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Post by Klarissa on Sept 19, 2015 14:49:50 GMT -5
She's quite lean & they said she is 5 years old. However her teeth say she is much younger, 2-3 years old
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 19, 2015 14:49:56 GMT -5
Freja is lovely!
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Post by Klarissa on Sept 19, 2015 16:00:24 GMT -5
She is lovely! I love her so much... I love all my ferrets, but the moment I her it was hugs & kisses.
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Post by Klarissa on Sept 19, 2015 23:10:03 GMT -5
I have seen the promised land! I have died and gone to ferrent heaven! So, apparently the daughter had been feeding Freyja (that's how you spell it! ) cooked ham & salmon, as well as Marshalls Duck Soup as a treat. So I made a soupie (DUCK grinds, heart, liver, salmon oil & little eggshell powder) thin like they made the duck soup. BUT I took chunks of heart & pinched them to break the tissue that gives it shape so it became quite flimsy. I didn't even have to dab it in her nose for her to lick it enthusiastically AND she ate the heart chunks!! No protest! I had to hold her in spot on the floor, but only because she was too busy exploring her new playroom. In the morning I will make soup that's pudding consistency with slivers. Not jumping to just slivers yet - she is already progressing well & if I don't have to push too much to quick ... Yet. I'm making each of her meals at the time I feed her, so I can progress her meal to meal if she seems ready. She ate duck, salmon oil & squished chicken hearts, which is wayyy better than I thought she'd do. It was a very new protein, liver & salmon oil which was fragrant... It makes me wonder if she is 5 years old. Her teeth don't look it, and she doesn't seem fussy like you'd expect. In other news, I came home to find Bear had climbed our 5'5 tall cage to sleep in a dirty litter box Willy also ate tonight without being prompted. All is well.
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Post by Klarissa on Sept 20, 2015 5:52:18 GMT -5
Freyja didn't eat any soupie over night, but I don't think she slept either. I woke up ever 2-3 hours to peek on her. Every time she was awake & running around. However she happily are 1oz of soup this morning. I fed it from a syringe, but I just slowly pushed it out while she stood & ate from it. I just didn't want to dip my fingers in the soup. When she ate a chunk I'd hold her so she would eat it, not stash it I've left her kibble since I'm not home today, but tomorrow I'm off & home all day. Tomorrow I will leave nothing but raw soup out & pop in every few hours to get her to eat it.
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 20, 2015 12:05:54 GMT -5
1oz nice! and chunks too! (dance) Pop Quiz day! 1.) Does freezing degrade taurine? 2.) Your ferret is constipated and his stools are very hard and dry. What is this a sign of and how can you adjust to fix it? 3.) Is it a good idea to mix muscle meat, bone in and organs all in one meal. Explain why. 4.) How much food on average should a male and female ferret each consume per DAY? Good luck! I know you will do fine!
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 20, 2015 12:07:43 GMT -5
Oh and would you like me to change the name of the thread to reflect that it is Willy, Bear and Freyja now?
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Post by Klarissa on Sept 20, 2015 12:16:41 GMT -5
1) No, freezing doesn't degrade taurine. However, cooking it does. 2) Too much bone/eggshell. Less bone to meat ratio. 3) I don't know, but I'm going to make an educated guess. Yes. Why because that's the soupie recipe Because its a more realistic model of a natural ferret diet. 4) Female ferret 1.5 - 2 oz a day. Male ferrets 3 - 4 oz a day. Unless it's a kit, then they are a bottomless pit. They also eat more in the winter & less in the summer.
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Post by Klarissa on Sept 20, 2015 12:21:24 GMT -5
Yes please!
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Post by Klarissa on Sept 20, 2015 13:13:18 GMT -5
Oooh! Question!
So, I'm fairly certain that I don't need Freyja's kibble at all. There wasn't much left of the bag & its utter garbage so I'm going to pitch it. Plus, I don't want to mix kibble/raw. Now, she was accustomed to eat Marshalls Duck soup - still crap. However, if I keep it around "just in case" can it be used with raw soup if need be ?
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 20, 2015 14:08:56 GMT -5
1.) Does freezing degrade taurine? 2.) Your ferret is constipated and his stools are very hard and dry. What is this a sign of and how can you adjust to fix it? 3.) Is it a good idea to mix muscle meat, bone in and organs all in one meal. Explain why. 4.) How much food on average should a male and female ferret each consume per DAY? 1) No, freezing doesn't degrade taurine. However, cooking it does. Correct, heating breaks down the taurine.2) Too much bone/eggshell. Less bone to meat ratio. Yes, less bone and more meat will help this. 3) I don't know, but I'm going to make an educated guess. Yes. Why because that's the soupie recipe Because its a more realistic model of a natural ferret diet. For a single ferret this is fine but when you have multiple ones eating, it is not a great idea. There is a high chance of them being able to pick around and only eat their favorites so one or more may get most of the organs or heart and the others may not get enough.4) Female ferret 1.5 - 2 oz a day. Male ferrets 3 - 4 oz a day. Unless it's a kit, then they are a bottomless pit. They also eat more in the winter & less in the summer. Females 1-3oz and Males 2-5, it's a large range I know.
As for the Duck Soup, if she eats regular soup with no issue, I do not really see the benefit in keeping it around.
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Post by Klarissa on Sept 20, 2015 14:09:44 GMT -5
That makes it official then. As of this day there is zero ferret kibble in my house.
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Post by Klarissa on Sept 21, 2015 8:18:47 GMT -5
Last night Freyja ate 1.75 oz with enthusiasm, though she still as to be reminded to eat instead of run around. I checked on her a couple times last night, and every time she was awake. Wild wild girl Dinner was duck grinds, chicken heart, chicken liver, and a salmon oil again. I'm going to try & get her onto the schedule, even if her meals require a little more prep. When Freyja eats she is very noisy. Lots of lip smacking kind of sounds. I checked her mouth for missing teeth or sore spots. None. She isn't grinding her teeth, rubbing her face on the ground, or pawing her face. So, I'm assuming she is just a noisy eater, but I will keep an eye on it.
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 21, 2015 10:14:05 GMT -5
Sounds like she is adjusting wonderfully!
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Post by Klarissa on Sept 22, 2015 10:39:11 GMT -5
Freyja is adjusting really well. Eating grinds, small chunks, and bits of bone. I think tonight will be her first egg & beef meal. Willy isn't eating a lot on his own, but is a piggy if I sit with him. I think it's just a ploy for attention - he isn't the new fert on the block anymore. No changes in his energy (he just spent 15 minutes dancing in a paper bag) & he is well hydrated. So I'm not worried about his changes in appetite. Bear is my little champ. Eats well, plays well, cuddles well. This week I'm focussing getting Willy & Bear accustomed to Salmon oil as a treat. Both are ferretone junkies, Freyja is too, but she happily laps up Salmon oil. It's much easier to clip nails, weigh ferrets, etc when they have a treat. As well as trying to get Willy & Bear to become friends, and intro Freyja. I've started to sin bin the aggressor (Bear --> Willy, or Freyja --> Willy & Bear). Poor Willy is such a sweetie, when we tried to intro Freyja to him, she tried to attack him & he just kept turning his back to her. When Bear gets aggressive with him, he just rolls in a fuzzy knot with her, never biting her. Willy is such a gentlefert... Living with all these crazy ladies.
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