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Post by kraesmom on Jan 29, 2014 12:33:01 GMT -5
Um...is it normal for a kit to turn up his nose at commercial freeze dried, reconstituted with warm water and containing tasty pork slivers to go gnaw on a chicken back hanging from the cage from last night? This morning, Kimble took a couple nibbles at the dish with the other boys, but then went back and gnawed on the chicken back from last night. He absolutely attacked the fresh chicken back I put in there before I left for work. I have realized, however, that 5 am is not the best time for those metal shower hooks to be clinking against the cage. He woke me up this morning, and while I was glad he had a snack reserved for his late night munchies, I would have liked to be sleeping. lol. I think I'm going to work out some slots for them to clip in the new feeding den. Hopefully, that will be quieter.
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Post by mjbez on Jan 29, 2014 22:12:48 GMT -5
I'm going to read through and post more tomorrow. I just got Home and it's been a 13 hour day and I want to make sure I make sense. But I'm not shocked that your baby is choosing chunks. Some Ferrets prefer chunks over soups or grinds. Being a baby the chewing would also provide some good simulation. I will do a good post with some questions for you tomorrow
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Post by mjbez on Jan 30, 2014 23:16:27 GMT -5
Ok, Sorry I didn't post much last night - it was a long day! For Kimble - I would like to see him getting more chunks of meat in as much variety as you are hoping to feed. Try organs with him for one meal, then chicken, pork, beef, whatever you hope to get all your ferrets eating. This is the prime time to get him eating a good balanced variety of foods. Can you post me a week of what you would like to feed him so I can check it over for being balanced? It doesn't have to be his forever menu by any means but I just want to make sure he is getting what he needs if he isn't eating much of the FRD that is balanced. For the other 2 - how are they doing with the slivers of meat in their FDR and Commercial Raw? Are they eating all of them? Most of them? None of them? If they are eating them all or almost all of them you could try adding a few more pieces. If you are adding about 12 small pieces for example try adding 16 small pieces. I used to count all the tiny pieces I added to see how many were eaten! haha.
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 30, 2014 23:44:35 GMT -5
For Kimble, he did actually eat some CFD tonite, but the rest of the day , he ate a chunk of pork and chicken back. He still has some stashed for tonite. I need to thaw the liver and brain I've got in the fridge. I'll put together a menu tomorrow for him. As for the other two...they've barely touched the frozen with slivers. (Although, they were out running this am, and by the time I found them, the food had gotten cold.) they had also been caught raiding the dog kibble in the kitchen as well. Sigh.
Poops have been good, energy is good, weights are good. Appetites are meh. They were really hungry for dinner tho. Nobody wants to eat heart...even with coaxing. I think that and organs are my two big hurdles coming up. I'm also thinking about adding taurine supplement because of it. Thoughts?
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Post by mjbez on Jan 31, 2014 8:40:39 GMT -5
I would try chopping the heart and adding it to their FDR before going to supplements. Keep you eyes open for hearts in stores and butchers as well. I am not surprised they are not eating them yet, as the older two are not on chunks yet. Since they are getting hearts in their FDR they will be OK It takes time. Will Kimble eat the hearts? For the other 2 - how are they doing with the slivers of meat in their FDR and Commercial Raw? Are they eating all of them? Most of them? None of them?
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Post by mjbez on Jan 31, 2014 8:42:51 GMT -5
*Just to make you feel better about them not eating heart: With my switching, I needed to add every new protein to their soupie (once they would accept soupie). I would start back at a few slivers and work my way up with hearts, pork, beef, quail, etc. So do not worry about them not accepting heart yet. We will get there Just continue with the slivers for now
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 31, 2014 21:10:58 GMT -5
They are pretty much eating around the slivers...or they carry it off and leave it somewhere. Kimble is annoyed with me, as I put in a chunk o beef instead of chicken or pork. I have tried putting the heart in the FDR with poor results thus far. They think I tried to poison them today with calf liver. The way it smells, maybe I AM trying to poison them! lol. I did an experiment with a plate with several things they already eat and some new stuff. Avery went for the CFR lamb, followed by pheasant and turkey. No chicken, beef or liver. Wouldn't swallow liver when I stuffed it in his mouth either. Foster sniffed, but didn't eat anything until I fed him chicken and pheasant from my fingers. Kimble thought everything I tried to get him to eat was inedible. *sigh* wasn't the best day, but I got a bunch of foods chopped up and everything, even the frozen, is prepackaged in 3 oz increments now.
