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Post by Celene on May 10, 2015 23:37:49 GMT -5
I wouldn't let them "starve" per se, especially at their age you can't rule out the beginning stages of insulinoma. They can certainly go an hour or two without meat, but it helps a lot more if they see you looking at it so they know there's nothing else - it's all about communicating with body language that you're not going back to get them anything "better". Chances are as soon as they start to get hungry and you make it clear that you're not bringing anything else, they'll eat what's there. Not that I think you'd do it, but lots of people read through switching threads so I just want to make it really clear: Do not give ferrets a difficult protein and walk away or let them go more than four hours or so without eating. I have heard cases of ferrets with undiagnosed insulinoma being left with a new protein they wouldn't eat, and continuing to not eat the food, their BG dropped and they went into a seizure. But yeah, given your story above, I think you understand the concept of ferret-psychology and out-stubborning them
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Shawna
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Posts: 111
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Post by Shawna on May 14, 2015 0:29:12 GMT -5
sigh
So since I started doing that actual frankenprey menu which I based off of Celene's menu that was posted earlier, they're both eating less.
Before, I would give them separate bowels w their own 2oz am/pm amounts & put them back in the fridge after they were done eating & take them out & give each bowl to the ferret that ate from that bowl earlier.
Now I just mix 1 am/pm meal in 1 bowl.. They don't even finish 1 meal between the 2 of them. They were eating 3-4 oz each & now they are barely 2oz total between both of them... TOGETHER!!!
What the heck!!!
Are they really being THAT stubborn? Cause they're frustrating & worrying the peanut butter out of me.
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Post by Celene on May 14, 2015 9:11:12 GMT -5
Awwe, ferrets can be so stressful and I know they love to make us fuss and worry! A couple things to keep in mind: - Soupies are much easier to eat, so ferrets will automatically eat more (think about drinking a giant milkshake vs eating a much smaller steak)
- Ferrets tend to eat A LOT their first couple weeks of switching, then slow back down
- Summer's coming so most ferrets are eating less and losing weight anyway
Combine those three things, and it's definitely a recipe for a worried ferret momma! When I first started the switch my girls gained a lot of weight and Mocha started looking so chunky I was actually worried about her - then they tapered back down to (almost exactly) their pre-switch weights and are bouncier and healthier than ever. So are they eating 2oz a day each now? That's not terrible. My girls ate like 0.5-1.0 oz each a day while they had their spring weight loss, and have now gone back to their usual amount. I wasted a lot of food though My other question would be, are they eating a little bit of everything, or avoiding some proteins altogether? As long as they will eat even a small amount of something, it means they recognize it as food... And they'll eat as much of it as their bodies need. If you're really worried though you can try hand feeding chunks to coax a little extra into them. I would recommend taking weights twice a week right now though, just so you can monitor and make sure they aren't losing too much. This will also probably help your sanity and give you peace of mind
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Shawna
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Posts: 111
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Post by Shawna on May 14, 2015 11:56:05 GMT -5
Thanks Celene! I needed that. I'm not really certain how much they are eating at the moment.
I have been mixing 1 AM 2oz with 1 PM 2oz together & I see both of them eating it but by the end of the day there is maybe anywhere from 3/4 to 1/2 left.. (I'm eyeballing the amount).
What I've also been doing is putting the am/pm in w/ whatever was left over from the day before.
Since I work from home, I can leave the dish in for a little while, take it out & put it back a couple hours later which I haven't been doing very much lately.
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2015 12:02:44 GMT -5
I like to leave access to food at all times. You're fine leaving their bowl or plate with them for the day. At night, pick up the day's meal and put out a nighttime meal. Remove the breakfast meal, give them fresh water and put the breakfast meal in to be washed. Do the reverse at night.
They may eat more, some like to graze and snack. If it begins looking dry in the middle of the day, add a few drops of warm water and stir it around. This releases the smell and may encourage them to have another bite or two.
Spring time finds a drop in appetite. Winter time finds them eating more. The average grown girl eats about 2 ounces a day. They can scare you with how little they eat. The average grown boy eats 3-4 ounces a day. Some days they will be hungrier than others, just like us.
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Shawna
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Posts: 111
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Post by Shawna on May 14, 2015 19:29:10 GMT -5
Maybe I've got a pair of weird weasels. They appear to eat less when the food is left out & eat more when I put their food in on my breaks & take it back out & refrigerate it in between my breaks. They definitely like it when there's some water mixed in with their food. Is it weird that they prefer their food cold?
