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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2013 19:28:30 GMT -5
Some ferrets just take longer than others. You have to be consistent. Eating a chicken wing will take awhile, they have to build up the jaw strength to chew bone. Keep adding more meat, removing kibble, warming it slightly and using the oil until you can get them completely off kibble and reliably eating soup. You can try chopping the chicken wing up with a cleaver into very small pieces and putting it into the soup to get them eating bone. Same with organs, slivering up some heart, liver or kidney wouldn't hurt.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2013 0:35:48 GMT -5
I got them to eat more chciken then kibble now there is only a little kibble. They seem to not be losing any wight and they seem happy so I guess everything is going good for now. I think tomorrow I will try Chicken gizzards with the oil on it maybe they will like it. I was wondering if there is a good way to just make like a raw duck soup like without having to cook it just like a salad mix. I would like to add my little Binxi is so big now and she has a fat belly and it's summer Oswin lost a little but that was it but summer isn't over yet.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2013 11:01:48 GMT -5
They may lose some weight when they make the switch, this is normal. Keep trying to take out the kibble, try adding something new in every once in a while if you can, maybe some heart, or another protein.
It's really important that we try and get them willing to eat important things like bone for calcium and heart for taurine as soon as we are able so they don't develop deficiencies. Are you using any eggshell or bone meal powder?
I am afraid I don't fully understand what you're looking for with a "salad mix" exactly. There are soup recipes posted on the forum if that's what you want. If you're looking for some sort of power pre mix thing then no, I don't recommend any of those commercial products like Uncle Jim's, they're not very good.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2013 17:41:35 GMT -5
Well, my Binxi is a fat little girl when I got her she was small. I keep trying the gizzards and they will kinda eat it. They still do not like the beef. I have just been giving them the little bit of kibble and chicken I can't find the powers like that I was thinking of trying to order some or something. I do give them eggs but not the shells. Haha, I ment like mixing up different parts of the animal to make a dinner. Like beef... heart, steak, liver, kidney... I know they have to get different things at different times I was just looking for a good mix.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2013 4:41:20 GMT -5
You can certainly mix up different meats in a blender. Here is a recipe for a balanced "soup" you can use: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/145/raw-soupThis would hold you over until you could get them willing to eat more solid things, if they like the soup. It's really important we get them eating calcium and taurine, so we definitely need to be feeding them eggshells or bonemeal powder and heart or taurine supplement in some way or form.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2013 16:08:03 GMT -5
Thanks that is what I was looking for. I know I'm trying my best to look into I do not have a credit card so I'm getting one now and it should be here in another three days then I will order some from online. They seem to to be happy. No more bad pooping everywhere and they love being out more. They still are eating some kibble I keep trying to push the beef heart but nope...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2013 4:37:18 GMT -5
Are you cutting up the heart into small slivers and mixing it in with the soup? Or pureeing it up in the soup?
I'd honestly try taking the kibble away entirely at this point for a few days and watch then to make sure they're eating.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2013 2:47:24 GMT -5
I have been giving them Chicken breasts, chicken gizzards, Turkey leg (no bone) and just a little kibble almost nothing. I got a pay as you go credit card and already ordered the bone meal powder and fish oil. I have been waiting for it, it should have been here today but not yet. I still give them a little pumpkin about three times a week. Binxi my small little girl lately the past week she is so big!!! And her tail is big and fluffy. It doesn't look like they are losing much fur and it's summer right now. I also, do leave a chicken wing in there sometimes a few times it looked like someone may have been chewing on it. Sorry, I haven't been posting much I just wanted to wait until I got the stuff for them but it should be here tomorrow so any ideas? They still don't really like the beef it's mainly red meat they just aren't into.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2013 6:12:59 GMT -5
Red meat isn't popular here either. I use venison, but I have to mix it with other things, the taste is too strong for their liking. All I can recommend on that front is cutting some beef into small slivers and mixing it into the soup to get them gradually used to the taste.
I'd drop the kibble out of the mix entirely at this point and see if you can cut the pumpkin back as well. Have you been able to find heart or organs at the store? They need taurine in their diet as well as the nutrients found in liver and other organs. Mixing them up in a puree or small mince in a soup is the best bet to get them used to the taste.
