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Post by Sherry on May 17, 2011 13:33:18 GMT -5
Ok. For Spaz, try slaying the leg meat deeply, so it's basically hanging off the bone. That gives her something to grip on to tear it off. With Ghost, it looks like you are going to have to hand feed til she's eating it willingly. Will she take it from a spoon without any trouble? If so, just keep lowering the spoon til it's sitting in the bowl. If not, you need to get her to the point where she'll lick it off your finger with minimal coaxing, then start with the spoon. These little ones will quite willingly starve themselves.
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2011 13:57:16 GMT -5
trying to figure out how much food 3 ferrets will eat in 8-12hrs. would 1/2 cup thick soup (for ghost), 9 pinkie mice, one small rat and one chicken thigh be to much, to little, or just right to feed them for 1yr old, 4-5 month old and a 9 wk old? trying to cut down on waste. if to much or little, please tell me what you would eater take away from or add to.
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2011 14:02:35 GMT -5
so far today I made ghost soup MUCH thicker than I have been. about one hour ago (12pm Utah time) she finaly started to eat the thick soup. it seems like she might just be a few days behind everybody else.
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Post by Sherry on May 17, 2011 15:13:37 GMT -5
When I was first switching my four, they went through about 12-14 ounces a day(24 hours) They did that for about 3 months, then cut back. So it sounds like you are giving them too much. A half cup is about 4 oz., not sure how much pinkies are- depends on large or small. A small rat would be around 3(?) ounces, a leg, 2-3 oz. But with mine, they were fully accepting of raw at that point. And winter appetites were also kicking in. Since it's summer, they will be eating less. Try cutting out the pinkies for all for now. Keep them in reserve for switching ghost to mice. If the other two are eating small chunks, they don't need the mush. Try giving them the rat to share, and see how quickly they finish it. Give Ghost the mush, maybe 1/4 c. If she finishes that, give her another ounce. How much they are going to eat depends on a number of variables. Gender, activity level, age, health, outside temperature, even varies from day to day.
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2011 20:45:10 GMT -5
so I can say chomper (baby) is officially on raw/whole prey. spaz (the oldest seems to be going for raw/whole prey before the mush (just not with as much gusto). and tonight ghost took a couple of licks of the raw/whole prey but went back to her mush. I think she MIGHT be getting jealous of what the others are having, just not quite ready to give in. I took out and measured the food that I was originally giving to them/ I was giving them 3x the needed amount. guess I will be using the scale until I get the idea. chomper (the very skinny one) has gained 65 grams in 2 days.
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Post by Sherry on May 17, 2011 20:53:21 GMT -5
That is fantastic about Chomper ! And yes, it looks like you've got two willing raw eaters For Ghost, watching the others eat chunks is definitely going to peak her curiosity about it, and entice her to try it most likely. Unless she's particularly stubborn ;D Keep giving them the meat, and her the mush for the moment. Once she's eating the mush reliably, you can start adding the bits of meat to it. Almost forgot ;D Right now, the two are eating rats, mice, and chicken with little to no problem? If so, start introducing a different protein. Pork, beef, quail if you can get it. You want them to learn to accept as many different proteins as you can, so they don't imprint on just certain types. Makes you job easier down the road
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2011 21:27:15 GMT -5
at our store I can get lamb, bison, buffalo, and pork. tomarrow or Thursday I will pick up some other meats to put in freezer. what about fish like salmon?
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Post by Sherry on May 17, 2011 21:43:16 GMT -5
Fish like salmon, maybe once a month at most. Smaller, fresh water fish, you can feed a bit more often, but still not more than weekly. The concern with fish is the toxins in them now. The larger the fish, the higher the level of things like mercury. Unfortunately, it's not excreted from the body, so it sits there, and if too much is eaten, can cause some issues. That said- I have one who adores salmon if she can get it, and she does, a couple times a year.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2011 9:09:17 GMT -5
I know this forum is for ferrets. but we have one cat and she is dying to eat the ferrets food. since u have a cat that will eat raw, do I need to add anything special for her?
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Post by Sherry on May 18, 2011 9:32:56 GMT -5
Not a problem And it's a fantastic idea for her! For the most part, they can eat the same thing. Just keep an eye on liver and bone. Generally, most cats don't tolerate as much bone as ferrets do. Frequently a couple chicken necks a week is plenty. As for liver, as couple grape sized pieces a week are good. All the rest is muscle meat. You'll know with the cat if they've had too much bone, as their stool will be chalky and dry. And too much liver will give them the squirts. One thing that sometimes puts people off raw feeding their cats is thinking kitty is constipated. But it's quite normal for a cat to only poop once every 2 to 3 days on full raw So, when feeding your cat, start with the amount of bone I've mentioned, and if the stool is still loose, just add another day of bone. And yes, I can help switch your cat here if you are having problems as well
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2011 12:38:22 GMT -5
do u know of anybody who uses raw for dogs? I have a 4 pound dog who I also want on this since she is prone to strivite crystals.
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Post by Sherry on May 18, 2011 13:47:16 GMT -5
Yep! Best thing for her For her, however, you'd be best to post in the "other pets" section. I know nothing about the requirements for them beyond 80%meat, 10% bone, 10% organ. In the "other pets" there is a sub board titled "natural diet for dogs and cats". It's at the top of the page.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2011 18:26:16 GMT -5
ok for a 12# cat how many oz can I expect 2x day?
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Post by Sherry on May 18, 2011 21:35:10 GMT -5
Average amount is to feed about 5% of what their ideal body weight should be per day. So a 12 pound cat would start out with approx 6 oz per day. Then you can work up or down, according to whether or not they should be gaining or losing weight. Or staying with that if they just need maintaining. First, what is your cat eating now?
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2011 23:14:28 GMT -5
natural balance weight reduction, both wet as a treat and dry, before that, (when she wasn't overweight), she was on solid gold purple bag. she is currently eating 3/4cup once a day, (would eat more If was aloud). could still loose one more pound of fat.
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