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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2013 23:15:51 GMT -5
Oh I also wanted to ask, how would I work the commercial stuff into their diet? I think I would like to feed that to Zuko going forward until he is onto bigger stuff, and to Aang and Sokka only a couple times a week.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 22, 2013 10:21:36 GMT -5
Okay, for Aang and Sokka they have a good balance. Now to just increase the variety a wee bit more if you can. You are at present VERY heavy on the chicken. They are getting 3 proteins. Can you find some stewing beef or another muscle meat? Not sure just what you have available. With the commercial raw, are you looking at using that for new proteins? And no reason you can't switch Zuko from CR to full raw with the other two. But it WILL take persistance as he is going to take the lazy way if you let him. You WILL have to wind up using "tough love".
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2013 12:44:39 GMT -5
Yes that is why I want to add commercial raw. I have been giving other meats I'm rotating chicken, pork, beef, turkey for the muscle meats. I don't have other bone meats right now as I said I am working on getting those. It's not going to happen fast.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2013 20:51:33 GMT -5
Ferret's name: Aang 2. Ferret's weight: 1.33 3. Eating 1-2 oz per meal 4. good solid formed stool, a couple of times on bone days he gets sort of orange poops with lots of bone matter in them 5. Activity levels: good
1. Ferret's name: Sokka 2. Ferret's weight: 1.13 3. Eats 1-1.5 oz 4. more formed stool 5. Activity levels: good
1. Ferret's name: Zuko 2. Ferret's weight: 1.15 (seems to be getting back up there, it's higher every week) 3. 1-1.5 oz per meal 4. soft but formed 5. Activity levels: seems a bit less active than the other two
Trying different proteins of the commercial raw for Zuko he seems to eat the lamb and turkey all right. I found that if I just give him more time to eat, he will eat more. I isolated him and left him with the food overnight and he eats it all up. So me watching him eat his fill twice a day is apparently not enough, he wants to eat more than twice. Not sure if I should always do that? Aang and Sokka get to free feed throughout the day as long as I've put food out and it lasts them.
Zuko's menu: Monday (the 21st) 2.5 oz over 2 meals Tuesday 2oz over 2 meals Wednesday 3oz over 2 meals Thursday 2oz over 2 meals Friday 2 oz over 2 meals Saturday 2 oz over 2 meals Sunday (the 27th) 2 oz over 2 meals
Aang and Sokka's menu: Monday (the 21st) wing/neck Tuesday tongue/neck/wing Wednesday neck/wing Thursday pork tongue/chicken wing Friday chicken wing/ beef Saturday wing/wing Sunday (the 27th) heart/liver/wing
Gave them some duck breast today Aang seems to like it. Friend of mine hunted it, had to have it in the freezer at least 2 weeks to make sure parasites were killed off.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 29, 2013 9:33:37 GMT -5
From the stools, it *almost* sounds like Aang is getting just a wee bit TOO much bone. This is where the fine balance comes for individual ferrets comes in. With one of the days where you have both meals bone, can you add in, say, some pork chunks and cut one meal of bone in half? Sort of half bone, half chunks. That way Aang has the option of eating some muscle meat if he needs that. They tend to self regulate really well if given the option. That way Sokka also has the option of eating the extra bone which she does well with. I don't think separating them is a good idea if you are aiming to ultimately get him on whole foods like the other two. Often over time it is a case of "monkey see, monkey do" with ferrets. Sooner or later he'll see them fighting over a choice bit of meat and actually start eating it. And as he's gaining some weight I'd not worry about him not getting enough. As for the variety, just do it when you can. And yes, you can use the commercial raw in place of some of the bone meals for them. My biggest concern with the diet so heavy in one protein is whether or not they'll ultimately develop a sensitivity to it. Not saying it WILL happen. But it CAN.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2013 18:46:50 GMT -5
OK so either commercial raw or mix of muscle/bone on the double bone days. Got it! I was only 'isolating' him really by putting him in the upper part of the cage overnight with the food. This way Aang/Sokka don't steal it, throughout the day when they are together he sees them eating and even pokes his nose into their food sometimes.
They were eating duck today and yesterday and loved it so that's good!
