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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2012 5:37:32 GMT -5
Well, they'd better get used to it, that's all I can say- a pack the same size as I was buying before costs 88p as opposed to £2.15 plus the postage! Though I'm trying to cut out all of the mince soon, as I found a website the other day detailing a woman's switch over to raw. She fed all of her fuzzies minced food and they all ended up with really bad teeth, so I'm keen to get them eating the bones so they can clean them a bit, but will probably keep giving them the mince for the boneless days.
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Post by Sherry on Feb 21, 2012 9:41:30 GMT -5
;D yeah, they can be stubborn little beggars! I would up getting an top quality extra virgin olive oil on a really good sale one day. This was when I'd found out how good it was for them. They took to it no problem. Trouble was I ran out of that one, got my usual brand and they refused flatly to even touch it And yes, just feeding mince means they need dental care, the same as if they were on kibbles.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2012 10:39:38 GMT -5
They have 1/6 whole rabbit tonight with bones in, so I'll try crunching them up and breaking them a little to see how they go, and report back. I've got a lot of chicken wings and thighs cheap that were nearly out of date and frozen them, so they'll be having chicken for the next few weeks after this!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2012 11:52:32 GMT -5
Also, just checked their poop against the poop chart (I like to do this once a week or so to check everything is normal), and nothing's changed. Their poops are often very dark, even on non-organ days more on some than others, depending in what they've been eating. You've commented underneath that if they are getting very rich, bloody or organic meats (which is most of their meat), then this is normal, so I wasn't too worried, but was wondering if I needed to add the iceberg lettuce to every meal if this was the case, and how much? Also, maybe this explains why they wouldn't touch the dog food if it's not so bloody, but I did as you suggested with the warm water and mixed in some beef heart chunks. They've eaten all the beef and about half of the lamb, so that's an improvement
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2012 8:12:28 GMT -5
They ate about half of the bones, but someone (not sure who) picked the flesh off around the bones. They are gettign bones tomorrow again, chicken this time, so we'll see how they fare with that. Fussy little beggars!
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Post by Sherry on Feb 23, 2012 9:48:59 GMT -5
Don't forget- it takes a while to build up enough jaw strength to crack leg bones They are getting there though! but was wondering if I needed to add the iceberg lettuce to every meal if this was the case, Might not be a bad idea. Get them used to it. It's used to replace what would have been the non digestibles in whole prey. That said- you are feeding a good bit of blood rich muscles, too. Beef is. As is rabbit On just lamb, or on chicken I'm willing to bet they won't be as dark.
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Post by Sherry on Feb 23, 2012 9:50:25 GMT -5
Also- just thought of something. They are used to much stronger flavoured meats. Chicken may be very bland for them. If they refuse to eat it, mix in some of the blood from the beef if you can
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2012 12:58:04 GMT -5
Okay. had to rearrange my menu a little bit because I had to go away last night and this morning, so my flatmate was feeding them, and I couldn't really ask her to crack bones and stuff up for me. Bone in tomorrow though I think...
Also, someone (not sure who, as I only just got back) has got a whiteish poop- all the rest is the sticky black because yesterday ended up being an organ day. It's too dark to take pictures now, but it looks kinda like a kibble poop, just really pale. Any ideas?
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Post by Sherry on Feb 24, 2012 15:11:26 GMT -5
I'm assuming it wasn't really dry and almost crumbly? That would indicate too much bone. If not, it was fat. It freaked me out the first time I saw it
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2012 4:48:30 GMT -5
It wasn't really crumbly, so I guess it was fat. All poops look normal now though Still not eating all of their bones, and not sure who is eating what- will it cause them any harm if it takes them a while to start eating them?
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Post by Sherry on Feb 26, 2012 8:31:16 GMT -5
Just keep an eye on their nails. That will tell you if they are getting enough calcium. They'll start to get brittle. If that happens, put some eggshell powder on the meat. Just a small pinch per meal.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 29, 2012 17:30:45 GMT -5
I think everyone is eating bone now, unfortunately at meals times I can never stand around to watch them eat, so I'm not sure who is eating what, but everyone's poops look like they have bone in, and the bones are either gone or have been chewed out, so that's one less worry. At the moment I'm feeding chicken for bone in, lamb or beef for heart, and pork for the boneless meals on the plan that you suggested. Does this sound okay to you?
P.S. Penny is getting some chubbies on her now- seems like I wasted a lot of energy on worrying about whether raw was right for her right away when she was so thin ;D
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Post by Deleted on Feb 29, 2012 17:32:09 GMT -5
Also, they aren't really eating the lettuce I've been putting in to substitute for fur- how small should I be cutting it before I freeze it, like into a pulp nearly, or just small?
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Post by Sherry on Feb 29, 2012 19:04:16 GMT -5
That actually sounds really good Can you write a formal menu up for me using what you are now feeding? And that's great about Penny As for the lettuce, try freezing maybe 1/2 a head first, then toss it in a blender. you can refreeze in ice cube trays afterwards so you don't waste it.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2012 8:54:47 GMT -5
My blender is rubbish, it doesn't really blend much, just make things into smaller chunks, so I'll have to get another maybe. They're getting tiny bits at the moment, but it's definitely not pulped and they're just eating around it. Menu is:
Monday AM: Chicken, Bone in (As this is the "whatever you want day, sometimes this is mice or boneless pork) Monday PM: Chicken, Bone in Tuesday AM: Boneless Pork Tuesday PM: Lamb heart (sometimes beef, depends on butchers) Wednesday AM: Chicken bone in Wednesday PM: Chicken, Bone in Thursday AM: Lamb heart (sometimes beef though) Thursday PM: Boneless Pork (with extra fatty bits for Penny) Friday AM: Boneless Pork Friday PM: Boneless Pork Saturday AM: Chicken, Bone in Saturday PM: Pig/lamb Kidney and Beef liver (50:50) Sunday AM: Chicken, Bone in Sunday PM: Chicken, Bone in
I've been throwing in a few teaspoonfuls of the lettuce but they seems to mostly eat around it at the moment though. They get occassional eggs and lactose free milk as a treat too. Everyone is off mince now and happily eating chunks and I think everyone is eating bones, though I think I'm giving them too big portions and they are just picking the meat off because they can. How much bone should I be giving them a day?
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