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Post by RedSky on Feb 17, 2015 19:18:04 GMT -5
With the organ and chick meal I am planning on feeding the organs at tea time so around 6pm then giving them their chicks just before we go to bed, so probably around 11pm. I'm hoping that will be enough time for them to eat the organs but since the organs won't be a full meal they should be hungry before morning. Maybe feeding just one chick for them to share (fight over) will be enough. I can play around with it, and if need be feed a later breakfast the next morning too.
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Post by acodlin on Feb 19, 2015 11:11:42 GMT -5
Sounds like a plan. How is everyone doing?
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Post by RedSky on Feb 19, 2015 12:08:43 GMT -5
Mako has lost 2oz again, Bolin has lost another 0.5oz while Korra is holding steady. Mako didn't eat much of the organs for tea so I hand fed him, he ate about an oz. He and Bolin shared half a cage overnight with 2 chicks, both were gone this morning and they were happily sharing one while I was doing the night litter box clean. This morning they both had runny stools. Korra is the only one who has much interest in exploring and acting like normal (although normal for her is painful on my hands), the boys have found a spot and curled up and gone to sleep. Bolin went to sleep as soon as he came out, Mako took about 20 minutes of wondering around, following me but no interest in playing or properly exploring. So all in all I'm a little worried about the boys. Mako also keeps begging and trying to steal what every I'm eating while he's awake. He's desperate for some carbs, I keep telling him to go eat his meat.
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Post by acodlin on Feb 20, 2015 9:54:47 GMT -5
I'd try feeding them something with some bonemeal powder in it. You guys haven't been sick recently have you? The flu has been nasty this year and a lot of ferrets have gotten it. Is there something in particular Mako likes to eat raw wise?
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Post by RedSky on Feb 20, 2015 18:05:21 GMT -5
No we haven't had the flu, luckily. Mako likes the same as the others but just not as much, he doesn't go back into the cage to eat (mind you it's rare the others do too). His favourite seems to be chicks, but he also likes heart, hand fed soup and mice. I might start swapping his block meal for a mouse a few times a week. I took some photos but having trouble uploading. I'm really worried about his loss around his waist. Everywhere else is fine. I have realised that I have made an error when weighing just Mako, I put the scale on the carpet, I think the softness is offsetting the scale a bit. I will weigh him on a hard surface tomorrow. In this one he doesn't look bad. On the floor (you can see he goes in around his back end, I can feel his spine and hips) One showing a closer look at his back end. I took loads but I am having trouble uploading them. My OH said he thinks it looks more like muscle wastage than weight loss as he still has a bit of a tummy. I can't understand why he would be losing muscle though, he is out of the cage for about 5 or 6 hours a day most days. Although he does sleep a lot of that time. Could it be something other than losing weight and being bullied by Korra? Korra is now kept separate over night, she is allowed out with them during the day but I put sudocreme on Mako's neck. I can't put it on too often though as Bolin licks it.
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Post by acodlin on Feb 23, 2015 17:45:57 GMT -5
It might not be a bad idea to have Mako checked out by a vet. His weight loss could be because he's depressed over being bullied, it could be that he's changing seasons.. they drop a lot of weight once they think winter is over. It could be some sort of illness..He is pretty thin around the hips. How much does he usually weigh for his summer weight?
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Post by RedSky on Feb 25, 2015 3:21:09 GMT -5
He's recently been, the vet thinks it's just due to stress and being beaten black and blue all because of Korra. I've been keeping them separate except for playtime and then he has sudocreme on his neck. She has started to leave him alone more but now seeks out Bolin instead. Bolin puts up more of a fight though so I'm hoping it will work out better. If he doesn't start picking back up I'm happy to take him again. I have no idea how thin he normally is in the summer, nor what his weight should be. He looked a little better this morning, it was mice last night and he LOVES mice.
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Post by RedSky on Feb 26, 2015 3:56:34 GMT -5
They have all pretty much stopped eating in a morning. They will take a little bit if I hand feed while holding them. Mako and Bolin are a little more interested than Korra, often she will just bite me instead of taking the food. I've been leaving them in the cage and putting them back more often in the hopes that they will have something to eat but often they just have a drink each and then want to come back out. They are still eating about 5oz over night (Korra having about an oz or 2).
