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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2015 22:23:14 GMT -5
I feel good about the switch now. I have a very spoiled ferret. With him having run of the house, would it be ok for me to feed him every 12 hours and remove the food he doesn't eat, or should I feed him three times a day? If I leave food out he will hide raw meat all over the house. I think he gets picky because he isn't all that hungry.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2015 13:51:23 GMT -5
Ted is back to eating everything again! I think we are good to go. Next step is making it through his first rut. THEN, he will get neutered and a DES implant. Doesn't poof very often now. Had to move him from sleeping in our room as I discovered he was using the area beneath our bed for a litter box. Not good for wood floors. He is my little buddy and we spend our days together in my retirement. Thanks for all your guidance.
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Post by katt on Oct 15, 2015 22:42:05 GMT -5
Will you please post an updated menu? FireAngel
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Post by FireAngel on Oct 16, 2015 14:10:53 GMT -5
I am so sorry, I have not been on. Work and my mom have taken everything out of me this week. I have had to call out of work twice because of no aid and I am working 13 hour days and then going to her house after. If you will post an updated menu as katt asked and answer the final exam questions, I will post for Heather to approve and we can get your status changed! Final exam 1.) What are some good emergency taurine sources if you run out of heart? 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.) List 3 organs aside from liver. 4.) How many different proteins does a ferret need in a week at a Minimum? 5.) How often on average does a ferret need to eat? You have done a great job! I understand the concern with stashing meat but I do not recommend leaving him with nothing for 12 hours at a time.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2015 8:02:48 GMT -5
Have to make a quick trip to Phoenix to doctor and will send you an updated menu and answers as soon as I return. Hope your schedule slows down.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2015 16:50:48 GMT -5
Ok. Returned from traveling. Teddy is refusing to eat anything but adult mice. How many mice per day can I allow him to eat when he is eating about 3-4 ounces of food per day? BTW.....when we got home last night my husband made a discovery. In the top drawer of the bathroom vanity he found a decomposing chicken wing Teddy had hidden. Ted had to really stretch to get the wing in that drawer and there is no way he could have ever gotten back in to retrieve it. I have to lock him in a cage when he eats the mice or they would be stashed all over the house. I have turkey breast, turkey heart, turkey liver, and pork kidney that I grind for him. I also have quail that he is refusing to eat right now. Then I have chicken and ground duck meat with bone. I weigh all of these meats to make sure he is getting the correct percentages daily, but now he is refusing to eat them. And it looks like he has been stashing the chicken wings. He is one picky, demanding ferret. He comes to where I am, raises up and scratches my leg, looks at me and then runs to his feeding cage to tell me he wants a mouse. When I put other meats in the cage, he has a fit and digs like crazy to get out of the cage.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2015 17:10:34 GMT -5
Final exam 1.) What are some good emergency taurine sources if you run out of heart? I use taurine powder at 500 mg per day per ferret. I believe beef tongue is also high in 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? Needs more organ meats.3.) List 3 organs aside from liver. pancreas, kidney, lung, heart(organ/muscle meat)4.) How many different proteins does a ferret need in a week at a Minimum? three5.) How often on average does a ferret need to eat? every 3-4 hoursRead more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/18643/marcias-switching-thread-fireangel-hurricanekatt?page=17#ixzz3pF6sjPgo
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Post by katt on Oct 21, 2015 22:19:12 GMT -5
Ferrets are a lot like toddlers. They will get away with anything if you let them. lol When they start being stubborn about a certain food, I would offer ONLY that food for a few days. I even have to do this with my boys every now and then and they have both been raw fed since they were 8 weeks old and get a ton of variety. They usually eat anything I put in their bowl, but every now and then they will decide "nah I don't want to eat pork anymore." When this happens they ONLY get pork for a few days until they realize "darn, guess we HAVE to eat it, mom isn't taking no for an answer" and start eating it in good amounts again. I will add the caveat that this method is VERY recommended overall but is NOT good for older ferrets who might have undiagnosed insulinoma (or who have it outright) and it is important to make sure they are eating. Something I don't tell people very often anymore, because some people just don't have the common sense they need... ferrets actually benefit from an occasional fast. Bob Church even had an article a while back (I'd have to go hunting for it or I would link it sorry lol). Think of living in the wild - you hunt for your meals and if you can't catch something you don't eat - wild ferrets and polecats don't always eat every single day, and there is some health benefit to an OCCASIONAL, BRIEF fast (same goes for humans too btw). In older ferrets, sick ferrets, ferrets of an unknown age and health (e.g. an adopted ferret or a ferret who has been on kibble for 3+ years and might have underlying insulinoma) we do NOT recommend fasting because if they DO have insulinoma that just hasn't manifested itself yet it could send them into a crash. However, for a young, healthy ferret who has been raw fed since a young age and doesn't have any major health issues, the occasional fast is not only not harmful, but might even have some benefit. SO - I would feed Teddy ONLY chicken wings for a few days. If he doesn't eat much the first day - that is fine. (If he refuses the second day, hand feed to start him a bit and let us know). Remember YOU control the diet, not him. It's all about being more stubborn than they are.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2015 23:23:29 GMT -5
LOL! You remind me of a pediatrician who once told me I was being manipulated by my toddlers....LOL! I know....I am a softy. We have been battling it out today. I just get worried when he doesn't get his balance of heart and organs as I have to hide them in grinds. Will do! Thanks!
