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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2015 17:52:58 GMT -5
The trick is finding out what works for each ferret. Sometimes, they like to be spoiled and sit on your lap. Some will enjoy a drop of oil on top. Some like their food warm and some like it cold. Some prefer plates to bowls. Some like their food wet like a gravy. The key is to sit with them and make them feel comfortable and secure. Ferrets have a hard time accepting new foods as food. When they are kits, their mom is with them. When we switch them over, we need to be there. The ferrents who get frustrated and simply put a plate or bowl out, rarely are successful. You're working well at this and trying hard. You will be successful and you'll be so pleased with the lovely bond that you all build together.
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Post by brightstar on Jul 12, 2015 1:11:09 GMT -5
For their second meal of the day, they did actually empty the bowl. But I can't help feeling that maybe only one of them is taking to the new diet - the others are eating the FDR, leaving the raw, and whichever one of them that eats the raw is finishing off the raw once the FDR is all gone.
I fed them 20g raw, 20g FDR this evening. When I checked, they'd eaten the FDR and left the raw. I added 25g FDR and 15g raw.
I've blended it up until it's as mushy as I can get it. My next option is to add a lot more liquid and make it a soup, or try hand feeding. I really don't want to go for the scruff and stuff method - Bianca and Bear are still getting their confidence with me. I'm worried this would really set me back with them if I tried scruff and stuff.
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Post by FireAngel on Jul 12, 2015 9:05:35 GMT -5
I think I have suggested making it a thick cream consistency to mix it up better. After they are eating the soup and it's all just the soup then you can start making it thicker and thicker and adding slivers. You can try finger feeding vs the scruff and stuff. Finger feeding or spoon feeding.
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Post by brightstar on Jul 12, 2015 13:18:43 GMT -5
There was 20g of food left this morning when I checked their bowl. It was impossible to tell whether it was FDR or raw.
For their morning meal today, I made the raw into a cream consistency, as you suggested, and tried finger feeding them that. Penny took a few licks from my finger, but the other three only went so far as to lick it off their noses. After finger feeding, I mixed the leftovers (30g) with 20g of FDR.
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Post by brightstar on Jul 20, 2015 22:03:57 GMT -5
Sorry it's been a while since I posted an update - I've been busy this past week with putting together the furkids' new playpen, and preparing for the new baby ferret(we have named him Moe.)
The transition from FDR to raw seems to be going very well. Today I've got them down to 40g raw and 5g FDR per meal.
Tomorrow will be the first day of 100% raw. At this point, they are eating it as long as it is a consistency of very ground up mush.
What is the next step once they are on 100% raw?
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Post by FireAngel on Jul 20, 2015 23:25:01 GMT -5
That's great! The next step is to add small slivers of meat to their mush. Hopefully they will just eat them with the mush.
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Post by Celene on Jul 21, 2015 8:59:42 GMT -5
brightstar, here is a general "roadmap" to give you an idea of the overall process.
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Post by brightstar on Jul 22, 2015 17:11:14 GMT -5
I fear my four may have suffered a setback. I got them onto 100% raw, and then I ran out of soupie mix. I didn't have any more chicken breast left from hare-today, so I brought some from the store instead. I made up a new batch of soupie mix with the store-brought chicken and liver and heart from hare-today. They wouldn't touch it at all. I ground it up so it was the same consistency as the previous batch(a sort of paste-like mush) but they wouldn't eat it. I've had to go back to mixing it with FDR. Is this normal? Does it matter what brand of chicken breast I use? Today I mixed up 20g FDR with 35g raw. They're eating it, although I sense they're not very happy about it. Feel like I've taken a big step back, so I'm really down about it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2015 17:22:07 GMT -5
Oh, don't be discouraged. They do take a step backwards sometimes.
One small note: Thighs are better for soupie. Fat equals energy for ferrets and thighs are nice and fatty, and less expensive.
Are you sitting with them and coaxing them? That really is key, they trust us and eat better during a switch when we sit with them.
One other trick is to make your soupie and then simply sprinkle some crushed up FDR on top. They will smell the FDR but not have as much in the soupie. You don't want them holding out for FDR and they are quite capable of "playing" you like that.
You're doing fine and we all have a backwards day now and then. :wave3:
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Post by brightstar on Jul 22, 2015 17:33:20 GMT -5
I'm sorry to admit that I haven't been doing that, no. Mornings tend to be hectic here for me, and I was worried that if I made them wait until I could sit with them, they'd go hungry. I feel bad when I see an empty food dish, so I never like to let it go empty. I really don't know how to tell when they're playing me, vs. when they actually don't eat something because they don't know it's food. I'll try sprinkling the FDR on top of the raw, instead of mixing it in. Thank you for the encouragement. I don't mind setbacks---my biggest fear is just that the setbacks will mean my guys are hungry, or stressed. I don't want them to be unhappy. I'm doing this so they will have a more enriched life, and live longer and healthier.
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Post by brightstar on Jul 25, 2015 22:36:58 GMT -5
Update:
They're eating 25% FDR, 75% raw. I made their most recent batch of soupie with chicken thighs. (Thanks for the suggestion.)
Quick question - I was able to introduce Moe (the new baby) to the group, and he is now living with them full time. Since I put Moe with the others, he has stopped eating his mice and other 100% raw foods, and is eating from the adults' food dish instead.
I'm surprised by this because I was under the impression mouse was much preferable, and he really seemed to love them (ate three a day) when I first got him. But now (since I put him with the adults) he either only eats half a mouse, or leaves it completely untouched.
Is it okay for him to eat the adults' soupie diet?
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Post by raynebc on Jul 25, 2015 23:01:47 GMT -5
If I remember correctly, really young ferrets may do well to have more calcium while they continue to develop.
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Post by brightstar on Jul 26, 2015 1:10:55 GMT -5
What should I do to add more calcium to his diet?
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Post by Celene on Jul 26, 2015 11:17:17 GMT -5
Is the "75% raw" in the soupie the "raw soupie recipe" with organs and such, or is it simply chicken thigh? If it's just thigh right now, then switch to the soupie recipe since it's nutritionally balanced. For convenience, I've posted it below: 8oz raw chicken thigh (raw) 1 oz raw chicken liver (or other raw liver) 1-2 raw chicken hearts (approximately 1 oz) or 1 oz other raw heart ½ to ¾ tsp bone meal or crushed egg shell (air-dry egg shell then crush with mortar and pestle or in a clean coffee grinder)
Weigh out your meat and organs. Add bone meal or egg shell. Add water until about the consistency of thick cream (no thinner!!). Blending up in a food processor is the easiest.I'm not surprised the baby is going for the soup over the mice - soup is easy to eat and mice takes effort! Kind of in the same way a milkshake for humans is less hassle than a fudgsicle bar. The adult soupie won't necessarily harm him if he sneaks a bit, but the eggshell powder, while providing enough calcium, lacks macronutrients found in bone and marrow. I would recommend feeding your kit separately during the day so that he is forced to eat "real" food and not just be lazy
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Post by brightstar on Jul 26, 2015 14:42:17 GMT -5
@celene : Yes, the raw is the soupie recipe.
My hope originally was to feed my baby separately, then let him go back with the others once he'd had his proper meal. But he refused to eat and just clawed and chewed at the bars. Lucky I still have his baby cage set up - I'll try some different routines and see if I can get him to eat his proper diet.
What percentage of his daily intake should be full raw? Can I feed him one meal full raw, one meal soupie/FDR mix?
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