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Post by Heather on Mar 7, 2014 1:20:46 GMT -5
Name: HF Forum Username: Poncesmom 1. Where did you first learn about natural diets for ferrets? The Holistic Ferret Forum 2. Please describe the type of diet you would like assistance in switching your ferret(s) to. Be sure to include if you are interested in feeding whole prey (live or frozen-thawed) and if you are wanting to FULLY switch to a natural diet or PARTIALLY. If you are unsure what kind of diet you want to put your ferrets on, please express that and we can help you find the best type of natural diet for your ferret. I won't be offering whole live prey. I'm not able to get very exotic meats here, so we will stick to the basics of poultry, pork, beef and organs. 3. Why are you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet? My four are already eating raw, but we are very reliant on FDR. I have already seen the obvious physical changes, soft fur, good teeth etc... And I'm aware of the long term benefits. 4. Do you understand that switching your ferret to a natural diet can be a lengthy, arduous process? Its not an overnight switch. It can be a commitment of several weeks or even months. Your HF Mentor will be more then happy to assist you in switchng your ferret(s) to a natural diet, but you need to be equally as commited. If you aren't willing to tough out a potentially lengthy switching process, or if you have major life changes approaching (baby on the way, moving, starting school, getting married/divorced, etc) then it might be a better idea to wait on switching your ferret's diet until you have more time. Are you willing to make the commitment? Yes, Yes, Yes. 5. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names? Ages? Genders? Do they have any health problems? Are they overweight? Underweight? How long have you had each ferret for? Four Roamy is a year and eight months. Male, no known problems. Good weight at 2lbs 5.6 oz. He came to us, July 27th 2013. Juliet, Roamy's bonded mate, she is also a year and eight months. Female, no known problems. She weighs 1lb 13.2 oz. She has slimmed down, and has a whippet body shape, she arrived with insanely soft fur. She came home July 27th with Roamy. Mika was born June 16th 2013. Female, no known problems. She sleeps a little more than the others. She weighs 1lb 14oz. She arrived 22 Aug 2013. She is my baby, and still a little chubby. Wynstan was born 13-25 April 2013. Male, no known problems. His fur is very soft now, also. He is my big boy at 2lb 12.6 oz. He came to us 29 Nov 2013. He is my best eater, except he doesn't like Cod. All my others love it. 6. What diet do you currently feed your ferrets? (Please include all treats, supplements, etc) Do they already eat some form of soup? Our weekly menu is Mondays Wysong Archetypal 1. Tuesdays are Stella and Chewy's Duck,Duck, Goose. Wednesdays are chicken thighs and gizzards. Thursdays are Stella and Chewy's tummy,ticklin turkey. Fridays are usually Whole life Cod and I try something new like CGH or pork. Saturdays are gizzards and hearts. Sundays, they get an egg and chicken. treats include dried turkey hearts. Natures Variety instinct raw boost bites, N bones (recently removed from the treat list. I often order and try FDR treats like Carnivore crunch, beef lungs, Wysong dream treats. 7. Have you ever tried to switch your ferrets to a natural diet in the past? If yes, what happened? I have not signed up for a mentor before, they all have been on the FDR and chicken, etc..since they came here. 8. What additional information about yourself or your ferrets would you like to share? I haven't had any success with bones, hence the reliance on FDR. Their poops seem too soft, to me. My ferrets are free range, stashing is a big problem. Both Juliet and Wynstan steal anything left out or just put out and hide it. 9. How often during the week do you have access to a computer? Every day. 10. Please post a picture of each of your ferrets (if possible). I think everyone has seen alot of pictures, however I will post a shot of each of them (from above) this afternoon, as each one gets up from their nap. I know that I have a little time until a Mentor is freed up. 11. Have you met the requirements for this program? Do you have your scale, a place to access meats, hearts, livers, etc? Yes. We have made some changes to the mentoring program to better help you, your ferrets, and your mentor! Here they are: Pleas Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/61/sign-mentoring-program#ixzz2v6xjoS1HI