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Post by Celene on May 14, 2015 19:56:11 GMT -5
Not at all! I know someone who spent FOREVER trying to get her fuzzies to eat soups, and everyone recommended warming it first to release the aromas and such. No luck. One day she was running late for work and the soupie was still semi-frozen but she put it out anyway and they went crazy for it!
My mentee's ferrets also seem to like their food as cold as possible and/or semi-frozen.
Also, ALL weasels are weird. Just saying.
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Shawna
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Posts: 111
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Post by Shawna on May 15, 2015 15:42:57 GMT -5
Its funny but when I first moved in w/ my roommate she was very adamant in me not letting my ferrets out to play & I was even more adamant in being able to let them out to play. She then decided that so long as they were in a playpen that's fine so she had me get this LITTLE foldable cloth puppy pen which worked for a very short period of time before 1) it was just really inconvenient & 2) Dexter is big enough to have figured out how to climb out & 3) they weren't very happy with it. They couldn't be... well.. ferrets. There was no hiding finding sleepy spots in my closet. No thieving. The other thing that she wasn't happy with was how often they should be out playing. She thought only 15-30 min. I laughed at her said "nope.. more like 4 hours of the day needs to be play time." Her eyes popped out. I ended upblocking off my tv & most of the electrical wiring that they can get to w/ a marshalls small animals play pen paneling & I've pulled my bed (21" inflatable mattress) away from the wall & side so that they can easily move around it w/o the desire to dig at it in order to move it. I've also laid some towels over the side so that they could climb up w/o damaging my bed. Karm wasn't not too happy about them having free range of my room when I let them out. She's afraid that they may go in the closet to go to the bathroom or behind my bed. I told her that they wouldn't do that. They will either climb back in the cage or they will go over by my door. (I've got a piece of linoleum there with a towel on top... they wont go in a litterbox (they'll play in it though). She says, "well how do you know?" Me, "I've had a total of 12 ferrets of varying personalities since 2006. I know. I might not know why they like to face dive in the water bowl or shark through their litter but I do know of their general weasely ways." Karm, "what are you? a ferret whisperer?" me, "sort of. kind of"
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2015 17:58:50 GMT -5
Isn't it nice to have a place to talk ferret, where no one thinks we are crazy ferret people. Everyone understands and loves hearing all about everyone's ferrets. (dance)
Once you figure out how they like their food, you move forward faster. Just like us, everyone has their preferences. My Wynstan just loves for me to pick him up and run a piece of food under some water and then offer it to him.
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Shawna
Junior Member
Posts: 111
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Post by Shawna on May 16, 2015 11:01:41 GMT -5
Yay I they both managed to eat a full heart/organ/bone-in day.. 4oz each (give or take with them sneaking pieces from each others bowls). Today is a bone-in day so they'll most likely wolf that down. Interesting. They have a tendency to eat more w/ water in it & in my lap. Why is that? I get the water. But why would they WANT to eat more if they're in my lap? I mean if they feel that they're done & they start to walk away but I feel that they need to eat more I put them back like a naughty child who's not eating the veges.
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Post by Celene on May 16, 2015 11:08:07 GMT -5
My fuzzies love getting hand fed, and will always eat much more that way. Plus, if it's in their cage they know it'll be there later to come back to so they don't need to sit and "fill up"
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Shawna
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Posts: 111
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Post by Shawna on May 17, 2015 22:14:19 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2015 10:13:29 GMT -5
I think they just love the extra attention. It builds a lovely bond. Mine also love a tablespoon of water on their plate. It releases the smell and makes a little gravy.
Hand feeding in the beginning is fine. Eventually though, you want them to learn to eat on their own, so that if you are not there, they will still eat. Hand feed for the first few bites and then lower them to the plate and just sit with them.
You all are doing so well. You should be proud of your progress. (dance)
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Shawna
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Posts: 111
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Post by Shawna on May 18, 2015 21:14:50 GMT -5
Never thought of it as bonding but I guess it does. Now to get them to come to me when I call their names... They come when I rattle the yogi treats container which I confess to not getting rid of yet. They come to it. What can I say? If they're hiding & I can't get to them, it's the only thing that works without having to tear apart everything to get to them. Hmmm maybe I'll rattle the container then give them a couple licks of the EVOO so they know that they're still getting something special & coming to the rattle. I still haven't found a replacement treat that gets them all excited like the yogis & EVOO....
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