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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 10:14:59 GMT -5
Hello my name is Tara Vaughan. I currently have 2 lovely little girls Roxy and Lizo. They are both approximately 9 to 10 months old. I've decided their birthdays will be Jan 1st 2015.
Roxy is what most consider a runt. She is small but so far is by far more interested in raw than her larger sister Lizo. Roxy currently is eating a tablespoon of soup. I got the recipe from the FB files. I've actually noticed a change in her energy level too! Which is much much higher than it was before. She doesn't get tired as much either. She eats 2 times a day with the soup and has kibble in her cage when they are in.
Lizo is a rascal! She is full of energy but then drops for a long nap unlike her sister who tends to enjoy short nap then run and nap again. She is disliking raw and doesn't like her soup. Finally last night I was able to get her to take probably a little more than a teaspoon. Which was a huge accomplishment.
I'd upload the file but having issues again. Not sure why.
About me! I am 44 I live in Rogers Arkansas and love these little girls! I had acute depression with some medication and getting to take care of these girls I am much much better. It is amazing how much life these girls bring the family. My husband loves them very much as well and is beginning to come up with some plans on building a large enclosure in a spare room that will connect to our own room.
So that me the husband and the girls in a nutshell!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 10:25:12 GMT -5
Welcome to the HFF Roxy and Lizo sound like they are just wonderful personalities. They will bring so much fun and joy into your home. If you need any help navigating the forum, simply ask. Most of us use a photosharing site like Photobucket. Here is a link to posting videos and images. holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/47/post-pictures-videosYou will find lovely ferrents here. We talk about everything from ferret related topics like health and medical, diet, litter box training and toys and enrichment. There is also a board for human chats and your other pets. Have fun and see you around the HFF (dance)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 14:36:21 GMT -5
Where do I post daily updates about what my girls ate that day? Like today I'm super excited Roxy this morning at 1 tablespoon of soup. This afternoon I placed a tablespoon and one quail egg down for her and she ate it all so I placed another tablespoon of soup down and she ate half of that. This was placed on a small platter. So she's moved away from needing me to encourage her to eat. So very happy with that.
On the other hand Lizo barely ate a tablespoon of soup and wasn't having any of the lunch time offer yet. *Still working on it* I am giving 5 or 10 minute breaks to keep her from getting frustrated not sure if that is ok or not. So I need some help in figuring out why my Lizo is such a picky eater and how I can help get her to eat more.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 14:43:56 GMT -5
Where do I post daily updates about what my girls ate that day? Like today I'm super excited Roxy this morning at 1 tablespoon of soup. This afternoon I placed a tablespoon and one quail egg down for her and she ate it all so I placed another tablespoon of soup down and she ate half of that. This was placed on a small platter. So she's moved away from needing me to encourage her to eat. So very happy with that. On the other hand Lizo barely ate a tablespoon of soup and wasn't having any of the lunch time offer yet. *Still working on it* I am giving 5 or 10 minute breaks to keep her from getting frustrated not sure if that is ok or not. So I need some help in figuring out why my Lizo is such a picky eater and how I can help get her to eat more. Roxy did great. Lizo may be more reluctant but you can convince her. Your thread should go under the Natural Diet board under Diet transitions. I will build it for you if you would like. Put Lizo on your lap. Have a towel and a spoon handy. Dab some soup on her lips and she will have to lick it off. Then place on hand gently over her and offer her some soup from the spoon. Talk sweetly to her and keep her on your lap until she tastes the soup. You don't want to scruff a female for feeding. She will resist harder and meals should be a pleasant experience.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 15:55:08 GMT -5
Thank you! We haven't had to scruff the girls at all save when we first got them and we had to help working out their extra hard nibbles. Only scuffed 2 times for that issue
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 20:38:28 GMT -5
Hi there!
Roxy: I do not see any difficulty in her transition. I don't think she particularly cared for the kibble actually. AM: 1 tablespoon of soup. (I got the recipe from the files on the FB page.) Afternoon: 1 1/2 Tablespoon of Soup with quail egg Evening: 2 tablespoons of soup She is eating without encouragement in fact she was begged for the 2nd tablespoon this evening. She eats off a dish and gets very excited for her food. I see no difficulties in her future only understanding whether to let her guide me in how fast she wants to transition.
Lizo: Entirely polar opposite! She is still refusing to even touch the food. I place a small smear on her lips and she throws a tantrum. We are very calming and gentle with her and just no clue as to how to get somewhere with this transition for her. Especially since they share a sleeping space and I have to keep kibble in their cage so Lizo can continue eating. Just so it's clear I DO take kibble away for 2 - 3 hours prior to trying the food with Lizo. I left the kibble in the cage this evening but highly doubt Roxy will eat much of any of it but I do worry she will get confused.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 20:57:04 GMT -5
Roxy did great. Give her as much as she will eat during the transition. If she licks the plate clean, she could eat some more. Ferrets rarely overeat. Later she will attempt to stash food once she is full. Finding stashes is the fun part of being a ferrent and stashing is one of a ferret's greatest joys. They love that jerkified yucky stashed meat.
We always seem to have one very good eater and one stubborn one.
