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Post by gfountain on Jan 3, 2015 16:17:31 GMT -5
Unfortunately, I have not remembered who it is in Chicago who found the good store. I've asked around and no one seems to know.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2015 22:11:06 GMT -5
They are still only eating chicken I haven't gone shopping for anything else. But they are eating chicken heart and liver, pork kidney and pork heart.
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Post by gfountain on Jan 4, 2015 1:04:29 GMT -5
Well, get to shopping, girl! Those babies need some variety, lol. ;P
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2015 11:32:10 GMT -5
I will ask a butcher today! Its just kinda annoying to figure out where to shop edit: I called a local butcher and he's able to get different organs for me, but I can't pick them up until next week because I have to call back on a certain day so they know what to keep for me. I don't know how much they'll charge though! also I mentioned getting lungs and he said that's illegal lol
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Post by gfountain on Jan 4, 2015 13:30:57 GMT -5
Illegal? That's weird. Hmm. But at least you CAN get some organs, yay! Also, figure out what protein you want to start next because they're ready to move on.
What are your plans for Sponge's diet? Being a senior and I'll, there is a good chance that he won't accept anything new, but if you want to try to switch him, we will.
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Post by gfountain on Jan 4, 2015 14:00:47 GMT -5
If you want to try to switch Sponge, we'll do it differently than the other two boys because of his age.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2015 16:47:48 GMT -5
Okay! Let's start next with Quail. I do want to try and switch Sponge, I was gonna start today and make him soupie and mix it with powdered kibble. What do you think? I also got some chicken baby food (ingredients are only ground chicken and chicken broth) and wanted to mix that with his Pred for his insulinoma. So we have to do it differently? I didn't want you to start all over with me again you've already helped me too much!
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Post by gfountain on Jan 4, 2015 17:43:07 GMT -5
Quail is a good choice.. New protein AND small bones. Do you have any yet?
Because of Sponge's age and health issues, we do need to approach his switch a little differently. He HAS to eat regularly, whereas Coco and Chanel could miss a meal without any harm. The best way to get him started is going to be by adjusting only the TEXTURE of his food right not. He's most likely going to resist any change, so the smaller the changes we make, the more willing he will be to try it. Understand? So what I want you to do for him is to start him on a kibble soup. No raw just yet, just mix some kibble with warm water and start there. Once he's happy with the soup texture, THEN we'll start adding raw soup, a tiny bit at a time.
Baby food really is very deficient nutritionally. Many (maybe even most) ferrets really like it, but there's really not much good in it, except for as a treat or a bribe. Or as you're planning, to get his meds down him. Make sure that he doesn't get those meds on an empty stomach!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2015 20:16:40 GMT -5
I will go buy a Quail tomorrow! It's already frozen.
Ah, okay, I understand. Right now he barely eats any Zupreem kibble from what I see. Just a few bites before he starts grinding his teeth. So maybe softer texture will help, I hope. Is is alright if I ground the kibble and mix warm water so it's like a paste?
Since I mentioned he barely eats kibble, I think he gets the meds on an empty stomach >_< I remember the vet telling me about giving him one of the meds on an empty stomach, but I forgot which one.
He's also suddenly stopped pooping as much. I haven't seen any new piles today. So I definitely think he isn't even eating the kibble.
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Post by gfountain on Jan 4, 2015 21:36:45 GMT -5
Teeth grinding usually means nausea or pain. That doesn't sound good. Poor guy. Yes ,grind the kibble and mix it with water. You can try mixing in a little oil if he likes it to encourage him to eat. What meds is he on? The pred is the one that will upset his tummy. Either mix it with something to give it to him or make sure he eats something before he takes it. He's insulin omit, so that means he HAS to eat and he has to eat often to keep his BG up. If he's not eating on his own, you're going to have to feed him by hand.
When you get the quail for the other boys, you're going to want to cut it into pieces about the size of the chicken chunks they've been eating. Try giving them each a whole wing and see how they do with those bones. They should be pretty small and soft.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2015 0:57:09 GMT -5
I think he likes it when I mix it with warm watere Right now he's on 3 meds : Pred, Sucrate, and Moxi. Exactly how many times should he be eating? Every 3-4 hours? I got Quail, rabbit, chicken thighs, more chicken hearts that I'll prepare in the morning, I'm letting it all defrost tonight! So, I know where I'll go for all the muscle meat and bone-in food! Just gotta find a butcher for organs.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2015 2:08:35 GMT -5
I just noticed---Chanel doesn't know how to rip and tear! I tried giving him a whole chicken heart and he licked at it and *tried* to rip it but he gives up and doesn't know what to do.
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Post by gfountain on Jan 6, 2015 14:10:19 GMT -5
Yes, he needs to eat often. If he'll eat from the dish and he's separated from the other boys, you can just leave that kibble soup out for him. If we successfully get him switched to raw soup, that will help stabilize his BG. Try to make his kibble soup fairly runny right now. He needs to stay hydrated and the soup will help with that. Once he's eating that texture happily, we'll start adding in a little bit of raw soup. Do you still have some made up? If not, go ahead and make some. Make sure everything is balanced and freeze it in ice cubes so it will be ready when Sponge is ready.
Good haul. Let's start the quail next like you said. Is it whole or already dressed? You'll want to cut it up into pieces the size the boys are eating. Try not to cut the bones TOO much. They're small and they should be able to handle them with no problem. Maybe give them the wings first. My kids always go for the wings before anything else, so they must be special.
Chanel's jaw is giving him problems with ripping. Try cutting some of his favorite meat into longer slivers and play tug of war with him. If you can get him to grab the meat in the back of his jaw and then tug it lightly, hopefully that will give him the general idea. It's hard to rip and tear when there's no resistance, so hanging the meat for him to pull on may help also.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2015 18:17:56 GMT -5
Okay, I will make some soupie for the old man for later on The quail was frozen and in a pack of 6 quails. I've never actually seen them, they are kinda cute... I can picture a ferret hunting one of them down they're the perfect size for them lol They are whole (except no heads and I even saw a bit of feathers on the wing tips). So do ferrets normally eat the ribs too? I'm trying to chop up the rabbit since it's whole too and I don't know if I need to chop the ribs? Luckily I just got some of those shower hooks you recommended. I'll hang some meat from them and see what happens!
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Post by gfountain on Jan 6, 2015 18:30:20 GMT -5
They'll eat the whole thing. There should be no need to chop any of the quail bones. Just cut it into chunks that they can handle.
The rabbit depends on the size of the bones. If they're bigger than they can handle, then yes, chop the ribs. Eventually, you should be able to give them whole, but until they get to that point, we have to just keep working up in size.
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