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Post by RedSky on Feb 26, 2015 18:02:43 GMT -5
I've been talking to another member about Korra and the boys and we got onto talking about Mako's loss around his back end and how he's doing with eating and I've realised when they don't eat in a morning it's usually the mornings that I have fed the blocks of meat. They just don't seem to like it. It was all fine and dandy at the start but now they aren't interested unless I hand feed it and even then they don't take much. I think they struggle to eat it as they try to lick it, but it's not runny enough and it doesn't mix well with water. I either need to teach them to eat it properly, mix it with something that will take on water or stop offering it. I'm going to reduce their morning feed to about 2oz between the three of them, Korra separated unless I'm supervising, feed them the same thing again in the afternoon (2 or 3oz) and then their evening meal just before I go to bed. As it is they aren't eating their morning meal, or only just a little bit of it and then eating a larger evening meal so I'm worried their diet isn't going to be balanced. Maybe I'm over thinking it.
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Post by acodlin on Feb 27, 2015 19:36:30 GMT -5
Can you take the block and mix it with a bit of water and throw it in a food processor or blender for a few seconds to mix it?
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Post by RedSky on Feb 28, 2015 6:39:14 GMT -5
I could try but I'm worried the bits of bone will damage the blender. They are just having the natures menu blocks at the moment, which they used to have but I think they prefered the blocks that I got from DAF before. I need to clear out the freezer a bit more before I order them some more and since they eat so little it will take a while. Still not having any luck with the duck wings, I'm going to chop them up as normal and pour some salmon oil over them and see if that helps. I tried them in much bigger pieces last time and Korra had a good chew but the boys ignored theirs.
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Post by acodlin on Feb 28, 2015 16:11:49 GMT -5
If you use a food processor it shouldn't be an issue. I've used it to mix organs into my grinds that didn't have any.
Try some chicken wings if you can get them, they are smaller and they will be more likely to chew them.
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Post by RedSky on Feb 28, 2015 17:32:11 GMT -5
Ok, I'll give the blender a go. They ate their beef one fine, about a teaspoon left from over 4oz.
We're going to the supermarket tomorrow, I will have a look to see if they have any. Last time I went to the local one they didn't have wings, just drumsticks and thighs. I think the bones in those will be too big.
They ate their chicken carcass today, just left the thicker bone (think the breast bone???) but ate the neck and ribs. It even had a half of each kidney (I think) left on it. I didn't add any extra meat like last time as it was better covered and with the pheasant leg the other day they left the bone (and foot) but completely stripped off the meat. I'm going to smash it up a bit next time, but maybe the bones I'm giving them are too thick? It was only about 1cm in diameter. What do you think? Do they just need more practice or am I expecting too much of them?
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Post by acodlin on Feb 28, 2015 17:53:50 GMT -5
I think you need to start off with smaller bones and work up to the bigger ones. They have to build jaw strength. Your butcher doesn't happen to sell quail or cornish game hens? Little chickens? Their bones are much easier to chew.
Sounds like they did good with the carcass!
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Post by RedSky on Mar 1, 2015 16:56:57 GMT -5
Our local butcher doesn't have anything other than chickens now, earlier this year they had pigeon (I have one somewhere in the freezer but it's such a mess I haven't been able to dig it out) and pheasant (I have some sectioned up into meals). I'm going to walk into town tomorrow and order a pack of 24 quail from the petshop (for £45 does this seem like a good price?). Hopefully they will do better with those. I can't find anywhere to just get one or two from to try so I'm just going to go for it.
I'm feeding 2oz in a morning, 2oz afternoon/evening and 4oz for overnight. At the moment they are doing better with eating, the morning and afternoon meal is the same type (or often the exact same thing). I need to rework the menu as I've completely run out of the balanced blocks and I think the Natures Menu blocks are just bone in (no organs).
I'm planning on cleaning out the freezer tomorrow, I need to sort it out. See what I need to throw (stuff that was for Cookie), what they can have and what I need to portion up for them.
Do you think they could chew on a turkey neck? Or a trotter (more like a pig leg, most go past the knee joint)? I think their is a full turkey leg too and other larger bits. And a massive bag of tripe! I don't know anyone who feeds their dog raw so don't know what to do with any of it.
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