|
Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2015 10:29:00 GMT -5
Thank you! @poncesmom Haha, that's to be expected on here, it's mostly raw food talk! That's probably going to be my boyfriend in the future once the fuzzies are switched over. So, I've got the meats down, the meal plan, but I'm not sure how many ounces of each thing they get, on organ days, etc. I will be signing up for a mentor once I'm back home(which will be tomorrow). You catch on quick and are smart. The basic math for organs; Liver plus another Organ is Five Percent Liver and Five Percent Other Organ, per ferret. That is based on how much they each eat in a weekly menu. The average boy eats 3-4 ounces, a little less in the summer and a little more in the winter. The average girls eats 2 ounces maybe 3, with a little less in the summer and a little more in the winter. Heart is ten percent of their weekly menu, per ferret. Heart is a Muscle meat (just to remind you). As FireAngel said, that's a little down the road. I just wanted to put it out there and you can work on the math for Chaquita, Ladikin, Sable and Rowdy.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2015 21:44:52 GMT -5
The ounces part was what I wasn't too sure on when they are fully switched. Thanks! @poncesmom I have some fantastic news everyone! I made my first batch of raw soupie tonight, not sure if the consistency was too thick, but I sat down with My oldest Rowdy (the picky one!) and my little girl Chiquita and fed them some soupie! I put about three big heaping kitchen tablespoons on a plate and they each had half of it(forgot to weigh how much it actually was on the plate). My girl immediately started eating it once I put some on her lips, but my boy was reluctant to try it. I did get him to eating it after I put some ferretvite with his half (at most 1/2tsp, probably less than that) and finger fed it to him against my chest with one arm holding him up, he seems most comfortable that way eating anything new or taking his meds. I know I'm going to get scolded for the ferretvite, but that's the only thing I can use to even get him trying new things. I've tried oils and he's not having any part of that, so the ferretvite is what I use. He doesn't get much hardly ever, because he doesn't have new foods introduced since his duck soup and current kibble. But to see him eat the raw soupie with the small amount of ferretvite was a HUGE thing! He NEVER wants to eat anything new immediately like he did with the soup at first, he is picky, picky, picky. Let's just say, I'm super proud of him. I've only fed my first pair the soupie, my other two have had kibble, so I'm waiting until the morning to give them soupie. As for all my meats, I've sectioned them out into 2oz portions and froze them, except for the pork necks, I could not smash those apart at all! Then again, I have the upper body strength of lint.... So, a future purchase of a meat grinder is a must for those. I ended up having deer, beef, turkey, pork, duck, and chicken for my meat selection. FireAngel Heather Here's my girl eating the soupie.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2015 8:52:11 GMT -5
You did Great! :thumbsup: your first soupie is so exciting. Just like you predicted, Chaquita took the soupie easily. Rowdy did very well. That is just wonderful. Chaquita is soooo pretty and dainty. :banana:
So on to your next two, The Baby Sable (who should be so easy and will probably eat alot) and Ladikin. Again, sit with them. That's the key to success.
Those pork necks will be tough for new to Bone ferrets. Do you have a food processor? Smash them up good (with a hammer, if you have to) and then try adding some water and the smashed necks into the food processor and see if they will grind up. I've done that with necks and it works. If they are hard for you to smash, think of how hard it will be for them to chew up.
I won't scold you over the Ferretvite, just use a little less each time. Rowdy is smart enough to hold out for it and he will. Wean him off of it or you will get stuck using it every time.
You deserve to be proud of yourself, and them. Hip Hip Hooray (dance)
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Jun 24, 2015 12:32:22 GMT -5
I think the pork necks will ruin the food processor. I was thinking you'd be hard pressed to get them through the grinder...just a thought. My dog loves pork necks so if they're any different than what he eats they're probably too tough for any grinding tool, even if you do smash them with a mallet. Great first start. Congratulations :thumbsup: ciao
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Jun 24, 2015 20:50:17 GMT -5
Woohoo! :goodjob: You'll and they will do great for the switch! I use ferretone myself still, very sparingly and rarely now since the switch has been made, mostly only for nail clippings now. I just can't afford to waste the money I spent on the two bottles of it before I knew any better. Just like poncesmom said just use less and less of it each time. You can actually use it to help them like the oils at first too. Same concept just use less and less until it is only the oil and they realize how much they like that too! Hehe
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2015 0:47:59 GMT -5
Thank you all, despite Tuesday night's terrible tragedy. I gave my girls Ladikin and Sable some raw soupie tonight and they too loved it. Rowdy wasn't too fond still, but he did eat it with some coaxing, no ferretvite this time. Proud of my boy. ❤
And I'm going to see if I can smash the crap out of the pork necks with a bigger hammer (ours is puny) and then grind it up.
