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Post by Corvidophile on Sept 29, 2015 19:20:53 GMT -5
Redsky, freeze dried should work, yeah. I actually tried him with a moistened bowl of kibble and freeze dried (Instinct Raw Boost), and he didn't eat too much of it, but did eat some.
It is possible his seasons are reversed, he was born in January. But I'm not sure how to tell unless his coat changes into something smoother or fluffier. It's definitely changing into something, he's losing warm tones and going silvery in two patches along either side, and he grew a dark unibrow.
Update: didn't eat much of the fried stuff at all, so I guess that method's kicked out. Tried an AntiStash Defeater: I chopped some heart and muscle into cubed centimeters and mixed them with egg, that got him to eat all of it! This morning was the aforementioned kibble and freeze dried mix. Today he went outside and under some plant cover I saw his head bobbing like he was chewing. I picked him up expecting to remove a plant or garbage, to my surprise he had a baby mouse in his mouth! He was annoyed when I took it away, but he wasn't what killed it, something else did first, might've been poisoned. Threw it out and defrosted one of my mice quickly in hot water, but he wasn't falling for the substitute and wanted to know where his rightfully hunted bounty had gone, haha.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2015 19:59:14 GMT -5
That is something else:)) They r smart. Mine are not as crazy over mice as I would like them to be---although they luv stashing them. Senior is getting where she will eat them---reluctantly.
Wonder if I hid them outside, and let them strategically come across them on a stroll if it would matter?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2015 11:59:45 GMT -5
i think he is being a "geek" and eat what he wants! In my opinion is to feed him his mice every other day and give him his franken prey on the other days. have you thought about using your egg to "dress" your franken meat?
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Post by Sherry on Oct 1, 2015 10:33:26 GMT -5
You don't want to cave and give him is favourite so often, else he will begin to hold out for that alone @jager As I found out with one of mine (headwall)
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Post by Corvidophile on Oct 2, 2015 11:16:50 GMT -5
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Post by Sherry on Oct 2, 2015 18:54:38 GMT -5
He looks REALLY good to me! When dangling he should be a straight tube, shoulders to hips, and he appears to be.
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Post by Corvidophile on Oct 9, 2015 19:16:15 GMT -5
He was fine for a week and now he's doing it again, he suddenly wolfed down about 5oz yesterday morning and afternoon, didn't eat overnight, I just got home and he still hadn't eaten in about 34 hours. I gave him some canned salmon just now and he ate that. What is WITH him, is it irritable bowel flare ups maybe? It's not his teeth or jaws because he's just as likely to eat bones and gizzards as something soft. All of his poops have been normal throughout the whole thing and he never looks strained when he goes. Could it be eating too much shed hair? Would a blood or stool test reveal anything?
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Post by Corvidophile on Oct 13, 2015 22:59:28 GMT -5
I'm going nuts, I can't figure out what it is that's wrong with either the food or the ferret himself, but he apparently knew something I didn't because he's begun vomiting the last few days when I feed him his usual frankenprey mix, IF I can get it in him. I didn't know he was at first, I saw dried puddles on the kitchen floor near his litter box but thought it was missed pee (they're not chunky, just fluid) until I caught one that was still wet and recognized the smell of barf. I feel terrible. I can't identify any particular thing that's doing it, so I'm going to an elimination plan, he's been switched to strictly mice for the time being. I don't think it's his digestive system because everything is normal when he eats mice, all I can come up with is an allergy that keeps building or a problem with a particular bad ingredient. Either way, HE'S associated the problem with any cuts of raw non-mouse meats and won't eat them unless they're highly altered in smell and taste.
After a few days on mice I want to add in single things from my macro storage that hasn't been cross contaminated with separate allergens or spoilages and try to get him to eat the item to see if a specific one is the issue. Currently separately stored I have: 1. Chicken backs and Cornish hens 2. Combo of chicken and Cornish gizzards 3. Combo of turkey, chicken and Cornish livers 4. Chicken hearts 5. Beef kidney 6. Beef lung 7. And the mice of course
He also has been eating in the past few weeks: eggs, Nature's Variety freeze dried chicken, canned salmon(now depleted), venison muscle(now depleted).
Any advice on the timing and methodology of reintroducing these possible triggers?
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Post by Corvidophile on Oct 14, 2015 19:47:14 GMT -5
Aw heck he's so much happier and more lively after two days on straight mice, why should I even bother torturing him for my own finding out?
If the problem is beef allergy, what other ungulates to avoid? If the problem is poultry allergy, what other birds to avoid? And are eggs likely to set it off too? Would duck and Guinea fowl be far enough away? Quail, pheasant..? I'd love to have him eating a rodent, an ungulate, a bird, and either a fish, reptile or frog.
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Post by Corvidophile on Oct 16, 2015 12:44:08 GMT -5
I've done a lot of pricing out and realized that although the price per pound of whole prey is hugely higher, with just one pet to feed, the dollar amount is affordable and I asked myself, would I pay somebody else to go drive to the butcher, get the meat, chop it up, weigh it, bag it, sanitize the kitchen from the bloodbath mess, sanitize the cooler, pay for the little baggies, and save my back three hours of standing in the same spot... $15 a month to do this for me? And I said WHERE DO I SIGN UP??
So I ordered baby and adult mice, baby and adult quail, baby chicks, and adult Guinea pigs! Let's see how this goes. I'm researching where to buy frogs locally.
I reintroduced chicken eggs and there have been no further digestive upsets or eating pauses.
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Post by Corvidophile on Oct 20, 2015 9:55:49 GMT -5
Any admin reading this-
Seeing as I've turned to whole prey currently and want to continue updating this thread with any other weird eating behaviours so that the full story is in one place for ease of reference, should I start a new thread in whole prey or move this one? I don't know whether the separation of these two sub forums is because certain people don't want to read about whole prey, and want to respect that and not start writing about things that might bother other members without due warning.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 20, 2015 10:35:41 GMT -5
I am so sorry! I just saw this now. If you prefer starting a new thread go ahead, but not essential. The only way you would find out what his sensitivities are is to do a protein trial, and feed one protein per week. If he potentially has IBD, proteins generally considered "safe", are lamb and rabbit as go to meats to bring a flare up under control.
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Post by Corvidophile on Oct 20, 2015 11:05:22 GMT -5
No need to apologize, you caught it pretty quick! Alright, I'll just keep updating this thread.
Regarding digestive upset he seems totally fine with mice, chicken eggs, and, um, cooked clams. (I had a can of clams in the cabinet I didn't want anymore so I offered, he ended up loving them, haha)
I'm about to reintroduce a suspected problem, chicken, in the form of day old chicks and will update with what happens. The package of frozen prey should arrive tomorrow.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 21, 2015 10:45:52 GMT -5
Okay, but keep in mind overall balance for his diet as well. Use bonemeal powder or eggshell powder if needed for a calcium supplement during a protein trial.
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Post by Corvidophile on Oct 21, 2015 15:26:40 GMT -5
How does a 50/50 by count (as in not weight or volume, animals) combo of adult mice and day-old chicks do for calcium content? That's how I plan on introducing the chicks.
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