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Post by Celene on Mar 26, 2015 21:17:43 GMT -5
Wow! He is definitely a gorgeous ferret even with his new summer look (hey, even ferrets need a makeover once in awhile). As for slivers, you just have to increase them REALLY slowly so that he doesn't notice. If that doesn't work you can try the "bribe" approach (cover larger sliver in egg yolk, salmon oil, or something else yummy). A more effective (but difficult) approach is the "tough love" method. This is the one I ended up using and it works amazingly! I was terrified they were going to starve, and I almost caved to their big boo-boo eyes and hungry faces, but as soon as they realized I wasn't going to just give in and give them what they wanted, they sat down and ate what was there.  Of course we're not at that point yet, and that method requires you to be more stern and hard-hearted. Have you introduced any new proteins yet? (Other than the duck liver. Most ferrets LOVE heart, but I think liver is a bit more of an "acquired" taste.) |
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Post by katt on Mar 27, 2015 0:28:31 GMT -5
Liver and other organs are very strong in flavor. It's not uncommon for them to balk at those for a while. For some it's the flavor, for some the texture, for some it's the combo. It's often easier if you can get them to accept the organ and heart slivers during this stage though rather than having to separate out organ soup and do organ slivers separately later on, but that IS an option if it comes to it. For now, you're still pretty early in the game so keep pushing those slivers.  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2015 17:33:05 GMT -5
I remember now reading that. Should have written it down. I will try him with duck hearts tonight and see how he does.
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Post by Celene on Mar 27, 2015 19:40:24 GMT -5
Let us know how it goes!
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Post by katt on Mar 28, 2015 20:05:31 GMT -5
Good luck, let us know what he thinks! (giggle)
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Post by katt on Mar 29, 2015 0:26:35 GMT -5
just bumping in my feed lol
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2015 12:32:35 GMT -5
Duck hearts aren't going over very well with him. I'm still offering them to him but he turns his nose up at it, lol. I'm going to weigh him tonight and keep trying the hearts with him. He is still at 2.5 ounces in the am and 3.0-3.2 ounces in the pm. Energy is still very good. Will update in the am with his weight and hopefully tonight will be the night he tries the heart. *crosses fingers*
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Post by Celene on Mar 29, 2015 12:37:44 GMT -5
What size are you cutting the hearts? Try rubbing some (gently) on his gums so he's forced to taste it. You can also try drizzling egg yolk over it.
I'm assuming you're still feeding the finely chopped soup as his main diet - are you using chicken hearts in that?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2015 15:09:15 GMT -5
Yes, they are small sliver of his "soupie" and I am using chicken hearts. I tried dipping them in egg, he used his ninja moves to just get the egg off and then spit the heart out, lol. I'll try just rubbing the heart on his gums instead, and see if that helps.
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Post by Celene on Mar 29, 2015 15:29:49 GMT -5
Haha my Mocha would do that too. I even tried the "scruff and stuff" technique once, which she was REALLY not a fan of. After spitting it out she went and pooped right against the wall (no box) while making eye contact with me. Here's a pic of when I first started putting small chunks in their commercial grind "soup" (they were fine with slivers). They managed to lick every drop of soup, while spitting out every chunk of meat. One thing you can try with duck hearts is to cut is thinly and mix it in a bowl with egg yolk. That's how I first got my girls to eat slivers and small chunks.   Truthfully though, in the end the only thing that worked for me was "tough love". Ferrets are too smart and even when they KNOW they can eat something, they'll refuse it if they think they can get something better or treats instead. |
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Post by katt on Mar 29, 2015 18:57:51 GMT -5
How does he do with liver slivers in the soup?
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Post by Celene on Apr 1, 2015 12:08:11 GMT -5
@nkg0404, any updates? Please let me know how he's been doing with the slivers, energy levels, weight, and all that fun stuff |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2015 12:54:52 GMT -5
So sorry I am late updating. Had an emergency with one of the gliders and now playing catch up. I have tried putting them in his soupie, they are the only thing left. Tried putting them in the egg bowl, he eats the egg and then off the slivers and spits them back out once cleaned. Energy lvl and poop is still nornal. He is weighing in at 2.2 lbs. I was a little worried at first but don't they drop a little at first and gain muscle first? I make up a new batch again tomorrow. How should I proceed with offering the other meats since he's being so pickY?
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Post by Celene on Apr 1, 2015 14:20:12 GMT -5
No worries! Is the soup still minced rather than blended? To introduce new proteins you can cut them the same size/shape and mix a few in with chicken/a protein he is already used to and he'll have a harder time picking them out. The best/easiest slivers to introduce are ones that are very very thin and have a general "spaghetti noodle" shape. An easy way to accomplish this is to freeze meat, let it thaw just a tad, and take a vegetable peeler to it. Then you can cut those thin strips into skinny ones if necessary. Ferrets are also losing their winter chub right now. Ferrets can gain/lose up to 40% of their body weight seasonally even without changing diet. There are a lot of people transitioning who are currently freaking out because they've just switched to raw and their ferrets are getting skinnier |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2015 12:32:05 GMT -5
Good that I don't have to worry about the weight. He is still crazy playful and acting normal, so I wasn't to worried. I will try the veggie peeler tonight. Will let you know how that goes  |
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