know how busy the Mentors are and please don't hesitate to let another member go before me. Since I am already raw, it's more important for the kibble feeders out there, to get switched. Thanks, and I am looking forward to the help. Stef. Hi and welcome to the mentoring program (wave) . In a little while your mentor (Hurricanekatt) will introduce herself and you can get started on a new adventure in natural ferret care and diets. Please remember to post regularly (daily or as per arranged with your mentor) so that your mentor can assist you move along safely in this adventure. If you experience computer difficulties or are going to be away, please notify your mentor and most of all relax and have fun (dance) . Your mentor is here to help you on this journey. ciao
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Post by katt on Mar 7, 2014 3:21:06 GMT -5
Yay! (dance) We can skip all the intro stuff I think. haha Let's start with a run down of your current diet and routine - the more detail the better. Then we'll go from there!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2014 9:48:57 GMT -5
Thank you so much, Katt (dance) On a weekly basis, I try to follow a set menu plan. Wysong Archetypal 1 Stella and Chewy's duck,duck,goose Chicken, thighs /wings/breasts Cornish game hen Whole life Cod egg (s) chicken hearts chicken livers chicken gizzards treats are Natures Variety instinct raw boost bites/dried turkey hearts/dried lung (only Roamy will eat these) Wysong dream treat pheasant/carnivore crunch/and I have tried a few other FDR treats. Roamy is big on Cod, Juliet loves tummy ticklin turkey and stashes almost everything, she also spends half an hour a day begging and receiving little bits of FDR. Mika loves duck,duck,goose, Wynstan eats alot and stashes anything leftover, especially gizzards and bones. Lately everyone turns up their noses at Liver, two or three times a week, I add a little oil to the FDR (FDR is always reconstituted with warm water. Based on the oil and dried turkey heart treats, they too often have soft poop. I have tried beef, (including ground beef), ground turkey, turkey wings, and pork. There is not alot of variety here, in my small town. We can try Nashville ethnic markets, but the few that we have been to, are not very exotic. No chance of kangaroo (like our Aussie friends get) or even Goat (I saw the Goat parts on the FB page ) Our biggest issue is stashing. Usually everyone eats a few minutes apart, they tend to stash if someone else is at the feeding station. Breakfast is around 7 or 8, Dinner around 7pm and everyone wakes up from a nap at various times, and has a bite for lunch. I see Mika eat quietly at night, Wynstan eats a little every time that he wakes up and Juliet is feather light and stashes first, and eats in her stash spots. Now that it is getting towards Spring (bugs will be waking up), I'm trying to eliminate stash spots, which are under beds,in a sideboard, behind a bookcase and in the sleeping dresser. Free Range presents some problems! Fish oil has not been a success, I bought Wild Grizzly Salmon oil (it might be the brand, they don't like) Extra Virgin olive oil is not popular, classic Olive oil is accepted, they all like Canola oil, but I don't like that for them. I haven't seen anyone eat any bone, based on the bones that are stashed, I don't think anyone has eaten bone, which was a big reason for the FDR. I think I have covered everything, if I remember anything else, I'll post it this afternoon. We're going into Nashville for lunch today, and I'll try to pop into a new market and look for something good, like some other organs.
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Post by katt on Mar 8, 2014 3:26:12 GMT -5
Today has been the longest day ever. Now on to the fun stuff! (dance) So your fuzz will already eat just about anything it sounds like? If that's the case...first thing first is lets start prepping your freezer so we can ditch the kibble! What do you have in stock right now?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2014 8:48:23 GMT -5
I have a second freezer, so there is plenty of room (dance) Right now, (in the ferret section) we have chicken hearts, chicken liver, chicken drummettes, gizzards, a Cornish game hen, and ground turkey, turkey fillets, catfish (haven't tried it yet), shrimp, and ground beef. All four of mine love to be spoon fed. If they seem reluctant to eat something, I put them on my lap and spoon feed them. So naturally, all of them want breakfast and dinner on my lap.
