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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2015 13:51:21 GMT -5
Ordered frozen pinkies, chicks and rabbit. I am still crying. Besides the fact that ferrets show no interest in them, I can't handle it. Being a vegetarian and dealing with meat is enough for me. I blended them because I can't look at those poor little things that never had a chance to live:( I had mice as pets for a long time. I think I'll stick to simple raw. Darn. I'll try to convince my boys to eat them at least.
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Post by Heather on Mar 19, 2015 13:55:58 GMT -5
I'm sorry....there's nothing I can say. It was brave of you to try. I won't suggest some of the tricks of the trade as this whole experience was traumatising enough. I hope you can convince your little ones to eat what you have. Sometimes if you slit the skin, fur (this is sometimes the issue) and show that the insides are indeed meats they might try it. Drizzling with favourite oils might help too ciao
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Post by RedSky on Mar 19, 2015 15:17:45 GMT -5
I'm sorry you are struggling with feeding these items, as a vegetarian I can relate. Having had pet rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, gerbils and hamsters (and still having some of those as pets) I struggle to feed some of these. I used to work in a reptile house and bird or prey area at a local petting zoo in my teens and had to overcome my issue with feeding mice, rats and rabbits to the snakes and lizards. That said it is different watching a snake swallow it whole compared to watching what ferrets do with them. I won't do into details and I hope the mental image isn't too bad. I have a pet snake so always have mice in the freezer and decided to give it a go, I walked into the room where the ferrets are caged and Bolin was waiting at the bars for me. He was thrilled but seemed disappointed it wasn't moving. Not sure if it was simply instinct or if he's had live food before. Luckily mine are fine with the whole prey they have had before, Bolin always starts first then the other two want in. I'm picking up my first order of whole quail tomorrow, there come in boxes of 24 so that was the least I could order. I hope they enjoy them! With pinkies I would drizzle some soupie over them or some of their favourite oil (assuming they like oils). Mine haven't had pinkies, just large adults and chicks. Once they are happy eating the quail my next introduction will be rats if I can bring myself to face it. Rats always strike me as intelligent affectionate creatures so it will take some doing to get past it. Rabbits I might be able to manage but would want to feed them it outside, not sure how well that would work. The other rodents I know I couldn't do, it would be too difficult for me, I know that seems really daft, being able to deal with some animals and not others but thats just me.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2015 15:54:47 GMT -5
Yeah... it is hard to overcome , I feel like feeding my pets to my other pets, it breaks my heart. Considering that I'd probably start crying if I see a whole dead chicken being ripped apart.. I guess it's just not for me. And with the chicks the same. I'm not sure what I'll do with those for now they stay in the freezer. Earlier today I was negotiating with my husband who is going to blend the pinkies, cos he couldn't look at them either, and I refused to look at those little faces. We resorted to blending, because he refused to cut them open as well. In the end of course he had to do the blending cos I was crying. But on the bright side, the boys ate them all now not even a drip of salmon oil on top! The chicks... for another day. I need time to recover.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2015 16:03:45 GMT -5
You r so lucky that they will eat them----my mouse soupie was a total failure.
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Post by Heather on Mar 19, 2015 20:30:22 GMT -5
Did you gut your mice before turning them into soupy?....that might have been part of the problem. Also when you're introducing a different meat especially a soupy, try adding small amounts of a strange meat to something they recognise. Each new protein must be introduced. Just because they're eating raw doesn't mean they will accept a new meat. ciao
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Post by FerretsnFalcons on Mar 19, 2015 21:01:50 GMT -5
My first whole prey order just arrived today from TSK feeders. They're mice, but they remind me of my pet rats. They were so clean and white, beautiful and delicate but macabre. I know they were bred to be food and didn't suffer or anything, but it's still sad to see 200 little faces staring at you whenever you open the freezer. I'm lucky my ferrets will eat them whole, I can't imagine blending them up. Yuck.
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Post by Celene on Mar 19, 2015 22:44:08 GMT -5
I feel your pain! I'm not vegetarian per se, but I don't really eat meat and tend to be a very sensitive/empathetic person in general (in the worst way possible).
I bought a partridge a few weeks ago and when it thawed and I took it out of the bag I realized it's head and neck was still attached! I was quite horrified, although the more morbid part of me was thinking "oooh, brains and eyeballs are really nutritious". Still, cracking the head open was one of the worst experiences of my life!
I would definitely like to try whole prey one day, but for now I'm just working on desensitizing myself to meat in general. The first time I prepped the girls' meals I gagged and puked several times. Last night I barely felt sick at all.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2015 9:38:30 GMT -5
@absinthefairy, I can understand where you're coming from. I think this might help you get through what you have to get through, and then if whole prey is too daunting, that's totally fine.
When you prepare the whole prey, first off, don't look into the eyes. Or even into the face. You can probably look at the carcass and not think of your pets, in which case, you can prepare whole prey for your babies without crying.
Try to set the mood before you handle the pinkies or the chicks. Play music that makes you feel bad*ss. Watch a few minutes of an action-oriented tv show. Then immediately go prepare the whole prey. Use the media to distract you from previous pets you had. I had a friend, for instance, who loved to watch Dexter. When he started feeding his cat raw, he imagined he was an animal Dexter. It made him feel better, and his cat lived to be 21!
Wishing you the best of luck. I'm a vegetarian of 4+ years actually looking into eating select meats again. Seeing the animal has prevented me from preparing my first meat meal at least twice already, so don't worry, it's not just you!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2015 10:52:27 GMT -5
I gutted it, but did not add it to any meat they were use to. Will do at next attempt.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2015 20:02:39 GMT -5
@alex thanks for the tips, that's actually a pretty good scenario, distractions and focus!
I decided that I won't be feeding whole prey from now on, because it is too much for me. If I get the whole animal chopped or minced, I'll do it, but as a whole, I can't. Not necessarily because I see them as my pets, but more of, because I can't handle seeing an animal that has been killed. I know ferrets are carnivores, so I feed them accordingly, but I try to diminish the emotional impact it has on me. I have someone bringing me rabbits, but I specifically requested them already cut and skinned, even if for an extra cost
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Post by RedSky on Mar 21, 2015 6:59:06 GMT -5
I think you are so brave and such a good ferrent for trying it even though you knew you would struggle. And I'm sorry to hear of the stress and upset it has caused you but at least you know you gave it a go and can rest easy thinking it's not for you. I don't think your fuzzies are missing out, they get all the love and care in the world and are spoilt like they should be, and are getting a very good diet. To be honest if Bolin hadn't taken that first mouse like he did I think I would have given up there and then and not tried again. I've read they will eat insects occasionally too, so tried a mealworm with Korra (I think it was Korra anyway, not sure now) and she completely ignored it. Haven't tried again since but maybe I should. I breed my own for our hamsters and gerbil and put out any extras for the hedgehog and birds that visit our garden.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2015 17:34:44 GMT -5
Thank you all so much, your comments helped me feel better, and feel like I'm not taking a lot away from them - I was looking at them today when they were eating, and it's so satisfying to see them enjoy what they are supposed to eat, and the excitement before mealtime is priceless!
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Post by RedSky on Mar 21, 2015 17:41:40 GMT -5
There are places that you can by minced whole mice but to be honest I would stick with duck wings and chicken necks or things like that since they will help your fuzzies have nice clean teeth. If you want it could be a weekly treat or something, but I wouldn't worry about it.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2015 5:37:28 GMT -5
Well they do eat a balanced raw menu, but for variety, it's worth ordering some mince since at the end of it, they seemed to love the mice. I should receive some at the end of the month, for occasional treats:)
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