|
Post by racheld on Oct 9, 2014 16:54:34 GMT -5
Okay. I gave him a rabbit leg and he ate a bit of that. Not a lot but I think he got frustrated with having to chew chunks again. Lol If he keeps being really stubborn like this I might consider doing whole grinds from Hare Today.
|
|
|
Post by katt on Oct 9, 2014 20:21:38 GMT -5
Okay. I gave him a rabbit leg and he ate a bit of that. Not a lot but I think he got frustrated with having to chew chunks again. Lol If he keeps being really stubborn like this I might consider doing whole grinds from Hare Today. The stubbornness thing can absolutely, 100% be overcome given enough time and persistence, it's really just comes down to how long you can tolerate chopping the meat. I know it can be hard for some more squeamish people esp vegans but you have come so far and are doing a great job! I really, really encourage you to keep pushing as long as you can stand it (you can do it!!!! ) BUT I also respect your decision if you do eventually decide to default to the grinds. He'd still be getting a balanced raw diet, but you would need to brush his teeth regularly as he wouldn't be getting any of the dental benefits. It sounds to me like right now his issue is largely with having to chew - so let's make him chew! Give more rabbit chunks and GP chunks and get those chompers working. Remember how excited you were when he ate his first bone in rabbit chunk? Focus on that and channel that progress and excitement! As much as possible, don't give him the option to NOT chew. I also think that here soon you should consider re-testing poultry - it would give you some more bone in chunk options without the chopping up a prey item factor. It's up to you though, follow your gut. I do think that at this point we need to get him chewing big chunks and bones FIRST, then re-approach the whole prey. Remember a while back when I said there's multiple approaches? Well let's give Your stomach a bit of a break (on the mice at least) and try a different approach. ?
|
|
|
Post by racheld on Oct 9, 2014 22:00:01 GMT -5
Well, he's with his petsitter and his meals are all pre-portioned now, so I can't do anything either way until the 20th. I'll be thinking about it though. I'm frustrated because Jackie and I worked with him for a looong time and never got him eating chunks very well, and it *feels* like it's going about the same this time (even though I know that's not really true.
|
|
|
Post by racheld on Oct 9, 2014 22:01:50 GMT -5
I also feel like, as he gets older and with his insulinoma, getting him to eat with regularity should be the priority, you know?
|
|
|
Post by katt on Oct 11, 2014 11:56:08 GMT -5
Yes him eating regularly IS a priority, but that doesn't mean we can't get him onto chunks. It's all about being more stubborn than he is. You have seen him eat a nice big chunk of rabbit leg - you know he can do it. He's just being spoiled and lazy. We can pull him through this. I know that the vegan-squeamishness is a complicating factor and I understand if ultimately that wins out, but I really do encourage you to push forward if you can! Is there perhaps someone that could help you out by pre-chopping all of the prey for you so all you have to do is grab chunks? (With the ultimate goal of course being eventually not chopping them at all bc he'll eat them whole. )
|
|
|
Post by racheld on Oct 19, 2014 20:51:48 GMT -5
Okay. So Remus did well with his whole prey meals while I was gone and he did pretty well with guinea pig tonight. So I DO want to keep him on whole prey ('want' being used extremely loosely ) I'm just not sure how to go about getting him on mice. I'm so tired of chopping them up--they smell HORRIBLE. And since they're a protein I can get for free they might be what makes whole prey doable. So HOW do I convince him that mice are a delicious treat?
|
|
|
Post by racheld on Oct 21, 2014 20:41:30 GMT -5
Checked his weight this morning and he was at 1.04kg. At the vet before I left for my trip (10/16) he was at 1.05, so he seems to be holding pretty steady. His energy seems well. He's been mostly getting frankenprey rabbit and whole prey guinea pig. I really need some guidance on getting him to eat mice. I don't think whole prey will be financially possible for me if I can't get him eating them.
|
|
|
Post by katt on Oct 22, 2014 1:21:16 GMT -5
Well I'm going to assume that live isn't an option for you BUT if you have someone else who might be wiling to supervise a hunt, often letting them hunt kicks in those instincts and when they make a kill they will eat it. I know you won't want to do this, but maybe a friend? Just throwing it out there - it doesn't work for all ferrets, but it is successful for many people.
Otherwise I would try doing ONLY mice for a while. Hand feed him, monitor his intake carefully, mix them in a little egg perhaps or some oil. If he wasn't insu I would really push this, but we have to be careful here too so watch him closely. If it is easier for you, maybe chop up a batch of mice all at once so they are already chunked and ready. You could even start with the mouse grinds if you have any left - feed him ONLY mouse grinds for a while until he eats it more willingly (this is going to take some hand feeding for a while). When he'll take the mouse grounds on his own, then up it to chunks.
|
|
|
Post by racheld on Oct 22, 2014 2:28:05 GMT -5
I'm not comfortable doing live feeding, and I ended up getting rid of my ground mouse because it smelled SO bad that every time I opened that gallon baggie I was gagging. I can chop up a bunch though, or ask a friend to help. Should I mix chopped mouse with chopped guinea pig to start?
|
|
|
Post by katt on Oct 22, 2014 13:17:35 GMT -5
I'm not comfortable doing live feeding, and I ended up getting rid of my ground mouse because it smelled SO bad that every time I opened that gallon baggie I was gagging. I can chop up a bunch though, or ask a friend to help. Should I mix chopped mouse with chopped guinea pig to start? Sure, he may try to pick around it that way so hand feed him some GP covered mouse bits if you can. I'm hoping that by chopping a bunch of mice all at once you can get it over with for a few days at least and it will be easier on you. How are you with the chunks once they are smashed up?
|
|
|
Post by racheld on Oct 22, 2014 14:48:48 GMT -5
Once the deed is done it's no big deal. I will do a couple tonight and chop the guinea pig I have portioned into little chunks as well. What's a good starting ratio?
|
|
|
Post by katt on Oct 22, 2014 15:02:31 GMT -5
Um try 1/3 and see how he acts. I suspect he's going to be a brat about it. We're going to put him on the fast track and really push him though. If he doesn't mind the 1/3 ratio we can be sort of gradual, but if he does mind then he's going to be a brat no matter what and we will actually UP the ratio and get some serious hand feeding involved.
|
|
|
Post by racheld on Oct 22, 2014 20:38:03 GMT -5
Cut up the mouse and the guinea pig tonight, I'll try that mix in the morning. I just took him out and did his carafate dose and he seems to be tooth grinding a lot and tried chewing on my laptop cord for the first time ever...I *think* it might just be his lip bothering him? But I'll try to get a better look in his mouth later on. Naima had mouse tonight and he's sniffing her bowl all over. A good sign, maybe?
|
|
|
Post by racheld on Oct 22, 2014 21:30:52 GMT -5
Last time I ordered whole prey guinea pigs I got the smallest ones because I wanted him to be able to manage the bone, but larger ones end up being less expensive per pound. Do you think there would be enough edible bone in a large-ish guinea pig that I could get those instead? www.hare-today.com/index.php?cPath=23_53 here's the info about 'em
|
|
|
Post by racheld on Oct 23, 2014 9:06:52 GMT -5
Remus did pretty well with his mix this morning. He ate about half of what I gave him without me needing to handfeed. It was hard to tell what was what though, because the mouse and the guinea pig both have white fur. Next time I will use black mice so I can tell the difference!
|
|