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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2014 0:45:34 GMT -5
thank you they are getting a bit better. so Sadie is like shocking me. I increased the amount of slivers and decreased some of the soup mix in it. and gave her an in bone chicken chunk cube in with everything and she cleaned the plate bone and all. well almost all there was a chunk of bone that looked like she had eaten the middle and left the outer part. also she has been dragging some of her meat across her feeding trey. not like all over the cage though. just like a little away from her plate. I haven't let her ot to play today to see her energy level. mom and I have been disinfecting the house so the ferrets that are not sick don't get what the others have. I am thinking of letting her try pork tomorrow.. speaking of meats... my moms boy ferret had an allergy to beef and she wanted me to ask about it before I tried it with my girls. something about hearing a lot of people talk about beef allergies in their ferrets. angel is starting to feel better. she I eating ok still the soup mix with a little water in it. her poop is still weird. but she is eating ok. gizmo is not doing well still. I gave her some antibiotics today and she dry heaved. I gave her some Carafate and it helped. she didn't eat as much today. if by tomorrow she wont eat more I think I will have to syringe feed her. I thought of all the ferrets angel would have it longer and the worse seeing that she is so old but it seems to be gizmo who is having the issue getting over this bug. ohhh the blender I think my grandma got it off some shopping network but it is called the ninja. it is awesome!!!! www.ninjakitchen.com//products/4/total-crushing/10/ninja-professional-blender/ but if you want an amazing blender that will blend anything you should look at the Blendtec.. I meah look at these videos!!!! AMAZING!!!! I am saving cuz I need this in my life.. I mean who knows maybe one day I will have to blend something insane lol like marbles.. but dose great on bone some of the things it blends are insane!!!
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Post by katt on Jan 23, 2014 1:13:03 GMT -5
Good girl Sadie! Keep gradually increasing the chunk and bone size and decreasing the soup. Remind me again - what meats will she eat so far? For the other two, keep up the soup and he meds. No need to cause any additional stress right now. Beef is fine. Yes, it is a common allergen. But so is chicken. Beef does tend to be more common and more severe in ferrets, but it is still only a fraction of ferrets who are allergic. Give it a try, chances are they will be fine with it, esp if they don't have IBD. Start with a small amount and increase it. If they have a severe allergy you should know right away. Beef is very rich so it can cause dark stools, so don't be alarmed. If the dark, soft stools Continue for more than 2 meals after Removing the beef, you can say they are allergic. If feeding beef for long periods (several meals in a row, multiple meals a week, etc) causes an issue they are sensitive. This is just a Rough hierarchy but it works well to categorize it that way. Vomiting or full-on diarrhea = major allergy of course. I hope that makes sense, let me know if you need clarification or have other questions. Definitely wait until they are feeling better to try beef but you can give it a shot with Sadie.
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Post by katt on Jan 23, 2014 21:14:25 GMT -5
Just my regular update check
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2014 23:14:49 GMT -5
Sadie has tried turkey and Cornish game hen and pork so far. she did not touch the pork really from what I saw and she didt really care for the game hen ither. im going to try those again but with some more soupy on them. she loves the chicken though.
angel and gizmo are feeling better. I thickened the soup a little and am still spoon feeding them for now. stools are starting to look more normal. I think it hit my girls harder then my moms due to their age.. but at least the wordt of it is over. weird though that gizmo was sicker then angel longer but is eating better today. ferrets are strange that way I guess lol.
I do not have any beef as of right now. but I do think once everyone is ok again I will give it a shot
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Post by katt on Jan 24, 2014 3:26:08 GMT -5
Sadie has tried turkey and Cornish game hen and pork so far. she did not touch the pork really from what I saw and she didn't really care for the game hen either. I'm going to try those again but with some more soupy on them. she loves the chicken though.Okay, we need to get her eating more proteins. She's not going to "care for" any new meat at first. lol You have to keep feeding it. Start by adding small chunks of the new meat into her current mix of chunks and soup, and then gradually increase it. Try either pork or game hen to start, and work on getting her to accept that this week. That will be her (and your) goal for the week - to get her eating a whole meal of a new protein by the end of the week (so next weekend). Pork or game hen is your pick. Start with a couple small chunks of the new meat, and slowly increase it while decreasing the chicken. angel and gizmo are feeling better. I thickened the soup a little and am still spoon feeding them for now. stools are starting to look more normal. I think it hit my girls harder then my moms due to their age.. but at least the wordt of it is over. weird though that gizmo was sicker then angel longer but is eating better today. ferrets are strange that way I guess lol.Good! I'm glad they are starting to feel better. Start working on the slivers again. I do not have any beef as of right now. but I do think once everyone is ok again I will give it a shotDefinitely! It's easier to get them eating small chunks first though. When you are in the soup as gravy over chunks stage (so about where Sadie is) is the best time to start adding new meats because you can use the chicken gravy to disguise the new meats. You can do it at other stages obviously, but I find that stage tends to work the best. Red meat is really good for them, it is high in Vitamin B which is important. What organs do you have access to?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2014 1:02:40 GMT -5
so I am having issues with everyone eating today. I had to hand feed everyone. :/
angel would not eat the thick soup so I had to water it down and scruff her to get her to eat. but I fed her little bits threw out the day. I am unsure if her tummy is still not feeling good. and now she wont eat off a plate... I had to spoon feed her today. tomorrow though I think I will scruff her and make her eat off the plate.
