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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2016 12:35:38 GMT -5
Bernie (9 months) Gordan (6 months) have been eating raw for a few months (they stole my cats raw), Chai (3-4 years) and Bilbo (5-6 years) took a few weeks but are finally on board and everyone eats soups without any assistance! Now, it's been a few days since this accomplishment and have been putting in little heart giblets but they will not touch them. Well, SOMEONE eats a few (I'm assuming one of the little ones) but as far as I know the other three will not touch them, any tips? I try running the meat along their teeth and they just get really finicky so I stop.
I cut the meat that I put in their soups up into little dime and half-dime giblets? I'm assuming these are too big right now, maybe I should cut them into lick-able pieces so if they lap one up they'll just chew it instead of spit it out (right now they'll eat up all the soup, then when the meat bits are left they'll lick em for a while).
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Post by raynebc on Jun 13, 2016 13:35:30 GMT -5
How thick is the soup? I'd think it's easiest to hide pieces of meat in it once it's close to a pudding consistency, because the pieces will stick and it's more of a hassle for the ferrets to try to eat around and they end up lapping pieces up with the soup.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2016 13:40:19 GMT -5
The first month it was watery to get them into it, but now that they all eat it it's around pudding consistency, and there are also chunky ground bits, since I have a meat grinder.
I'm wondering if maybe just time is needed, perhaps they'll start to get into licking and nibbling on the bits (especially since someone IS eating them).
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Post by raynebc on Jun 13, 2016 17:34:14 GMT -5
Maybe try much smaller pieces to see if you can trick them into eating it. Then just keep making the pieces larger a little at a time.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2016 19:14:03 GMT -5
Do you have a food processor? If so try pulsing the pieces - make them more fine ground at first, kind of like a paste, and add them to soup. Then try pulsing them less and less and making the soup thicker and thicker. Giblets are a little fatty for this method, but it works great with other muscle meats including heart, and also with most organ proteins. When our fuzzies first started eating raw they were most uninterested in their heart and organ meals, and this is the basic method I used to get them to eat it. I pulse the heart, liver, and other organ (usually beef kidney) together, and at first I would add a little homemade (no salt or seasoning added chicken broth - usually made with some chicken back or neck). Later the broth became unnecessary, but I found that adding a quail or chicken egg yolk to the mix made it much more palatable for them, and now this is a meal that they always finish, and actually seem to enjoy. Also, my girls really dislike chicken liver so I use beef liver (or goat when I can get it). Hope this helps a bit. Best!
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Post by Sherry on Jun 14, 2016 10:19:30 GMT -5
Once they are at a grind stage, start adding a few slivers a wee bit larger than the grind. Just a half dozen or so. Every 3-4 meals increase the number while decreasing the grind. Once they are taking 1/4 slivers to grind start increasing the size of the slivers and do the same. Steadily increase slivers and size. Once they are mainly small pieces just top them with a watery soupie. Also cut the bits long and skinny(think meat spaghetti). They get the "small" feel in the mouth while learning to scissor off bits.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2016 10:29:51 GMT -5
Mine go nuts over duck hearts. One or two adore them when they are frozen ( ) and Wynstan wants me to hold him then run one under some warm water. My two girls like them best after a few hours when they are slightly jerkified.
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