My Mika was a baby and only ate raw but balked at bones. She's still my most stubborn one. Everyone else just eats pretty much whatever I offer them, except for frog legs. Everyone has a favorite food and a food they don't really care for. Just like us.
Lizo may take some time and patience but she will get there. When you are home, every so often pick her up and dab some soup on her lips. I wouldn't scruff her. Females really don't like that.
Both of your girls are only about 9 months. Give it a few days and let Lizo know the soupie is going to keep coming. Then instead of kibble overnight, leave the soup plate out. She has no health issues, correct? If she is stubborn and won't eat overnight, she will be ready to eat in the morning.
Roxy will have shown her that this is food and she will come to trust you and understand that this is food.
Get comfortable with the idea, give it a few days of trying the soup and then see if you feel brave enough to go overnight. It's scarey for most new ferrents but both girls are young and healthy and really not old enough to have seriously imprinted on their kibble yet.
You're off to a very good start. (dance)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 21:21:56 GMT -5
What if the over night Roxy eats it all? I don't see separating the two but is that something I might have to? Just would hate to think Lizo ate overnight but in truth Roxy ate all of it.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 4:53:23 GMT -5
Where do I post daily updates about what my girls ate thattaraI'll build you a diet transitions thread. Then move this whole thread to your own switching thread. You will find it pop up under New Topics each time someone posts to it. I'll build it on the Natural Diet page and title it Roxy and Lizo transition to Raw. You'll also get a pm that this has been done.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 5:03:05 GMT -5
taraI've combined your Roxy and Liz switching thread and moved them over to the diet transitions board. That way we can keep track of your progress on one thread. A pm was also sent to inform you.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 9:01:02 GMT -5
Thank you for fixing my thread. Roxy ate 1.5 ounces of soup. She has so much more energy it's really amazing.
Lizo lucked up 2 finger tips worth of soup. May not look like progress but I was absolutely excited she did that.
And of course my vet is warning against raw diet because of salmonella.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 15:26:48 GMT -5
This afternoon:
Roxy ate 1 ounces of soup.
Lizo licked my finger tips a little and that was it. I'm warming up to the idea of over night kibble idea. Not sure how much to put in for overnight soup. Going off of what Roxy will eat in the am and afternoon I would *think* 2 ounces for her then perhaps another 2 ounces for Lizo just to be sure Roxy doesn't eat it all? Suggestions? I'd like to attempt this on Thursday evening giving me a couple more days to work with Lizo.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 15:39:23 GMT -5
Seeing ferrets who eat raw is still unusual for most vets. Especially those who do not specialize in exotics. Most vets see only cats and dogs in their practice. They do not receive many classes on ferrets or ferret nutrition. They also see too many pet owners who don't worry about proper nutrition and simply feed what is cheap or appeals to their own palate. Understandable they can become concerned about a pet owner learning and properly feeding a carnivore a balanced diet. The answer to the Salmonella question is that Ferrets have an extrememly fast digestive track. They lack a cecum so they cannot process fruits/grains/starches/ and veggies. Because their digestive track is fast at 3-4 hours, what goes in will come out. Salmonella and other bacteria does not have the time needed to incubate in their system. Evolution has produced their bodies to handle meat. You will get questions about this, it's inevitable. It helps to be prepared to speak with your vet and hopefully he is open minded. Our ferrents here often talk about how surprised our vets are with their fur and teeth and how healthy they are compared to the poorly fed ferrets the vet too often sees. docs.google.com/document/d/1ayLi5Gra3cCbDLkUWpZXP-yOQjqvcfGZ7rQKeJay1k0/edit?pli=1
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 15:44:24 GMT -5
This afternoon:
Roxy ate 1 ounces of soup.
Lizo licked my finger tips a little and that was it. I'm warming up to the idea of over night kibble idea. Not sure how much to put in for overnight soup. Going off of what Roxy will eat in the am and afternoon I would *think* 2 ounces for her then perhaps another 2 ounces for Lizo just to be sure Roxy doesn't eat it all? Suggestions? I'd like to attempt this on Thursday evening giving me a couple more days to work with Lizo. The first night put in about six ounces of soup. Female ferrets eat 2-3 ounces in one day. It's better to leave a little more than normal and waste some soupie at first until you learn how much they are eating. Between Winter coming and they're eating more during the transition, I'd leave enough out to make sure Roxy is filled up and doesn't take Lizo's share. If the plate is empty, then they will eat a better breakfast and you will know to put a little more out. Just like us, they have days where they aren't that hungry. You will find that sometimes you put out a normal serving and it goes untouched. Other days, you can't put out enough. They will settle down into a routine of how much they eat and then Spring will come and they will eat less.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 15:53:31 GMT -5
Thank you!
As for the vet I'm not worried about it. I know that we are transitioning safely and we have done a lot of research on the risks. And there are risks of course but it is pointed, as you said, to those that do not take the raw diet seriously enough.
I'll update Friday morning with the over night results of Lizo and Roxy. I do not think Roxy has eaten any kibble but can't be for sure until I can remove the kibble from over night. It's actually really funny how she will come get me or my husband if she cleaned her plate and still wants more.
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