gizmo is eating the thick soup again but not in the cage. I have been having to feed her off a plate and then scruff her to get her to finish the last half of the OZ. but she was also sick. so maybe that's why.
I do leave a little half soupy half thick in the cage befor I go to sleep for them 2 but they have not seem to touch it. so I have been increased the feeding I do and try to get them to eat as much off the plate as possible. then spoon feed them if I can get them to eat it the rest.
Sadie tried ground turkey with egg in it. she ate a couple baby spoon fulls and then acted like I was trying to kill her. I will start working with the Cornish game hen. I have more of that then the pork I think. but i will start working on that. though i have noticed she is not eating as much in the cage anymore. so today i took her out to hand feed her on a plate and she would like have none of it. i don't understand why she is not sick. all i can tink of is she is mad cuz she has not been able to come out lately. with everyone sick i have kinda not been able to play with her like i normally do. maybe she is throwing a fit or depressed. i don't know. or maybe its cuz i have been trying to get her to eat pork. i added some to her mix... n she just like quit eating it.. should i add more soup on it?? or maybe i should dice it up finer.. they are kinda thick pieces...
i seem to be having issues with all 3 today :/ at the moment i am in GA. i have been staying with my mom. i got kicked out of my apartment cuz i wasn't getting rid of my dog... long story.. anyways up here i can get liver pigs brain and hearts. but i think i am moving back to FL next SAT. the 1st. so im going to have to go to my publix, wendixy, and butcher and see what i can get. i know i can get hearts and liver. any suggestions on what i should be looking for? what is your take on goat or deer? i have a couple local butchers in FL i want to look at plus i am near greek town and was told i can get lamb and goat there. maybe more for a pretty good price if i get in bulk... what about fish? i have heard people talk about freshwater fish being ok.. i was unsure cuz of the high mercury content most fish carry
oh yeah i read somewere i was suposta inform you if i wasn't able to contact you for a little due to something. while i am still unsure till sunday if i will be for sure going back on the 1st or if not. but i might be and if i do then i might not be able to get to you for a couple days.. like till Monday at the latest. i would have to find my laptop and unpack it. (i have been using my moms.. my boyfriend in FL has mine) but i am going to the store tomorrow to prepare some soup mix and meats for the trip down. but i can let you know for sure on sunday
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Post by katt on Jan 25, 2014 22:53:41 GMT -5
so I am having issues with everyone eating today. I had to hand feed everyone. :/
angel would not eat the thick soup so I had to water it down and scruff her to get her to eat. but I fed her little bits threw out the day. I am unsure if her tummy is still not feeling good. and now she wont eat off a plate... I had to spoon feed her today. tomorrow though I think I will scruff her and make her eat off the plate.
gizmo is eating the thick soup again but not in the cage. I have been having to feed her off a plate and then scruff her to get her to finish the last half of the OZ. but she was also sick. so maybe that's why.
I do leave a little half soupy half thick in the cage befor I go to sleep for them 2 but they have not seem to touch it. so I have been increased the feeding I do and try to get them to eat as much off the plate as possible. then spoon feed them if I can get them to eat it the rest.
