but JUST in case - Frankenprey is when you recreate the proportions of a prey item over the course of the week, using mostly grocery meats. This is the weekly menu that you see around the most. People use meats they can find locally like chicken, beef, pork, etc and Asian Markets are a gold mine (rabbit, quail, goat, frog legs, pheasant, etc). Whole prey is of course THE ideal diet, but too expensive for most people to feed an exclusively whole prey diet. Prey is GREAT to have supplemented in the rotation though so I would definitely keep that up whatever you decide to do with the rest of the menu. All of the above are good options if done correctly. So really it all depends on what YOUR ultimate goal is.
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