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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2014 1:09:47 GMT -5
Also, Mika has always been one to eat on her terms lol if she doesn't want to eat at breakfast or supper, she doesn't and will eat later. So this is all new to her again. Cuz I don't have all day to feed her when she wants lol when it's feeding time, she has to eat.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2014 15:10:27 GMT -5
Awe, sweet quirky babies! Keep working on them. We will get them all fixed up. I know, she was really stressed the poor thing. It sounds like she is recovering though she might still need some mommy special time.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2014 2:37:03 GMT -5
Mika has been doing so good the past few days! Eating all on her own from the plate! And even the chunks I've been sneaking in, she's been eating them up too. Not chewing them like she really should, they are sometimes just slipping down her throat haha but at least she's not spitting them out like she was doing. So I'll slowly be adding in more and more chunks and see how she does. I've tried offering her some of Altos chunks but she wants nothing to do with it yet. She's acting like duck is the most disgusting thing lol and she used to love duck! She's also eating her heart meals and liver/organ meals really really well now again. I tried a small bone with alto and he chewed the meat off then spit out the bone part....I don't know what else to do with him in trying to eat bones. I feel like I'm failing. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough. I read on the forum someone said that all ferrets can be converted and if the owners can't get them to, then it's their own fault and they aren't trying hard enough....I feel like that person.
We are supposed to add one more meal of liver/organ in the middle of the week right?? I just remembered....I think that's what it was.
Weights Alto: 1345 Mika: 946
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2014 0:11:04 GMT -5
I know it's discouraging. We will get him switched...don't you worry! You are not failing, for some it takes a long time...and he just might be one of those hard headed ones.
Glad Mika's getting back up to speed. It won't be much longer now that she will be back to where she was. Alto might need some peer pressure, so when Mika is back up to eating bones, he will be more inclined to eat them too. Keep going the way you are with Mika. And for Alto....lots of hand feeding. Since he's eating meat, make sure to have some bone in each piece you give him. Cut it in long strips (try cutting them across the bone, kind of like a cross section of ribs or the like) and hand feed it to him. You can also try pieces of a more dense meat on occasion ...like gizzards if you have them...those have a lot of chew to them. Those pieces wouldn't have bone in them, but it would get him to work at his meal a bit more. He's being lazy....not you. This is the part where you have to be more stubborn than he is! I know that he can't be without something in his tummy with his meds, but scale back as much as you can on those snacks. He needs to feel a little hungry now and again in order to get him to accept something he doesn't want to eat. He's got a bit of a mind game going with you now...we just have to figure out how to get around it without him being the wiser.
Yes, one more meal...total of 1.5 meals heart and 1.5 meals of organ/liver. What I do is with the cubes....one meal of all heart cubes, one meal of half liver/half organ cubes and one meal with half and half (so mine eat about 6-7 cubes at a meal...so for that other half and half meal I put in 4 cubes of heart, 2 of liver, 2 organ..mix it all together and if they don't eat it all, that's okay).
Hang tight, girl. We will get there....be stubborn! You can do this! And Alto doesn't know it yet, but he can too!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2014 1:01:18 GMT -5
Okay, I was just doing some reading up on another switching thread for an insulinoma ferret...I've got some ideas.
How much food is Alto getting in each meal and his snack? I think that we should try getting him a bit more hungry. Depending upon the amounts he's eating now, lets try to reduce his breakfast amount and his snack to a minimum so he will be more hungry at dinner. Hand feed him like I said in the post above with strips of meat with bones in each one. Let me know how he does.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2014 22:14:03 GMT -5
Alto is eating about 1oz at breakfast, then 1/2oz for snack(sometimes we miss this one) then supper is 1oz and another 1/2 oz at bedtime. So 3 oz altogether. I'll try adding more trips of bones in there like u said. It's the way he eats...like he barely chews. If he doesn't have to chew, he won't lol he will swallow it whole if he can. He will use his back teeth to chew if he's chewing off a piece of bone from the meat haha. He's been doing really good eating right from the plate with barely any help too. So that's a step further for him. I'll cut back on his breakfast and snack a bit too so when supper comes he will hopefully get hungry enough to at least get a bone in his mouth haha It would be so much easier if he didn't have insulinoma...he'd be switched already I bet.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2014 23:59:55 GMT -5
Oh, I believe he would! It's the fact that he's not getting hungry enough to really want to try. Have you tried holding on to the meat so he can't swallow it whole? I noticed the other day that my Daisy and Mickey will chew on a piece if I hold it and refuse to give it to them. I do that sometimes when I give them duck feet for treats....if I give it to them they run off with it and hide it, but if I hold on to it they will sit and gnaw on it for as long as I hold it. Once I let go, they run with it!
