Jersey Girl's Switching Journal

[Deleted]

Charlie took a few steps back today in his progress.   He was eating without prodding or help (thick soupy with slivers) but today he needed to be finger fed.  We also had to do the meal in stages.  He'd eat a little walk away.  Come back eat a little more.  Then he took a nap and ate again.  He ate a little over 1oz at dinner.  It had to be warm, with no slivers and I had to add some chicken baby food in order for him to eat.

he was doing so well.  Is this normal?
He also  had very loose stools today but I think I didn't add enough bonemeal to the soupy yesterday.  I did add the correct amount plus a little more today to make sure he had enough.  I am waiting patiently for him to go.

Once I led Ty to the food he ate and Linus came right to the dinner spot and gobbled it up.  He at well over 2.5 oz tonight and another 2 this morning.

last question. I signed up for the mentoring program and while I am waiting should I create a switching three for myself or do I have to wait?  M keeping a notebook but I'd like to track everything here too.

[Deleted]

Sometimes they do seem to take a step backwards. He might not have been too hungry or just felt lazy. Plus being hand fed is fun and he gets to spend time with you. I wouldn't worry.

Starting your own switching journal is a good idea. All the Mentors will read it and offer help. Then when you get assigned a Mentor, you'll be a little farther along. You'll have a feel for how you're doing and what questions that you would like to ask.

You can also read some of the other Member/Mentor threads and see how they began and how each step works. GFountain has a knack for explaining things, (she is a teacher). Take a look at her intro on her switching threads. They are really helpful and she makes things so easy to understand.

[Deleted]

Thanks I checked out some of her posts and they are very helpful. I am going to keep a better journal. I have been measuring but it's hard to tell how many oz. each ferret eats. I measure out about 4-6 oz of soupie and put it on a plate. Watch them eat until it's gone. I do this twice a day. First thing in the morning and then around 5 pm. If they eat it all I add more.

I'm concerned about Charlie he was acting a little weird tonight. Running all around the house not with a purpose just roaming for no reason. Not normal. I put some raw chicken in the cage along with some soupie and I also put the kibble back in. If he's still acting weird tomorrow I am going to take him to vet. He may have insulinoma. It's hard for me to tell if there is thing wrong or if it's the stress from switching. Poop was a bit more solid tonight.

[Heather]

How is he acting weird? Insulinoma ferrets are often flat ferreting more than they should, staring off, staggering (this can sometimes just show as a misstep, which is why sometimes we miss it), lethargy, mouth pawing, tooth grinding...these are just a few of the symptoms.
ciao

[Deleted]

He's not staggering, not pawing at his mouth, not staring into space, not teeth grinding either. Gosh it's hard to describe. After he eats he runs runs runs all around the house. He's eating less. He ate about an ounce this morn. Poops were more solid than yesterday. I don't know maybe I'm just being hypersensitive. I am keeping a real close eye on him and may take him to the vet for my own peace of mind.

I just have a feeling something is just not right with him.

[Sherry]

All Judge was doing was flat ferreting a LOT more than normal. That combined with sleeping more I checked his BG. He was confirmed for insulinoma a couple months ago.

[Deleted]

I've seen Roamy do that Roaming behavior. Pun intended. In his case, it was right after we brought Mika home. He could smell the baby and he was hunting. He also did it again and it turned out we had a mouse in the house. He was hunting.

Trust your instincts, we know when something is not right. Keep an eye out on him. Ponce had Insulinoma and started sleeping more. We thought it was because he was almost seven. Then he would stare into space, completely blank out. Then he started staggering. It only lasted a few steps and he would be fine.

Charlie's behavior doesn't sound like any of that. Hopefully, you just have a mouse in the house.

[Deleted]

Me too! I hope it's just a mouse. It if is, I will have to have a conversation with my 4 cats. Lol

I know the flat ferreting as I did have a ferret that had insulinoma but he's not doing that either. Just running running running and not a play running. Like he's on a mission but doesn't know why.

He is sleeping more but I'm not sure if it's from the new diet or something is wrong. Just in case it is insulinoma I left raw food, kibble and soupy in the cage last night. No one touched it. If I remember correctly, ferrets that have it need to have access to food 24/7. Right?

[Deleted]

I just weighed him before his evening meal and he went from 1.11 oz to 1.10 oz. so that's fine. I strained his soupie, warmed it up and added a lot of water, He's not liking something. I think I made it too thin. I have a feeling he wants some chicken baby food in their which I don't have. Hubby is bringing it home. I know he loves that so I will add it to his bowl and slowly ween him off it until he is back on soupies.

He climbing our couch and trying to dig in it! A welcomed sign at the moment.

UPDATE:   Charlie is doing better.  He ate after I added some baby food to the soup.  I think I may have tried to ween him a little too fast and it was his way of telling me to slow down.  Poop looked normal for switching and he's climbing and playing now.  I feel so much better..

[kraesmom]

jerseygirl I think you might as well just use this thread as your switching thread. And yes...there will be some days where you wonder if all this is worth it because the fuzz are rebelling. It's okay and it is worth it. He'll get it eventually.

[Deleted]

Kraesmom okay. I'll do that. Is there a way to change the title of my thread so ppl know its a switching thread?

They are eating me out of house and home. In a day and a half they went through an entire lb of chicken. Last night I had to make another batch if soupy and didn't get to bed until 11:30. This batch totaled

2lbs 6oz of chicken thighs
3 oz of chix hearts
3oz of liver
3 tsp of bone meal. I added a little extra because I saw some loose stools yesterday evening.

This morning 2.6oz of soupy not including the water which brought it over 3oz to Linus and Ty. Linus must have smelled me coming (he's deaf) he was the first one up and waiting. Ty I had to lead to the bowl and they both finished everything on the plate including the chunks. I think tonight I am going to add slivers to their meal. I think Linus is ready for the next step with Ty close behind. Still warming it up.

