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Post by katt on Aug 9, 2013 16:31:09 GMT -5
If they are accepting the new meat flavors in their soup okay then you can continue to try new flavors but if they seem unsure at ALL stick with chicken. Don't be in such a rush. Typically we start new meats AFTER they are eating chunks. Now since Dax seems to be okay with the all raw soup, I want you to start cutting up some TEENY slivers of meat. The size of the white tip of a fingernail. Mix these slivers into the next bath of soup - you may need to hand feed Dax a little at first if he seems unsure. Start with chicken. Let me know how the slivers go. We will have them on slivers of meat for a few meals to over a week depending on how Dax progresses. The more updates I have the more I can know where to guide you next. So next meal is soup with tin slivers, let me know how they do after that meal and I will tell you the next step.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2013 17:35:46 GMT -5
oops! sorry doing it again lol. Ill buy some more chicken on sunday I used it all in the soup I made a huge batch. I work 12 hours tomorrow, but I can still check in, but wont have any pics until sunday. Ill let you know how much they've eaten and such. There all very active still, seem to be more energetic these days. But there poos are a bit strange, small drops of liquidy poo, all of them aren't pooing solid at all. Is this normal? I expected a lot less poo since there absorbing more, but not sure if its supposed to be solid.
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Post by katt on Aug 9, 2013 19:12:34 GMT -5
oops! sorry doing it again lol. Ill buy some more chicken on sunday I used it all in the soup I made a huge batch. I work 12 hours tomorrow, but I can still check in, but wont have any pics until sunday. Ill let you know how much they've eaten and such. There all very active still, seem to be more energetic these days. But there poos are a bit strange, small drops of liquidy poo, all of them aren't pooing solid at all. Is this normal? I expected a lot less poo since there absorbing more, but not sure if its supposed to be solid. They will be a bit soft eating soup but shouldn't be complete liquid. Are you adding the calcium? How much? Try increasing the amount of calcium a bit. Not by double but maybe up it by 1/3 to 1/2 as much more. If they seem constipated at all cut it back down. A poop picture would be helpful if you can get one. For the next batch of soup, add in the slivers of meat - fingernail tip sized slices of meat. Feel free to add same sized chunks of the liver and heart too.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2013 19:33:58 GMT -5
yep 1/2 teaspoon as called for ill try adding 1 full teaspoon and see what happens, ill get one with the play and size pics for sunday, someone had a seedy poo, I found it after the fact so im not sure who left it but ill feed and keep an eye for a bit see whos is whos lol, I have to supplement for the next 2 weeks with taurine because theres a lady who feeds her dog 50 pounds of heart who jacks all the heart from kniffins ( id like to let her know that you cant feed straight up only hearts but ive yet to come across her) god I hope that dog is ok and atleast getting some other types of meat! but I can add some liver chunks
I have chicken necks and gizzards stored away for when they advance, thought I oughtta scoop em up then before she got all those too lol
I have a question, my blenders about to STB I already broke the mini one ive tried cutting the fatty bits off (got a big bag of those in the freezer too.) but it still gets all caught up and makes the soup either liquefied, or half liquefied half straight up chunks of meat wth am I doing wrong?! hahaha
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2013 9:51:23 GMT -5
Nothing new atm, besides everyone flipping out about being caged literally they ALL flip out as soon as its round up time and its like trying to catch 4 P.O'd lightning bolts. When there in there novaks chewing on the chicken wire, dax is dangling off the door trying to shake it open, bubbys scratching the crap out of the corner of the door and Marcellus flat ferrets on the floor and GLARES at you. It's like a bunch of teenagers flippin about curfew its ridiculous!! I would love to let them free roam, we live in a decked out loft above a garage, so its small open and safe, but dax can climb over the plywood gate into the closet, and he eats socks so unless were completely on top of laundry pick up and I clean that closet out and rebuild the gate I cant trust dax. Ugh ferret mom problems lol
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Post by katt on Aug 11, 2013 2:08:27 GMT -5
yep 1/2 teaspoon as called for ill try adding 1 full teaspoon and see what happens, ill get one with the play and size pics for sunday, someone had a seedy poo, I found it after the fact so im not sure who left it but ill feed and keep an eye for a bit see whos is whos lol, I have to supplement for the next 2 weeks with taurine because theres a lady who feeds her dog 50 pounds of heart who jacks all the heart from kniffins ( id like to let her know that you cant feed straight up only hearts but ive yet to come across her) god I hope that dog is ok and atleast getting some other types of meat! but I can add some liver chunks I have chicken necks and gizzards stored away for when they advance, thought I oughtta scoop em up then before she got all those too lol I have a question, my blenders about to STB I already broke the mini one ive tried cutting the fatty bits off (got a big bag of those in the freezer too.) but it still gets all caught up and makes the soup either liquefied, or half liquefied half straight up chunks of meat wth am I doing wrong?! hahaha The soup should be pudding like in consistency. Are you adding water or just the meat? I have had good luck with my Ninja Blender... Remember to add the taurine right before feeding the soup, you want to minimize freezing it as much as possible. How did the soup with slivers go?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2013 12:16:31 GMT -5
I add water, half of it ends of soup, but then theres always wads of meat mixed in and I find them at the bottom of there bowl, its a crappy 90's blender we have a ninja thing the push down little bullet looking thing, but it gets all wound up. BUT my ma has a old fashion meat grinder the one that attaches to the table and you hand crank it, im going to try that next batch.
