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Post by gfountain on Jan 12, 2015 19:45:48 GMT -5
The easiest way I've found to get slivers is to use a vegetable peeler on a frozen chunk of meat. Fast, easy, slivers thaw in one minute or less.
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Post by Celene on Jan 12, 2015 20:28:00 GMT -5
Wow genius, gfountain! Of course this is right after I buy a $150 meat cleaver and (less expensive) shears... Although the cleaver was meant for frankenprey anyway and definitely not for cutting slivers. Now I just need to see if I have a vegetable peeler...
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Post by gfountain on Jan 12, 2015 20:33:28 GMT -5
LOL! You're gonna need that cleaver and shears too.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2015 20:45:01 GMT -5
I still need a meat cleaver, just got to find a place to put it where it will be away from little hands
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Post by Celene on Jan 12, 2015 21:48:07 GMT -5
Well I tried to offer slivers again tonight, and had both chicken AND beef available on the menu. Neither was interested even though they were clearly hungry (running back and forth across the apartment between the empty food bowl and fridge in the kitchen which they do when they know I'm getting their food ready).
Nothing I could do would make them try the slivers so eventually I chopped up all the slivers even finer into pieces, mixed with a little water, and topped with salmon oil. Initially, while there was water left they would lap it up and chew the occasional meaty piece that came along with it... But as soon as the water ran out and it was just teensy meat pieces left they stopped. I could tell they were still starving, yet refusing to eat the tiny pieces.
Eventually I mixed the meaty pieces with a little bit of their commercial grind (chicken today) and water and... they ate it! There were a few pieces left over at the end, but overall I'm pretty proud. I would say it was about 65% meaty pieces (mostly chicken) and 35% grind. I can't do this every day because it dilutes the heart and liver in the grind and unbalances it, so I'll have to figure something out. I did add some eggshell though for calcium.
So... I know mentors always push the slivers, but since I've been trying slivers for about 2 weeks with none eaten I think I will add meat to grind, and slowly increase the size that way.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2015 7:30:47 GMT -5
Well they did not touch any of the slivers for last night. This morning I put in less(I did make it sliver heavy last night) and they ate no problem. Will just need to start gauging the soup(I am slowly cutting back on it)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2015 12:39:02 GMT -5
You did good. You found a trick that works. Slow and steady wins the game. Just keep the slivers small for now and slowly decrease the amount of soup. Then you can add some bigger slivers. They all can certainly be stubborn. I think they have ferret meetings, get together and discuss the ways to poke their Moms and Dads.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2015 14:20:25 GMT -5
Well I have to make more soup tonight and freeze some. Got thighs this time with skin on it. Hopefully over the next few weeks I can get the pieces bigger and then start working toward more solid pieces. Is it ok that they stay on this soup and just chicken diet for so long? I just get worried about nutrition.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2015 19:31:38 GMT -5
Well I thickened up the soup tonight. Like sticks to te spoon thick and added some slivers. Mozart ate it readily off the spoon. Daisy needed some coaxing and ate a little. Hopefully they will get used to it
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2015 7:38:36 GMT -5
Well that did not go well at all last night. They didn't touch anything. Mozart ate readily off the spoon but not from the bowl. Daisy is just licking the spoon and refusing to even touch slivers. I may have to add a touch of water to make it less thick. We shall see how lunch goes
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Post by Celene on Jan 14, 2015 9:25:45 GMT -5
Yup. You have to do it reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaally gradually, like, frustratingly slow. It has to be so gradual that they don't notice any differences or changes. Otherwise they'll stage a protest, give you big sad eyes, and you'll give 'em a nice meal of non-slivered soup and promise yourself to add slivers next time (yeah right).
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2015 9:52:50 GMT -5
Daisy is seriously fighting me on the slivers. Still having to shove them in her mouth repeatedly. Her back teeth do have tarter and I can't force her too much or they bleed. Wonder if my vet would do dentals? I am hesitant though because of her kidneys
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Post by Celene on Jan 14, 2015 9:59:13 GMT -5
Yeah anesthetics can be risky, best to avoid if not absolutely necessary.
Here is some advice that @poncesmom gave me for teeth cleaning pre-bone-in. (not linking the entire thread since it's mostly on a different topic)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2015 13:54:11 GMT -5
Well I got some bad news today. My hubby lost his job due to company losing money. Looks like I will be picking up more hours at my job to make up for lost income. This means I am going to have to go back to feeding the Nature's Variety raw bites that were frozen. At least I tried. My hubby will not make up the food because he finds it disgusting and with him and his immune system being so bad, all he needs is one stupid infection to set him off. I know they ate the Nature's Variety chicken well, now should I add rabbit as well and rotate them on it?
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Post by Celene on Jan 14, 2015 16:49:20 GMT -5
So sorry to hear that! My husband was unemployed for most of last year and we're still trying to climb out of debt Thankfully he now has a great job that he loves. Not sure the best way to go out doing this, but any way you could make up your own version of a commercial grind and pre-portion/freeze it in advance? That way you'd only have to do prep every month or so and all your ferret's meals would be premade and ready to go.
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