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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2013 18:27:32 GMT -5
Soup attempt went about the same as the chunk attempt!! Bear just dug in. He ate for about five minutes then stopped. Layla wouldn't eat it at first. But I scruffed and stuffed and she would then ONLY eat it off my finger. Occasionally she would try it in the bowl but would quickly get bored and walk away. Loki still refused to eat. Wouldn't open his mouth at all. I dabbed it on his nose, but he didn't seem to notice Also I think this was a pretty miserable attempt at a soup...I couldn't figure out how to make egg shell powder. And I wasn't sure how much chicken liver to put in...it just said half. And my chicken livers are in a tub. All smushed together. So I did 0.85 oz. just hoping to be in the ball park...haha
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2013 0:27:52 GMT -5
Tried a second attempt a few minutes ago. Pretty much the same. Bear is eating it like it's his kibble! He isn't pigging out on it like he does kibble...but he's loving it none the less! Layla still refuses to eat it unless I'm feeding it to her from my finger! there's a reason I call her a Princess!! And then Loki. He stil refuses to taste it. Like its poison! Even when I scruff him...he won't open up. Like he KNOWS what I'm gonna do! But luckily I wedged his mouth open TWICE and got a bit in there. He sat there smacking his lips for a while. He seemed confused. Kind of like He was unsure if he liked it or not ya know? The stinker still refused to even look at the bowl though. *sigh* at least he tasted it right?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2013 10:17:55 GMT -5
Hey there. oh my goodness, congrats on your new addition! How is the wee one doing? Not sure if you already knew this, but besides bottle feeding you will also need to help the kitten go to the bathroom by rubbing her/his bottom with a warm/moist cloth. The mother cats do this by licking them there. As for the soup attempts, those are FANTASTIC attempts. I know you may not think so, but believe me you are doing great so far. Sorry I didn't give you a better measurement on the liver. 1/2 liver should be 0.5 oz As for the egg shells: -crack two eggs open (and either cook it for yourself OR offer the raw egg to the ferrets on a plate they usually love egg and giving it once or twice a week helps prevent hairballs) -take the egg shells and rinse them under water, then leave them on a paper towel to dry over night -the next Morning crush them into tiny pieces/powder (mortar and pestol, clean coffee grinder, some other crushing tool) and put the pieces/powder in a bag. -measure out 1/4-1/2 a tsp and mix it in the soup recipe. As for the ferrets, let bear do his thing with the soup, he's doing great, we'll work on catching the others up. Keep finger feeding the "princess" haha. Finger feeding actually lasts a while with some ferrets, so no rush. If she is eating well off your fingers, try move her onto SPOON feeding. This is will be much easier than getting her to eat off a plate right away. As for the difficult one, that's a great step forward! Keep scuffing and literally putting the soup inside the mouth. Yes some of them think that raw soup is poison, perfectly normal! One of our mentor's ferrets took 6 months to even try the soup on his own. Don't give up! We warned you this was gonna be a lengthy and dedicated process, we weren't lying So keep scruffing and stuffing!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2013 14:58:49 GMT -5
Unfortunately the little one passed on. We aren't quite of what. But likely because she was so young and in such a condition. Who knows how long she was out there and what she went through! Trust me I had my share of tears. But in the end I'm glad I got to spend those last few moments easier for her. And I'm glad she passed in a loving warm home. Not in the cold wilderness. :') She may have only been with us a night...but I know I won't ever forget that little girl! I do have some good news though...I was coming home from Church. And my Church is one town over, a five minute drive. And I passed McCords Market. I've been in there several times...I NEVER noticed that it half of it is a meat market!! Some friends of mine work there, so I texted em asking if they had organs by chance...they do!!!!!!! Kind of...I have to call the butchers and tell em what I need and they'll order it in for me. But YAY!! Happy day happy day! I'm gonna call in later about prices As for the ferrets. Tried soup last night and this morning. Bear is still eating it like a champ, maybe a little less now...but it might just be paranoid. Layla ate it just fine from the spoon! Which I'm glad because then she gets a bigger portion. She was done a bit sooner but that's because she was getting it all on the spoon..not finger by finger. And Loki. Yes you did warn me! I think I set my expectations a bit too high And it didn't help when two out of three met those expectations! BUT he seems to be getting a bit easier to wedge his mouth open now. He just takes the dab in his mouth, scrunched his face up, chews (like peanut butter) and runs away. This morning after I forced it into his mouth, he should the SLIGHTEST interest in my soup covered finger afterwords! Yay! ? That's about as I can bring you up to speed on! I have two quick questions...but I'll post em after your reply. I feel like this post is a little long
