|
Post by olenka on Dec 12, 2017 17:57:59 GMT -5
Hi All! I just brought our fuzzies back from a vet office. They went for a check up, as recommended before starting a switch. According to thier doctor, all of them are healthy:)
Milky, 3 years old champagne boy, now is at his heaviest, 2.8 lb (1,270 kg) His weight fluctuated from 2.20 lb to 2.8 lb for the last 2 years. Choco, 3 years old sable boy, now is 2.40 lb ( approx 1,100 kg) His weight never fluctuated much. Ruby, almost 3 years old blaze girl, lost weight recently . She used to be chubby, 2 lb all her life (0.910 kg). Now she is 1.6 lb (0.725 kg)
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Dec 14, 2017 11:31:59 GMT -5
Okay. Best bet would be to start with the raw soup recipe listed in the raw feeding board. Directions for making and feeding are there
|
|
|
Post by olenka on Dec 15, 2017 13:56:23 GMT -5
Success! Our boys are eating soup from a bowl! I added some fish oil to the recipe. They are used to eating fish oil, their favorite treat, from a spoon. Since a spoon in their mind is equal to a treat, making them eating soup from a spoon was not hard at all! I had to scruff and stuff them for 2 days. After scruffing, they ate from a spoon (1 or 2 spoons + some kibbles at day 1, 10 spoons at day 2, no kibbles). Today I transferred a spoon to a bowl, so they ate from a bowl. It took me only 3 days to switch them to soup! Honestly, I did not expect such an easy transition. However, Ruby, our blaze beauty, is not there yet. She eats one spoon of soup and runs away from me to wipe her chin. I catch her after she is done with wiping and try to feed her another spoon. She is trying to get away. After that I give her a little bit of kibbles. They boys are not interested in kibbles any more. I hope that they will teach Ruby to eat soup. None of our ferrets lost weight so far.
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Dec 16, 2017 9:31:03 GMT -5
Oh excellent news! And wee Miss Ruby is playing you like a fiddle When she does that to you, don't give her the kibbles. A bit of hunger definitely peaks the taste buds. Let her run for 30 minutes or so and try again. Keep doing this for as long as they are out. Girls are smart. They know how to manipulate. How old is she now? What is her health?
|
|
|
Post by olenka on Dec 16, 2017 12:31:00 GMT -5
Ruby is almost 3, a shelter rescue. We had her for 2 and a half years. All our ferrets go for annual check ups and immunizations. No decease had been found so far.This fall Ruby lost 25% of her weight. She used to be chubby, 2 pounds. Now she is 1 and a half pounds. And she did not develop her winter fur yet. If not that, I would definitely be more comfortable starving her. However, her vet. doctor stated last week that she is 100% healthy. He thinks that her weight loss does not present a problem because she was overweight before and now she is just fine. I am assuming that he is a good doctor. He is treating ferrets at the shelter that Ruby is coming from, and has been recommended by the shelter owner.
|
|
|
Post by olenka on Dec 16, 2017 12:40:47 GMT -5
This morning Ruby had 2 tee spoons of soup. She refused to eat more. It was her bed time, so I put her in cage where the boys were eating their soup from a bowl. She did not join them. She started scratching the floor. I took her out of the cage and fed her another tee spoon of soup. She would not have more. So, I put her to cage. The boys fell asleep already. Ruby looked stressed out - walked around for a couple of minutes, and then went to sleep with the boys.
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Dec 17, 2017 10:21:45 GMT -5
I'll be honest, I'd be wondering about early stage adrenal disease with the weight loss. And at her age you are right about not letting her go too long without. Remove the kibble an hour or so before they come out of cage if possible, and keep working with her while she is out. An hour after they go back in cage, give her the kibble back. Once you can get her to 1 to 2 oz soup twice a day you can look at leaving the kibble out. And if she takes the soup by herself in cage she'll be good.
|
|
|
Post by olenka on Dec 26, 2017 23:41:05 GMT -5
Marry Christmas to me:))))) All my ferrets are eating from a bowl now! I am trying to reduce fish oil and water in the mix. Milky is the best eater. He is fine with any kind of mix. Choco is not as good as Milky, but more or less OK. He would eat after a while. Ruby is still picky. She would wait until I make a soup the way she likes it. Some times I give in and add more fish oil and water, so she would eat herself. Some times I feed her from a spoon. All three are sleeping less and playing more. The boys maintain same weight. Ruby put 15 grams on. Not a lot, but is a good news any way.
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Dec 27, 2017 8:24:16 GMT -5
Since she will eat from the spoon, keep starting her that way for now, instead of caving to her majesty's whims While licking from the spoon, keep lowering it to the bowl then moving it aside so she lick from the dish. When she stops begin with the spoon again. That will show her she won't get her wishes while training you not to cave
|
|
|
Post by olenka on Dec 27, 2017 13:26:19 GMT -5
"While licking from the spoon, keep lowering it to the bowl then moving it aside so she lick from the dish. When she stops begin with the spoon again." That's exactly what I have been doing so far. My goal is to make her eat by herself. Some days she does. When I put a fresh soup into the cage, the boys are jumping on it. Ruby shows no interest. She walks around, then goes to bed, then gets up in an hour or so and starts eating. If she does not, I wake her up and start spoon feeding her. Usually she eats 3-10 spoons (that's an estimate - she eats one spoon, then she licks from a bowl) She might eat during the day/night when I am not looking. I leave soup in the cage to make it always available. Our ferrets have their own room, and I keep temperature down (it is as cold as inside the fridge)
|
|
|
Post by olenka on Dec 27, 2017 13:41:44 GMT -5
"Remove the kibble an hour or so before they come out of cage if possible, and keep working with her while she is out. An hour after they go back in cage, give her the kibble back. Once you can get her to 1 to 2 oz soup twice a day you can look at leaving the kibble out. And if she takes the soup by herself in cage she'll be good."
I gave her kibbles only for first days. For last week (or even longer) I just leave their soup in the cage, so they can eat when they feel like it (their room temperature is just a couple of degrees above freezing point; I give them fresh soup in the morning and at night) Milky eats like a pig. He wakes up several times during the day for a snack. Choco some times does it too. But I have never seen Ruby eating frequently. Since she has not lost any weight, I am under impression that she does eat when I am not watching.
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Dec 29, 2017 7:16:17 GMT -5
Females tend to eat a LOT less than most males anyway. So it sounds like she is getting enough, even if she doesn't want to eat right away.
|
|
|
Post by olenka on Dec 31, 2017 10:55:10 GMT -5
Happy New Year to me! All my ferrets eat silvers and even bigger chunks of meat (but those chunks are supposed to float in their soup) Instead of a blender I started using a food processor. It leaves some bigger pieces (hearts, fat, skin) in there. Today Ruby caught a long piece of chicken skin in her soup and attempted to chew on it. She gave up in a minute, but now I know that she can chew. She is on her way to success! Slowly, but surely:) Non of the ferrets lost weight so far. Poop is liquidy like yogurt.
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Jan 1, 2018 8:04:45 GMT -5
Sounds like you are ready for the next step! I would start actually cutting up bits of meat about 1/4" × 1" long and mix that into the soup as well. Also it sounds like you need to add more eggshell powder to help firm up the stools. I'd go to 3/4 tsp per 8oz meat.
|
|
|
Post by olenka on Jan 1, 2018 21:16:17 GMT -5
Thank you, Sherry! I will increase egg shell amount int the soup.
|
|