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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2016 5:21:21 GMT -5
No problem, just a small update: Yesterday I gave Sigmund two chunks of quail wing (bone, skin, meat) and while I gently scruffed him in my lap and held it for him to chew, he chewed one piece and chewed second one all by himself! Moreover, in the evening I caught him chewing a piece of rabbit spine he found in transporter (in the morning some of the Cripple Battalion stashed it there)
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Post by fretki on Mar 17, 2016 2:30:05 GMT -5
Sorry for the delay, I spent a day in bed, felt terrible, but I have to knock on wood, here most people are really sick with the flu, if I'm lucky I get away with a day and all will be ok Great you got such a good source for rabbit! I refilled my freezers recently, so I should be fine for the next 2-3 months the ferrets will have a large variety of food Ok, back to business How about attempting a Frankenprey menu like in the following link? And see how it goes, we'll see if they accept it easily or if there are still points to work on. holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/146/meat-bone-organ-weekly-menu?page=1Monday am: edible bone in meat Monday pm: edible bone in meat (or muscle) Tuesday am: edible bone in meat Tuesday pm: muscle meat Wednesday am: edible bone in meat Wednesday pm: heart Thursday am: edible bone in meat Thursday pm: edible bone in meat (or muscle) Friday am: edible bone in meat Friday pm: ½ heart + ¼ liver + ¼ other organ Saturday am: edible bone in meat Saturday pm: muscle meat Sunday am: edible bone in meat Sunday pm: ½ liver + ½ other organ Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/146/meat-bone-organ-weekly-menu?page=1#ixzz438w6uENbThen we can do a weekly repport per ferret and a meal plan per week (depending on the raw foods you have available), adjust it to the required balance and see how it goes. The moment they eat all well, we can change to a different meal set up for example if you prefer to feed a small amount of organs each day instead of a whole meal. The example of the weekly repport would look like this (if they've all eaten the same, posting the weekly menu once would be enough): 1. Ferret's name: 2. Ferret's weight: 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. 4. Stools on various proteins. 5. Activity levels: 6. Weekly menu:
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Post by fretki on Mar 17, 2016 2:32:37 GMT -5
And yay for Sigmund! Sounds like he is doing great and really heading in the right direction eating what a little carnivore is supposed to
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2016 13:09:43 GMT -5
I really hope you will get well soon. At least you don't have to worry about ferrets food for some time now I have similar feeding plan for Cripple batallion Every day of the week evening meal is edible bone in meat; on Mon, Sun morning meal too. Tuesday morning meal is liver, Wednesday and Thursday meat, Friday heart and Saturday organs combined (usually liver, kidney, sometimes spleen etc). I am afraid that Signy and Hogar won't eat edible bone in meat :/ I'm still keeping Loki on mix because he is still on therapy (by the end of this week). Our usual ritual is, they get out for playtime in the evening, Loki gets Sucralfate and shots, than eats, than Methylpred and antibiotics. Others play for some time, than Signy starts to search for food so I give it to her on little plate. She always tries to stash bigger chunks and eat them in the tubes or wherever more private, it seems. Hogar tends to do that, too. How do I make them eat, chicken with bone in for instance, now?
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Post by fretki on Mar 23, 2016 3:23:52 GMT -5
Thank you! I think I got away with a little runny nose, but nothing else *knock on wood*
Could you try to smash up bones? Hammer a chicken wing and see if they try to eat it this way? And offer, offer, offer and insist they should try. The more persistent you are the easier it will be to get them to try.
Sent from my SM-G900F using proboards
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2016 7:37:02 GMT -5
I have not given up, just don't want to post on daily basis because we are struggling, struggling and struggling they hate my guts, I don't wanna let them get away easily Can I leave them (except Loki) hungry for two to three hours more and than offer? Presume it will be easier!
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Post by fretki on Mar 30, 2016 8:14:51 GMT -5
As they eat chicken breast, so they know the taste, you can "starve" them a little and give them some waiting time before offering chicken with bone! (As long as it is a protein/ animal they already know, that's fine).
You can also make the portions smaller and offer the same like for 3 days in a row.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2016 9:32:35 GMT -5
Great, thanks for advice
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Post by fretki on Apr 8, 2016 8:23:23 GMT -5
How is it going?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2016 15:02:22 GMT -5
As I messaged earlier, like tango, one step forward, two back :/ I am a bit frustrated at this point but I know this is just minor setback. Sigmund is the only one who is having regular chicken wing tips and smaller pieces for supper, other are refusing/stashing. Hogar and Signy have to be held still to eat pieces from a bowl and plate now, occasionally helped with the spoon. Loki is eating his raw puree with chunks of meat and he is chewing nicely but don't intend to share enthusiasm for chicken wings tips with Sigmund.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2016 4:39:50 GMT -5
Last few days I regularly catch Sigmund and Signy (youngest ones in switching team) to chew and grind bones which Zina stashes around in the morning and we don't manage to find (under drawer in study and similar cool places). They don't mind that bones are rabbit and quail or duck, but she makes whole lotta drama when I try to feed her those on purpose.
Update regarding health - all four of them are scheduled for teeth cleaning during following 2 weeks - two here at our local vet who would like to learn more about them and agreed to follow my instructions regarding procedure and other two at Zagreb at vet who has experience already and we cooperate with him as an Association.
Any special instructions regarding feeding day or two after the procedure?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2016 4:20:27 GMT -5
Sigmund eats chicken wings tips and some smaller bones every evening and with a great joy! Others are still fighting back, though
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Post by fretki on Apr 28, 2016 1:19:12 GMT -5
Sorry for the delay:
Hang in there, you do great! They will come around and eat it!
Regarding teeth cleaning, actually it will depend on the procedure and the result. If they have to remove teeth and oral cavity presents infection, then stick to small easy to swallow pieces for the following 2 days. I usually gived them a plate with different foods to chose and sometimes they shock me as they chose to eat pieces with bone.
Sent from my SM-G900F using proboards
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 4:51:19 GMT -5
Thanks! They have to remove tartar (so far it looks there are no other issues in any of them except smelly mouth ) Sigmund also chew quail legs if I leave only small amount of meat on. But I am out of quails so I need to refill next week.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2016 7:27:31 GMT -5
Sigmund is eating regular evening meal of chicken wings (tips and smaller parts with bones). His teeth are becoming more and more clean on daily basis! It is FASCINATING!!! Since he chews more on one side, teeth on the other side are drastically more tartar covered than this one - in fact, this side is almost clean It is great! I manage to stuff one to two tips in Hogar's mouth and he is chewing them with moderate enthusiasm Signy is recovering from foreign body, on Thursday she chewed 10 centimeters of soft foam/rubber isolation tape which she dug under the balcony door. I found one side of the isolation unsticked and chewed/bitten on Thursday evening but didn't know who did it. I suspected her or Loki. On Friday they all acted normally. Yesterday morning she vomited pieces all over the cage and acted normally, ate, played and was active but in the evening she started to present signs of abd pain, unable to poop, refusing to eat. We put her on SQ fluids, spasmolitic and some other meds since we had to wait for the vet office to opet in the morning. By morning she vomited once more and pooped one more piece of this isolation. We did ultrasound at vet, it came clean, she got meds for a week and she finally ate some grind meat. She pooped in transporter too but since she wasn't eating (except a bit of salmon oil and egg yolk when we gave her meds and fluids yesterday evening) her poop was awful smelly mess.
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