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Post by kraesmom on Jan 23, 2015 11:43:08 GMT -5
If he is a chewer, you're going to have to be VERY careful to keep things like the remote, rubber-handled tools, toothbrushes...whatever he *might* be able to get to...picked up and put away. Mine like to carry those things around, but don't chew them. @katt has a boy that will eat EVERYTHING and has had blockage surgeries multiple times. They are expensive, those surgeries...and dangerous for the fuzzies. Vacuum daily if possible if your dog creates so many chewy bits. You may also want to look into getting him a bed without additional stuffing (although they usually go for foam more than the poly filling or batting)
Fez may just be slowing down because he's growing up, maybe his body is telling him that he is meeting his nutritional requirements and doesn't need as much food. Or maybe a partial blockage. If it was a complete blockage, he wouldn't be eating/drinking at all. How have his poops been since the couch one?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 8:22:17 GMT -5
His poops have seemed fine, he's eating and drinking fine too. So I'm not sure. The couch one would have been awhile ago so he must be okay. He's not usually a chewer (definitely a digger!) but took an interest to the TV remote buttons.
I've started making him fleece/blanket hammocks now, cheaper, no stuffing to destuff, should be easier this way. Fingers crossed anyways haha.
I noticed it was cold again the past two days, and he ate all his food. I notice when it's "getting warmer" in the house because Fez goes back to sleeping in his litter box those times, but when it's colder he's in his hammock. Not sure if he's overly sensitive to the temperatures. Which is going to be tough for California!! It only fluctuates between 66 and probably 70-71 in my house those times he's slept in litter box. :S
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 24, 2015 11:28:00 GMT -5
Blech! Silly Fez. Wonder of you put a plastic bin in in there with a fleece pad at the bottom, if he'd sleep there instead?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2015 14:13:17 GMT -5
Maybe! That's a good idea, he's got several "litter boxes", but really only uses one, sleeps in the other, so I might when I clean them out tomorrow, only set one up as litter box, and leave the other with a blanket.. Or only half a blanket, I think it might be the cold plastic he wants to sleep on rather than fleece that he's got in all other spots of cage. Silly boy.
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Post by kraesmom on Jan 28, 2015 16:24:55 GMT -5
That sounds like a great idea. So...mentoring stuff: Please post your current weekly diet and Fez's weight How have his poops and energy been? Any challenges with getting him to eat anything? What proteins is he accepting of at this point?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 23:42:37 GMT -5
I've been trying to get around to replying but having some medical issues this week, sucks! My first thought today when they said i probably need to go to hospital was "No! My ferret cage is gross and needs a clean first before anyone can go over to feed him!" Haha.. But didn't end up in hospital so.. So far so good!
Anyways! Poops and energy just fine. He is sleeping a little more I've noticed this week again (got really really cold), I bring him out to play and he plays for very short time and heads back to sleep in his little kennel...
Usually he eats everything just fine, still only on chicken, pork, beef, deer, CGH, turkey.
So I noticed today that he has started to "stash" food in his cage in a spot.. What do I need to do about that? Do I take it away? Do I leave it and not offer next meal? Not sure why he's moved it from staying in his bowl.. I wonder if he's hiding it from my dog, even though he's outside of the cage and all. But anyways, he basically didn't eat any of his chicken wing breakfast, or the rest of the heart he got last night. It's all stashed.
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Post by kraesmom on Feb 5, 2015 8:07:19 GMT -5
I'm sorry you've been sick. Here's hoping you'll be feeling better soon! I leave the stash and give them the next meal. If that gets stashed too, I skip a meal and they usually eat it. Stashing is a very ferrety thing to do. Number of proteins are good. Please post a weight and your menu
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2015 10:54:58 GMT -5
He's never been a "stasher" haha, I guess now that he's slowed down on his eating.. Still hasn't touched the wing from yesterday morning! It's funny though. Cause he does his food dance routine when he waits for me to feed him. Like he puts his paws up on his bowl and bobs up and down waiting, but he's got food!
Do I need to give him a better place to stash the food? Right now he's stashing in a new hanging tunnel I put in the cage recently. I'll get back to you with his weight & menu later once I make it out of bed.
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Post by kraesmom on Feb 5, 2015 18:28:23 GMT -5
I would give him a den (opaque box or bin) to stash in for easy cleaning. There is nothing quite like "new" food
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Post by kraesmom on Feb 6, 2015 12:15:10 GMT -5
My feeding den actually hangs from the top of the cage. I used a black dishpan (around $2) and drilled tiny holes in the top lip of it on all 4 corners. I hang it from shower curtain hooks. Because I have 3 boys that were (supposed to be) sharing, I put two entrances to help traffic flow. I used a large empty peach can and set it on the stove to get hot. I used a pot holder to pick it up and the hot edge melted a perfect circle. I did it twice on one side of the bin. To clean it, I just have to lift the front edge off the hooks and it swings down for easy removal of debris and wiping. Bubby uses it regularly. Foster just eats at the bowl and Avery usually carries his off to the corner of the feeding shelf to eat. Bubby is also known to grab the food and try to stash it under my bed if the cage door is open. I can tell him to "put the chicken back" and he turns around and takes it back up to the feeding den. He laughs the entire time he's trying to carry the meat to the bed though, so at least I have a warning.
