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Post by mjbez on Apr 9, 2015 13:55:04 GMT -5
Just checking in Mel, can you do up a menu? Is everything OK?
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Post by mjbez on Apr 10, 2015 11:26:37 GMT -5
I apologize I hadn't checked in for a few days, I have been super sick and just laid around all week. Are they still eating their soupies and com raw OK?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2015 21:44:43 GMT -5
I had begun this reply to you several days ago, then got sidetracked...
So they can lose up to 1/3 their weight? Annie weighs 1 lb 10 oz; she has lost another ounce. I checked and she weighed 1 lb 15 oz when I started working with you back in June. Her energy level is about the same. I had posted a menu about a month ago but didn't hear anything about it. It has changed slightly as I'm giving them an egg yolk each on Sun. pm to help with shedding. Which I'm not seeing much of anymore. My horses shed for weeks, but I'm wondering how long it takes a ferret to shed out.
Monday is NV duck for am & pm Tuesday is NV rabbit am & pm Wed. is NV chicken am & pm Thurs. is egg in the morning, Rad Cat chicken or turkey in the pm Fri. is NV duck am and pm Sat. is NV rabbit am and pm Sun. is NV chicken am, egg yolk pm for now, then will go back to NV chicken pm, probably in the next week. I give Wysong FDR rabbit or chicken sometimes as treats(they both like it dry, in chunks, they;ll gnaw on a piece till it's gone, don't like it wet, don't like the quail. I am going to buy a container of Rad Cat lamb today as they will sometimes eat this, but inconsistently.- I've gotten a few sample containers they have eaten, bet when I buy some they won't eat it anymore......
Sidetracked again...
Tonite I had bought a piece of beef shank for my 16 yr old cat's birthday; I mushed up some of the marrow with some baby food-both ferrets ate it,and I got Annie to eat a tiny piece all by itself
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Post by mjbez on Apr 16, 2015 16:03:49 GMT -5
Last menu you posted I didn't take as a final menu since you were still talking about adding a few other things. For Annie's weight they can lose quite a bit from winter to summer. That is normal. Her being 5 ounces lighter than last summer is a bit more than I would expect. However, if she is eating and has normal energy levels this may just be her raw weight. It wouldn't be unusual to lose a bit on raw. 1lb 10oz is a smaller female's weight. If she continues to lose but is eating, peeing, pooping normally I would do a vet check to rule out any other issues. Remember from day to day they can vary a little bit too. So weighing at different times and on different days can vary their weight by a little (an ounce or 2)
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Post by mjbez on Apr 16, 2015 16:05:11 GMT -5
I think Thursday should be Turkey. You are feeding chicken, duck and rabbit. That is 3 proteins but more is better. So if you can get a couple meals of Turkey that would be good.
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Post by mjbez on Apr 16, 2015 16:06:35 GMT -5
My ferrets shed for a few weeks typically.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2015 9:30:23 GMT -5
Annie, the "more adventurous" eater of the two, will happily eat turkey or rad cat lamb(with some salmon oil drizzled on top these days, Sophie will only eat the turkey with baby food mixed in. Are you saying turkey or lamb one meal a week, or more than one?
I think I saw somewhere that frozen hearts will begin to lose their taurine content after a while. I need to make more soupie and am wondering if I should just go get more duck hearts; the ones I have are at least 7 months old. And what about liver? Does that keep longer? I have quite a bit of calf liver left also.
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Post by mjbez on Apr 27, 2015 14:53:18 GMT -5
Right now you are mainly feeding 3 proteins. So for the turkey and lamb it would be nice to feed each a couple times a week. You could start with 1 until Sophie starts accepting them better. Slowly decrease the baby food. But realistically a little added won't hurt if that's just how she will take it. If you could feed the chicken, rabbit, duck, lamb and turkey that is a really nice variety! I would think 7 months is pushing it. I would buy fresh. I'm curious with the good thing u have going with the com raw why u want to also make soupie? (I'm not saying don't, just Curious). I think the liver would be ok.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2015 19:06:35 GMT -5
I made more soupie to use as "gravy" for the NV. When Sophie eats it, it gets packed down and after a while she just gives up, leaving a bunch in the bowl. I can keep adding water to mix it up but then it gets too dilute. I also read that one person makes soupie, doesn't completely puree it and that's the way she got her ferrets to eat meat.
If I feed the Rad Cat 2 or 3 times a week those days they won't get much calcium, just what they can get from the eggshell. That's OK? I'm not giving them the vitamin D supplement any longer. I'm having a major problem with ants this year, I found them in the food dishes yesterday morning. The diatomaceous earth is not helping at all. Someone said it's harmful for ferrets if they ingest it which kind of limits where I can put it. Any thoughts?
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Post by mjbez on May 1, 2015 10:52:02 GMT -5
I have never had my NV get packed down. I do add water and mix it well. But using a gravy is fine too (just more work). Not fully blending a soupie is esentially the same as adding little pieces. But the step from there is more pieces and then to bone in pieces. Eggshell is fine for calcium - it just doesn't have all of the other necessary minerals that bone provides. But feeding it a few times a week is more than fine. Think if it as "boneless meals" that are fed. Not ALL meals need bone. But the nice thing with NV is it is balanced so there isn't the guessing of enough vs not enough bone and organs.
I don't know much about diatomaceous earth. When I had ants i bought the raid that lasts 2 weeks and sprayed where the ferrets could not get into it. (under doorways, around windows etc). I also bought some little ant traps and set them again in rooms the ferrets were not allowed. Ants are such a terrible pest! I hope you can find a safe solution.
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Post by mjbez on May 7, 2015 15:02:19 GMT -5
How is everything?
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2015 19:57:32 GMT -5
Interesting. I thought Annie's appetite had increased, but yesterday and today she has barely eaten anything unless I hold her and spoon feed her. Last thurs. I gave them their usual egg breakfast; I'm thinking Annie didn't eat much of hers but Sophie cleaned it up. I came home to poor Sophie having diarrhea all over the cage. This week I split one egg between the two but neither ate much. And tonite so far neither have eaten much. (Duck)
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Post by mjbez on May 15, 2015 11:10:36 GMT -5
Have you ever added egg to their meals instead of just egg? I always add an egg to say half the amount of duck. And mine love it that way without such messy poops!
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Post by mjbez on May 18, 2015 13:28:06 GMT -5
How is everything going? Are they all eating their variety?
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2015 21:24:17 GMT -5
They are eating duck, rabbit, chicken, Annie eats the lamb Rad Cat, Sophie eats the Rad Cat turkey under protest. They both eat Rad Cat chicken. Wish they made another meat. They won't eat egg mixed with anything; I bought more quail eggs last week; at least they are smaller. Annie isn't too keen on them tho. So Monday is NV duck am & pm, Tuesday is NV rabbit am& pm, Wednesday is NV chicken am, Rad Cat chicken PM(for both), Thursday is egg in the am, Rad Cat turkey (Sophie),Rad Cat lamb (Annie)PM, Friday NV duck,am & pm, Saturday NV rabbit am & pm, Sunday is NV chicken am & pm. They are eating small(slivers) of chicken or beef but I don't add this to all meals. I apologize that I haven't been as good about updating you, I have had a few "issues" that have kept me away from this. Annie continues to hunger strike; but her weight is holding at about 1 lb 9-10 oz. Occasionally I will hold her and spoon feed her a bit, but not often.
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