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Post by katt on Mar 31, 2014 12:47:35 GMT -5
Okay, give her a few meals with the chunks at that size, and then increase them by a tiny tiny bit. What's the status on getting other proteins?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2014 7:55:34 GMT -5
Bea weighed in at 1lb. 11oz. But she's been a hog the past couple of days. I was thinking, before Bea was on the raw food diet she would eat her dry food in her cage. Every morning before I went to work I would put her in there and give her her ferret vit. (Which I don't anymore) and she would then proceed to eat her dry food. I'd like to get back to a similar routine. I'm thinking I should start to feed her in her cage again and gradually ween her off of me hanging out with her while she eats. What do you think? She might actually feel more comfortable eating in her cage?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2014 7:57:00 GMT -5
I'm going through the town with the bigger store tomorrow, I'll stop and see what they have.
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Post by katt on Apr 1, 2014 13:34:38 GMT -5
Ooo do a quick google search and see if that town has any Asian/Ethnic markets - they carry the more unusual stuff and seem to usually be organic stuff too. Bea weighed in at 1lb. 11oz. But she's been a hog the past couple of days. I was thinking, before Bea was on the raw food diet she would eat her dry food in her cage. Every morning before I went to work I would put her in there and give her her ferret vit. (Which I don't anymore) and she would then proceed to eat her dry food. I'd like to get back to a similar routine. I'm thinking I should start to feed her in her cage again and gradually ween her off of me hanging out with her while she eats. What do you think? She might actually feel more comfortable eating in her cage?How is she eating right now? Is she free roam? She should have access to food 24/7 (especially with her borderline BG), that is the important thing. As long as you can do that, then where you feed her doesn't really matter. I only feed my boys in the cage because I don't want meat stashed in my bedroom, but my boys aren't free roam. You can also make a feeding den (in or out of her cage) to help her feel more secure. They are super easy to make. Get a rubbermaid bin and a can of peaches (they have the perfect diameter) and empty and clean it (and remove paper label). Put the can, open side down, on a hot stove burner long enough for it to get hot. USE AN OVEN MITT it will be HOT - press the hot side of the can into the rubbermaid bin, it helps to twist it a bit (and do in a well ventilated room). The can will melt a perfect, ferret-sized hole in the bin. The 4" peach cans are also the perfect size for ferret tunnels if you want to add attachments. You can use a drill or a hot nail to melt some holes on the back to run a shower hook through to clip the den to the side of the cage (otherwise they tend to rearrange things ), and some people add shower hooks inside the den to hang larger meat pieces from to help reduce stashing and toe encourage them to work their neck muscles to eat the meat.
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Post by katt on Apr 2, 2014 22:13:49 GMT -5
Just checking for updates
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2014 11:39:55 GMT -5
I feed her in the kitchen and sit with her while she eats. I think this came about because I wanted to make sure she was eating enough. I don't want to leave raw food in her cage during the day while i'm gone. She never eats it and I don't want it to go to waste. I ordered her some whole life freeze dried turkey treats (100% turkey breast) to put in her cage for her to eat during the day. I got the turkey ones because that would add another protein to her diet. She is free roam when we are home, she can bound up a flight of stairs in seconds! I think I will make a feeding den for her cage once I get her used to eating in her cage again, especially when she eventually gets to the point of being able to munch on a whole chicken wing, which I hope to get her to that point. I bought her beef and pork to add to her protein list, the larger grocery store had those meats available in antibiotic free, hormone free. Also, what should her poos look like? I might post a pic later when I get home from work so you can tell me if it's normal.
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Post by katt on Apr 4, 2014 3:29:07 GMT -5
Will come back tomorrow to add more but I wanted to at least pop in. Having a busy week here. Anyways poops will depend on what she is eating. A picture is always helpful and I am certainly no stranger to poop pics. Soup poops so tend to be a bit softer but shouldn't be super loose either. Color varies by protein. How is she doing with the slivers? If she is eating them okay, then increase the size just a little bit.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2014 6:47:02 GMT -5
Bea loved her new soupie recipe! It was 3 oz of beef and 2.5 oz. pork and 2.5 oz of chicken. 2 chicken hearts and about 1 oz of pork liver. Here are some pics of her poo (I wonder if her soupies had too much liver in it before?). They were more puddley than these: I'm trying beef slivers now, she seems to be getting sick of chicken
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Post by katt on Apr 6, 2014 14:22:38 GMT -5
I feed her in the kitchen and sit with her while she eats. I think this came about because I wanted to make sure she was eating enough. I don't want to leave raw food in her cage during the day while i'm gone. She never eats it and I don't want it to go to waste. Will comment on the FD in a minute. But I want to stress how vital it is for her to have food available 24/7 with her borderline BG. What happens when she starts to drop, you are gone, and she has nothing to nibble on? Now she's headed towards a full insu crash. :/ If you just leave a small amount of food it will minimize waste but ensure she always has something to nibble on. And she may be eating during the day but in very small amounts. My boys often go for 1-2 bites (not enough to notice anything significant missing from the bowl) in the afternoon and then take off playing again. So even just leaving a small amount is better than nothing. If you are worried about the food going off, don't. Raw typically dries out before it spoils and ferrets generally will not eat food that is too off for them. Just like you won't eat a piece of bread that has mold on it or a turkey sandwich that smells off, their bodies are set up to know what they shouldn't eat too. Raw is good for them a lot longer than you might think. Soup is generally good for up to 4-6 hours, grinds 6-8, chunks 8-24 depending on the size of the chunks and bones, and whole prey 48 hours. I ordered her some whole life freeze dried turkey treats (100% turkey breast) to put in her cage for her to eat during the day. I got the turkey ones because that would add another protein to her diet. She is free roam when we are home, she can bound up a flight of stairs in seconds! The big issue with freeze dried is it is similar to kibble in that they will often hold out for their FD and refuse the raw that they should be eating. It's really best to avoid when switching to raw. :/ And most FD has other ingredients in it (plant based ones), which are best avoided generally but Especially in an insu or borderline ferret. I think I will make a feeding den for her cage once I get her used to eating in her cage again, especially when she eventually gets to the point of being able to munch on a whole chicken wing, which I hope to get her to that point.
