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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2015 7:52:45 GMT -5
So, I figured I start one of these (and have tried multiple times and my computer keeps eating my posts). Anyway, my name is Kara, and I have a business of 5. From oldest to youngest I have: Jake is a 6-7 year old male. I have had him for almost 2 years. He has been diagnosed with Adrenal, and is slightly underweight because of it (he is gaining weight being on soupie though!). Leon(m) and Claire(f) are both about 4 we have had them about 3 years. No known health problems, and both good weight. Peach(f) and Daisy(f) are almost 2. I have had them for about 3 months. No known health problems, and both good health weight. Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/61/sign-mentoring-program#ixzz3Vad9WIaDI have been able to get them onto the soupie stage successfully and without any problems. They have been on the soupie stage for 5 weeks now (and boy do their poops stink! Hahaha). I have not noticed any major change in poops during these five weeks except for the increase in them doing so. At each meal (I feed them in the morning and at night) I feed them approximately 5 ounces of food, and sometimes they eat up every bite and sometimes they leave a little . They do seem to like the food more frozen then warm (as once it reaches room temperature they tend to leave it for the frozen replacement). I am working on getting them all weighed, but I am not being very successful in this endeavor.
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Post by Celene on Mar 27, 2015 9:47:35 GMT -5
Congrats on your progress so far! Weighing ferrets can be a rather difficult endeavor! What I do is feed one salmon oil out of an eyedropper to keep them standing in one spot on the scale. By now they've realized that if so much as a toe or tail touches the floor the oil goes away I know other ferrents put their fuzzies in a mixing bowl on a scale (with a drop of salmon oil at the bottom) to keep them in place.
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Post by Celene on Mar 27, 2015 19:21:59 GMT -5
You said they've been on soup for 5 weeks, have you tried introducing slivers yet? I also just want to make sure you know that while they're on soup they also need regular teeth brushing
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2015 23:32:05 GMT -5
I have been making the soupie less and less 'smooth' as it seems that the blender makes it too smooth if I try too hard. One of my boys goes straight for the whole chicken while I am preparing soupies. The others seem only interested in the soupie (but almost tantrum when they are on it). And I had been brushing their teeth ... but someone stashed the toothbrush and I haven't been able to find it ... I had two, and the dog thought it was a fun chew toy .... May need to buy another
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2015 23:32:56 GMT -5
And I will try the eye dropper technic .... They just are so squirmy
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2015 23:26:55 GMT -5
Over the past two days, my buisness has gone up from eating 5 ounces (roughly) of food to about 7-8 ounces of food per meal ... Is that normal? Everyone is acting fine, just eating a TON!
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Post by raynebc on Mar 28, 2015 23:28:33 GMT -5
Sounds normal to me. Their food consumption will spike before it comes back down.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2015 23:49:22 GMT -5
I Feel like they are just a bunch of little piggies! Hahaha. I am also supposed to be adopting another little girl tomorrow, so we shall see how that turns out
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Post by Celene on Mar 28, 2015 23:51:45 GMT -5
Yes! Ferrets always eat a ton more at the beginning of their transition (once they decide they like the soup) as they are basically making up for nutrients they didn't get on kibble. My Mocha, for example, went from 1.4 lbs pre-raw all the way up to 1.8 lbs a month or so in! Of course it was winter as well... She's now back down to about 1.5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2015 23:20:53 GMT -5
Haha, I am having so much trouble keeping up with the little fatties I have been making the soup weekly, and now, I need to make more already (I've been using about 4 lbs of chicken as a base)
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Post by Celene on Mar 30, 2015 9:18:38 GMT -5
Have you tried introducing any small slivers yet? Also - need pics of new girly! (And of course more of your other fuzzies wouldn't hurt )
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2015 23:45:30 GMT -5
Have you tried introducing any small slivers yet? Also - need pics of new girly! (And of course more of your other fuzzies wouldn't hurt ) The problem that I am running into with the slivers is that they like eating the soupie primarily when it is frozen or mostly frozen Do I just freeze the slivers into their soupie ... or? And here is Argis (my new boy, hahaha) I have tried to get him to eat soupie and he stuck his nose up to it. But did take a little bit of baby food! Which I thought was good!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2015 23:49:08 GMT -5
also need more salmon oil because the dog ate it .... (headwall)
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Post by Celene on Mar 30, 2015 23:59:38 GMT -5
Haha.. Dogs. One time my dad was carving a chicken when his work cell rang so without thinking he set it/the cutting board down on the kitchen table while he went to take the call. He came back to find the dog on the table eating our dinner! Ferrets are so funny. Some ferrets only like their food slightly warmed. My girls don't like it much once it's warmed up to room temperature, but if I put it in still partially frozen they won't touch it either. I would recommend adding slivers before you freeze the soup. If you still have lots frozen I wouldn't worry too much about thawing and refreezing it - ferrets' digestive systems are designed to handle a lot more than ours
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2015 19:58:06 GMT -5
So about the sliver thing .... I got lazy in making soupie, so while I went to the store to buy more ferret meat, I just chunked up a chicken thigh like so [/URL] [/div] and when I came back it was almost completely gone ... by both parties ... & um ... Yeah. So I think I have a bunch of carnivores here I am not 100% sure what to do at this junction
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