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Post by katt on Oct 23, 2015 19:43:43 GMT -5
The menu can be shuffled around as needed. If you have to give chicken wings on the days you would normally give heart and organs, just move the heart and organ meals forward to spots that would have had bone-in meals and it will maintain the balance. Let me know if the way I explained that makes sense or not.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2015 16:31:34 GMT -5
Teddy is back to eating....LOL. Most current menu and most of the time he eats everything. Per day: .5 oz heart; .25 oz kidney; .25 oz liver; .5 oz muscle meat; 3.5 oz meats with bone; 1.5 oz adult mice (3). Per week: 10.5 oz mice; 35 oz other meats. Variety: chicken, duck, quail, pork, beef, turkey 2 oz red meat (beef) per week
SUNDAY: 1 egg yolk
A.M. 2 mice (1 oz) turkey liver .25 oz pork kidney .25 oz chicken w/bone 2 oz
P.M. 1 mouse (.5 oz) turkey heart .5 oz chicken breast .5 oz quail w/bone 1.5 oz
MONDAY:
A.M. 2 mice (1 oz) turkey liver .25 oz pork kidney .25 oz duck w/bone 2 oz
P.M. 1 mouse (.5 oz) turkey heart .5 oz ground beef .5 oz chicken w/bone 1.5 oz
TUESDAY:
A.M. 2 mice (1 oz) turkey liver .25 oz pork kidney .25 oz chicken w/bone 2 oz
P.M. 1 mouse (.5 oz) turkey heart .5 oz chicken breast .5 oz quail w/bone 1.5 oz
WEDNESDAY:
A.M. 2 mice (1 oz) turkey liver .25 oz pork kidney .25 oz duck w/bone 2 oz
P.M. 1 mouse (.5 oz) turkey heart .5 oz ground beef .5 oz chicken w/bone 1.5 oz
THURSDAY:
A.M. 2 mice (1 oz) turkey liver .25 oz pork kidney .25 oz chicken w/bone 2 oz
P.M. 1 mouse (.5 oz) turkey heart .5 oz chicken breast .5 oz quail w/bone 1.5 oz
FRIDAY:
A.M. 2 mice (1 oz) turkey liver .25 oz pork kidney .25 oz duck w/bone 2 oz
P.M. 1 mouse (.5 oz) turkey heart .5 oz ground beef .5 oz chicken w/bone 1.5 oz
SATURDAY:
A.M. 2 mice (1 oz) turkey liver .25 oz pork kidney .25 oz chicken w/bone 2 oz
P.M. 1 mouse (.5 oz) turkey heart .5 oz ground beef .5 oz quail w/bone 1.5 oz
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Post by katt on Oct 28, 2015 0:18:46 GMT -5
haha silly boy! I'll let FireAngel comment on the menu.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 18:25:26 GMT -5
I have a question. FerretsNFalcons placed an order with Rodent Pro. I included my order ($160) for white, adult extra large mice. She received a copy of the invoice showing the order will arrive Friday. However, it stated that extra large adult mice (hairless) were shipped. I am afraid Teddy might not eat them. Also, I want him to have the benefit of the fur. What do you think I should do? She is certain she ordered the mice with fur. I run out of mice Sunday.
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Post by katt on Oct 29, 2015 19:36:20 GMT -5
Hmm I would call them (or have her since the order is in her name) and ask for the order to be corrected. As for the hairless mice, if they can't take them back he will still get the benefit of the whole prey, just sans the fur.
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Post by katt on Oct 29, 2015 19:40:43 GMT -5
Heather must still be having internet issues. :/ I'd have to do the math on your menu, but at a glance it looks good. Great variety. How is he doing eating all of the different proteins and bones? And how are YOU feeling about dealing with him when he goes into his stubborn fits and being able to out-stubborn him?
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