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Post by gfountain on Nov 15, 2014 10:20:05 GMT -5
How is Piper doing?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2014 23:10:55 GMT -5
Hey, sorry about the delay. She's been eating sporadically at best. We've been cutting her meat into more manageable cubes (like the smaller ones she was familiar with), and presenting her with shattered bits of bone. Interestingly, she's been known to chomp a little bone and to chew a little marrow. But for the most part, she doesn't eat much at all of her meat. We know she's hungry, because she searches the apartment all day looking for food. Also, when she does eat her meat, she neglects it until it becomes ferret jerky, and then devours it >
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Post by gfountain on Nov 16, 2014 10:55:49 GMT -5
It's good that she's accepting a little bit of bone, but if she's not eating much, you need to keep an eye on her weight, activity, and poops. They really need to eat very little on raw. It could be that she's to the point where she settles into a regular smaller amount of food. Check her weight again and post it here. I don't want her to be losing. That said, Slinkee eats hardly anything when I serve it fresh. He prefers to leave it until it's old and yucky, usually eating it just before I serve the next meal, silly boy.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2014 12:26:47 GMT -5
Baby girl came in at 1 pound, 5.2 ounces. Her activity level overall is still quite high; she's getting into the recycling as I write this Her poops are as they have been since the start of raw. I guess we overreacted a little. We were just so used to her putting it all away (shy)
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Post by gfountain on Nov 16, 2014 14:52:36 GMT -5
She's down a few ounces, not a lot. But if activity & poops are still good, then we won't worry yet. Keep pushing those chunks and bones. If she's eating tiny bones, then make them a TINY bit bigger next time and just keep increasing. Every once in a while, try giving her a whole bone and see if she'll take it. Did you ever find any wing tips? Are poops still formed? If not, sprinkle a little eggshell on her meats to firm them up. Get another dangling picture for me when you get a chance. I want to see her body shape now.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2014 0:42:20 GMT -5
Ta-da! Also, I did manage to find wing tips- the value size tray of wings at our supermarket sells whole wings! I gave her a wing tip just now for her to stash under her cage. Travis has noticed that she will crush bone, especially at night, if no one is watching. And fortunately, her poops are still formed.
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Post by gfountain on Nov 18, 2014 9:36:47 GMT -5
Some ferrets seem to prefer to eat without an audience. My first mentee's ferret was refusing chunks although she knew he was hungry and she was spending hours with him trying to get him to eat. One morning she got frustrated and just stuck him and his food in the cage and left the room. When she came back an hour later he was happily munching away, lol. One of my new boys doesn't like to eat with the others; he'll go eat while everyone else is playing so he can be alone. And he'll quit eating if he knows I'm watching him. You'll know she's eating it and not just stashing if her poops stay firmed up.
It's about time to start on organs. I remember that she already likes hearts (right?), so pick up some chicken livers to start with. She'll need another organ besides liver, so you might want to start looking now. Organs can be difficult to find.
She's moving right along. You guys are doing great!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2014 13:44:21 GMT -5
I'm kind of glad she's a private eater- this makes it very convenient for us to set her food out on our way out of the apartment, so she has plenty of time to nom before we get back and want to rile her up!
She already loves hearts! We still have chicken livers in the freezer from her soup, but luckily we have that great Korean supermarket nearby. I wish all ferrents had an H-mart nearby- I'll take pictures next time I'm shopping. I need to check your reference sheets on the first page of this thread before I go shopping though, to refresh which organs will make a good choice.
Thank you so much for being our mentor, Gina. You've really stuck with us; we're so lucky to have a teacher like you!
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Post by gfountain on Nov 18, 2014 14:47:45 GMT -5
It IS nice to be able to just leave food in the cage when you leave. I always feed them when they have to go back in the cage; that way eating doesn't have to take up any of their 'out' time, and they have something to do in there besides sleep. None of mine object to being put in the cage so I'm hoping they associate the cage with good things - food and comfy beds.
Any luck with that wingtip yet? Since you already have livers, let's go ahead and try her on them. Cut some slivers and mix them in with her normal chunks. Just be aware that the liver will give her darker, looser poops, sort of like tar, so don't be concerned when you see them. I forgot that you've got that great market near you. When you shop for other organs, start with small amounts. While we can get her to eat ANY organ, your life will be much simpler if you find which ones she actually likes and will eat readily. It's a real PITA to have to be constantly begging them to eat their food!
Thank YOU for sticking with this switch! So many people give up when it gets hard and you've really stuck with it, in spite of exams and homework. :thumbsup:
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2014 17:22:20 GMT -5
The first wing tip didn't get touched, even though we let her stash it for a nice long time in the hopes that it would become acceptable. I also took a mid-portion of a wing, chopped the meat up into chunks, smashed the ulna, and put a clean, whole little radius out to see what she would do with it. I'll let you know about the dissected mid-wing when I get home.
Yay, organs! (dance)
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Post by gfountain on Nov 19, 2014 19:49:20 GMT -5
I hope she ate it!! Fingers crossed...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2014 10:15:19 GMT -5
She totally ate it! There were a few large chunks that got stashed under the cage, but the bowl was otherwise clean. I've been noticing stripped pieces of bone strewn throughout the room- is it ok if she eats the marrow and fatty bits and leaves the hard, white shell?
We also left out another wing tip last night, just to see if there was any interest. She will probably stash it and leave it to rot, but since her bowl was empty, I thought she might try it if she got hungry.
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Post by gfountain on Nov 20, 2014 10:52:31 GMT -5
Good for her! She should be eating at least part of the 'shell', but it won't hurt if she leaves some. Mine will sometimes leave pieces that look like straws, lol. I just leave them in and they usually finish them off. As long as her poops are staying firm, she's getting enough calcium.
So since she ate that bony bit, keep pushing her. Keep cutting them for her if she needs it, but cut them a little larger each time.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2014 13:33:10 GMT -5
Great news! Piper nibbled on the ends of this tiny radius without it being cut! AND she ate a big chunk of the wingtip without any help!
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Post by gfountain on Nov 21, 2014 15:11:43 GMT -5
I can't see your pictures on my work computer, so I'll have to check them when I get home but... Yayyyy Piper!! :boing:
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