The freezer now has chicken wings, chicken backs, diced beef, chicken hearts, gizzards, calf liver, chicken liver, commercial frozen chicken, commercial frozen lamb, commercial frozen pheasant, commercial frozen turkey, and I have freeze dried turkey (their favorite)
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 31, 2014 21:49:45 GMT -5
So far, this is how our week has shaped up: 1/17/14 Foster 2 lbs 4.1 oz Avery 2 lbs 9.1 oz 1/27/14 Foster 2 lbs 3.7 oz (-.4 oz) Avery 2 lbs 9.4 oz (+ .3 oz) Kimble 1 lb 5.4 oz AM: 3 oz CF lamb PM: 2 oz CF turkey w/1 oz pork slivers Bedtime: 2 oz FDR turkey 1/28/14 Early AM: 4 oz pork chunks & chicken backs Late AM: 4 oz FDR Turkey w/a few pork slivers PM: removed 2 oz chicken back & pork chunks gave 1 chicken back, 4 oz CFR turkey w/a few pork slivers 1/29/14 Foster 2 lbs 4.3 oz (+.2 oz) Avery 2 lbs 9.2 oz (+ .1 oz) Kimble 1 lb 6 oz (+.6 oz) AM: 1 chicken back, 3 oz FDR turkey w/pork slivers PM: 4 oz pheasant CFR w/ about 1 oz chicken mince Late PM: 4.8 oz chunk o pork on hook 1/30/14 Foster 2 lbs 4.4 oz (+ .3 oz) Avery 2 lbs 9 oz (- .1 oz) Kimble 1 lb 6.5 oz (+ .9 oz) AM: removed 1.6 oz pheasant/chicken gave 3 oz CFR chicken w/1 oz clicken slivers Afternoon: 2 raw eggs (most got dumped) PM: chicken back, 3 oz FDR turkey (well received by all...no slivers) 1/31/14 Foster 2 lbs 3.8 oz (- .2 oz) Avery 2 lbs 9 oz (- .1 oz) Kimble 1 lb 7.2 oz (+ 1.8 oz) AM: Removed 1 oz pork and spine of chicken back Gave 4 oz FDR turkey PM: sampler platter: 1 oz CFR pheasant, 1 oz CFR lamb, 2 oz CFR chicken, tiny diced beef, calf liver
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 31, 2014 22:36:00 GMT -5
You asked for a sample menu... this is based on the proteins I currently have available, and honestly, I will probably have 2-3 commercially prepared meals in there when it is all said and done.
Sun AM: liver/pork brain PM: chicken back
Mon AM: chicken heart and pork chunks PM: chicken wing
Tues AM: beef chunks PM: game hen
Wed AM: chicken back PM: 1/2 cornish hen, raw egg
Thur AM: chicken wing PM: pork chunks
Fri AM: chicken back PM: beef chunks
Sat AM: chicken wing PM: gizzards
duck and lamb are too expensive at the moment...if I can find a cheaper source, I'd like to expand the offerings
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Post by mjbez on Feb 1, 2014 10:24:18 GMT -5
So Kimble doesn't like beef? How did he like the pork chunks? Does he still eat a fair amount of FRD and CR? If not let me know and we will need to make sure he starts eating hearts and organs. The menu will need some tweaks but if Kimble is not eating all of those proteins yet that can wait. (Ex. will need one more meal of full heart, another half meal of organs.. unless you do feed a few meals of commercial raw, then you can just have one meal hearts, one meal organs.) OK, for the next couple days: I want you to keep on with the slivers in the commercial raw. Stick with one protein of slivers. How big are the slivers right now? If they are eating around or picking them out try smaller. I remember having to slice mine into pieces so small they were like a finger nail clipping If they are small enough the fuzzums should barely notice them (especially in frozen raw, as the texture is a bit rough). Stick to that stage of teeny tiny slivers until you notice them eating them. You can also take a couple slivers and try scruff and stuff. But stick with the same kind. All different proteins have a different flavor and until they don't mind the texture of the meat they will very likely not accept something new. Let me know how this works after a few meals. Remember, tiny tiny pieces. The trick is just getting them to eat them, then we will try upsizing and other proteins.
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Post by mjbez on Feb 1, 2014 10:26:39 GMT -5
Their weights look good by the way. Keep up the good work, the name of the game is patience and persistence :thumbsup:
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Post by kraesmom on Feb 2, 2014 0:53:57 GMT -5
Long day. My teens had solo/ensemble contest 8:30-5:00 and we had our client appreciation party at work from 5:30-midnight. I gave them the last of the homemade soupy (which they did not and will not eat...even if there isn't an alternative.) For dinner, I gave them 3 oz FDR and all three ate well (didn't have time for slivers.) Kimble did eat a total of about 4 oz beef from a hook in the cage over the last 24 hours. It was just his first time with beef and he just had to get hungry enough to try it. He smelled of rotten meat on his fur when I got home. A quick scrub with a baby wipe took care of it. You can tell they were cooped up all day, as they are really feisty tonite at nearly 1 am.
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Post by kraesmom on Feb 2, 2014 23:20:37 GMT -5
They ran around the entire house all day today. The only one that made an effort to eat was kimble, but he put away an entire chicken wing (all but the larger bone in the drumette), a couple ounces of beef, and now he is working on crunching his way thru a half of a Cornish hen. Avery and foster had lamb and turkey. Avery ate when I put him away, but foster was just too sleepy.
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Post by kraesmom on Feb 3, 2014 14:49:57 GMT -5
Apparently Kimble was in the mood for crunchy food overnight. I awoke this morning and the Cornish Hen that I put in there last night is missing its spine. He left the breast meat for later and just ate the bones. lol Silly boy.
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Post by mjbez on Feb 3, 2014 18:46:33 GMT -5
Sounds like Kimble is doing well with his pieces! Yay! Can you try feeding Kimble an organ meal and also some hearts? Try feeding the organs cut up with a meat he really enjoys. Sometimes the flavor mixing can be enough encouragement for him to try. Same with the hearts. Let me know how that goes. How are the pieces going with Avery and Foster?
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