I made sliver soup this morning, and I seen bubby novak and Marcellus eat, but dax found his way into the darn closet again and we didn't have time to fish him out so I left a bowl of soup and water in there, ill have to catch up with you on if he ate any or not tonight.
We put it in the baggie were serving for the day and mash it all up in it, it never gets frozen I swear lol
And a quick question when shall I expect winter coats to start coming in? I know its still summer but Marcellus is my only fluffy one, everyone else has thin coats and bubby's still feels course especially his tail.
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Post by katt on Aug 12, 2013 14:00:28 GMT -5
When their winter coats come in is impossible to predict. Every ferret is different - some have their seasons reversed and get summer coats in the winter. It largely depends on when during the year they were born since mills don't breed only during their natural breeding season. The weather and light cycle in your area makes a difference too. My boys usually shed in late August (Kenai) and Sept/Oct (Koda). This year they both started to shed early. Koda started in mid July and Kenai late July early August. I think we're in for an early winter up here! For your meat freezing, you should put the soup in an ice cube tray. It will freeze much faster and you can pop the cubes out and store them in a bag. Then you can thaw as many cubes as you need at a time. The meat grinder before the blender might help. I have never had a problem with my Ninja. If you use boneless, skinless chicken breasts there won't be much extra fat or sinew so it should blend easier. Esp if you chop it into smaller cubes first. Let me know how Dax does when he tries the slivers.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2013 15:28:59 GMT -5
hmm, I was curious because aric scruffed novak and a big tuft of fur fell out he wasn't rough or anything it just poofed out so I got worried.
I need to buy ice cube trays I don't own any so ill pick some up Thursday (:
Should I try feeding in multiple bowls? and I feel like no matter how much food I put out they eat it, and lick the bowl clean im at about 2 bags of 3 ounces per feeding, im running out of food awfully fast lately I cant keep up with there appetites! we used just chicken in this soup chicken meat and livers and eggshell, then adding the taurine powder at meal times I upped the eggshell a bit haven't seen the poos yet
Sorry I keep meaning to post some pics but I never have the time! I'll get on it ASAP specially cause I need weight pics again soon haha.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2013 18:28:24 GMT -5
Hey! So came to work today and 2 little kitties have been living under the house and well I have a big heart and couldn't let them stay outside hungry so there sitting in my car waiting to come home with me (shy) lol
What was the website we were gonna try for the ferts? the radcat stuff I wanna get these kitties on a healthy diet too, there already eating scraps they must be starved they woofed down a can of tuna (sall we got at work somewhat cat edible) I was gonna try feeding them a baggie of the fert food, if they wont touch it ill just get some wet and dry food from my ma for now, I just want them healthy! poor babies</3
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Post by katt on Aug 12, 2013 20:22:05 GMT -5
hmm, I was curious because aric scruffed novak and a big tuft of fur fell out he wasn't rough or anything it just poofed out so I got worried. I need to buy ice cube trays I don't own any so ill pick some up Thursday (: Should I try feeding in multiple bowls? and I feel like no matter how much food I put out they eat it, and lick the bowl clean im at about 2 bags of 3 ounces per feeding, im running out of food awfully fast lately I cant keep up with there appetites! we used just chicken in this soup chicken meat and livers and eggshell, then adding the taurine powder at meal times I upped the eggshell a bit haven't seen the poos yet Sorry I keep meaning to post some pics but I never have the time! I'll get on it ASAP specially cause I need weight pics again soon haha. If they are eating it all then you need to feed more. It is very important that they get enough to eat. When they first start on raw they eat a lot more to make up for the nutrients they weren't getting from the kibble. They also eat almost twice as much in the winter - and we are coming up on winter soon. If you are able to pull fur out then you probably have a shedder on your hands. Their coats don't get rough because they are shedding. You can certainly feed in multiple bowls. Then you don't have to worry about them fighting over one bowl in theory, but honestly they may fight over it anyways. The food that the other ferret has is always better - it doesn't matter that there are several identical food pieces unclaimed in the bowl, the one HE has MUST be the best. haha Ferret psychology! You should make bigger batches of soup. Buy a big pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. These will be easier on your blender. You can even get a CostCo or SamsClub sized bag of frozen ones for pretty cheap and save by buying in bulk. If you make a bigger batch they will have enough to eat. It is VERY important that they get enough. You can spend a day or two just making a massive soup batch. Freeze it into cubes (when one trayfull is frozen, put into baggies and freeze the next trayfull) and stock up the freezer. It will get a bit easier when they are on chunks as there will be less prep time involved for you. The soup stage is the hardest stage. How did Dax do with the slivers? As soon as I have an update on the slivers I can tell you what your next step is!