A lot of ferrets are back in winter mode due to the odd weather this year. One of my boys is huge and fluffy and confused on the season.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2013 5:38:50 GMT -5
Okay, they are off the kibble now and just eating the chicken breast, and now they are eating the chicken gizzards just fine they like to chew on them. They will chew on a chicken wing but not bit into the bone. I don't think they are lacking anything in there diet right now because, my little Binxi is so big, Oswin is doing good not big like Binxi. I tryed blending the chicken and a lamb kidney they didn't really want to eat it but I kept trying them with it like 10+ times a day and they do take little nibbles from it... I'm thinking of taking away the plan chicken tomorrow and giving them the chicken and lamb kidneys and see how that goes. Also, if they are willing to eat lamb kidneys do you think I should keep trying them with lamb? I only have kidneys right now it was all they had besides cow kidneys and they do not like beef. I'm going to lay off the beef and just keep them on the chicken and lamb. Also, I have been useing the bone meal powder I give them as much as it says to, they only get one whole egg, and two egg yolks a week, and only pumpkin once a week for each of them 5ml. They like it and they are shedding still plus they like it and it's like the only treat they like.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2013 9:32:27 GMT -5
Their diet isn't really balanced right now- they need enough taurine to prevent a deficiency and thrive, and while muscle meat does contain some, heart or brain contains a lot more. Darker chicken meat like thighs contains more than breast meat. Not enough taurine over a long enough period of time WILL cause serious health issues, so we want to encourage them to try things and like them that will cover your bases.
Certainly keep try offering the lamb kidney/chicken blend and take away the plain chicken at first unless they refuse to eat for several hours. What ratio of lamb to chicken are you doing? I recommend like an 80/20 chicken/lamb mix to start if they are hesitant, and then slowly working your way down to like 30/70.
They don't have the jaw strength and skills to chew through bone at first, you have to work your way up to it with your guys. Start out with small pieces- the wing tips are great, as are chicken feet, chicken/turkey neck bones cut into small sections, quail or cornish game hen bones cut up. Pig tails can be cut up small with a cleaver too.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2013 2:47:42 GMT -5
Sorry I haven't messaged in 7 days but the girls are doing good they are eating chicken wings bone in all and are eating lamb kidneys and heart. I had to go away for three days and my fiance is the one who got them to eat the lamb heart I got them to do the chicken and kidney. They still don't like beef and tomorrow I'm trying them wih the whole cornish game hen. I'm still feeding them the bone meal beause they only like one chicken wing a day. No more kibble at all just chicken I have been buying them different parts of the chicken and they eat turkey. My Binxi just keeps getting bigger and bigger I'm going to be taking a picture tomorrow of both of them so you can see the difference. Is there anything else I should try them on? Should I be giving them different stuff now?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2013 19:34:35 GMT -5
Different meat proteins if you can get them- chicken, turkey, duck, CGH, pork, lamb etc I would try and get them used to eating as many different things as you can. They need to be willing to eat bones pretty much every day as well and it's important to try and find a few organs they'll eat- liver, kidney, stomach, (not tripe), lung- whatever is available. If you give a CGh, you might have to cut it apart for them at first to get them used to eating it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2013 15:46:39 GMT -5
I keep forgetting about duck I knew I was forgetting something. I'm going to try them on that right away... tomorrow I will have to buy the duck first. Is there a way I should try the duck with them? Like what parts of the duck would be good first? Never really tried them with pork I'm scared of pork... Put some pop/soda on it and worms come out. Plus all the salt and all the fat. I should get them beef fat but they don't like beef. d*mn girls... I did try with the whole cornish game hen kinda of a flop... they only nibbled it a bit and then I had to take all the meat off and then they eat it. I don't know if they really liked it but they knew I wasn't giving them new food until it gets dark out. I also gave them an eggs last night first egg in like a week. I also gave them pumpkin today because they haven't had any for like a week. Every day I put one chicken wing in there and it only gets about half eaten... sometimes they won't nibble/eat it. Haha, just because the CGH didn't work doesn't mean I can't try it again... I'll buy another one tomorrow. Is there anything else I should be doing?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2013 18:47:28 GMT -5
Cut up the CGH, they probably aren't ready to eat larger pieces yet as they haven't figured out how to handle it. Dislocate the legs and wings, cut the breast into two chunks etc to make it more manageable. You can do the same with a chicken, duck or turkey, though with a larger bird you will have to break it down more. You might even need to roughly chop it into a large dice (cubes) if they aren't ready for large chunks yet.
Pork purchased from a supermarket in the USA/Canada is perfectly fine. No salt. No worms. No tric. If it's sold for human consumption, pets will be ok with it. They NEED the fat. You can still try the beef fat even if they don't like beef muscle meat, it may not taste strongly and it's dirt cheap usually.
You're not just giving them the chicken wing only for the day are you? They likely need more than that to eat, especially if they don't like it and aren't eating it.
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