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Post by katt on Feb 17, 2017 15:18:01 GMT -5
*whistles innocently*
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 14:25:58 GMT -5
Thanks for standing in katt!
I'm heading home today, but I managed to stock up on hearts, chicken feet, and chicken necks to bring back today!
So I had a question about chicken necks: I know they are bone in (at least I'm fairly positive they are?), but I wasn't sure if they were meaty enough to be fed on their own. Should I add one in with each of their chicken meals? Those are a mix of wings/ribs/legs/etc on their own.
Also, what cuts of pork are best to use with the chicken feet? I don't actually eat pork so I'm not terribly familiar with it, but I'd love to get some into their regular diet. It's not because of any religious reasons I just never liked it as a kid haha.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 19:03:38 GMT -5
Yes, necks are bone in meats and make a great meal on their own. ^^ Compared to chicken feet, they actually have more meat to bone ratio. Any cuts of pork should be fine. Basically go for muscle meat (Non-Organs), like pork (bone-less) steaks, or even minced pork is good but preferably the fleshy steaks are best. You can get chops, but the bones aren't good, so cut off the meat and use the meat as a muscle meat. You can buy what ever is cheap, if it contains a bone but the bone is dense, no worries, just take the muscle from it and use the bone for whatever. You could possibly use leftover bones for bone broth. I've never tried that yet.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2017 23:08:50 GMT -5
1. Ferret's name: Mei 2. Ferret's weight: 1 lb 6 oz 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. Mei has been eating about one oz on her own. 4. Stools on various proteins: Organ poops are liquidy with a strong odor, non-organ meal days solid with minimal smell. 5. Activity levels: Normal
1. Ferret's name: Max 2. Ferret's weight: 3 lbs 8 oz 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. 4-5 oz. Max tends to eat everything that Mei does not. 4. Stools on various proteins. Same as Mei. 5. Activity levels: Normal
Monday Am - Chicken feet + minced pork Pm - Duck Tuesday Am - Quail Pm - Turkey Gizzards Wednesday Am - Duck Pm - Chicken Hearts Thursday Am - Quail Pm - Chicken feet + minced pork Friday Am - Duck Pm - Beef heart, beef liver, beef pancreas Saturday Am - Quail pm - Turkey Gizzards Sunday Am - Chicken feet + minced pork Pm - Beef liver, beef pancreas
I'm feeling jealous as I eat my hotdogs. I may cook up some duck this weekend lol.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2017 1:13:26 GMT -5
Your menu looks amazing! That extra quail certainly makes a difference. I do believe you're quite ready to graduate. I will ask for Heather's thoughts on it, and if she approves then you may be ready to graduate if you're ready. (I'll have to give a final exam type questionnaire first though!) ^^ Mei and Max have done so well. I got a bit of a giggle after reading Max was eating around 4-5 oz per meal. What a gobble guts!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2017 12:22:46 GMT -5
He's starting to slow his roll a little bit lol. He'd been the type to go eat like crazy, leave, then come back and eat the rest, but recently he's turned into more of a slow grazer and is leaving more leftovers than before. I was going to give him another week with the regular amount before I cut it back a little just in case he's been eating less for some other reason. We've been traveling a ton recently and the poor fuzzes have been super stressed. I meant to change the oz# on the update but I forgot so I'm glad you pointed it out.
I'd say on the days he doesn't eat as much he eats around 3-3.5oz. I'm hoping he's just eating less since "winter" is technically over here (it's been hot most of the month and I noticed Mei and Max are starting to shed some) and not because he might have caught something from us since we've both been sick.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2017 21:44:56 GMT -5
That sounds about right. Kit's tend to slow down as they begin to reach 1 year old. I noticed the same with my hyper boy Yuuki when he was a kit. He slowed down and ate less, this is pretty normal for ferrets. You can adjust according to their food intake. If you notice they are leaving more, you can decrease how much you feed next meal. If you notice they finish everything, add a little bit extra. The appetite also changes according to the season as well, but yeah, Kits appetite goes down as they mature.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2017 16:56:01 GMT -5
Hello hello~~~ Just checking in, how is Mei and Max? ^^
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2017 1:31:47 GMT -5
Good, maybe he'll stop eating me out of house and home >_>
1. Ferret's name: Mei 2. Ferret's weight: 1 lb 8 oz 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. Mei has been eating about one oz on her own. 4. Stools on various proteins: Organ poops are liquidy with a strong odor, non-organ meal days solid with minimal smell. 5. Activity levels: Normal
1. Ferret's name: Max 2. Ferret's weight: 3 lbs 7 oz 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. 4-5 oz. Max tends to eat everything that Mei does not. 4. Stools on various proteins. Same as Mei. 5. Activity levels: Normal
Monday Am - Chicken feet + minced pork Pm - Duck Tuesday Am - Quail Pm - Ground beef Wednesday Am - Duck Pm - Chicken Hearts Thursday Am - Quail Pm - Chicken feet + minced pork Friday Am - Duck Pm - Beef heart, beef liver, beef pancreas Saturday Am - Quail pm - Ground beef Sunday Am - Chicken feet + minced pork Pm - Beef liver, beef pancreas
I was wondering if Heather has given you any feedback on the graduation yet? Just curious.
