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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2015 12:54:57 GMT -5
Hello everyone, I'm taking the plunge! My Puck is a 6 year old, neutered male panda. He's completely deaf, and he suffers from mast cell tumors, but has no other health issues. Until now, he has been free fed a blend of Wysong Epigen 90, Oriijen and Go! Fit and Free. After a fruitful trip to my local ethnic grocery, I have a fine mince (love my KitchenAid grinder attachment!) made according to the soupie recipe, with bone-in chicken thighs, chicken liver and beef heart. Tonight at supper I'll try him on the mince, and if he won't take it as-is, I'll soupify it and try that way. I'm fairly confident he will take the mince, as he's been spoon fed mush before, when ill. The plan is to work our way to a full Frankenprey diet.
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 11, 2015 13:02:05 GMT -5
Sounds like you have a great start! Can't wait to see how he does tonight! I read your other post and you got some great advice there! When introducing new foods, mushy or soup or otherwise I do not use the scruff and stuff method myself, I just dab some on their mouth and maybe nose (more accidentally then on purpose with the nose! lol) and let them lick it off until they will lick it off my finger or a spoon.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2015 13:17:35 GMT -5
Heather, your ferrets were really young though. Younger ones take to the raw a lot easier  Switching a 6 year old is a different ordeal  When I was switching the 5 and 6 year olds from my crew, it would not have happened without scruffing. Just do it gently. If you can get away with it then don't scruff but chances are, you might need to  |
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 11, 2015 13:29:31 GMT -5
I didn't meant that it wasn't an option or that it was a bad one. I'm sorry if it came out that way, just meant to share another way to introduce it. (shy)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2015 13:37:34 GMT -5
Puck is incredibly laid back. I can probably manage without scruffing, but I won't hesitate to do it if I need to.  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2015 13:37:53 GMT -5
I just wanted to make sure that Kiersten didn't feel guilty about it if Puck decided to be difficult.
Hopefully he doesn't. Some older ferrets switch very well too. Miri, my 6 year old girl gave me absolutely no trouble, only had to scruff her very occasionally.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2015 15:25:57 GMT -5
Here's a picture of my skinny guy. He was sick a few months ago and lost a lot of weight, which is slowly coming back. At present he weighs 925 grams.  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2015 15:38:41 GMT -5
The soupie actually works really well to add them some weight. Since it's been blended, it is highly digestible, the blending thing is sort of a head start on chewing and digestion process. And the chicken thighs are very fatty, which is good for the ferrets. Another heads up about switching your ferret. When you start feeding them meat, they go through a detox phase. This means that Puck will be expelling all the bad things that have accumulated in his body over the years through his waste, and his skin. He will start to smell bad, and his poops will look strange and smell like death. This can last a couple of weeks or a bit longer, every ferret is different, but it does pass |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2015 15:42:52 GMT -5
Thanks sveta. Yeah, we fed him soup/mush when he was sick. Prepare for deathly smelly ferret, check! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2015 16:51:53 GMT -5
The nice thing is that most of us are going into winter. Unless you are on the other side of the world or Puck has his seasons reversed, you picked the perfect time to switch.
Winter finds them gaining weight.
Often a ferrent starts a switch after the New Year. Just like we decide to exercise or make some other resolution. Then spring starts and they begin to lose weight. The ferrent panics.
Enjoy Puck's switch and his nice new winter coat and weight.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2015 21:40:40 GMT -5
Well, I got him to taste it tonight, but not much more. Will persevere tomorrow.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2015 11:02:31 GMT -5
That's a forward step. Take it and you get a pat on the back. I don't know if you've looked around for some ideas. I'll give you my favorite. Sit on the floor with Puck. Have a towel and a spoon ready. Put him on your lap and use your other hand. Place it gently under him, just so he knows you are there. With your finger, dab some on his lips and gums. He has to lick it off. If he tries to jump down, talk to him and keep him on your lap. I'm not a fan of scruffing. Meals should be a happy experience. After he licks the soup off, offer some from the spoon. Give him a minute after to let him get over this strange new experience. Now offer the spoon and talk to him again. Tell him what you're doing and speak gently and softly. If he licks it off the spoon, praise him. Give him a second or two to get over your torturing this poor creature who only wants junk food.  or to go play or go back to sleep. Offer the spoon again. Always try for one more bite. If he gets off your lap, go get him and place him back on your lap. If he begins eating from the spoon, continue sitting with him for a few more licks and lower the spoon and him to the floor and keep the spoon on the plate while he eats. Some other tips: Some like the soup with very warm water. That releases the smell and is enticing. Some will only eat from a plate. Some like it chilly and that's always a surprise. You can drip a drop or two of some oil on top, but just for the first few tries. You don't want him to only want his food oily. Some want privacy and that's what feeding dens are for. That's later down the line when he is eating on his own. Keep trying. The key to success is expecting that he will eat this new food and sitting with him while he does. You won't have to do that for long but until he recognizes this as food, he needs his ferrent to make him feel secure. Great First Try! :thumbsup: |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2015 19:00:27 GMT -5
So I've run into a logistical issue that is really halting my progress. Puck does most of his eating early in the morning, and then around midday, when I'm not around to feed him. I've watched him the past 3 nights, and he doesn't eat at all between 4-ish and the time I go to bed. This makes feeding him very difficult, as he's not interested when I'm available and have the 2 hours lead time to remove kibble. Would you remove kibble overnight? That feels like too long to leave him without food to me, but it's the only way to get the morning feeding window. Has anyone had this issue before? Ideas?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2015 19:19:46 GMT -5
Remove his kibble for the night. If he does not have insulinoma then this should not be an issue at all. And you can leave the soupie in his cage. It's good for about 6 hours, maybe 8 depending on the weather. And if he is hungrier in the morning then he will accept the food you are offering him faster |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2015 19:22:05 GMT -5
Awesome! Thanks sveta. |
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