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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2016 12:44:12 GMT -5
I am going to attempt to self switch while waiting on a Mentor. I have not yet, signed up for the mentorship because I do not yet meet all the requirements, but hope to very soon.
Hobbs (6months) is currently 1.8 lbs. He currently eats one full bowl of kibble a day, but he will be switching to a full raw diet. (Not whole Prey- I don't think I could Stomach that)
I was out yesterday and determined that my Walmart carries chicken hearts, gizzards, and liver as well as calf liver. I will be going to a local grocery store that cuts/butchers meat soon to see what I can get from them.
Hobbs is very active and gets out to roam the house every morning and every evening for at least 2 hours each time. I work from home so I have plenty of time to spend with him.
I am very excited for this and very determined to make him happier and healthier.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2016 12:45:36 GMT -5
Before the switch:
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2016 13:30:33 GMT -5
Here is the raw soup recipe to start home on. docs.google.com/document/d/1aRms_O0F38lNSQktABNYDqievQ9GZSR4rRR6fcAcPHA/mobilebasicI have noticed the younger the ferret the easier to switch. You might be able to put soup or even meat chunks in front of him and he might just go at it. You know just as a fore warning lol also during a switch little ones tend to eat a lot more so prepare yourself Just remember you need 3 proteins at the least. One of those at least need to be a red meat for the iron content. The more the merrier really. Asian stores are gold mines for most of us.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2016 13:32:17 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2016 10:19:26 GMT -5
Thank You for your thoughts and advice Morgan! and the handy links! I haven't made it to my local grocers yet and we don't have an Asian stores near us. So far I have beef and chicken on my list. I am going to shop around tomorrow and see who has what. Oh and we raise chickens also, so we have eggs in abundance. He loves the yolks! I tried to give him a sliver of meat the other night, just to see if he would eat it, he took it from me, then promptly went over to his favorite potty corner and put it down. Never to even look at it again. I guess he was telling me what he thought about that. He is running low and kibble and I am debating buying more (She didn't give me much when I got him) I am thinking I probably should in case he doesn't take to the soup. I welcome thoughts and advice on this. I will try and introduce him to the soup either later today or tomorrow. Being Halloween it will be a busy day for me, so it will likely be tomorrow.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2016 20:34:29 GMT -5
I gave him some chicken soup today. To see if he would eat that. He did eat that! seemingly begrudgingly, but he did eat it!!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2016 12:00:13 GMT -5
I can get beef heart and liver as well as chicken liver from my local grocer. That gives me access to chicken and beef. So that takes care of the red meat with the beef. Now I just need to find a third protein. My hubby and I will be in a larger town this afternoon, maybe they will have an Asian market.
He ate the chicken soup again today! not a lot, but he did eat it. I am considering trying to give him a chunk of meat again.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2016 11:45:47 GMT -5
Hobbs is eating the full meat chunks!! next thing to try is adding bones!!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2016 14:47:32 GMT -5
1. Ferret's name: Hobbs 2. Ferret's weight: 1.6 lbs 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. 50 grams 4. Stools on various proteins. White with chicken, Dark and Tarry with Organs 5. Activity levels: Very Active 6. Weekly Monday: Soup Tuesday: Soup Wednesday: Chicken Liver and Beef Heart Thursday: Muscle Meat and Beef Heart Friday: Muscle Meat, Beef Heart and Liver Saturday: Bone-In meat and beef muscle Sunday: He will get: Bone in and Liver.
This is my first week, I hope I am doing right by him.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2016 4:58:43 GMT -5
I love your profile status "Soaking up the knowledge like a sponge." Yes great work on trying the new foods already! I was going to say go for introducing full pieces of meats and maybe some chicken wings even. Hobb's still pretty young, and at this stage things are looking promising. How is Hobb's currently? It has been a couple of days since you last updated here~ I'm keen to hear how things are going with him. I noticed in your last reply to this thread that you can get liver and heart. Are you able to locate a third organ? An example would be kidney, which you may be able to find (hopefully) at any local market. Here is a basic template for the Frankenprey menu. Feel free to create your own "Mock/Pretend" menu if you would like. I can help you to understand the basics about balancing out your menu. You can use what ever proteins that come to your mind since this is simply a pretend designed menu.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2016 10:31:14 GMT -5
Hi Machan, Thank you for asking! He is doing great! I have been giving him the chicken wings for his bones, I have noticed he tends to eat all the meat off the bones and then if he is still hungry he will eat some of the bone, if he is not he won't eat it. I was thinking that perhaps I should cut the chicken wings into bite sized pieces for him. I have been trying my best to model his menu off of this one. I will be on the look out for kidney! I'll ask at my local grocer again too, If they don't have any I will try the other one. (sometimes I wish I didn't live in such a small town, but I could never live in the city) We do have a joint farm with our neighbor, so there will be occasions when I have more meat and organs to give him. I'll be making sure my neighbor keeps the scrap meat and organs when the pigs go to slaughter or the Christmas duck, but those may be few and far between. but Hobbs is doing great. He cuddled with me for the first time last night and we watched the Presidential Election together.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2016 23:42:46 GMT -5
It can take some goes before ferrets eat the entire bone. To me it sounds like he's just trying to figure it out for himself as to how he goes about eating it. He'll get there. Sometimes local butchers may be able to order certain things in for you. Do go a head and ask about if they can do these things (sometimes you may have to purchase certain amounts before they order stuff, but still worth asking- it gives you options with sources.) Oh lucky you!! I wish I had a farm willing to give me random scraps of meat or organ. Hobbs sounds like such a smooch! He reminds me of my Yuuki--- but Yuuki wouldn't have stayed still liek hobbs to watch something with me haha! Keep up the great work!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2016 10:12:41 GMT -5
He was so funny! He wanted to get up and play and I would start petting him behind his ears and scratching his head and he would start to fall asleep, realize he was falling asleep and jump back up insisting it was play time again. He is so adorable and we have so much fun together!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2016 0:56:40 GMT -5
Ferrets can be pretty adorable~~ How is the transition going ?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2016 21:40:46 GMT -5
sorry I am just now getting back, I could not get this page to load the last several days.
I think it is going very well. He is now eating the chicken bones, My local grocer is going to order me some Tripe (I hope this is okay) and my neighbor is going to neuter a pig soon, so I can have that if I want it. Pretty gross in my opinion, not sure if I want to go there.
I took him in to the vet on the 12th to have his nails trimmed. He weighed in at 2.22LBS! I am taking that as a good sign.
I was feeding him any time he showed signs of being hungry which was 3-4 times a day. He is slowing down and only eating 2 times a day now. I understood that eating 2 times a day was normal so I am not worrying.
I gave him a bath for the first time yesterday and cleaned all of his bedding and scrubbed his cage real good. I used a mild oatmeal and honey soap. He seemed to like that pretty well and he was soooo fluffy when I dried him off. I seen a flea on him on the way to the vet so while I was there I got a flea treatment. He is Flea Free!!
Do you think the tripe will be okay for him? What do you think about pig testicle (I am not sure I want to go there at all. lol!)
I talked to my grocer about the kidney, she said all she can get is heart/liver/Tripe.
Thank you so much for you help!!
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