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2013 16:56:34 GMT -5
Aww I'm sorry about the little one. They honestly don't usually make it at that age without a mom. I'm glad you gave her a safe warm place to pass on. That's excellent news about all three ferrets! All I can say is just keep going at it! I don't want to move the others ahead until all 3 are at the same place so just keep at it. If you want to move on from spoon feeding to plate feeding what you can do is have her eat off the spoon and then slowly lower the spoon onto a plate of soup. Let her eat off the spoon on the plate, then sneak the spoon off the plate and see if she will keep eating off the plate. Showing even a little interest is good!! Keep scruffing and stuffing. You can also try putting a bit of fish oil (salmon) or extra Virgin olive oil on top and see if that works as bribery. Ask away
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2013 1:08:48 GMT -5
Yeah she figures out what I'm doing when I try that trick but I shall persist!! And Extra Virgin Olive oil? I'll definitely try that! Alright so I forgot the first question...I THINK it was that they seem to think the soup being cold is a bit weird. I feed it straight from the fridge. Should I be heating it up or anything? Question two is a bit more complicated. My Aunt & Uncle live in Tennessee! They are very close to my family. And every year we go down for the craft fair down there. I'm leaving next week. I'll be gone from Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. Don't worry, I will still be able to post! But the question is...should I just pause them on the soup while I'm gone? Or should I take them with me so I can feed it to em? Cause it's no issue for me to leave em here and have someone come and feed them (kibble) and let em out to play. But asking them to spoon feed Layla? And stick their finger in Lokis mouth? A bit much to ask. I was just wondering what you thought I should do?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2013 11:08:03 GMT -5
They are pretty smart animals which can make the switch a little tricky Yes extra virgin olive oil is good for them. Salmon oil is better since its from an animal source but it also causes smelly stools if you use it too often, so usually a couple times a week is good. The olive oil is good too though so see if they like the taste and if they do, add a few drops on top of the soup to entice them. I would recommend taking the soup out of the fridge and letting it warm up a bit. More palatable that way. If you put it in a container or bag, just let that container or bag sit in a bowl of warm water to warm it up quicker. As for going away, whatever is easier for you. If its easier to leave them at home and have someone feed them kibble, by all means do that and we'll just pause the switch until you are back. If you prefer to take them and want to keep offering soup, I can definitely keep mentoring you while you're away. But it's your trip and I don't want it to be too much trouble for you, so your call!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2013 13:37:50 GMT -5
Quick question! The last few times I've offered the soup, Bear and Layla just ignore it. I have to finger feed, then spoon feed, THEN they'll eat out of the bowl. But it's like every time I have to reintroduce it! Is that normal? By the way, YES Layla is eating from bowl! But she has to do spoon first, THEN I slowly move the spoon to bowl and she'll eat it.
I have another question....did I do the soup right? When I first made it it was creamy and pasty and pink! Now it's still creamy and pasty....but it's starting to smell a little and it has turned a light light brown color...when stir it SOME of the pink returns...I was just wondering if this is still safe to feed? If I did something wrong? Should I make another mix?
And lastly (drum roll please)................LOKI ATE IT!!!! Granted it was only like a drop from my finger AND there was some Olive Oil involved. But he ate it! And he has been walking up to bowl and investigating it! Big step!
