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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2013 19:04:48 GMT -5
I just signed up for a mentor today. So I thought I could make soupies for them and freeze some as well as get them going on it. Right now 2 of the 7 are eating the Arch 1 and boiled chicken thigh mush. 1 is starting to eat the Arch 1 and 1 is licking a spoon. 1 loves eggs and I gave him 3 little pieces of raw chicken which he liked. The other 2 want no part of any of that. Can I get them going on the soupies or just keep trying to get them all to eat the Arch 1 first? Can I try to get all to eat eggs? Should I wait till I get a mentor? I have chicken heart and livers, plus egg shells ready. What else do I put in the soup? Do I weigh the portion sizes, if so how much should they weigh? Sorry for all the questions.  |
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Post by Sherry on Nov 20, 2013 20:29:47 GMT -5
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Post by bitbyter on Nov 20, 2013 20:46:32 GMT -5
On average female ferrets eat about 2 oz of food a day and males can eat 4+ oz a day. These are just guidelines though. The best thing to do is weight what you are giving them and then weigh any leftovers to get the amount they have actually eaten. If you do this for a week or so, you should have a pretty good idea of how much they eat. Remember though that the amount they eat can vary from summer to winter (less in summer, more in winter).
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Post by Thérèse on Nov 21, 2013 6:23:11 GMT -5
Also once they start eating the good stuff they often eat more than they will eventually settle on. Their bodies use it to catch up on what they couldn't before and once they know it's food they also know it's YUMMY!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2013 7:01:56 GMT -5
Should I try to get them all to eat the Arch1 and boiled chick mush first and then slowly sneak the soupies in that? I will be happy if they just start licking/eating it a little before I start weighing the portions.
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Post by Thérèse on Nov 21, 2013 7:54:22 GMT -5
That would depend on your final goal. If your final goal is to feed a completely natural raw diet I would not bother with 2 diet changes but just start changing to raw straight away. I am getting the impression from your post that Arch 1 would require the effort involved in a dietary change anyway. Ferrets imprint on their food and so to change their diet you need to convince them it is food, whether you are changing kibbles or to a raw diet, or even adding in some new protein. Consequently if all this is new to them I would just go the one change and start the switch to raw, assuming that is your aim.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2013 12:37:44 GMT -5
3 of the 7 eat the Arch 1. What you say makes sense. I have a little blockhead, 1 who likes raw chicken already and 2 I have no idea if they will like it or be blockheaded. Just gotta wait for the chicken liver and hearts to thaw and it will be soup!!!! Thank you so much!!!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2013 7:18:24 GMT -5
So the soupies wasn't popular with all of them. Penelope, George and Miko licked it off my finger spoon and sort of off the plate with my finger in it. Miko even licked off the plate. I think these 3 will be a lot easier. Lulu and Coco got it on the nose and gum and promptly made a face, wiped their faces and ran away. Emmett, who I thought would like it cause he like raw chicken did like a little off the spoon. He did show interest, as he kept smelling it like he didn't know if he should have more. Mikah... I put some on her gums so she could taste it. NO!!! She started gacking and acting like I fed her the worst possible thing on earth.
I'm going to get some extra virgin olive oil today and I have salmon oil already. Will try that
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Post by Sherry on Nov 22, 2013 10:53:38 GMT -5
Those behaviours are all quite normal, including the spitting, gagging, retching, etc  Silly creatures will eat rubber, foam, plastic, all sorts of things that will harm them, but give them a taste of what they are SUPPOSED to eat?  With those ones, just keep dabbing it on every 5-10 minutes as they are out playing |
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Post by Heather on Nov 22, 2013 13:43:58 GMT -5
Very typical reactions. Got to love the spitting and gagging ones....I've had more than a few who ran off with the accusatory glance over the shoulder as though to say....Momma just tried to poison us   ciao |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2013 14:23:42 GMT -5
The 4 that are eating I think are doing good. George and Emmett actually went back on their own to lick a little. Penelope and Miko licked the plate after the finger then spoon. They aren't licking a whole lot of it, but I think it's better then nothing!! (dance) As for the other 3  well that is going to be challenging. At least Mikah didn't gack. But man they are so funny.... that look I get. I hate to know what they are thinking. Tonight I have to skip cause I work. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2013 7:38:14 GMT -5
I find that adding the salmon oil to the soup usually helps with picky ones. Also, if the soup was just organs, you may have better luck with chicken for the three runners.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2013 10:04:52 GMT -5
Will try salmon oil in it tonight for them. Is it okay if they eat some Arch 1 and the boiled chicken mush then some soupies. Some like to go back and forth between them. I have been letting them cause it isn't kibble.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 23, 2013 10:30:23 GMT -5
As long as both are wet, yes |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2013 15:09:24 GMT -5
4 George, Miko, Penelope & Emmett) are doing really good. Sometimes they need a dab on the nose to get going. The other 3 still think it's awful. I started using a syringe which Lulu and Coco are accepting a lot better then me trying to stick my finger in their mouths. I'm not squirting it in their mouth I am rubbing the end of it on the front of the mouth, when they start licking I am pushing a little at a time out and they have been licking at it. To where I haven't been holding on to them. They have been doing so much better with this. Mikah on the other hand is fighting me like you wouldn't believe. I don't want to break our bond by forcing her. I think she is beginning to not trust me when she realizes what I am trying to do. Should I back off with her and just keep working on the rest? Another question I have is, how long can they eat this soupies. It's just chicken should I try to sneak some beef liver in soon? I have that but must get a bunch of beef hearts yet. Or can I add some of the Pet G.O. powder in the soupies. That is bovine based. Do you think I should be leaving the soupies in the cage so they can eat it during the day? I worry that they don't get enough solid foods and I still have the kibbles in there.
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Here is a link to our latest four. Granted I used commercial raw since I had it on hand, but same idea as raw soup: 