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Post by katt on Mar 8, 2014 14:57:55 GMT -5
I have a second freezer, so there is plenty of room (dance) Right now, (in the ferret section) we have chicken hearts, chicken liver, chicken drummettes, gizzards, a Cornish game hen, and ground turkey, turkey fillets, catfish (haven't tried it yet), shrimp, and ground beef. All four of mine love to be spoon fed. If they seem reluctant to eat something, I put them on my lap and spoon feed them. So naturally, all of them want breakfast and dinner on my lap. I'm not sure what you need me for! Okay...have you tried pork yet? Also of all of those meats listed, will they eat them all willingly, and on their own?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2014 16:54:01 GMT -5
I'm counting on your help :evil4: :bow: I need to know that their meal plan is balanced, tricks/tips to get them to eat bone and we have to figure out a way to stop the stashing, and avoid falling back on the FDR. The FDR is safe, but I think they will do better on raw and it's super expensive. I have tried pork a few times, not in awhile though and not really successfully. They all will eat chicken (anything) willingly, except lately no one wants any liver. Roamy loves Shrimp, and everyone except Wynstan likes Cod. When we have steak or a beef roast, I always slice a little before it's cooked. I haven't seen anyone actually eat a piece, and the same with hamburger. A big problem is that I panic, if no one eats (my son is anorexic) and so I will almost immediately put out the FDR, where I can see everyone stay at their bowls and actually eat a really good serving. Alot of mornings, we end up with six different bowls of a little bit of everything. I need to figure out some way, to keep them in one place and eat what is in front of them. (headwall) Right now, everyone will happily take any new food and then run away and stash it, and like I said, No one ever eats any bone. I vacuumed under the guest bed, Wednesday and seriously found, what looked like 2lbs of food. I vacumm weekly! Hence the reliance on FDR :roflfail:
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Post by katt on Mar 9, 2014 1:45:00 GMT -5
I'm counting on your help :evil4: :bow: I need to know that their meal plan is balanced, tricks/tips to get them to eat bone and we have to figure out a way to stop the stashing, and avoid falling back on the FDR. The FDR is safe, but I think they will do better on raw and it's super expensive. I have tried pork a few times, not in awhile though and not really successfully. They all will eat chicken (anything) willingly, except lately no one wants any liver. Roamy loves Shrimp, and everyone except Wynstan likes Cod. When we have steak or a beef roast, I always slice a little before it's cooked. I haven't seen anyone actually eat a piece, and the same with hamburger. A big problem is that I panic, if no one eats (my son is anorexic) and so I will almost immediately put out the FDR, where I can see everyone stay at their bowls and actually eat a really good serving. Alot of mornings, we end up with six different bowls of a little bit of everything. I need to figure out some way, to keep them in one place and eat what is in front of them. (headwall) Right now, everyone will happily take any new food and then run away and stash it, and like I said, No one ever eats any bone. I vacuumed under the guest bed, Wednesday and seriously found, what looked like 2lbs of food. I vacumm weekly! Hence the reliance on FDR :roflfail: Oooh okay! Gotchya. First thing is...you aren't going to Stop stashing. Unfortunately that's just really not possible with these critters. You can minimize it however. You free roam I take it? Your best bet is going to be to make a feeding den, and use shower hooks to hook the meat onto to keep it in the feeding den, once they are eating big enough pieces. Another note, you aren't going to have too much luck getting them to eat their meals in front of you at set times when they are used to free feeding, a least not right off the bat. Not saying they won't ever, just not always. That is where hand feeding and close observation comes in. Put the feeding den somewhere easily observable... For chicken what size chunks will they eat? How do they feel about raw soups and grinds?
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Post by katt on Mar 9, 2014 3:45:18 GMT -5
Depending on what size chunks they will eat we will go from there. I may consider even having you back track a tiny bit in some areas since they are eating a bit if a hodge-podge right now. That's not a bad thing (much better than just kibble), but since they won't eat quite enough to go to a balanced diet cold turkey we'll have to do some adjusting as we go. Do they any other organs besides liver? And what non-liver organs do you have access to? What other types of heart do you have access to?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2014 8:17:48 GMT -5
