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Post by acodlin on Sept 15, 2015 19:48:06 GMT -5
You can do the kibble a couple of ways, you can try to take it up before bedtime and then first thing in the morning try raw, or take it away at least 4 hours before bedtime and try to see if they are hungry enough then to eat the raw food..
Bruce sounds like a goofy boy! Do you have a tiny bowl that is a good size for a ferret portion of soup? You could try holding him and putting the bowl up to his nose and see if he will try it, or try putting it on your finger and leading him to the soup slowly.
With Wade you could try something like 25% soup and 75% kibble and see what he does then. You could also try just blending the chicken breast by itself into a soup, or try it with ground pork and see if maybe he likes the taste of pork better than chicken.. I find my kids like duck, rabbit, pork, and cornish game hens the best. They also really really like gizzards, even the ones who were difficult to get to eat soup for some reason would always chew on those gizzards!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2015 21:09:04 GMT -5
Ok cool I will try that tonight. I'll take it away right before bed time and see how it goes in the morning. PM: Wade ate about a tablespoon. Still having to scruff and stuff and he still spits some out. Tomorrow I will adjust the food ratios to your recommendation. If it doesn't make any difference I'll go to the market and pick up a different kind of meat. If I were to try a gizzard do I chop it up or just give him one and see what happens? Bruce ate out of the bowl! woo hoo! I took your suggestion and put it in a tiny little bowl. I offered him the spoon and he went right past it and just ate right out of the bowl. I'd say he ate about two table spoons. I was so surprised, it was an pretty exciting moment Wade: 949g Bruce: 695g
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2015 21:11:32 GMT -5
And yes, Bruce is my goofball! Wade is my little easy going guy but he also doubles as the escape artist lol
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2015 6:51:59 GMT -5
AM 9/16/15
Food: Soup for Bruce, 25% soup mixed with 75% kibble for Wade
Bruce: I offered it to him in the small bowl again and he went right to it! He ate 1.5oz
Wade: I have a very stubborn boy on my hands. I offered him the mix in a small bowl as well and he sniffed it and ran away. As I mentioned before when I scruff him now he pretty much refuses to open his mouth so I've just kind of been gently wiggling my finger under his lip and wiping some food in there. Once I get it in his mouth he does eat it. Getting it in there is a real struggle though. Am I doing something wrong or is it just him being stubborn and taking longer to make any change? I took the kibble out right before bedtime and I'll continue to take it out a few hours before meal times like you suggested to see if that helps
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2015 22:06:45 GMT -5
PM 9/16/15 Bruce ate 2 oz. He is doing really well. I sit in the floor with him and offer the bowl. He eats some and then leaves, comes back and eats more. I'm struggling with Wade. I haven't seen any kind of change in him yet. It's definitely discouraging but I won't give up. He will eat what I get in his mouth but it is really hard sometimes to get it in there. He will sniff but not eat it, he won't eat it when I offer it out of my hand. Can it take a long time to get some ferrets started? Bruce: Wade:
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Post by acodlin on Sept 17, 2015 21:38:58 GMT -5
Yay bruce!! Sorry for the late reply. I'm a nurse and I just started a new job and I've been in orientation non stop 12 hours a day and I came home and passed out. I'm going to ask a couple of mentors for advice on wade.. with gizmo I just kept it up till I won but he was my ferret and I was very patient.
If bruce keeps doing well I would add some very small slivers of meat to his soup
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Post by acodlin on Sept 18, 2015 12:14:38 GMT -5
Okay so a couple of other mentors say to keep on doing what your doing with Wade for a few more days and see if he changes his mind.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2015 13:39:31 GMT -5
Thats ok! I know being a nurse is very demanding. Hope you catch up on some rest I'll start with the small slivers of meat tomorrow with Bruce. This morning he ate 2 oz of soup from the bowl. Wade came over to investigate. He gave it a sniff and then wandered off. I'm still on my method of scruff and stuff with him. I got him to eat about half an oz. He hasn't been spitting it out and I do feel like he isn't quite as unhappy about it as when I started. He's still refusing to open his mouth so Im still wiggling my finger in there and dabbing some food in. He does eat what I get in his mouth so I'm happy with that. Just wanted to be sure I wasn't doing something wrong. I will be ecstatic when the day comes that he takes a little from my hand.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2015 13:42:48 GMT -5
also congratulations on the new job!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2015 16:59:55 GMT -5
AM: Bruce ate 2 oz of soup from the bowl. I'll be adding in meat slivers tomorrow.
Wade ate 1 oz this morning. He still won't willingly open his mouth or eat it on his own but he is eating it when I put it in his mouth. He isn't spitting it out and he isn't twisting out of my arms anymore when I try to feed him.
PM update will include weights
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Post by acodlin on Sept 19, 2015 18:39:50 GMT -5
I bet Bruce will do great. Gizzards I just hang on a shower hook in the cage and let them go at them.. they are pretty cheap, like 1.50 for a package at walmart, so if they don't really like them it isn't a huge waste of money. You could try and put one in the cage for Bruce and see if he will try it too.
I think your making good progress with Wade, it's just going to take more time and patience with him!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2015 18:28:05 GMT -5
Wade: 955g Bruce: 790g
AM: Wade: .5 oz of soup via scruff and stuff. Bruce: 2 oz of soup
PM:
I'm giving Wade a break tonight. He just seems really stressed out. He's got a little bald spot on his face, right above his nose, where he's been rubbing his head. Not sure exactly why he's doing that. I'm gonna keep a really close eye on him.
I included slivers in Bruce's soup. He ate two of the slivers and about 1.5 oz of soup. He's really picking up on his weight which I am really happy to see.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2015 21:28:52 GMT -5
Wade had a loose poop, really green in color just now. I'm kinda worried. Is this bad? I posted a question just to ease my nerves.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2015 21:42:52 GMT -5
He also seemed really tired today. Not as playful as normal. I'm worried...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2015 11:35:11 GMT -5
I took him to the vet this morning and they are keeping him overnight. The diarrhea is still really bad and its back to being green. You can just tell by looking at his face that he feels like crap poor guy. I should be hearing back soon from the vet on the bloodwork. Just wanted to keep you in the loop.
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