Sadie tried ground turkey with egg in it. she ate a couple baby spoon fulls and then acted like I was trying to kill her. I will start working with the Cornish game hen. I have more of that then the pork I think. but i will start working on that. though i have noticed she is not eating as much in the cage anymore. so today i took her out to hand feed her on a plate and she would like have none of it. i don't understand why she is not sick. all i can tink of is she is mad cuz she has not been able to come out lately. with everyone sick i have kinda not been able to play with her like i normally do. maybe she is throwing a fit or depressed. i don't know. or maybe its cuz i have been trying to get her to eat pork. i added some to her mix... n she just like quit eating it.. should i add more soup on it?? or maybe i should dice it up finer.. they are kinda thick pieces...
i seem to be having issues with all 3 today :/ at the moment i am in GA. i have been staying with my mom. i got kicked out of my apartment cuz i wasn't getting rid of my dog... long story.. anyways up here i can get liver pigs brain and hearts. but i think i am moving back to FL next SAT. the 1st. so im going to have to go to my publix, wendixy, and butcher and see what i can get. i know i can get hearts and liver. any suggestions on what i should be looking for? what is your take on goat or deer? i have a couple local butchers in FL i want to look at plus i am near greek town and was told i can get lamb and goat there. maybe more for a pretty good price if i get in bulk... what about fish? i have heard people talk about freshwater fish being ok.. i was unsure cuz of the high mercury content most fish carry
oh yeah i read somewere i was suposta inform you if i wasn't able to contact you for a little due to something. while i am still unsure till sunday if i will be for sure going back on the 1st or if not. but i might be and if i do then i might not be able to get to you for a couple days.. like till Monday at the latest. i would have to find my laptop and unpack it. (i have been using my moms.. my boyfriend in FL has mine) but i am going to the store tomorrow to prepare some soup mix and meats for the trip down. but i can let you know for sure on sunday Sorry, I haven't been feeling well today so I haven't been on. RE Sadie: You can't expect them to try new meats cold turkey and enjoy it, much less accept it. You can always Try (never hurts to try skipping steps lol) but don't be surprised or concerned if they don't go for it. Generally the best way to introduce new meats is gradually, like I described before. Start with a few tiny slivers mixed into her normal soup/chunk mix and gradually increase the new meat. Some hand feeding may be needed, but if you are sneaky enough about it they often won't even notice. As for the other two, keep a very close eye on their weight. It may be that while they were eating the raw soup, they don't yet like it ENOUGH to eat ENOUGH of it. If this is the case and they aren't eating enough throughout the day, then you will have to go back a step and start mixing a little bit if kibble soup into the raw soup like we talked about before. Don't worry if you have to do this - with ferrets it is often two steps forward one step back. It's okay. Thank you for the notice that oh might be off a few days, it is always appreciated so I don't think you've run off or something lol (it happens ) As for meats to look for, the more the merrier! They can eat any meat that is unprocessed, unseasoned, and free of saline or preservatives. Deer/venison is fantastic. I feed my boys moose and caribou scraps from Shane's parents' hauls.
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Post by katt on Jan 25, 2014 22:57:39 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2014 23:58:23 GMT -5
sorry I did not write back yesterday it was crazy. I found this rabbit in a nasty cage behind a dumpster. he had something called head tilt. spent all yesterday looking for a rescue and arranging transport with some help from a group called bunnies in need. hes safe at least.. it amazes me how mean people can be to an animal I guess the ferrets do not like rabbit smell.. Sadie bit me and gizmo and angel kinda wanted not much to do with me this morning when I picked them up after handling the bunny.
little butt heads.. all 3 of them. I went to hand feed them to make sure they were eating and left some in everyones cage... came back from dropping bunny off and they had eaten it all.. I guess this mans their tummies are feeling better.
I re thickened angels soup. and gizmo is still doing great I am going to intro slivers to her tomorrow. I have a feeling angel is going to be a pain with slivers though.. she is my hardest to get to try and do anything.
Sadie is doing well!!! I mixed some pork slivers in with the chicken. she seems to be ok with it now. tomorrow I am going to decrease chicken and increase pork.
I have a local butcher near were I live I will have to check out. I didn't know you could eat moose is it good?
also i am going back down on the 1st. i will not be getting in till late so i wont be able to write you till sunday or Monday at the latest. if for some reason plans change and my ride bails and i am up here longer i will let you know but as of today my boyfriend said he was coming to get me forsure on the 1st. (just don't want you to think i dropped off the planet lol)
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Post by katt on Jan 27, 2014 23:25:01 GMT -5
Oo if you didn't wash your hands and change clothes after handling the bunny keep a close eye on them to be sure they didn't pick anything up. It definitely sounds like they are temper tantruming. lol Let me know how slivers go, and keep pushing Sadie to try more of the new meats. Thanks for the heads up on you possibly not having internet for a few days. If you have any really major concerns while you can't get on, just feed them what they will eat and we will get back on the ball when you are back on board. Hopefully they won't give you any trouble though.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 1:45:32 GMT -5
so today and yesterday I gave Sadie just pork no meat soup. she loves it but I have to do the slivers smaller then the chicken right now. she is still on the chicken. have been decreasing the meat soup. I think I might increase the sliver size.
angel and gizmo are just like eating soup finally got it to regular thickness. I have chicken slivers out defrosting for them tomorrow.i have to cut them smaller though. they are Sadie sized slivers.
turns out the bunny had something called EC a parasite that only bunny get. I am taking soup with me and will be having chicken slivers. I have found a place I can get organs. wenn dixi sells all kinds of organs and I don't have to order them im happy bout that!!!