Yep, everyone is free range (nod) My laundry room is right off of the kitchen. I have a rabbit size cage www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+28200+16725&pcatid=16725 This morning, I will put it in the laundry room and hang several chicken drummettes from the top. I need to get some wings at the grocery store, later today. I'll also look for turkey wings. As for chunks, everyone will eat any size chunks, and gizzards of any size are a favorite. I haven't found any other organs around here, (and no other hearts, except for the chicken hearts that I went to Nashville to buy). I always look and I always check out other markets, when we are out and about. This week, I will call around some other towns, and take a day to go out searching and shopping. It's seems so strange to us, that in a farming community like ours, we can't find any organs or even body parts like feet and heads. As for hand feeding, everyone wants to sit on my lap and get fed from their colorful, plastic baby spoons. We do that every morning. If I put the spoon down and walk away, they will follow me. I do love this time with them, and I get a good idea of who is eating what. I also lose alot of baby spoons. I've never tried any commercial grinds, and we haven't done soupie in awhile, so it's been a little while since I was able to get any liver in them. Mika sleeps a little more than the rest, I'm going to get some chicken fat in her, today. Poops are still too soft and I think that is because I tend to offer oil, fish and gizzards, quite alot. Thanks again Katt. I hope you are having tons of fun on your Spring Break (dance)
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Post by katt on Mar 10, 2014 4:02:56 GMT -5
Yep, everyone is free range (nod)
My laundry room is right off of the kitchen. I have a rabbit size cage www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+28200+16725&pcatid=16725
This morning, I will put it in the laundry room and hang several chicken drummettes from the top. I need to get some wings at the grocery store, later today. I'll also look for turkey wings.Lucky! I don't think I'll ever free roam after owning Koda though. That and the stashing issue... Clipping the meat should help a lot. Can you cover the cage (a blanket would work great) to make it dark and cozy? In the wild they carry their loot off to their burrows to hide from other animals (and defecate/urinate on it to further discourage food thieves - in case you ever wonder why a piece of food is in the litter box), so having a dark place to stash their food really helps channel the stashing to somewhere less..inconvenient. lol As for chunks, everyone will eat any size chunks, and gizzards of any size are a favorite.Fantastic! That is great. I haven't found any other organs around here, (and no other hearts, except for the chicken hearts that I went to Nashville to buy). I always look and I always check out other markets, when we are out and about. This week, I will call around some other towns, and take a day to go out searching and shopping. It's seems so strange to us, that in a farming community like ours, we can't find any organs or even body parts like feet and heads. You might try butchers and ask for leftover scraps. If nothing else, HareToday is always a good backup. Out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on whole prey? If that is something you are potentially interested in moving them up to, we can work on that as well. As for hand feeding, everyone wants to sit on my lap and get fed from their colorful, plastic baby spoons. We do that every morning. If I put the spoon down and walk away, they will follow me. I do love this time with them, and I get a good idea of who is eating what. I also lose alot of baby spoons. lol Spoiled brats! Be careful not to hand feed them every day, or at least to wean them off of it as we progress. Otherwise you can end up with ferrets that will ONLY eat if hand fed. Then if you have to leave town, get sick with the flu, are stuck at work late, or whatever you suddenly have a ferret that will not eat anything bc mom isn't there to hand feed. :/ It is great bonding time, and a great way to get them to try new foods, but keep in mind that the eventual goal is for them to eat primarily on their own. Maybe make it your goal to work towards only hand feeding on weekends, or every 3 days. You don't have to cut it out, and it's definitely good while switching them, but it can cause an issue if they become dependent on it long-term. I've never tried any commercial grinds, and we haven't done soupie in awhile, so it's been a little while since I was able to get any liver in them. Mika sleeps a little more than the rest, I'm going to get some chicken fat in her, today. Poops are still too soft and I think that is because I tend to offer oil, fish and gizzards, quite alot. Okay. Fish first. Fish is great for them, but it does contain mercury which can accumulate in their systems. How much, how much it affects them, how much it actually accumulates is all pretty unknown to me. A general rule for fish though is no more than once a week. I would honestly group the shrimp and other such sea foods into that rule. Maybe pick a day to be "fish day" and alternate between your different fishes and shrimp. Oil - the guideline for oil is no more than 1tsp per ferret every 3 days. That isn't a hard and fast rule, but more than that tends to adversely affect their poops. Of course if they are sick, have a hairball, etc then more is okay short-term. If their poops are chronically soft though, you are looking at a significantly increased risk of prolapse. Liver we can work on. You have everything to make soup right? Rad my post in this thread: www.holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/14070/transitioning-commercial-ground-raw-frankenpreyWe're going to start there for their organs, as well as introducing new meats. If it works for you, let's start with one soup meal a day, and one chunks/bones meal a day, and we will work up from there. I'm going to alter the recipe for you bit though. I want ONE to 1.5 of your chunk meals each week to be chicken hearts only. (1.5 meals will be the eventual goal, but for now 1 is acceptable). For the soup, start out with as much liver as they will accept in the soup. Boneless, skinless meats are generally easiest on the blender, and if you cut them into smaller chunks first it helps as well. Puree some meat with about 1/4-1/2 tsp of powdered eggshell (or bonemeal). Add some liver (heart isn't needed since they will be getting