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Post by Sherry on Mar 18, 2013 18:22:46 GMT -5
Okay, with the two on soup we are going to need to step up their switch a bit before they get TOO stubborn about it. Try them with a full meal of slivers with a little bit if watered down soup slipped in. They should have been having the slivers increased every second or third day by rights
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 8:16:44 GMT -5
Breakfast did not go well Nobody wanted anything! Made the soup for Milo and Sammie with just tiny slivers of pork and chicken and with a cube of soup I had made of heart/liver/chicken/lamb and then just 1/3 of a medallion of NV. I dragged Milo out of his cube and put a little on his nose and he went straight back to bed! Sammie did eat a very tiny bit of it...probably cause she is starving....but then when I started to 'scruff and stuff' she wanted no part of it and went back to bed too! With Milo I don't mind if he misses a meal...but Sammie I don't think can afford to miss a meal...or decide she won't eat anything. I actually gave her a few kibble just cause she is making me worried...although I don't really want to go back to kibble but forcing her I don't think works either. Riley and Stevie weren't all that hungry either...they picked a little bit at their chunks but mostly not interested...but they cleaned up the bowls of soup that was left last night and the rabbit chunks that I left with them...so not really worried about them either.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 19, 2013 9:00:01 GMT -5
They will have days where it seems like they hardly eat anything. Ferrets are very good at self regulating. Something I found that helped during the switches here was to let them play for about an hour, THEN feed them. That way they've worked up an appetite as well.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 9:04:21 GMT -5
I will let them out to play and see if they are hungry after....but usually they are all excited for breakfast. They start rattling the bowls around first thing when they hear someone up....I think they are afraid they might be forgotten if they don't make a ruckus Sent from my Xoom using proboards
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Post by Sherry on Mar 19, 2013 9:06:59 GMT -5
Try the playtime first Mine get out for about an hour, then they get fed in the mornings. In the evenings they get their food when they finally go back into the cage for the night.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 12:27:46 GMT -5
OK well after a bit of playtime I offered them some lunch and everyone at least ate something. Milo was eating small slivers out of his soup which was nice to see!
Riley is such a lazy sloth sometimes:) He curled himself around the bowl of chunks and ate til he was content! So funny...no wonder he keeps gaining he doesn't exert any extra energy than needed:P
Stevie had some soup and slivers as well as some chunks. And Sammie at least had a good amount of soupies....with probably 50/50 slivers and CR.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 19, 2013 16:43:38 GMT -5
Excellent! This should be the pattern to follow for their switch. Let them work up an appetite then push with the slivers/chunks for them
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2013 12:09:43 GMT -5
Had everyone out for a couple of hours this morning before I fed them. So everyone was good and hungry for brunch And we had a 'moment'!! Sammie and Riley were sort of fighting over the same piece of meat?!?!? Granted I had drowned it in Ferretone...so I think Sammie was just trying to steal the oil...lol...but she had to at least carry the meat away from Riley. Fatty ultimately won...but it was a good moment. I am so not above bribery to get her to eat Everyone tucked right into their food...Stevie and Milo finished a chunky/slivery soup....and Stevie had a few bites of rabbit (she isn't all that excited about rabbit chunks). And Riley is over his "I don't think I like chunks of rabbit" from yesterday...he just chowed down, crunching away on rabbit ribs! He is such a little piglet!! And Sammie did finally get going on her soup (50/50 slivers/CR)....and then coaxed a little more into her by burying some Ferretvite in her soup so she had to eat more to get to it. I forgot it is like crack to her and Stevie...not sure if the boys ever had it...but if it gets her to eat, I am all for it. And I'm not sure about cutting up rabbit again...the whole time I was doing it I was thinking of 'cute little bunnies'....might have to get our rabbit pre-chopped up cause mommy can't handle it I was just going to cut up enough for today and then thought I better just keep going before I chicken out....and at least it is all cut up in to more manageable sizes and doesn't resemble a 'cute little bunny' so much any more.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 20, 2013 13:32:43 GMT -5
