nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on Aug 22, 2016 21:12:48 GMT -5
back from vacation!
the ferrets were little butts today. Kinga ate well in the afternoon, maybe 3/4 an ounce in one sitting (but this was pretty late in the evening; I was out all day). but Misio . . . MISIO. he wanted NOTHING to do with the soup. made that little toothy grimace at the spoon and my hands. little booger. in the end I got him to eat maybe a 1/4-1/2 a tsp. tomorrow will be better. he BETTER be better omg.
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 22, 2016 21:31:04 GMT -5
Welcome back!! I hope you had a wonderfull time! How did they do with your mom all week? Did they eat for her?
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nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on Aug 23, 2016 15:31:22 GMT -5
thanks! yeah it was fun. Canada is so beautiful! my mom isn't very consistent, so unfortunately so we're the results (sorry mom, but I still love you!). some days they are some, other days they only ate a couple bites. most of the time misio was the stubborn one, big surprise, haha!
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 23, 2016 23:49:51 GMT -5
I'm sure you will get them back on track ASAP! Time for a lesson! (giggle) Todays lesson is BONES!!!! Bones are needed for a few things, Calcium, teeth health and helping to clean the intestines of a ferret. They stimulate blood flow which encouragse intestinal motility which promotes a health over all GI tract! Here are a few links and some information for you to read more about the incredible edible bone! Bone in- meat with consumable bones. Some ferrets can handle larger bones, some will need small bones from the size of a chicken or smaller. Exceptions are neck and tail bones. Some ferrets CAN eat the weight bearing bones from things like rabbit and chicken, but most won't bother with them. It will sometimes work better if you smash the thigh/leg bones from chickens. Good examples are: chicken necks/wings/spines, turkey wing tips/ribs/necks, duck wing tips/ribs/necks, pork rib ends/riblets, some will eat pork neck, most adult whole prey(rabbit/mice/rats/quail/gerbil/hamster/guinea pig). Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/146/meat-bone-organ-weekly-menu#ixzz4IDl5oAKPholisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/18359/smashing-bone-beginner-ferretsholisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/14397/effect-stomach-acid-discussion-thread
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nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on Aug 26, 2016 14:04:09 GMT -5
thanks for the lesson! the video of the ferret eating bone was actually really helpful to know; I'd probably be freaked out by the sound the first time I'd feed MIsio or Kinga bone, haha.
so in the last 2 days, things have switched completely: kinga has been the reluctant one and Misio has dived right in to eating. he'll eat about 2 tsps from the spoon no problem. then I'll go to Kinga, who'll take a couple bites from the spoon only with me forcing her, haha. then I'll handfeed her, and she'll be fine and eager and eat about 1/4-1/2 an ounce. then of course . . . Misio will watch me hand feeding Kinga and get jealous! he'll come back around and beg for me to hand feed him a couple bites. he doesn't necessarily want the food, he just wants me to hand feed him. what a little goofball.
overall they're consuming 1oz to 1 1/2 oz a day. I'm feeding them very little (2Tbs/day) or no kibble at all at this point. I feel like I'm starving the poor fuzzies, but trying to stay strong as they're moping by where their food bowl used to be.
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nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on Aug 26, 2016 14:31:45 GMT -5
oh! also, they both ate 1 1/2 oz this morning alone!!
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 27, 2016 16:15:40 GMT -5
That is soo awesome!!! The funny little spoiled babies! Your patience, persistance and consistancy are paying off. :goodjob: Get rid of the kibble, they will eat
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nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on Aug 30, 2016 15:27:06 GMT -5
the ferrets are doing so well, should I start making the slivers bigger? that's the next step, right? they're eating completely out of the spoon; I don't need to hand feed them at all at this point. I'm going through about 2 oz of soup a day, I know they should be around 4oz, right? so they still have some work to do, but they're getting there!! when I bring out the soup, they'll even come over from sleeping and want to taste it already. they'll get so close to sticking their noses in, haha.
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 30, 2016 21:49:04 GMT -5
Before we move to bigger slivers lets try to get them eating out of the bowl on their own. Keep the bowl right under the spoon and slowly lower it to the bowl as they eat until they are eating out of the bowl. You may have to leave the spoon in there while they eat for a few days but eventually you will be able to remove the spoon also. Once they are eating on thier own we can move up the sizes. As far as how many ounces they should be eating, well that is very individual. There are some ferrets that only eat one ounce a day and others that eat four or more and this often changes with seasons also. Summertime being less and winter time being more. As long as they are not losing wieght and looking skinny, they are eating what they need and if they have no kibble to eat any of they will eat their fill of the raw. You are doing great! My Loki is having surgery tomorrow to remove malignant tumors from his pancreas, if I am awol and you really need something I'm Heather Losthermind Gorman on facebook. Feel free to message me there to let me know you have posted a major thing here and I will look asap! I shouldn't be awol at all but just in case.
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nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on Sept 2, 2016 1:23:54 GMT -5
I hope Loki went through everything ok!
and thanks for all the info. I've been keeping the spoon very low in the dish. Misio has been hungry enough that he's nibbled on the soup in the dish without the spoon but Kinga needs the spoon all the time. they're getting there.
also, is it normal for ferret stool to be quite runny at this stage? I added more eggshell in this next batch of soup but it is Quite runny from Misio right now and just want to make sure everything's ok.
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 2, 2016 10:26:42 GMT -5
Misio's stool is alright in color and smell? As long as those 2 are true then yes adding more eggshell should do it! I'm so proud of them for you and of you, so close to eating out of the bowl!!!! Loki is recovering well, :thankyou:
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nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on Sept 3, 2016 12:53:15 GMT -5
yep, those seem to be fine.
so Kinga is doing super excellent! she's eating out of the bowl without me even having to start her with the spoon!
but Misio has like taken a hundred steps back .... he's now refusing to eat altogether :// yesterday he only ate a couple bites each meal and today at breakfast he tasted the food and started wriggling away as if it was the first time trying it again :S I'm afraid he's not gonna have enough to eat
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 4, 2016 10:11:16 GMT -5
THey do go through flucuations of appetite sometimes, he may just not be hungry. Did you change anything with the recipe? Sorry I did not answer last night/yesterday had some family stuff going on plus I came dow n with a lovely sinus infection.
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nannah
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 232
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Post by nannah on Sept 4, 2016 13:16:04 GMT -5
oh it's no problem! sinus infections aren't fun :S hope you recover soon!
I didn't change anything with the recipe. today he had about a tsp and a half? maybe before he had that toothy grimace and turned his nose up at it. but Kinga will just come over to the bowl and eat right out of it without any need for the spoon! she eats about an ounce and a half right now, so it's complete opposites! haha
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 5, 2016 11:53:26 GMT -5
Such funny little creatures. I'm sure she will pick back up again. Have they atarted shedding yet? Do you leave the bowl out for them all day?
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