nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on May 4, 2018 23:47:27 GMT -5
hey there! I have 3 raw fed ferrets (two were transitioned a long while ago under a mentor, maybe in 2016-2017), taking about 6 months when they were 3 years old, and another ferret who is just under 1 year old who I transitioned myself (who also basically transitioned himself) over a course of weeks. the 3yo and the 1yo have suddenly decided they're not going to eat organ meat anymore. I've tried mixing it with salmon oil and the scruff 'n stuff method, and I don't really know what else to do. sometimes they smell their dinner and just turn and walk away to their favorite hiding places. I haven't changed where I've gotten my organ meat, and I know it hasn't gone bad. my older 3-4yo still eats the organs, too. I'm just not sure ... what's going on, haha. I really don't want them to keep avoiding organs, because I know how important it is that they get them. do I just persist with the scruff'n stuff? any other suggestions?
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Post by my2sillyferts on May 5, 2018 2:00:34 GMT -5
I've had this issue with mine eating liver recently. Basically I treat them like a child. If they won't eat it for dinner, that's what they get for breakfast. Mine end up eating it after protesting for an hour or two or in the morning. When that's all that's offered to them they give in and eat up.
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on May 5, 2018 10:16:49 GMT -5
Have you tried warming empty saucer in microwave then stirring the organs around? Make sure no hotspots on plate.
Maybe a warm organ soupie?
My ferretts like eating all during the night---is it served for breakfast or supper?
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Post by LindaM on May 5, 2018 19:19:52 GMT -5
On the days I end up with anyone really being a stinker that's not in the mood for their organ/heart meal, they get it fed to them with a spoon. I offer their hearts and organs in puree form already to make sure nobody picks out favorites, but since I have two ferrets who feel it is their God-given duty to wander around and clean out everyone's unattended bowls; the stubborn ones get spoon-fed so they don't miss out. It does make for a nice little bit of bonding time too.
A bit of tough love like mentioned above can also help, just be aware you might waste a bit of organs if they refuse it for enough time for it to begin going bad and need fresh since organs do seem to go bad faster than muscle or bone-in meals. (And for ferrets who have insulinoma, I don't think I'd do the tough-love method and possibly risk a seizure if they don't eat in time).
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Post by my2sillyferts on May 6, 2018 5:01:55 GMT -5
Do you use a blender to puree the organs? I'd love to feed mine with a spoon. But I don't make them soup all that often.
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Post by LindaM on May 6, 2018 13:33:55 GMT -5
Yep, I use a blender to puree it. I don't quite make the puree soup consistency either, it's more like a thick yogurt consistency. I'd see if they'd like to eat it like that first, maybe dab with a spoon a little to get them started, but only fully spoon-feed if it's absolutely necessary for making sure a stubborn-butt eats it, since some little fuzzies can actually learn to manipulate you for the special treatment ALL the time.
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Post by Sherry on May 7, 2018 9:32:52 GMT -5
I often wind up doing an organ puree for them. I've had some who eat it no problem at all, then suddenly go "off" their organs. Try the puree hand fed if necessary then next week try the organs themselves again. At times I wind up giving organ soups all the time.
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nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on May 9, 2018 19:52:22 GMT -5
omg, thank you, everyone!
i tried the pureed organs, and my 3yo, Kinga, gave in a little and had some. not a full meal-amount, but she ate a little. it's more than she was before, so that's a good thing.
my 1yo, Paco, however, was NOT having it!! little stinker. I hand-fed him, scruff-n -stuffed, everything. the only time he ate was when I did the scruff-n-stuff. otherwise I literally touched his lips with the soup and he sprang away to rub his mouth on something, pfff.
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Post by LindaM on May 9, 2018 20:15:09 GMT -5
You could always add a small drizzle of Salmon Oil or even some raw egg to work as enticement when really needed, just be sure to keep within their weekly limits.
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Post by Sherry on May 10, 2018 9:54:52 GMT -5
Keep working with them I also had a wee drama queen who did this with anything he decided he didn't like that day He often wound up hand fed his organ puree. It wound up turning into a real bonding session every time after a while.
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nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on May 18, 2018 15:39:41 GMT -5
haha! thank you all so much. I went out and bought a cheap Bullet-like blender for just organs so no one can complain that I steal the blender too often or get squeaked out that I also use the smoothie-maker for organ smoothies, haha. well, hey! if it results in some good bonding time, I guess it's some good 2-in-1, right?
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nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on Jul 19, 2018 22:27:53 GMT -5
Update: it's gotten to the point where all they LIKE to eat is chicken/hen/etc. Everything else is a real struggle with me and them. aka, I've tried blending the organs, adding salman oil/ egg, I'm doing the scruff n stuff, and everything remains agonizingly difficult. My worst ferret, Paco, will spit the meat back out after I scruff'n'stuff him; he's awful!
do I continue with these methods? how long during one dinner session do I keep trying to get them to eat at one time before I let them go? and should I maybe try again in a half hour or something? honestly I'll try anything.
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Post by Sherry on Jul 20, 2018 9:19:06 GMT -5
First, how much are they actually consuming during the day? Appetites cut way back in the summer. How are they being given their food? Also, some like to eat while hidden. I have one who won't eat in front of you for anything.
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nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on Jul 20, 2018 16:21:38 GMT -5
on days where they like what I give them for dinner, they can eat about 1-2.5oz (Paco's a HUGE ferret, so he could eat more around the 2-2.5oz range and Kinga, my dainty girl could eat around 0.5-1).
on days where they hate what I give them for dinner (honestly they LOVE all the bone-in meat, so they all usually eat a full 0.5-1oz every morning), they eat like a handful/spoonful of dinner, and that's me really forcing them to get it down. Misio's better than the other two, and he can sometimes eat a couple more bites.
For hidden eating, I'd rather not have them stash it, haha, but I DID have a feeding den in my last place made out of a box; should I do that again? I tried making a den made out of those plastic bins, but I could NOT make those burn holes. I ended up turning on the fire alarm and just making a ton of burnt plastic smells. I tried like 5 times w/o success. How do u guys do it??
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Post by mermaidsirena on Jul 20, 2018 17:31:05 GMT -5
I used garden shears to cut the plastic for our dens. As you can see the blanket did not last long.
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