|
Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2015 19:39:10 GMT -5
You can always mix the kangaroo in with another grind. I'm studying biology and chemistry it's tough, but I enjoy it. I also draw lame things like horses on deviantart and that community keeps me pretty busy too. I'm going to start looking for a steady job so I can save up for a car right now I just babysit every so often...so many things. What classes are you taking? Anything fun? How are the girls doing?
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jan 22, 2015 19:57:38 GMT -5
The girlies are doing well. They were really lazy/sleepy yesterday though. They've also recently decided that their cage is a fun place to wrestle and play, even when they have the run of the house! I'm studying to be a commercial real estate appraiser, so lots of courses in finance and economics and stuff and one day (probably in a long time at this rate) I will have my bachelor's of business in real estate! When I was going to university full time I was a Science major (stats) but then I realized that statisticians, for the most part, are unethical slime bags and also I was getting tired of being broke. What are your plans for after school?
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jan 23, 2015 21:17:30 GMT -5
Update time!
Weight: Mocha Nova 15-Jan-14 1.69 1.65 19-Jan-14 1.69 1.63 23-Jan-14 1.72 1.65
At first when I weighed Nova I thought it said 1.25 lbs and I was like "OMG HOW DID SHE LOSE SO MUCH WEIGHT?" so I hand fed her her whole dinner so I could make sure she ate it and then weighed her after and got 1.65 lbs. She definitely did not eat over a quarter pound of meat, so the first time she must've had one foot off the scale without me noticing or something. (Also, thinking back on it, I'm sure I would've noticed such a drastic weight loss in a couple days.)
On the food front not much has changed. I'm mixing in "balanced" slivers (i.e. slivers + ground heart and liver + eggshell powder) with the grind. Mocha is still spitting some of them out rather than take the effort to eat them. She still won't eat slivers if offered alone either. Right now they're about this big:
^ / \ | | | | | | | |
| | | | \ / v
And maybe as thick as two nickels. How do I move on from thick slivers to chunks?
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jan 24, 2015 0:59:46 GMT -5
So I was slicing more slivers and realized that I probably exaggerated the thickness, and everyone's computer screens are different sizes so I decided to take pics (see below). Also I tend to just glob 2-3 slivers together into a lump a little smaller than the first joint of my pinky. This evening I gave them both slivers. Nova's just "plain" and Mocha's dipped in egg yolk first. Both gobbled up! I was also curious if they'd eat organ on their own so I offered a tiny bit each of heart and liver to Nova and she ate both and licked my fingers clean! Mocha was a little more reticent but went right for it after I added a little egg yolk. I read a suggestion from one of the other mentors (maybe poncesmom?) to let ferrets get used to eggshell powder texture as a segue to bones. So with the remaining egg yolk I mixed in some eggshell powder and let them share it. I wasn't sure on how much they can/should have but tried to add enough that they'd get the texture but not enough to make their poops hard and crusty. At first they were a little hesitant, but their love of eggyolk beat their dislike/confusion over the texture. They licked the bowl clean, licked each other's faces, and begged for more! An average sliver (some are larger, some smaller) Sliver thickness: This is them waiting on the towel for more treats. They know the towel=eggs - I made the mistake of putting it on the ground before prepping the egg and they ended sitting on it for 10 minutes. Basically the ONLY time ferrets are patient. (For the record the dish started in the MIDDLE of the towel. They pushed it in protest when I didn't refill it.) Mocha waited and begged a little longer:
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jan 24, 2015 14:23:20 GMT -5
Of course those sliver shapes are when they are cut frozen - they tent to stretch and become longer and thinner when thawed.
I just saw Nova pull out a 2.5" long skinny piece of chicken and proceed to eat it like a cartoon character eating spaghetti!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 22:42:33 GMT -5
I'm sorry I got home after babysitting last night and wasn't feeling so hot. Today I felt even worse and I totally forgot to check our thread. I'm so very sorry I never get sick, but I've been completely miserable today. After school I'm torn between going o vet school or doing something else. It's good that you're taking classes and doing what you want to do. The girls are so cute what happens when you slice the slivers a little thicker? Maybe try chopping some into small cubes and see what they do. I'm not sure if the eggshell powder will have similar texture to bone, I started introducing bone once they were on chunks and I'd use a cleaner to chop a chicken wing into small pieces. The bone in the wing tips are especially soft and easy to chew.
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jan 25, 2015 0:02:47 GMT -5
I have been slowly making the slivers thicker and was planning on trying chunks next - the only chicken I have is frozen and I've been using a veggie peeler to make the slivers.