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Post by katt on Jan 30, 2014 3:29:24 GMT -5
so today and yesterday I gave Sadie just pork no meat soup. she loves it but I have to do the slivers smaller then the chicken right now. she is still on the chicken. have been decreasing the meat soup. I think I might increase the sliver size.
angel and gizmo are just like eating soup finally got it to regular thickness. I have chicken slivers out defrosting for them tomorrow.i have to cut them smaller though. they are Sadie sized slivers.
turns out the bunny had something called EC a parasite that only bunny get. I am taking soup with me and will be having chicken slivers. I have found a place I can get organs. wenn dixi sells all kinds of organs and I don't have to order them im happy bout that!!!
For Sadie, increase the chunk size. Let me know how Angel and Gizmo do on the slivers tomorrow. RE the organs - that is great! What about heart?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 20:40:38 GMT -5
yes *winn dixie (sorry I guess I spelt it wrong last time) they have chicken hearts there and beef hearts. they don't do turkey though and im not sure if they have pork ones.
gizmo or angel ate some slivers and for some reason dragged the bigger ones by the litter box. I don't understand why. I think I might feed them outside the cage individually just to see who is eating and who is dragging it around. maybe I made the slivers to big. a both girls have been stubborn butt heads so far I really do not know which one is doing it. but I know for sure they are eating in cage now. I walked in on them and saw them both eating.. they saw me and quit eating and flatt ferretted and huffed at me. I know they like to be fed by hand.. lol butt heads
tomorrow I will increase chunk size for Sadie. she is eating pork with no soupy at all :3 I am so proud of her. I also gave her a little turkey with her chicken tonight. she dose not really like it. but will eat it when its with the chicken. I am wondering if maybe its cuz it is ground turkey. maybe I should try turkey leg mom says the leg has more flavor.
oh... yeah I forgot to tell you yesterday I gave the girls an egg yoke. I split one among the 3. I didn't give to much did I? also I will weigh all the girls befor I go.
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Post by katt on Jan 31, 2014 4:40:01 GMT -5
yes *winn dixie (sorry I guess I spelt it wrong last time) they have chicken hearts there and beef hearts. they don't do turkey though and im not sure if they have pork ones.
gizmo or angel ate some slivers and for some reason dragged the bigger ones by the litter box. I don't understand why. I think I might feed them outside the cage individually just to see who is eating and who is dragging it around. maybe I made the slivers to big. a both girls have been stubborn butt heads so far I really do not know which one is doing it. but I know for sure they are eating in cage now. I walked in on them and saw them both eating.. they saw me and quit eating and flatt ferretted and huffed at me. I know they like to be fed by hand.. lol butt heads
tomorrow I will increase chunk size for Sadie. she is eating pork with no soupy at all :3 I am so proud of her. I also gave her a little turkey with her chicken tonight. she dose not really like it. but will eat it when its with the chicken. I am wondering if maybe its cuz it is ground turkey. maybe I should try turkey leg mom says the leg has more flavor.
oh... yeah I forgot to tell you yesterday I gave the girls an egg yoke. I split one among the 3. I didn't give to much did I? also I will weigh all the girls befor I go.
Stashing is normal, stashing in the litter box is also normal. In the wild they stash their meat in their dens and then urinate/defecate on it to keep other hungry animals away. Yum. Do you have a feeding den for them? That will help reduce (but not eliminate) stashing. It's very easy to make one if you don't have one already. Egg is best fed WHOLE. The rule of thumb for feeding is no more than one egg per ferret every 3-4 days. Any more than that and they get really slimy poops. You can increase that a little during shedding season, but watch poops to make sure you aren't giving too much. And again - give the whole egg. Whites and yolks. Shell too if they will eat it! If not rinse and dry the shells and grind them in a coffee grinder for powdered eggshell. Keep trying on the slivers - you may have to hand feed a few to get them to try them. You do want to get them eating them on their own too though. Keep increasing the chunks and gradually introducing new proteins with Sadie. You are doing a great job so far, keep it up!
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Post by katt on Feb 2, 2014 22:41:23 GMT -5
Just checking in.
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