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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 14:51:18 GMT -5
The ground lamb and rabbit are on backorder and I have asked if there is bone in it. Also, the same with the ground duck. I am going to the market in a few minutes. I thought maybe I need to chicken liver and puree it to see if I can blend it with the rest of his meats. Want to do the same thing with chicken heart just to make sure he is getting enough heart. As for the other organ, I am sure I will puree it also, This morning I got him to eat the turkey liver, gizzard, heart blend by mixing it with his other meats. I don't like to leave the meat out for long so I divide his morning ration into three meals, and then do the same with the evening ration. Of course, I tend to run myself ragged feeding him often. Should I not do this? A friend of mine sets food out and doesn't change it for 12 hours. The microbiologist in me says "No!" This baby has me wrapped. I am up all hours playing with the little twerp!
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Post by FireAngel on Jul 20, 2015 18:48:06 GMT -5
Ok well do you understand what I did with the menu? If you did can you do up one for what Teddy will be eating for a week based on what you actually have? Whatever works to get him to eat his organs is fine! In general because of how ferrets differ from us in physiology food can be left out like this Soup 4-6 hours Grinds and chunks 8-12 hours Whole prey depending on the size can be left for 48 hours My personal rule is any food not eaten before I give them their next meal goes in the trash. I do make an exception with whole prey and will leave that for 24 hours. I feed twice a day so yup 12 hours.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 21:10:44 GMT -5
Can't believe it. Went to International Market today and they were closed. We leave for vacation tomorrow morning. So, this evening I am picking up pork kidney at another Asian market. I picked up chicken livers and some chicken hearts. I will puree each one separately this evening and place in ice cube trays then work them into the diet. He is doing better when I give him more variety in one day. So when the menu calls for 5 oz of one meat, I give 2.5 oz and then add 2.5 oz of meat from another day....if that is ok. That way I can sneak in the organs. BUT, he is not that crazy about mice to eat 5 oz in one day (10 mice). So how can I tweak that? Can I spead them out over the week?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 21:12:05 GMT -5
I still make sure he gets 70 oz of meat in one week and the amounts you specified of each.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 21:43:05 GMT -5
Will try to type out the next five days menu for you this evening.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 21:44:01 GMT -5
trying to figure out the ferret smiley icon...lol
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 21:44:27 GMT -5
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Post by FireAngel on Jul 20, 2015 22:44:02 GMT -5
It's fine to make equal substitutions he will slow down a bit on what he eats in the next couple of months so amounts are going to be an ongoing adjustment for you. That's why I want to make sure you understand what I did. I hope you have a great time on your vacation! :beer:
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Post by katt on Jul 21, 2015 0:50:40 GMT -5
OxyFresh Pet Gel is typically the most recommended tooth paste. That said - if he is eating bones you shouldn't need to brush his teeth at all. Are you wanting to keep him on the grinds that you are getting or move him towards Frankenprey? Honestly, the whole chunks and bones of a Frankenprey diet is better than grinds. The chewing helps them develop healthy, strong jaw and neck muscles and keeps their teeth really clean. Additionally, the chunks of bones act like nature's massage/scrub brush for the intestines, cleaning and stimulating the GI tract. Also - and this is purely ancecdotal - but IMO there seems to be a pretty strong trend between grinds and overweight ferrets. Most raw red ferrets won't over eat. That said, grinds have a higher surface area to volume ratio, they are already partially broken down and thus are more easily absorbed, and you can fit a larger volume of the food into your belly when it's broken down like that. Imagine eating a whole banana, a bowl of berries, a glass of almond milk and a salad - that's a lot of food and might fill you up right? Now imagine drinking a smoothie of the same ingredients - a lot easier to down the whole thing in smoothie form right?