If we weren't trying to get him to eat some bones, I would say to move up to a larger chunk so he has to chew. But lets move one step at a time. Try reducing the other meals for a few days and see how he responds. Let me know how he does!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2014 14:19:02 GMT -5
That's a really good idea!! I usually I just put him between my legs while I'm kneeling and one hand on his back and he eats from the plate. But if I'm not holding him, he will take off with a piece too lol. But I'll try holding onto the meat and see what he does. I hope he doesn't just spit it out lol. He can be a booger So last night Mika was chewing down her mush food and I added more of Alts chunks to it and she was eating them! Chewing then from her back teeth and everything! She finished off the mush and left a few chunks there so I put a bit of oil on them and she ate them all except 2 small pieces! She's getting back her her old self. I know this cuz she's playing and dancing and biting our feet again lol So I'm gonna cut up some chicken and duck tonight and put kore chunks of meat in her mush more and more. It's going really good with her now An I'll let u know how Alto does with the bones.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2014 3:30:14 GMT -5
Good news! So happy to hear it! (dance)
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2014 23:40:35 GMT -5
Just checking in to see how things are going!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2014 3:38:12 GMT -5
Sorry I haven't posted!! Been lots going on with wedding planning and booking things. But Mika is doing good, tomorrow I am going to add her regular bone in meat to her chicken chunks and see how she does with that. Half and half. She's shaking her meat again lol And Alto is getting better with chewing....slowly. We try holding the meat off to the side of his mouth so he chews it there. Cuz he normally just tries to get the chunks in the front of his mouth then swallows. So know that he's chewing more off to the side, i can see his head muscles working it! Do u think I should try bigger chunks? Like I was thinking of thawing out some of Mika's chicken chunks and giving it to him. See how he does with that and I'm sure it'll make him actually have to chew it. Not sure if he will just spit it out or not. But it's worth a try? I gave him a couple small quail rib bones that I really smashed up and he ate it, but didn't chew it. I actually didn't notice he ate it till there was no more food left on the plate haha. So at least he put it in his mouth and swallowed it! That's a first. We might be getting somewhere here finally. It's a slow process that's for sure.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 0:26:27 GMT -5
Oh YAY!!!! it sounds like Mika is close now to back up where she was before your vaca! (dance) Yes, move her along...she's remembering the deal now, so try to increase her size a little bit. I love it when they shake their food....that's some killing going on! hehehe Hand feeding is going to be key with Alto. Go ahead and add some of Mika's chunks in with his but hold it like you've been doing. Make him work a little bit to eat that food. It's good practice. We have to get him to get to bigger pieces because that forces him to have to chew. I'm glad to hear that he's eating off the plate on his own, that's a great sign! It sounds like things are going well. Planning a wedding is very hectic...lets try to get these ferts moving along so when you get closer to the wedding and things really ramp up, you won't have to take so much time with their feedings. It is a slow process sometimes, usually with an insulinoma ferret....but I'm glad you are getting to see some progress. You don't need to post as much as you were before, but at least 2-3 times a week just to let me know how things are going still. It sounds like you are nearly there with them though. This is the last big battle you have to win! Keep your head up, you can do this! Stay stubborn...it's paying off!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 14:52:19 GMT -5
Mika is back up to her normal size chunks now! I gave her chicken wing chunks this morning and she was eating them. Didn't hear any crunching but I was busy. So I'll check the plate later and see how she did. She at almost all her meal yesterday! It's awesome I'm gonna try adding quail bones tonight with altos food and see how he does. Then tomorrow I'll add Mika's chunks to his. I have a feeling he will be ok with the bigger chunks....well if he's really hungry anyway lol
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2014 0:22:48 GMT -5
Good for Mika! YAY!!!! That was a rough time in the middle of a switch to take some time off...But so glad she's back up to speed! Good girl!
I've found that sometimes it is helpful to give it a rest and try again after a bit. It sounds like Alto may be benefiting from the break he's had. that's wonderful news!
So let's review where you are in their progress now. Just as a recap, what proteins are you feeding and what organ meats are they getting regularly? It may be time to start working on their menus so that when everyone is ready you have a good menu to turn in for graduation.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2014 17:44:56 GMT -5
So I tried putting quail bones in with Altos and I smashed em up and they were so tiny, but he just didn't want anything to do with it. He was eating good till he got a bone on his tounge when he was licking the food, and then he didn't wanna eat anymore lol And Mika...sometimes she eats the bones sometimes she eats around them. So for proteins, Alto is getting turkey, chicken, and duck. Mika is getting chicken only right now. I have to start mixin more duck and quail in with her chicken for her to get used to those flavours again. I've been adding duck blood to her chicken and she's liking that but any other meat she's not eating. But I think if I put 2 proteins together and let them marinate kinda thing, that she will go for it more. And for organs, they get chicken hearts, chicken liver, and pork kidney. And if I can get the kidneys from duck and chicken I give them that too. And also the liver and heart from the duck if it's in there.
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