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Post by Aftershock on Oct 11, 2016 21:07:59 GMT -5
I'm glad one of them took to the spoon super quick! It's always nice when they skip a step I'd like to say that if you've been feeding them every couple of hours that she probably had her fill. If you are worried, ask yourself, 'Is she still playing and drinking water like normal? (I'd ask eating too, but you're hand feeding them. (giggle))' She's not lethargic? Poop looks okay? If you ask yourself these questions and they come out positive, I wouldn't worry. Once you have deemed her decent with the spoon, start lowering the spoon to the plate while she licks it up. The goal is to get her to realize she can eat from the plate.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2016 21:58:25 GMT -5
I'm glad one of them took to the spoon super quick! It's always nice when they skip a step I'd like to say that if you've been feeding them every couple of hours that she probably had her fill. If you are worried, ask yourself, 'Is she still playing and drinking water like normal? (I'd ask eating too, but you're hand feeding them. (giggle))' She's not lethargic? Poop looks okay? If you ask yourself these questions and they come out positive, I wouldn't worry. Once you have deemed her decent with the spoon, start lowering the spoon to the plate while she licks it up. The goal is to get her to realize she can eat from the plate. Haha, well I think you're right. I did another feeding (just in case) to hold them over. She refused the spoon and was very stubborn about the finger, even. Bo (who hasn't eaten as much as she did throughout the day) was willing enough to lick off my finger. Small victories win the war Do you think I should do 3 feedings or 4? Today was really bumpy with the feedings since it's the first, but I think tomorrow will go a little better. Also, should I leave kibble in for the night or just take it away altogether?
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Post by Aftershock on Oct 11, 2016 22:31:12 GMT -5
You can leave the kibble in overnight tonight since they aren't eating from the plate yet. Question, are you leaving kibble out all day or just feeding them four times a day?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2016 23:04:22 GMT -5
You can leave the kibble in overnight tonight since they aren't eating from the plate yet. Question, are you leaving kibble out all day or just feeding them four times a day? (Not sure if you meant for soup or kibble so I'll answer for both.) I'm just feeding the soup. Or at least, that's what I did today. I did about 4 or so feedings this time. Before switching, I left kibble out and let them eat as they pleased. I've tried leaving a small spoonful of soup on a plate in their cage for a while since that's what they're used to, but they never touched it.
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Post by Aftershock on Oct 11, 2016 23:13:15 GMT -5
Awesome that they had soup all day! (That's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure!) How many ounces of soup did they eat (if you know)? I'm not surprised they didn't touch it. That's like having a cheesecake (kibble) and crickets (soup) in front of me. I'm gonna choose the cheesecake, even if it's bad for me. does that make sense?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2016 23:18:59 GMT -5
Awesome that they had soup all day! (That's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure!) How many ounces of soup did they eat (if you know)? I'm not surprised they didn't touch it. That's like having a cheesecake (kibble) and crickets (soup) in front of me. I'm gonna choose the cheesecake, even if it's bad for me. does that make sense? I'm not quite sure. It was little by little. Altogether maybe 1 or 2. I did put the rest of the soup in an ice cube tray so I'll measure out a block tomorrow and see how much is 1 cube and how much they eat. That makes a lot more sense. And while I'd crickets if I was absolutely starving, if I had the option, cheesecake would always win: P
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Post by Aftershock on Oct 11, 2016 23:54:00 GMT -5
The great thing about weighing the cubes is it gets you in the habit for actual meat and it helps you see how much is actually going into your ferrets. this helps you personalize their menu to fit them. it would be tons different had I been raised where crickets were a food source. If I were a kid, I would probably be more accepting of it. These concepts are the same with ferrets.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 9:40:41 GMT -5
One cube of frozen soup = just under 1 oz. Maybe try getting them to eat a cube every feeding? The analogy makes it so much easier to understand!
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Post by Aftershock on Oct 12, 2016 10:31:57 GMT -5
Your female may not end up eating that much though. You said they are both about 3, right? When you get them into eating on their own, they generally eat a ton (Think of it as making up for lost nutrients), then start to slow down and how much they are eating evens out. But, your babies are a bit older, and they won't eat as much as say, a kit. (Seriously, when I first got the boys, they were eating about half (12-15 ounces) of a Cornish game hen in one feeding. Males eat more than females (they gotta eat more to be handsome, built manferts!). I'd say if Blaze is still eating out of the spoon, just let her eat how much she is willing to. (The majority of ferrets will self regulate food, so don't worry about that ) Bo, maybe try to do about 3 ounces over today. Do you have any questions at all?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 11:29:46 GMT -5
They're only eating maybe 1/4 of a teaspoon each time I feed them (now that I'm looking at what amount that is, I think I was completely off how much they ate yesterday; I'd say Bo ate around a teaspoon throughout the say, and Blaze maybe a 1/4 more than him.)
That's when they'll start putting real effort into squirming to get away. Do I try to convince them to eat more? (If so, how do I do that without teaching them that feeding = a bad time?) If it would help, I can post a video of the next feeding so you can see what I'm talking about.