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Jun 26, 2015 10:52:36 GMT -5
Great! Let us know how the grinding goes!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2015 17:36:51 GMT -5
Still haven't got a grinder, but today the kids got another taste of soupie. I defrosted two cubes last night, watered it down to a not so chunky consistency(still a bit icy), and then took 12ml of it aside for Rowdy to have. The girls dove right in the bowl and started eating (they don't like the stringy pieces of skin in it right now), and then put maybe a pea size(if even that big) of ferretvite to get Rowdy eating the soup and slowly squirted more onto the plate until he was eating just raw soupie. He finished almost all but some tiny portions (that if they were licked, the plate would've been clean).
Is Rowdy getting a decent amount of soup to start with or does he need more and should I puree the soup even MORE or just leave the skin pieces in it? The girls and Rowdy aren't a fan of them yet and it's only the girls second raw soup and Rowdy's third.
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Jun 27, 2015 22:31:16 GMT -5
12ml isn't even half an ounce. If you're only giving it right now as a taste to just get them used to it and not as meals then I'm thinking that is fine. Are they licking at the fat pieces at al or just ignoring them? If they are licking at them I might leave them but make them smaller. If they are eating the soup at the consistency you had it I would not make it thinner. You are going to slowly make it thicker anyway and as it gets thicker they will accidentally get the skin prices into their mouths as they lick and they will hopefully chew them and eat them and not spit them back out lol.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2015 8:04:01 GMT -5
FireAngel I'm only getting him used to the taste, he's my pickiest eater, so I've been doing the soup transition slowly and he definitely doesn't like the fat pieces right now. Hopefully once I get him liking the soup as much as the girls, he'll eat the fat and they can all start getting small amounts of minced meat in it. The rest of the day, he gets his duck soup and kibble later after the raw soup, so there's no tummy upset. Yes, my girls are licking at the fat, some pieces are really big (might need to re-puree it all), but they have eaten some when they lick the soup, but it's more of a surprise when they get it. It was all eaten eventually because they like the soup, just the fat pieces threw them off.
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Jun 28, 2015 13:31:31 GMT -5
If they ate it, then I wouldn't purée it more. That would be almost going back a step. For Rowdy if you can just avoid the fat pieces until he is eating his thicker soup.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2015 19:48:11 GMT -5
I fed them all three the soup last night(not thinned out)and they ate it without any coaxing. Rowdy however stopped eating it after a minute, so I'm getting just a cube of soup for him and feeding it separately from my girls tonight. He had no ferretvite with his last night, so no more of that, he's eating the soup on his own, just not all of it. My girls are eating the soup fine now, so should I stop the kibble for them or slowly reduce the amount they get and keep giving soup? All three sleep in the same cage where I have the kibble available at all times.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2015 20:51:45 GMT -5
So, I just fed the girls and then fed Rowdy. I thawed out three cubes, each cube is an ounce of soup. The girls immediately ate the soup again, Rowdy did not. Put some on my finger and he began to eat it, then I spoon fed some to him, and had a small amount in a syringe, he'll eat it from there definitely. He doesn't push away when I syringe feed him things(if he likes it). He ate all, but about .40 ounces of the soup, so a little over half. I'm getting the feeling Rowdy just likes me feeding him instead of eating it himself. @poncesmom FireAngel
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2015 9:12:18 GMT -5
Yep, little Rowdy is loving his Mommy's attention and he has learned what works, to get the attention. Those little guys are just so smart. You can see already how smart, Rowdy is. Rowdy is going to take you on quite an adventure. T next time you feed him, put him on your lap for the first spoon. Then the next spoon, put him at the plate and lower the spoon to the plate. Let him lick off of that. Then pull the spoon away and just sit there. I have two that need an invitation to eat. I usually have three or four watching me make their breakfast. They get little bites as I fix the meal. Then when I put the plates down, I watch. If any meal is in a soupie form, I have to give Wynstan the first bite from a spoon, then he's fine. Roamy also likes the attention but will eat on his own. Mika wants to be babied and so I get her started by offering a piece or the first spoon. Juliet grabs and runs. Keller likes me to sit with her, to protect her from the evil big kids, Roamy and Juliet. The downside to all this attention is they don't eat as well at Ferret Camp. Rowdy is a baby still, so he needs and wants Mommy's love and attention. If he was a toddler and you just put him in a high chair, he would be throwing Cheerios on the floor and playing with his food. Everyone is doing so well. Give them all a big hug. :wave3:
|
|
|
Post by FireAngel on Jul 1, 2015 20:45:30 GMT -5
Sorry I haven't checked in, work and my mom tied me up a bit. It looks like they are doing well. If they are doing well with the soup I would start cutting out the kibble. As soon as mine started eating the soup they kibble was gone within 3 days. Mine were kits so that may not be realistic for you.
|
|