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Post by Sherry on Oct 30, 2013 21:39:47 GMT -5
Alright then, so far so good!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2013 20:51:40 GMT -5
I have been giving Zuko roughly 2oz of the commercial raw now, twice a day, without any water or oil added and he's eating it all by himself over night. I do kind of break it up a bit so it's not one solid block. There might just be tiny bits of it leftover that Aang and Sokka clean up when I open up the divider.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2013 12:00:49 GMT -5
Ferret's name: Aang 2. Ferret's weight: 1.39 3. Eating 1-2 oz per meal 4. not as many bony poops 5. Activity levels: good
1. Ferret's name: Sokka 2. Ferret's weight: 1.18 3. Eats 1-2oz 4. no change 5. Activity levels: good
1. Ferret's name: Zuko 2. Ferret's weight: 1.14 3. .5-1 oz per meal 4. jelly soft stools 5. Activity levels:good, better than usual
Zuko's menu: Monday (the 28th) 2.5 oz Tuesday 2.5 oz Wednesday 2 oz Thursday 3 oz Friday 2.5 oz Saturday 1 oz Sunday (the 3rd) maybe .5 or 1 oz
Kind of took a couple steps backwards with Zuko. Where he had been eating the commercial raw without any additions of water/kibble/olive oil just fine, I tried out a lamb patty instead of rabbit/turkey. Zuko has barely been eating it at all. Even Sokka and Aang wouldn't eat the leftovers. I got him eating more today by mixing turkey ground in with the lamb patty and some warm water and olive oil. I may try mixing the lamb patty in with the rabbit/turkey patty to see if he'll accept that better.
Aang and Sokka's menu: Monday (the 28th) duck breast/ chicken wing Tuesday beef chunks/ chicken neck Wednesday duck breast/check neck / heart/liver ground Thursday commercial raw (turkey/rabbit)/ chicken neck Friday beef chunks / chicken neck Saturday leftover beef chunks / extra chicken neck Sunday (the 3rd) chicken neck / offered beef heart but they haven't eaten it yet
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Post by Sherry on Nov 4, 2013 15:03:01 GMT -5
Okay. For the heart you might wind up pureeing it and feeding like a soup, just to get them used to it. Then working through slivers etc. as for the ground lamb if he will take it mixed in that's fine. That's the only way mine will take it as well
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2013 18:56:11 GMT -5
Regarding the beef heart, I think I had just fed them too much and they weren't hungry for it. They ate some the next day. I had forgotten to mention I gave them an egg that day to share.
For Zuko as soon as I switched back to either type of Turkey patties I had he was back to not needing any changes done. Just eats the patty as-is and is now eating up to 2oz per 'meal'. I give him lots of time to eat it. Aang and Sokka have no problems with it either. Lamb in the future will have to be mixed in for sure.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 8, 2013 19:17:31 GMT -5
Okay. Since Zuko is eating the mince well, are you ready to start transitioning him over to the same diet as the others?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2013 16:45:46 GMT -5
Just started a new job so my schedule has been completely flipped and I've been super busy. The ferrets meal plan got a little wonky but I am trying to get back into the proper schedule. I still want Zuko to be transitioned over. I had started giving him slivers before but kind of stopped when the commercial raw came in since it is so easy. I will start mixing them in with the CR again!
Also my very late post for this week.
Ferret's name: Aang 2. Ferret's weight: 1.38 3. Eating 3-4 oz per day 4. seem to have evened out 5. Activity levels: good
1. Ferret's name: Sokka 2. Ferret's weight: 1.16 3. poops good 4. Eating 3-4 oz per day 5. Activity levels: good
1. Ferret's name: Zuko 2. Ferret's weight: 1.16 3. poops are better than usual 4. eating 2-4oz per day 5. Activity levels: good
Zuko's menu: Monday (the 4th) 2oz turkey/lamb CR mixed Tuesday 2.5 oz Wednesday 4oz Thursday 4oz Friday 4oz turkey/lamb Saturday 2oz lamb Sunday (the 10th) 2oz turkey
He is digging right into the CR and I have been allowing Sokka and Aang around him when he eats. Especially when I have given them all CR and know there's enough for the 3. He eats a bit faster so hopefully he'll keep in the habit of not letting them steal too much of his food!
Aang and Sokka's menu: Monday (the 4th) chicken heart/ chicken neck/ beef chunks Tuesday chicken neck / ground turkey Wednesday chicken liver/ chicken neck Thursday turkey/lamb CR / chicken neck Friday black duck body (breast/back/partial wing) Saturday CR lamb / black duck body and breast Sunday (the 10th) CR lamb
On days with bone or muscle I kind of made a guess that mixing the CR with a whole duck would be fine. The duck body has the organs all out of it and wings/legs/neck were cut off. Hopefully my friend will leave them on next time. I wasn't sure how much of the bone or muscle they would consume. They definitely ripped it apart but I don't think I can rely on it too much for bone unless I give them a bit more time to try breaking up the ribs. If the wings or neck were there I would get a better idea of how much of the duck bone they'll eat.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 13, 2013 18:26:24 GMT -5
And just an FYI- the black ones are "Silkies" Okay. Your other two are doing really well. You have an excellent menu. Would you prefer we graduate you now, or wait until Zuko is full raw? Either/or is fine by me
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2013 9:49:12 GMT -5
You mean graduate from the mentorship program? Yeah I can do that! I have a pretty good idea of the transition process for Zuko and feel like I have a good handle on the menu balance as long as I stick to the plan.
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