that in a separate meal from the get-go). Start out with a small amount and increase the amount of liver in the soup each meal until you get to the amount they start to seem iffy on - let me know how much that is. From there we will determine how many liver-soup meals they will get each week. The other soup meals we will start to introduce new meats. Remove all kibble. For NOW (but not for long) you can offer the FD during the day if you are concerned about them eating enough/stashing. I'll warn you now though that I will be pushing you to remove all FD food very soon. It's addictive and a crutch. Many ferrets will hold out for their freeze dried just as much as kibble, and it can really hold them back during a switch. I suggest saving it for special treats, or those days you're just in a rush and don't have meat ready or handy. For the soup meals, since we will be using those to introduce new foods, you will want to remove all food a few hours before if possible, so they are nice and hungry. They are all young enough that I'm not worried about insu or anything. Bones are the next thing to address...what will they eat for bones right now, if anything? What have you tried so far, and what has been their reaction? Thanks again Katt. I hope you are having tons of fun on your Spring Break (dance)Spring break really just starts for real tomorrow (well, today now lol). After our last test Friday we had to rush to pack and leave for a Family Medicine conference out of town. We went out, sat through a few talks, and then went to a meet and greet sort of thing ("hospitality suite") with the docs. Went to bed late after a loong day. Didn't realize until we were out there that we had to be up at 7am every am. Ugh. lol So after the week from h*ll and the test from h*ll, we went there. Sat am woke up early, had conferences all day long - it was 7am-8pm (we had a 5hr break in the middle so people could go ski since it was held at a ski resort). Went to the hospitality suite after, then went to hit the hot tub and pool for a while. Went to bed super late. Had to get up early again this morning (though we did skip the first 2 talks bc we were so wiped out). Went to the other talks, packed up, checked out, got lunch and drove back to town. We were in such a hurry to leave that everything was a huge mess. We had to clean up the room so that the boys could come out and play, which took a while. NOW it is finally time to relax! Tomorrow is our official day off. (After that we have to start catching up in neuro-anatomy and in micro-bio bc we have tests coming up when we get back). No rest for the weary! haha I'm super super excited to sleep in tomorrow tough!!!! (dance)
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2014 6:59:38 GMT -5
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you....(can't sing the rest of the song, or we'll have to pay for it) (dance) Free range does present some problem. I swore that I would do things differently after Ponce left us and of course, I didn't. I've been fortunate, none of mine chew things. Roamy did get ahold of a rubber band once, but I was right there and now rubber bands are banned in the house. I set up the cage and have the drummettes hanging from hooks, and I covered it with a dark towel. We'll see who is interested. I'll check online, and we plan to do some shopping around this week. Any excuse to go into Nashville, is fun. Paul is very interested in whole prey, I may let him try that. I couldn't do anything to any little live animals. Last time that a mouse got into the house, I carried him outside. I even rescue spiders, well I let Charlotte keep her web up in the bathroom window, for two months. She was awfully cute. Fish is only once a week (on Fridays) The Whole Life Cod is so expensive. I know about Mercury...a friend of mine was a anti aging freak, and in addition to all the plastic surgery, she only ate Salmon (Dr. Perricone, you know). Her mercury levels went off the chart. Soupies: I have everything to make soup. I'll make some this afternoon and follow your guidelines. I wrote down your instructions and posted them on the fridge. Soft poop: I didn't know about prolapse, I'll work much harder on getting poops in shape. (hah! pun intended). Kibble: There is not kibble offered at all. I haven't used any kibble since Roamy and Juliet arrived, they stopped eating their kibble, the first two days that they were home. The Wysong Archetypal 1 is FDR, it's the Wysong Archetypal 2 that is kibble. I would like to keep a bag of Stella and Chewy's or Wysong in the tornado room for emergencies like a vet visit or someone adverse to raw having to babysit. The power could go out, etc...so that is my backup emergency meal plan, and will not be part of my weekly menu plan. My checkbook will thank you. Bones: Wysntan says bones are for stashing. I have not seen anyone eat a single bone. I've smashed them and tried wing tips, drummettes, and drumsticks. Also pork riblets and turket wings. You guys had such a rough week, well except for the hot tub part. :cup: I'm very impressed with how hard you work, and how smart you are. My daughter is going to school to be a nurse anesthesiologist and is not enjoying her anatomy classes. Thanks again and Happy, Happy Birthday!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2014 14:03:03 GMT -5
The drummettes are still hanging from the hook. Everyone has checked out the feeding cage and Roamy took a few bites of breakfast into it, this morning. During the night, someone wiped out the bowl (in the den) that had hearts and some chicken slices in it. Speaking of spoiled brats...I keep FDR treats in my nightstand (shy) So there is a night time parade, for a special treat and kiss from mom. I'm guessing that you will want me to stop that.
