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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 13:34:44 GMT -5
So we had a pretty big scare today. While I was at the library with my girls my husband cleaned out the ferret enclosure and fed the babies. After he started on some house cleaning. When I got home I peaked in on them and noticed Lulu laying on her back and she was clawing at her mouth and her head and chest was wet and looked pink. We rushed in and and checked her and she had a pieces of chicken bone wedged in the roof of her mouth. Thank god Brian didn't care about getting bit. I couldn't grasp it with my finger so I got a pair of tweezers and was able to get a hold of it. With a little gentle wiggling we got it out. She had tears in her eyes. I guess it sounds dumb but I didn't know ferrets could cry. Anyway, we gave her a second and I rubbed her little jaw some then we scuffed her and opened her mouth so I could check for wounds. The roof of her mouth is fine, and her tongue looks fine as well. I don't know where all of the blood came from. I just checked her paw as I was typing this, thinking maybe she cut them trying to get it out, but they look fine as well. Anyway. Scared to death and she is okay now. We have he a rise off in the sink with nice warm water to get the blood and slobber off of her and she is cuddling with her brothers now. Is this a common occurrence when they are first learning to eat bone?
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Post by katt on Jan 25, 2015 3:52:20 GMT -5
Aww poor girl! And poor you guys. The blood moght have been from the marrow, or her gums if she scratched them either with her paw or thr bone piece. How big are the bone pieces right now? If they are eating the pieces well, make the bone pieces bigger. That will force them to chew more and break the pieces into smaller bits on their own. It isn't that uncommon for them to get a piece stuck in their teeth, but usually they can get it out on their own. Think of how annoying it is to have a big popcorn kernel stuck in your gums, but then imagine not having dexterous hands with opposable thumbs to pick it out. Some ferrets just panic when they can't get the bone out right away. Because she isn't as used to bones yet, maybe it freaked her out extra - or maybe it was just a particularly uncomfortable, badly stuck piece. It can be scary when it happens, but usually they can get it out on their own. With anything there are risks - ferrets have choked on kibble and died. It can definitely be scary when you are switching to something new though and it's unfamiliar territory. As she gets better at eating bones she will get more used to it - and honestly it DOES happen they they get bone stuck between their teeth, but they can almost always get it out themselves (how else would they make it in the wild? ). They always welcome help though. I think I've only ever had to help my boys unstick a piece of bone twice ever, maybe 3x, between the two of them. Deep breaths! I'm sorry you had a scary day. *hugs to you and your girl*
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2015 20:02:25 GMT -5
Thanks for the reassurance. They are still doing fine. We are sticking with the meal schedule and things are going pretty smooth.
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Post by katt on Jan 28, 2015 2:44:20 GMT -5
Just realized how many typos were in my last post. *facepalm* lol That's what I get trying to reply on my phone so late at night. How are they doing with the bone bits, did you try smashing them up a little less so they are bigger pieces?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 16:23:46 GMT -5
They are doing good. We are still doing the bones small. I think this week we will start going a little bigger.Other than that nothing new to report. Brian is working on making a feeding den for them.
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Post by katt on Feb 2, 2015 2:32:13 GMT -5
Nice! For the feeding den, the easiest thing to do is get a big can of peaches and empty it out (yum!), remove the label and rinse. Then put he can open-side down on a hot oven burner and once it's hot, take it (use oven mitts obviously lol) and press it into the side of the bin. It will make a perfectly ferret sized hole that is conveniently also the same size as the ferret tunnel attachments! How is BigBoy doing with the bones? How are they all doing with heart? Organs?
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Post by katt on Feb 13, 2015 22:27:17 GMT -5
Checking in
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Post by katt on Feb 18, 2015 19:53:02 GMT -5
Checking in
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2015 11:38:15 GMT -5
I'm sorry I haven't updated. Still getting used to school. Babies are doing good. We back slid a little, but it's our fault, not theirs. They are still getting fine crushed bones and doing well with it. We haven't gone to larger bones just because we don't have as much time right now to sit and watch them eat. I know I need to get over it, but I guess I'm still paranoid after that incident with Lu.
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Post by katt on Feb 20, 2015 11:09:18 GMT -5
I understand, it's a perfectly normal reaction. Just remember - they are very well equipped to handle bones. It's what they are built for. You can't watch them 24/7 - are you still leaving food available to them at all times? They need to have food available 24/7 - ferrets have very short digestive times and while raw sustains them longer than kibble, they still need to be able to eat when they get hungry during the day. Start smashing the bones up a little bit less every week. Take it nice and slow for them and for you. Watch to make sure they are eating, but start practicing walking away.
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Post by katt on Feb 20, 2015 16:54:33 GMT -5
I had a scare with bone (duck neck) and rushed Zekrom to the emergency vet (I posted on FB and it's in my switching thread) and was freaked to start bone again. I used quail first to get his (and my) confidence back and all the babies are doing great with all bones now(except I'm not doing necks just yet). (shy) Ferretmomma asked me to pass this on to you. Can you get Quail in your area? The bones are really tiny so maybe you'd feel a bit more comfortable starting with that and working up as you and the ferrets get used to the bones. Cornish Game Hen is also a good source of little bones that tends to be easy to find at most grocery stores.
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Post by katt on Feb 23, 2015 7:17:21 GMT -5
Checking in
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Post by katt on Feb 27, 2015 22:58:34 GMT -5
Checking in
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 12:15:29 GMT -5
SO we seem to be doing okay. We really got off course as whole family the last two weeks.My son and his girlfriend just moved up here with us a couple of weeks ago. Its been wonderful, but even busier and more chaotic than ever.This past week ferret feeding has been a Hodge-podge of whatever is on hand. Our fridge went out and we lost a lot of food, including the ferrets Tupperware prep for the week. So its been liver one day, breasts the next ,beef another day. I know its not the best situation, but things will be back on track this week. They have been getting some bone and doing fine with it. my fears have been eased and we are getting them back to where they need to be.I feel really bad because I feel like we haven't made and forward movement with them lately,like they have been on the back burner so to speak.Today I have plans for them though, so hopefully I can get them and the rest of the family back on track.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2015 10:05:12 GMT -5
As of the last few days, we have been having a new problem. For some reason BigBoy is trying to steal everyones food. Puddin doesn't mind because he just grabs another piece from the bowl and continues on. However Lulu gets fightin mad. She starts hissing and what sounds like actual growling. She has even started fighting him for it. Is this normal? What is the best way to handle it?
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