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Post by katt on Jul 21, 2015 1:32:51 GMT -5
You can definitely spread stuff out across the week.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2015 2:15:00 GMT -5
TUESDAY AM/PM: 1 CHICK (2 0Z); 2 MICE (1 OZ);1 WHOLE GIZZARD (0.5 OZ); CHICKEN HEART GIZZARD MIX (2.5 OZ); GROUND CHICKEN FRAME (1.5 OZ); GROUND PORK KIDNEY (1.25 OZ); GROUND LIVER(1.25 OZ)---THE GRINDS ARE ALL MIXED TOGETHER AND DIVIDED INTO BREAKFAST AND LUNCH AND TOPPED WITH A LITTLE SALMON OIL. HE GETS ONE MOUSE WITH EACH MEAL AND A CHICK FOR A SNACK. WEDNESDAY: 1 CHICK (2 0Z); 2 MICE (1 OZ); TURKEY LIVER, HEART, GIZZARD MIX (2.5 OZ); GROUND QUAIL FRAME (1.25 OZ); GROUND TURKEY NECK (2 OZ); GROUND BEEF (1.25 OZ) THURSDAY: 2 MICE (1 OZ); GROUND CHICKEN FRAMES (2 OZ); POULTRY BLEND (3 OZ); GROUND DUCK NECK (2 OZ); GROUND CHICKEN BREAST (2 OZ) FRIDAY: 2 MICE (1 OZ); WHOLE CHICKEN GIZZARD (1 OZ); CHICKEN HEART/GIZZARD MIX (2 OZ); GROUND LIVER (1 OZ); GROUND TURKEY (3 OZ); GROUND QUAIL FRAMES (2 OZ) SATURDAY: 2 MICE (1 OZ); POULTRY BLEND (3 OZ); PORK KIDNEY (1.5 OZ); GROUND CHICKEN FRAMES (3 OZ); GROUND TURKEY NECKS (1.5 OZ) I KNOW THIS IS COMPLICATED AND I WILL WORK ON IT SUNDAY AFTER WE RETURN. I WILL BE OUT OF TOUCH UNTIL SUNDAY! THANKS AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR YOU!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2015 2:25:19 GMT -5
This is only for the next five days. I will get the toothpaste for him. Do you use a brush or your finger? I prefer whole, frozen prey and will move toward that with a little grind worked in. Just waiting for the heat to die down so I can get a shipment of prey. Now maybe I am not totally understanding exactly what Frankenprey is? I am not interested in feeding live prey. Just the frozen whole prey. I understand I will have to cut up frozen whole rats and guinea pigs...not sure about cutting up a whole rabbit. Are rats much better than mice? I also intend to order a lot of whole quail. And what about the chicks? He is not crazy about whole pieces of cut-cup chicken. He likes the baby chicks better. I tried grinds of venison, elk, buffalo, and ostrich with no luck. He is eating the full 10 oz of food per day and I am weighing everything.
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Post by katt on Jul 21, 2015 21:38:32 GMT -5
Frankenprey is just another word for RMB (Raw Meaty Bones), BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Diet), Raw Diet, etc - it's what most people who feed raw feed. The idea is to recreate the proportions of whole prey using non-prey items that are more affordable and more accessible. So chicken wings, beef heart, pork liver, etc. Whole prey is certainly the best option though if you can afford it! (dance) A note on the chicks - chicks and other immature/juvenile prey items (pinky mice, etc) are considered an incomplete meal item. The bones are not yet done developing and thus they are a deficient source of dietary calcium. IF given as a substantial part of the diet long-term they can contribute to nutritional deficits, particularly Rickets. Chicks and pinkies should be thought of as treats rather than a regular meal item. For the red-meat grinds (venison, elk, buffalo, beef) - these meats tend to be more strongly flavored. It typically takes them a little longer to adjust to eating these meats, that is very normal so don't give up on them yet. OxyFresh: oxyfresh.com/pet/pet-gel-healing-cream.aspYou can use a bit of cotton on gauze on your finger tip, you can order mini toothbrushes, and I have even heard of someone using a Q-Tip but I would be cautious about that (DON'T let him chew off the end!!!) - whatever is easiest. Again, as long as he is regularly eating whole bones (and certainly if he is eating whole prey) there really should be no need to brush his teeth. That said, it most definitely doesn't hurt to do anyways! It's just not a necessity when they are getting bones to nom on as those do all of the heavy cleaning for you.
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Post by FireAngel on Jul 21, 2015 22:54:51 GMT -5
So work and appts with my son and my mom kinda stole my day today, sorry I didn't get a chance to post before you left. Katt answered your question about what exactly frankenprey is and corrected my error on the most recommended toothpaste (I was thinking of the one most often used I think. I'm sorry (shy) ) I'll take a good look at what teddy is eating while you are gone and let you know how you did with it on Thursday. I know you won't see it until Sunday anyway but at least you will have it to review before trying to do another one. Did you take teddy with you? I hope we get some great pictures of you guys having fun!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2015 1:59:29 GMT -5
So we are in the mountains of southern Utah in our fifth wheel trailer and, yes, we have Mr. Ted with us. It was a 3 hour drive and he poofed all the way. We had to roll the windows down it smelled so bad. Not sure why he did it unless he was just nervous about the trip. We are not use to this as all previous ferrets were descented. Is this normal? Anything we can do for it? He has not wanted to eat as well today. I am hoping he will get back to eating tomorrow. He seems to like the trailer and has found all the little nooks and crannies to sleep in that my previous little Elliot found. He probably still smells Elliot as Elliot and I lived in this trailer for 5 months about two years ago when I moved to OK to work on another degree. I will be glad to get him more whole prey as it will be easier than all the mixing of the meats. Like I said, come October I want to order more. He is tending to favor the grinds over the mice. How many mice should I feed per week? They are adult mice. Thanks so much and I hope studying, work, and kids are going great!
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