I gave Nova a wing tip once and she crunched through the bone a bit - I'm not worried about her. I tried the same with Mocha and she looked at me as if I was insane. I have to get Mocha to eat "plain" slivers (i.e. not egg-covered) before I even have a chance at bones. I've also hear quail and CGH are really good for starting bone since they're much tinier.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2015 0:40:26 GMT -5
Yes quail and cgh are good starter bone meals. I get it on occasion, but since chicken wings and necks are usually much cheaper I mostly stick with that. Would you like to move up a bit with nova? We can try.giving her a bone in meal and see how she does. It's okay if mocha is a little slower to catch on. Seeing nova eat might prompt her to do the same.
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jan 25, 2015 22:56:33 GMT -5
So I think I might have to start figuring out a way so separate their meals. Mocha is such a little piggy (she's up to 1.83 lbs now!) that when I feed them she ends up eating most of it. When I add more in so Nova can have some, she eats that too! Also, do you have any magic secrets to get ferrets to bite their food instead of lick? I've tried increasing the size of slivers slightly, but after watching them closely a few times I have realized the problem. No matter what their food is (commercial grind with water as a soupy texture, commercial grind with no water, slivers, or a mix of commercial grind and slivers) all they do is lick. If they happen to lick a sliver up into their mouth in the process they'll eat it, unless it's a bit bigger in which case Mocha will chew a bit and then spit it out. With larger slivers, they don't get easily licked up. Even when the "smaller" larger slivers do, if it's not convenient they'll just drop it and keep licking. I tried offering Nova a larger piece of chicken from my hand and she licked it for about 10 minutes and then gave up when she realized she wasn't actually digesting any. I tried to sort of poke it between her back teeth but she freaked out (she REALLY doesn't like anyone touching her teeth/mouth). I think even if I starved them (which I really don't want to do) they still wouldn't eat the bigger slivers since they can't seem to figure out the concept of grabbing food with their teeth.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2015 3:45:37 GMT -5
Hmmm I've never had the problem with my ferrets not wanting to chew let me ask the other mentors what to do. Thankfully my switches have all been pretty easy. Can you thicken their mush at all? Or maybe only offer them slivers one day and see how they do? Are their poops any better?
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jan 26, 2015 10:03:26 GMT -5
Their commercial grind without water is quite thick (it's basically just meat cut into really tiny pieces). But even that they'll just lick. If it's venison or a less-favored meat they'll usually just ignore it all together.
Even slivers they just lick until I kind of push it into their mouths. Once it's in they'll (usually) chew and swallow, but they won't freaking pick it up with their teeth! I don't get it, especially with Nova because when they ate kibble they (obviously) couldn't just lick it up, and Nova still it's some FDR treats and chicken breast jerky (pet stuff, and sourced from Canada farms not China). So she DOES open her mouth and chew stuff... Just not for raw.
Ferrets are seriously so ridiculous. It's part of what makes them incredibly amazing creatures, but sometimes it's also a tad bit frustrating.
As for poops, I'm getting lighter, slightly mucousy but "formed" poops from Mocha and really dark (no blood, just dark green-brown) poops from Nova.
They're eating the exact same stuff which makes it weird, but they both seem healthy otherwise.
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jan 26, 2015 10:25:15 GMT -5
Also here is a pic of their grind this morning (lamb) so as you can see it's quite firm. In fact, when I don't add water is globs together and they DO have to chew it rather than lick it up. I stirred in a couple tiny chicken slivers and neither really went for it. I tried spoon feeding from my lap and they both kind of licked it (I topped it with a couple drops of salmon oil) but neither really ate since it didn't just easily "lick up". I pulled off tiny lumps and fed it from my fingers and then they ate it since it could be easily licked. I will probably cave and add a teensy bit of water before I leave so they don't go hungry.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2015 12:47:15 GMT -5
So Hurricanekatt says to start hand feeding them small chunks. Hold them and kind of put it in their mouths. You said Nova doesn't like her teeth being touched. Could she maybe have some dental problems?
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jan 26, 2015 13:33:12 GMT -5
I doubt it, her teeth look fine and she doesn't seem to be in any pain. I think it's just remaining from when I first got her and she was terrified of being touched at all. She lets me play with her ears now, but I think it's because Mocha pinned her head down to clean them so many times that she's used to it.
I'll try the small chunks. Like, the size of a tic tac mint? I was mixing in small chunks before but then switched to slivers instead. I've never tried hand-feeding chunks though so I'll to that tonight! I also took a video of them eating the lamb (or trying to, with the non-watered version) so you can see what I mean. It looks like they're licking a popsicle or ice cream or something but just never getting anywhere.
|
|
|
Post by Celene on Jan 26, 2015 16:58:39 GMT -5
Just for fun I almost bought a very small amount of pork and beef for them to try. I don't have much hope for the pork since they've never had that protein at all before, but only bought $2 worth so may as well try.
|
|