Feeding dens are great, they really help to reduce (but not eliminate lol) stashing. I bought her beef and pork to add to her protein list, the larger grocery store had those meats available in antibiotic free, hormone free. Also, what should her poos look like? I might post a pic later when I get home from work so you can tell me if it's normal.Her poops definitely look a bit runny. How much powdered eggshell or bonemeal are you adding to each batch of soup?
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Post by katt on Apr 6, 2014 14:30:10 GMT -5
Bea loved her new soupie recipe! It was 3 oz of beef and 2.5 oz. pork and 2.5 oz of chicken. 2 chicken hearts and about 1 oz of pork liver. Mmm nice and variety filled - I am glad that she liked it! Try adding some different meat slivers into the soup along with her regular chicken slivers. How is she doing eating the slivers? If she is eating them okay on her own, then increase the size a little bit. Let me know how it goes. I'm trying beef slivers now, she seems to be getting sick of chicken Beef is great, but it does tend to be more strongly flavored than other meats so she might be a bit stubborn about it as first.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2014 16:55:18 GMT -5
Ill leave a spoonful of her soupie, (it's actually more like hamburg consistency now) in her cage during the day. She gets 1/2 tsp. of powdered eggshell in her soupie mix. Do you think it could be the pig liver? Should I try decreasing the amount? I'm still working on the same size slivers, she is inconsistent with eating them. Sometimes she'll scarf them down and sometimes she wont. She has tried chicken, pork and beef slivers so far and seems to be willing (for the most part) to eat them. The FD turkey treats are 100% turkey breast. I made sure that was the only ingredient this is them: www.amazon.com/Whole-Life-Pet-Natural-Freeze/dp/B003SE2VUC
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2014 16:55:51 GMT -5
I weighed her this morning, 1lb. 10oz.
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Post by katt on Apr 8, 2014 2:13:34 GMT -5
Ill leave a spoonful of her soupie, (it's actually more like hamburg consistency now) in her cage during the day. Perfect! And hamburger consistency is good. Try to start slowly adding less water to the soup part of the mix to thicken it up, and increase the number of chunks while keeping them at he same size since she is still inconsistent about them. She gets 1/2 tsp. of powdered eggshell in her soupie mix. Do you think it could be the pig liver? Should I try decreasing the amount? 3 oz of beef and 2.5 oz. pork and 2.5 oz of chicken. 2 chicken hearts and about 1 oz of pork liverIs this what you are still feeding? Sorry you said New soup so I assumed it wasn't her regular daily fare. Depending on how much slivered meat you are adding it could be that those proportions it's a bit heavy on heart and liver which are both heavy in blood content. It should be 10% heart and 10% organ - but it gets tricky when you are adding slivers bc the more slivers you add the more it will affect the proportions if that makes sense. The regular soupie recipe, which is the one posted in the application thread, is 8oz meat, 1oz liver, 1oz heart. With those proportions in mind, remember to add the slivers to the 8oz of meat portion. So if you are adding 2oz of slivers, the soup should have about 6oz of meat, 1oz heart, 1oz. If you are adding 3oz slivers, the soup should have 5oz meat, etc. If the proportions are at least very close to that, and her poops are that soft then what you can do is try adding a little more calcium. If that doesn't help we will go from there. Poops can be strange during the transition, and due to the higher water content and lack of whole bones soup poops do tend to be on the softer side. I'm still working on the same size slivers, she is inconsistent with eating them. Sometimes she'll scarf them down and sometimes she wont. See above. Try increasing the amount of slivers rather than the size. As she starts to eat that more consistently (OR if she is still being silly), then we can try upping the size a bit and hand feeding. There is a certain amount of hand feeding usually needed to switch, but we want her to eat it on her own as much as possible too. It's a fine balance. lol They can be stubborn little beasties! Don't get discouraged, she'll get there! She has tried chicken, pork and beef slivers so far and seems to be willing (for the most part) to eat them. The FD turkey treats are 100% turkey breast. I made sure that was the only ingredient this is them: www.amazon.com/Whole-Life-Pet-Natural-Freeze/dp/B003SE2VUCOh good, and perfect! I'll have to check those out for my boys! We have limited options up here but Amazon is nice bc of the free Amazon Prime shipping. And chicken beef and pork are all great - those are often the "staple 3" for the min 3 proteins. More variety is always better, but at the very least she has the minimum 3 already. Considering I often don't introduce beef until later in the switch she is really off to a great start. OH, and lamb too which is a fantastic protein! (dance) Her weight is the same, so that's good - at least we know she is eating enough even if she is off and on about the slivers. Has she hit Spring shed mode yet?
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Post by katt on Apr 8, 2014 2:19:28 GMT -5
Whoops! Forgot to add in the 2.5 oz chicken! So try adding a little more calcium, up it by about 1/8-1/4 tsp and watch her poops to make sure they don't get too dry and hard. Start with just an extra 1/8 tsp for now and see how she does after a few days.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2014 6:43:41 GMT -5
Okay, good tips. Her coat does look like it's getting shorter. But still nice and shinny. She is eating in her cage now! She seems much more relaxed in there and is eating better without my help, phew! She seems to like the fd treats too. Next batch of soupie I'll add more egg shell and decrease the amount of liver, I think I was adding too much. Her next mix will be lamb and chicken with beef and pork slivers.
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