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Post by katt on Aug 12, 2013 20:27:06 GMT -5
RadCat www.radfood.com/Cats' dietary needs are almost identical to ferrets, just a little less bone I believe. Otherwise the balance should be the same. 10% organ (one and a half meals a week), 10% heart (one and a half meals a week), 10% bone (7-8 meals containing edible bone). RadCat should be properly balanced if you feed just that. Don't get me wrong, I am very glad that you took the kittens in so they aren't out on the street. However, I am concerned about your financial ability to care for them. You have mentioned multiple times being tight on finances to feed the ferrets - how are you going to feed two more mouths? Cats eat a lot more than ferrets do...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2013 16:48:25 GMT -5
Thats what ill do then, we got a sam's club in scarb ill check out. dax ate them but only after the rest of the soupey soup is gone, i wanna feed it a few more times just till hes comfortable. Were not keeping both, were keeping zed the black and white one momma's got a big heart and is willing to help me, but the other cat is like ferile she/he bit the ever living jesus out of me lastnight i have 4 awesome puncture marks in my wrist. It wont eat or come out of behind the dresser and when the ferrets go near it fluffs up and gets scetchy. But zed's all mello fello and just lays on the floor swattin at the ferrets and playing tag. He went to pee on the floor i picked him up and put him in the catbox and he's been going in there ever since, wicked good cat. Were doing a bit better these days, were caught back up on bills and i get a pay raise soon since i got my CRMA, aric is also getting a new job so we SHOULD be allset now on feeding specially now that ive gotten the hang of soup finally haha
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Post by katt on Aug 13, 2013 22:06:37 GMT -5
Okay good. Yes, let him have a few more meals of sliver soup. In a few days we will try increasing the size of the slivers by a little bit and see how he does. Also just to reinforce what I mentioned earlier - give then as much as they will eat. There should always be a to bit of food leftover by the next meal. If they are licking their bowls clean they aren't getting enough food. As for the kitties, what are you going to do with the other one? Some feral cats never become truly tame, others just need some extra love and attention and can turn into some of the most living if kitties. He is terrified right now - I would bite too. lol Instead of the animal shelter I would suggest looking for cat rescues in your area. They may be better able to work on hand taking him and better able to find him a home. Look for a no-kill shelter or rescue and he will have the best odds. Their balance is the same as the ferrets with the exception that they need less bone (5-10% instead of 10-15% for ferrets). If you want you can put them on the same regimen as the ferrets for the switch - you will be making a LOT more soup though. If you do not want to be making that much soup, then start to offer kitty some very small chunks of meat. If he seems unsure add some soup like gravy. If he goes for it, then give him slightly bigger chunks the next meal. Here is a good site on feline raw diets: catcentric.org/catcentric.org/nutrition-and-food/raw-feeding/raw-feeding-your-cat-just-the-basics/
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2013 8:23:16 GMT -5
Aric's mom took him, she has like 5 cats shes rescued and she fell in love with him as soon as we brought him, she found a lump on his face and his jaws a bit messed up so she took him and is taking him to the vet so he has a good forever home (: yayyy! cuase we don't have no-kill shelters in our area just AWS and they euthanize if there there for more than a certain amount of time. I cant believe the amount of food these ferts put away, yall weren't kidding when you said bottomless pits! I upt the eggshell but im still getting soft/runny stools more often than not. Nobodys butts look red or raw though. I keep meaning for a pic (headwall) As for the kitty, we gave him some wet catfood and he got sick with the runs, he's on kitten kibble right now we only have enough meat for the ferrets so he's gonna have to get switched either after I can balance out the ferts, or just get scraps and kibble but my boys are my main concern right now, theyre finally all excepting raw sliver soup and dax is finallllly gaining his weight back so I don't wanna overwhelm myself all over again. Anywho, we both have tomorrow off so I can atleast get some help with uploading pics and vids FOR REAL THIS TIME lol I also wanted to let you know im going to try clicker training, especially dax he's like crazy smart and I bet my prized calf he'll like that better than trying to play with him he DOES NOT PLAY lol he has no interest in people play he likes to be coddled and talked to he's like a furry person ,
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