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Post by katt on Mar 11, 2014 0:35:44 GMT -5
I started to post earlier from my phone but got side tracked, I'm sorry. Today wasn't supposed to be busy, but it ended up being that way anyways. *sigh* Story of my life. LOL I'll check online, and we plan to do some shopping around this week. Any excuse to go into Nashville, is fun. Paul is very interested in whole prey, I may let him try that. I couldn't do anything to any little live animals. Last time that a mouse got into the house, I carried him outside. I even rescue spiders, well I let Charlotte keep her web up in the bathroom window, for two months. She was awfully cute.The prey doesn't have to be live! You can do f/t prey too. How does Paul feel about chopping up killed mice? Or you? They may take right to it as young as they are, but they may need to be transitioned into it too. Oh, and I rescue spiders ALL the time! They kill mosquitoes, which I hate, so as far as I am concerned spiders and I are buds. Fish is only once a week (on Fridays) The Whole Life Cod is so expensive. I know about Mercury...a friend of mine was a anti aging freak, and in addition to all the plastic surgery, she only ate Salmon (Dr. Perricone, you know). Her mercury levels went off the chart.Okay, great. Soupies: I have everything to make soup. I'll make some this afternoon and follow your guidelines. I wrote down your instructions and posted them on the fridge.Let me know how it goes! Soft poop: I didn't know about prolapse, I'll work much harder on getting poops in shape. (hah! pun intended).
lol It depends on how soft they are but yes, chronic soft poops can increase prolapse risks. Also, are you really sure they are truly soft? I find that when people are used to kibble poops, they aren't sure how to judge raw fed poops as well and worry about things that are actually normal. Pics are always helpful. Kibble poops are well...they look about the same coming out as wet kibble does going in. They tend to be large, formed, and poop-ish. Raw poops are softer because they are more hydrated. They are also smaller, and they will look entirely different depending on what the ferrets ate. Kibble: There is not kibble offered at all. I haven't used any kibble since Roamy and Juliet arrived, they stopped eating their kibble, the first two days that they were home. The Wysong Archetypal 1 is FDR, it's the Wysong Archetypal 2 that is kibble. I would like to keep a bag of Stella and Chewy's or Wysong in the tornado room for emergencies like a vet visit or someone adverse to raw having to babysit. The power could go out, etc...so that is my backup emergency meal plan, and will not be part of my weekly menu plan. My checkbook will thank you. Ohhh okay! I don't feed Wysong so I'm not familiar with the different names. I thought all Archetypal was kibble. My bad! And yes, FD is good to have on hand in case of emergencies etc, it also makes a great treat. For now while we are switching them, I would say hold off on the FD treats - you can add them back in later if you like, but we don't want them holding out for the goodies. Instead use treat time to hand feed them slivers of meat, soupies, etc. Bones: Wysntan says bones are for stashing. I have not seen anyone eat a single bone. I've smashed them and tried wing tips, drummettes, and drumsticks. Also pork riblets and turket wings. Hmmm okay. I have a much better idea of where they are right now then. They're maybe 1/3 or so of the way through a switching process. We need to get them eating new meats, more organs, and then work on the bones. Right now let's start out focusing on the new meats and organs and work up from there. Unfortunately, during this stage the chunks will be smaller and unable to be clipped to the cage. Do you think you can handle the stashing? Some will generally occur anyways, but there may be more without the clips. If you are able to hand feed them 3 times a day, you can even do set meal times for a while if that works better for you. It is definitely preferable for them to have free range access to food, but like I said they are all young so insulinoma isn't really a concern at this point. As long as you can feed them every few hours and ensure they are eating enough, that should work. You can always leave 1-2 chicken wings hung up during the day and see if they get hungry enough to gnaw on it. Or leave soup out (to start anyways, that will change when we wean them off of soup). At some point though there is going to be some level of stashing... :/ If you can try to always hand feed in the laundry room where you have their little den set up, that may help to build the association between food and that room. You guys had such a rough week, well except for the hot tub part. :cup: I'm very impressed with how hard you work, and how smart you are. My daughter is going to school to be a nurse anesthesiologist and is not enjoying her anatomy classes. Thanks again and Happy, Happy Birthday! Thanks! We ran some mostly fun errands today and had a delicious, super unhealthy Auntie Anne's pretzel for lunch. Yum! Tell your daughter she should get this book: www.amazon.com/Lessons-Learned-Positive-Attitude-Memorization/dp/1304143244Shane's brother actually wrote it, but the memory techniques in it are all very well researched and proven. They work and work well. It's a short book. Shane and I use the memory techniques a lot, it really helps. Anatomy is actually my best class so far, I love it. Neuro anatomy on the other hand... *shudders* puke :pullhair: [/quote]
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Post by katt on Mar 11, 2014 0:36:49 GMT -5
Woah fonts aren't working. All of your parts should be bold and my replies normal...weird...
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