Looks like we've definitely found the way to their tummies ;D And for now- use whatever lure you need to! As she becomes more accepting of the meat just use less and less of it. Since she's now 1/2 and 1/2 it's time to start slightly increasing the size of a few pieces while increasing the ratio if meat to soup. Again, just do 3-4 very slightly larger bits. What I've found works better is to make them just as skinny, but go for longer. Think "meat spaghetti" Get the others working on larger pieces, and you can also looks at introducing more bone as well as heart and liver if you haven't already
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2013 15:02:09 GMT -5
Both Riley and Stevie will take pretty big chunks....when they are in the mood for chunks And they both will eat heart and liver. They do OK with bones... there is usually nothing but splinters left. I do smash up wings a little bit....but they have also eaten them broken apart at the joints. And Milo and Sammie have had either liver and heart soup added to their CR...and slivers too. Would be nice to have them all at the same place....but we manage. Sent from my Xoom using proboards
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Post by Sherry on Mar 20, 2013 15:54:54 GMT -5
Great! In that case leave the first two where they are at and work at getting the others to the same level
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2013 12:59:49 GMT -5
Yay! Milo ate all his small chunks in his soup today! He licked the bowl clean...little piglet! Stevie and Riley chowed down on chunks. Riley is actually still eating and building a little stash mountain in the corner of the lower level...silly boy! And Sammie ate a good bit of her soup....got some extra time with adding a little ferret one....but saw her eat some small slivers. Slow and steady with her...as long as she eats I don't care what it is. My order from hare today came....now to figure out what to do with it All nicely frozen...but it will be OK if I thaw it out enough to portion it out and then refreeze, right? Sent from my Xoom using proboards
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2013 9:51:28 GMT -5
Breakfast went ok today. Milo and Sammie had their soup with some of the new food from HareToday...some ground rabbit and various little scraps from repackaging everything. And they were chewing on some pretty big chunks (well big for them...) of fatti-ness stuff. And of course Milo pretty much licked his bowl clean again. I got Sammie some extra time with her face in the bowl by burying some ferretvite at the bottom...she is a sucker for it! Riley and Stevie weren't all that hungry it seems...so they just nibbled here and there. I did leave a pretty big bowl of chunks in their cage overnight and there were only a few pieces left in the morning...so I think they are doing ok. But was pretty funny to see Riley hanging out of his cube....which is over his food bowl...and grabbing some chunks and dragging them back in the cube to eat in bed...lol...too freakin funny!! He makes me laugh! And does all this good food make their nails grow faster?? I could have sworn I just did their nails last week...and they had talons again today! So everyone got nails done too! Busy morning!!
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Post by Sherry on Mar 22, 2013 12:15:14 GMT -5
Yes it does ;D Especially at the beginning Once their bodies are used to it, everything slows down again, but it does take a few months.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2013 16:28:28 GMT -5
Sorry for not getting on sooner....life has been a little hectic. A friend at church...actually one of the elders...died on Sunday morning And as I work in the church office a couple hours a week, I couldn't help but be in on some of the extra work and preparations. Anyway....everyone is good...although I have felt they haven't been eating lots. Which I think is probably a combination of things....spring, appetites are getting more normal, new foods from hare today...and possibly my Italian is coming out and I am just thinking they need to eat more Over the weekend they didn't seem to eat much of anything I offered it seemed. Riley and Stevie ate a few chunks each meal but I seemed to be throwing lots out. And Sammie ate her soups and one or two little chunks from her soup...but had to bribe her to keep her face in the bowl with ferret vite. Milo, when he decided he wasn't going to go back to bed, usually licked his bowl clean! Yesterday afternoon and today, so far twice, I have fed everyone just a soupie....made up of some ground quail and duck gizzards from haretoday, along with some beef trimmings, and left over pork and chicken chunks...all of which I ran through food processor a bit and added a very little bit of NV to. And they all tucked into each meal! Which at least gives me a little bit better feeling that I have SEEN them eat. I haven't weighed them but they all feel like they are about normal...so is probably just me being paranoid. But suppose it is good just to mix some of the new foods in anyway so they don't get a chance to decide they don't like something. Sent from my Xoom using proboards
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