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Post by kraesmom on Feb 23, 2015 13:18:11 GMT -5
I'm checking in...it has been a while since you posted. Hopefully you are feeling better. Please post your complete menu and fez's current weight.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2015 14:31:58 GMT -5
Hi!
Sorry I haven't had a chance to post lately, the medical stuff/stress/doctors bills etc all got overwhelming. But we're getting back on track now, pain comes and goes but still no idea on what it is.
Anyways! Fez is doing well, he's eating much less now, so I'm trying to make his portions much smaller but the other night I managed to not only break one of his meat knives, but also sliced my finger! Yay!
I can't tell which meals he's preferring, just some meals he'll eat the entire thing, others he'll barely touch.
He's not stashing all of it either, some meals he takes down two levels to place under one of his hammock, and I've caught him occasionally just popping his head over the edge of his hammock and munching on the wing or whatever he's got! Food in bed, what a lazy boy!
I like your stash box, that's a good idea to keep things clean. I was given this little hanging tunnel thing, and that's where he's been putting a bit of food. It seems the food he puts in there he never touches again, not sure if he forgets about it, or that's just his "nope, don't want it" pile.
His weight has dropped very little, but at least now it's on the downward rather than rising higher. I've had a lot of people tell me how fat he is the past few months haha. I couldn't get him to stay still long enough last night for a good read, but it was around 3.37-3.40lbs. Last time I weighed him a few weeks ago he was just over 3.40lbs. So not much of a loss at all. Even though the much less eating.
He's also become a lot more cuddly, he chooses to fall asleep on the couch now cuddled up with with me and the dog rather than in his little kennel (most of the time anyways). I moved his cage out from the bathroom back to the kitchen and when I put him in it there (it's by two windows), he had a bit of a 'moment' adjusting to the changes, but he likes it now.
We're moving at the end of April, going to spend 2 weeks with my family in Arkansas and then making the move cross country. Unfortunately he's not going to have his big cage at all for quite awhile until I buy another one in LA. I feel bad, but we're gonna have to make it work in the meantime!
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Post by kraesmom on Mar 5, 2015 13:10:38 GMT -5
I'm so glad you checked in. I've been worried about you and Fez. Yes, now that we are coming up to spring, you'll see the appetite drop significantly. His weight may drop by as much as 40% as well. And he'll shed. A lot. All I can say is to keep an eye on his activity levels. As long as he is not lethargic or sickly, it's probably just his normal spring slim-down. My boys have been stashing more of their food and just not being enthusiastic about meals lately. I've started giving them the same amount (because the baggies are pre-portioned), but just feeding them once per day. Good luck with the move. I hope all goes well. Make sure to search posts for tips for living in CA with a ferret. I know we have had threads about that on here before. And I'd also have a plan B set up for Fez if possible in case you get stopped at the border. I'm worried about him.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2015 7:33:19 GMT -5
So once a day feeding is okay at the moment? I feel bad only feeding him once a day but that's how it's been the past week or so, and it seems to make him more enthusiastic about eating then. Still stashes a bit though. But my portions are still in the bigger amounts.
I think the hardest part for him on the move will be the several days of travel, and trying to keep his raw food good. :S
So, I took him to work yesterday on my day off, I wanted to show off his awesome fluffy husky feel/looking fur before he starts to shed it. They all still keep calling him fat haha. We have two adoption ferrets at the moment at work who are a few months younger than Fez, both female, but SUPER small compared to my little fat boy! Anyways, I've never introduced him to other ferrets before so I wanted to give it a try. Fez basically sniffed them for ages, they didn't care much for him but wanted to explore the room we had them in. Fez couldn't quite keep up with their speeds, but eventually he got more excited, I think, but he started biting on their necks and then started trying to drag them around.... There was barely any complaints from the other two ferrets, but I kept breaking them up. I know when we've had bigger ferrets in at work and then a new batch of tiny little young ones, that the big one will drag them around the enclosure, usually the little ones will be screaming though. What does this mean? Is Fez just a ferret-bully?
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Post by kraesmom on Mar 9, 2015 11:09:41 GMT -5
For the trip, I'd recommend Freeze Dried Raw. It doesn't have to be refrigerated. You can just crumble it up and add a bit of warm water. It is expensive, but nothing beats it for convenience at times like this. It's also good to have some in your emergency kit in case of a power outage. Eating once per day is fine, as long as he's getting enough food overall.
As far as Fez with the girls goes...if they aren't peeing, pooping or bleeding, I'd let them work it out. The more you interfere, the longer it will take for everyone to establish the pecking order. I don't think he's being a bully unless the other ferrets seem really distressed by his behavior.
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