Charlie got his own bowl this morning with about 9oz of soupy and 9oz of chix baby food without water. I also added some water and heated it up. He ate all of it. I plan on slowly adding less and less baby food until he is weened off it. He took a large step back so I am going to take more time with him. He is also my oldest at 7+. I also added a pinch of bonemeal to his food. Loose stool found this morning.

Very proud of my Linus. He started slow but he's in the lead now. He's getting chunky and I LOVE it. He's has also not nipped since the switch which is wonderful. He is a kiss, kiss, chomper at times.

Here are my questions

How does everyone,who has multiple ferrets, who are at different stages, proceed with the switch.
Does everyone get their own bowl?
Should I feed Ty and Linus from the same plate because they are close in progress?
Should I try adding another protein before I start the slivers? Which one?

Has anyone tried chicken feet? I saw them in the store the other day when I was searching for CGH, which they were out of

I am keeping Charlie separate b/c he is fond of this one dish and is far behind my other 2 boys.

[Deleted]

I'll change the title for you. What you would do is go Edit your Thread and change the title.

You asked about ferrets needing access to food 24/7. They do on kibble. Some ferrents on raw, put food out and then pick it up. I tend to leave food out, several of mine like an afternoon snack. I know that they get up in the middle of the night and snack. Mika also eats more at night, then in the daytime.

They are eating me out of house and home. In a day and a half they went through an entire lb of chicken. Last night I had to make another batch if soupy and didn't get to bed until 11:30. This batch totaled

2lbs 6oz of chicken thighs
3 oz of chix hearts
3oz of liver
3 tsp of bone meal. I added a little extra because I saw some loose stools yesterday evening

They will slow down. Right now, they are making up for lost nutrients.
I'm not great at math, but I think you need to adjust the recipe.
If you are using 2lbs 6oz of chicken then you need 4 3/4oz of hearts and 4 3/4 oz of liver. gfountain, you're the teacher. mjbez, so are you.
What I'm saying is that the basic soupie recipe calls for 8oz of chicken 1-2 hearts and 1/2 liver, so adjust the amount of organs to the extra amount of chicken. Your bone powder seems fine.

How does everyone,who has multiple ferrets, who are at different stages, proceed with the switch.

I would sit with each one and watch how they ate. I didn't record it, just made a mental note. Mine rarely eat at the same time or out of the same plate. They all get up and want breakfast about half an hour later and it takes about half an hour to get all fed, in the beginning of the switch.

Dinner was about the same. Dinner is around six p.m. So, it was just a matter of some supervision, some spoon feeding and some coaxing. Mika was my worst with bones and lagged behind everyone else. Now, I just eye it and make sure that I have seen everyone eat and that Juliet and Wynstan haven't stashed it all, before the others get to eat.

Does everyone get their own bowl?

I use flat plates. They eat a little better. Instinctively, they don't like having their line of sight interrupted and I also think they don't like their whiskers to touch the bowl. But, no I use one plate, it's just rare for them to eat at the same time.

Should I try adding another protein before I start the slivers? Which one?

I'd wait until they are eating slivers. For your next protein, when your guys are ready, I would do something similar and mild. Cornish Game hen and Quail are good choices.

Has anyone tried chicken feet? I saw them in the store the other day when I was searching for CGH, which they were out of

My Mentee @danilutka has a boy Loki, who is gaga over chicken feet. I haven't tried them yet, but she has me convinced they will be a fun treat. I have to go to Nashville to find them. For a small rural town, we are lacking in organs and anything slightly exotic. Maybe that's because we have more cows than people and cows don't eat chicken feet. Even though cows want us to (Chick Fil A commerical

[gfountain]

Sept 17, 2014 16:04:04 GMT -5 @poncesmom said:

They will slow down. Right now, they are making up for lost nutrients.
I'm not great at math, but I think you need to adjust the recipe.
If you are using 2lbs 6oz of chicken then you need 4 3/4oz of hearts and 4 3/4 oz of liver. gfountain, you're the teacher. mjbez, so are you.
What I'm saying is that the basic soupie recipe calls for 8oz of chicken 1-2 hearts and 1/2 liver, so adjust the amount of organs to the extra amount of chicken. Your bone powder seems fine.

That's correct.  And for that amount of chicken, the egg shell should be about 2 1/3 tsp.

[Deleted]

Thank you for the correct amount gfountain! Math and I are NOT friends, not really on speaking terms either I added a bit more bc the stools have been loose. Is that okay?

Now my boys all eat at the same time. I take them out around 4 and they want to eat right away. I have been sitting with them while they munch just to make sure everyone is eating enough. I also leave the plates on the floor until bed time and replenish as needed. They do usually go back after a nap eat more.

I gave Linus some chicken slivers tonight, about 4. He ate them right up. So proud of him, my special boy. Ty I had to scruff and stuff but he ate it and gave me a face like that wasn't so bad, it's tasty! I will continue with the chicken and keep my eye out for CGH or quail which I haven't seen in my grocery store. I also don't have an Asian market either. Next time I'm in the city I'll pick some up. I did see tongue but I could not bring myself to get it. I'm not there yet. It was huge.

Charlie is still lagging way behind. He needs prodding and eats in small bursts. I sit with him and guide him back to the dish when he thinks he's done. I'm always like one more bite just one more. He ate about 2.5 ounces(not counting the water) of soupie and baby food combined.

Yikes, I will alter my recipe. I only added 3oz of each liver and heart. Thanks so much everyone. I really appreciate it and I am having so much fun learning from you and watching my little ones discovery new tasty treats.

[gfountain]

Charlie may need prodding but 2.5 ounces of soup in one meal is not bad!