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Post by Aftershock on Oct 12, 2016 12:10:17 GMT -5
I'd love to see a video! Here's my thing, ferrets are like toddlers who would rather eat cheesecake than crickets. (Who can blame them, cheesecake is delicious!) At the very beginning, you're a jerk because you're being stern and making them eat the crickets. One day it will become a bonding family dinner, but right now, it's 'eat your crickets or no ice cream'. Depending on the ferret, some times you have to scruff them. If I hadn't scruffed Cow to get her to eat, she would have rather starved herself. But this is where watching your ferret and knowing them comes into play. If I have to scruff my ferrets to get them to try something new and they squirm, I freeze what I'm doing and wait for them to stop squirming. Once they stop, I get them to lick the food (Off their nose, or from the spoon) then let them go. The message you are trying to send is, 'One more bite and you can go play' and you leave off on a positive note. I always try to end on a good note of them succeeding in what I've asked of them. Is that confusing at all?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 12:42:11 GMT -5
Not so confusing, except I have to admit that I'm still learning their behavior (slow ferrant here) so I'm not quite sure if I'll know how much to feed if I'm playing Stern Parent I'll post a video at lunch! Maybe you'll see something I missed. Note: I put the Soupie Block in a baggie to thaw and just used that instead of putting it in a bowl. Bo was actually curious about it and licked the inside. (Didn't quite get the actual soupie area, just the drops on the sides but it was kind of funny to see.) Edit: They've finished a 0.8 oz block between them in 2 feedings; I think I'm just giving up too easy; I took turns feeding them at lunchtime (I've got serious claw marks on my arms from the squirming), switching whenever the squirming (and clawing) got to be too much to handle, and they ended up finishing the baggy. I'll extend the time for feeding them and keep up with this method and see how much they'll eat this way. (Question - would it be easier to thaw and feed 2 seperate baggies, labeled, to keep track of how much they eat? The way I do it now, it's only a rough estimate.)
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Post by Aftershock on Oct 12, 2016 17:43:23 GMT -5
I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner! I promise you aren't slow I'd like to think of getting a couple of ferrets as adopting a couple of kids, it takes time to get to know them. Honestly, I think that no matter how well I know mine, they are always gonna throw a curveball at me somewhere. Good for Bo in being curious and tasting on his own! Are you still finger feeding then? Are they squirming or thrashing? Did you manage to get a video? Were you scruffing or just holding? I ask because it sounds like maybe a bit too much stress. Also, if you are too worried about them taking scruffing badly, you can always do some gentle scruff training on the side. When you do this, you scruff, and just lightly pet their face, neck, and belly, or you can even massage them. (Ferrets do love massages ) If feeding from two separate baggies makes you feel safer, go for it. I actually used to write in a notebook; date, day of the week, weight of meal before, and weight of meal after, then am and pm feedings.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 18:32:01 GMT -5
No worries! That's a relief! Bo ate from the spoon briefly this time while I was holding him! I was super excited! I'm doing finger feeding now, but I try at least once a feeding with the spoon to see if they'll go with that, and if they do, I see how many spoonfuls I can get from them. (I should note that the one I use is a itty bitty baby spoon, ha) They do squirm, sometimes more than others, but I try not to let them get so worked up to the point of thrashing around. I did get videos, I'm just not sure how to post them. (Blaze's is shorter, and Bo's is almost 5 minutes. Oops.) Do I use the same link as for a photo? I try not to scruff, but with Bo, I have to scruff at first to show him the soup, and then once he's eating it, I'll release the scruff and just hold him. (I've nicknamed it the Bo Method ) Blaze will eat without being scruffed most of the time, but I'll use Bo Method when she's being stubborn. I'll definitely start the scruff training, just to be sure. Better safe than sorry, right? Your method is really clever; I hadn't thought of that! I think I'll finish up tonight's feedings, and then start with separate baggies tomorrow, just to make sure haha. I've done 4 feedings a day for today and yesterday; one at 9, 12, 3, and 6, and then replacing the kibble back in the cage at 8, but maybe I should lower the times down to 3 a day?
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Post by Aftershock on Oct 12, 2016 20:28:02 GMT -5
Yay!!!! Go Bo! Good boy! So proud of him! He has a wonderful ferrent though too, so half of the credit goes to You! Good that they aren't thrashing, you had me worried there for a minute! I do YouTube for videos. Heheheheh, I take enough videos that I have to or I don't have room in my phone. The trick you do with Bo, I have to do to my fertkids too! :goodjob: you're catching on quicker than you realize! (giggle) I had to figure out some way to get my female, Cow, to not attempt to kill my hand and hiss for ten minutes every time we scruffed her. I honestly probably scruff them every other day to check teeth (I'm pretty obnoxious about thoroughly checking them often, and it can't hurt to make it a calm and happy thing for them). I also had to give Cow antibiotics for two weeks not long after we got her, there was literally no way around it for her. Go for it, three feedings a day and leave some soup out for them during the day. just in case one decides to eat by themselves.
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