Max got a bone stuck in his teeth today, poor guy. The week has been pretty uneventful besides both ferrents having the flu. Max and Mei have been their lazy, sleepy selves.
We got Mei some sturdy easter eggs to play with. She obsesses over them, trying to bite through them, but can't. Which is great because it keeps her occupied for hours and isn't hazardous to her health.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2017 3:32:25 GMT -5
Sorry I've been absent. It's been a stressful weak (I got an infection and was sick for a few days) I hope you guys are feeling better now~ (We ferrents gotta be healthy to keep up with ferret antics You're pretty much ready to graduate, I need to give you a final exam first which I will do in a bit. Answer those and then Heather will be happy to graduate you as your menu is now fantastic and meets the requirements we look for. I'll be back on in a moment to give you the exam. Take your time and try your best to answer them~
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2017 3:49:59 GMT -5
Final Exam for Graduation~ Answer to the best of your ability and don't worry about getting anything incorrect~
1. What are some good emergency taurine sources if you run out of heart? 2. How can you tell if your ferret is getting too much or too little bone? 3. Organs should consist of approximately how much liver, and how much "other" organ? 4. Is it best to feed the egg whites, egg yolk, or the entire egg? 5. Why is having variety of proteins and foods important for ferrets? 6. Are Gizzard & Hearts fed as an organ or a muscle? 7. Why should ferrets get at least one protein that is a red meat (eg. Beef) in the diet?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2017 18:25:21 GMT -5
Just checking in @karliah357. If you're ready to graduate, you can fill out the final exam~
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2017 17:04:02 GMT -5
Well I'm brilliant...I filled this out Saturday and didn't actually click the button to post it >_<
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2017 17:16:09 GMT -5
1. What are some good emergency taurine sources if you run out of heart? Tongue or taurine powder (make sure there's nothing else mixed in)
2. How can you tell if your ferret is getting too much or too little bone? Too much bone - dry poop Too little bone - very soft or liquid poop
3. Organs should consist of approximately how much liver, and how much "other" organ? 10% of the diet should be liver/other organ at 2oz of liver and 2oz of other organ for each serving.
4. Is it best to feed the egg whites, egg yolk, or the entire egg? The entire egg is best because it is balanced. Egg whites make the body lose biotin while yolks provide biotin. Eating only egg whites creates a deficiency, so the while egg should be given.
5. Why is having variety of proteins and foods important for ferrets? Balance is key in a diet. A single protein may be high in certain components, but low in or missing others. Variety provides sources of different components so the diet is not lacking something or overabundant in something else.
6. Are Gizzard & Hearts fed as an organ or a muscle? Muscle.
7. Why should ferrets get at least one protein that is a red meat (eg. Beef) in the diet? As stated before, balance is key and some proteins have components other don't. Red and white meat are very different, so if red meat isn't given then its nutrients that are specific to it will not make it into the diet.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2017 18:58:29 GMT -5
Great choices. Tongue is ideal when you're out of hearts. However when you cannot locate a taurine source, you can supplement with taurine powder as a temporary taurine source. Great great! Too much bone will definitely give a dry stool. Sometimes they may appear seedy as well. Good work! Correct! Organs should be 10% of the overall diet. 5% Liver and 5% other organ. Serving sizes depend on how much the ferret consumes but you're pretty much on track. Good good! The whole eggs is best. Yolk can be fed on it's own as well. Raw egg whites contain 0.05% avidin. It was the avidin that was thought to cause issues as this enzyme makes biotin unavailable, however the raw egg yolks contain the highest concentrations of biotin. There is enough biotin in the yolk to overcompensate for the avidin in the egg white. Fantastic answer! Correct~~ Both the gizzard and heart are fed as a muscle in raw feeding. Correct~~ It's also to ensure that the ferret gets enough Vitamin B, Iron and Taurine (even though enough Taurine is from the heart.) You answered those fantastically! Good work. You've really shown us that you have learnt quite a lot on raw feeding to venture off into the raw feeding world on your own now~ I believe you're definitely ready to graduate now. I'm so happy for you guys and for Mei and Max. You ready have done wonders with those two~ I will let Heather know that you're ready to graduate~ You're also welcome to stay in contact with me if you wish, either through FB or the Forum and if you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask me. I'll always be happy to help you when ever you need it~ Great work Mei and Max!! <3
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