I do wanna stress though that I hope I'm not making it seem like they're eating a lot...Layla and Bear are eating good amounts...but not nearly enough to be a full meal. I just didn't want you to think "oh they are fully on soup and can move to the next phase" haha! Idk maybe I'm being paranoid...hahaha
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2013 18:52:57 GMT -5
How old is the soup now? It's really only good for like 2 days at most in the fridge I find. That's why I recommend freezing it in ice cube trays, and then putting the cubes in baggies in the freezer. Can you also tell me exactly how you made it? What you put in it? And how? Ferrets won't eat raw food that has gone off generally, so if they are still eating it, it means its probably okay. But do answer my questions above Awesome progress for Layla and Loki! yay! Even just one lick is progress! And yes sometimes you do have to finger feed to get them started. Sometimes they aren't that hungry or they need a little reminder of "hey this is food, eat it!" So that's totally normal
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2013 9:54:48 GMT -5
Any updates?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2013 15:23:35 GMT -5
Sorry it took so long! I had homecoming last Saturday...plus didn't see your response! It's definitely too old....it's been the same soup sing the first time I made it... I used a coffee grinder. I can get you a pic if needed? I used a meat scale and weighed out 8 oz of ground chicken, and 0.65 oz of chicken liver. And I blended it and added water until it was a gooey pasty consistency. Bad? I'm glad that that's normal! I was getting a little worried I was gonna call the market after work and order in some hearts. Any recommendations on how many lbs? And what kind is best?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2013 10:17:49 GMT -5
No worries. You should keep soup for only 2 or 3 days in the fridge. Any longer and it goes bad. To avoid wasting soup, make up a batch, keep some of it in the fridge and freeze the rest of it. I find freezing it in ice cube trays and then popping the cubes out and keeping them in a ziplock bag in the freezer works well. Then you can just defrost the ice cubes when you need more soup.
That sounds good to me. Use 0.5 oz liver next time though. And make sure you add the 1/2 tsp crushed egg shell.
Yes definitely pick up some hearts. Chicken hearts are best and I would recommend getting a big bag. They are cheaper in bulk and you can freeze them. You will add about 3 chicken hearts per time you make soup (per 8 oz meat). And then once they are off the soup they need heart for 1.5 meals a week. So you will definitely use it up.
Go ahead and make up a new batch of soup with 8oz chicken, 0.5 oz liver, 1/2 tsp egg shell and water. And let me know how they respond to that.
Thanks!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 10:40:17 GMT -5
Please note: I do need you posting every 2nd day as per the mentoring agreement. Because your ferrets are still at the soup stage
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 19:33:13 GMT -5
LOKI ATE THE SOUP!!!!!!!!!! I scruffed, stuffed, and then he ate the rest WILLINGLY off my finger!!! He still wouldn't eat it from the plate or spoon. But YAY!!!! *happy dance*
Ok....let's back track.... I made another batch of soup. JUST in time too. That chicken was on its way to expiration. 8 oz ground chicken, 0.5 oz chicken liver, and 1/2 tsp eggshell powder! And I froze it in an ice cube tray so it'll last this time!
I put a cubes worth on a plate and Bear and Layla ate it up. Still had to be reminded that it's food. But no biggie. Bear ate most of the cubes worth. Layla ate maybe 1/4? So I put another cubes worth on the plate. Layla had a few licks. But Bear! He ate all of that one too! Good boy!
That's all I've got to update on as of now I believe...right?
Do you need me to update you on weights and such?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2013 11:27:09 GMT -5
Hurray!!!! That is such great news! Now all you need to do is to keep doing the same thing until you have all 3 ferrets eating off a plate. Take your time with Loki though. Keep finger feeding, then work your way to spoon feeding, then do the lower the spoon to the plate trick again. The recipe sounds perfect try have the hearts by the time this batch runs out, then for the next batch, use the exact same recipe, except add 2-3 chicken hearts (or 1 oz). Can you get chicken hearts? If you could update me with the following that would be great: -weights -activity level -stool report Thanks and keep me updated!
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