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Post by kattadragon on Nov 28, 2016 11:43:58 GMT -5
All four are about five years old. No one has known illnesses, vet check once a year with rabies, they are out of distemper and have not yet restocked it.
I have had ferrets for the last 16 years. I always knew there was a better way to take care of my fuzzes but never knew what it was or how to do it safely. I was always afraid that I would miss something in their diet and accidentally kill my ferrets instead of allow them to eat the way they should. This group has shown me that there is a wealth of available knowledge and people who are willing to share.
I have started the switch to raw for all four of my fuzzes: Tiny: Thinks raw food is great, in soup form. She is a bit suspious when I start adding small bits of liver instead of just pureed soup. Jezzy: Thinks raw food is awsome, in soup form. Will not bite down of slivers of meat. Bill: Willing to eat soup, there was a lot of spoon feeding to begin with, but I got him! I have not tried giving him slivers yet. Jack: Willing to eat soup, more spoon feeding than the others. I have not tried giving him slivers yet.
Soup is: Ground Turkey, Chicken liver, Chicken gizzard. One ounce piece of "small batch cat" raw cat food in freezer section. I got some beef heart and will try adding that to some of the food. I live in western washington state if anyone knows a good place to get food on the frankenprey list please let me know. I am still looking. I will check out the local Asian grocer this week. I have tried the egg shells and I can not seem to get them small enough to mix with the soup. Is the bone meal the plant bone meal you can buy at the hardware store?
And I have been trying to figure out how to upload pictures, and it is kicking my butt!!!! Still trying though!!
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on Nov 28, 2016 15:07:52 GMT -5
No, that is plant fertilizer. You can get bone meal for human consumption at vitamin stores. Make sure no added vitamins with it. Just plain bone meal. You can order online as well. I have used KAL. Some people use NOW brand. You can get a cheap coffee bean grinder at Walmarts or similar stores. It grinds eggshell really nice. I have also used a bullet. If grinder starts smoking, it is just eggshell dust:)) Something like this. www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=walmarts+coffee+bean+grinder&tbm=shop&spd=6228840099535360773Uploading pictures: Get a free account at photobucket. Load your pics from computer to site to create a library Steps: Choose a pic from your photobucket library. Under the heading, Share This Photo (upper right side of screen) r some rectangular boxes----Email,Direct. Html, img. Click on img (it will briefly light up and say-- copied) Right click ur mouse and Paste here. It will be a code, but when you hit post quick reply it will change into a picture.
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Post by kattadragon on Nov 28, 2016 15:28:06 GMT -5
I tried using the coffee grinder, no go. the eggs did not have enough mass to push down and crush the egg shells. It got stuck and just kept spinning with out doing anything to the egg shells.
I will see if I can buy the bone meal on line, GNC does not carry it. Good to know the plant bone meal is not right. Thank you!
Thank you for the picture information!!! I will give it a try tonight.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2016 15:34:59 GMT -5
I tried using the coffee grinder, no go. the eggs did not have enough mass to push down and crush the egg shells. It got stuck and just kept spinning with out doing anything to the egg shells. I will see if I can buy the bone meal on line, GNC does not carry it. Good to know the plant bone meal is not right. Thank you! Thank you for the picture information!!! I will give it a try tonight. HI! Welcome to the forum! I am extremely excited to see that you found us! Also did you dry the egg shells for 24 hours? Vitamin shoppe has bone meal online for 9 dollars. It is 100 percent bone meal and nothing else
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2016 0:09:41 GMT -5
Not sure if you have tried this, but I dry my eggshells for 24 hours and then use a mortar/pestle set. It works great and crushes them up like a powder! 😊
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Post by kattadragon on Nov 29, 2016 16:35:10 GMT -5
I need to get a mortar and pestle. I think we can start moving past the soup. I am going to start slivers of chicken thigh. Do I give skin too? Please let me know if there is a good way to do this.
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on Nov 30, 2016 10:04:00 GMT -5
I like cutting meat with scissors--mine are just regular scissors(been thru a few:)
Personally, I would chunk the thigh skin, and let them get to the meat. It comes off real easy. Skin on wings is firmly attached, so it stays. On quail I keep all skin.
justmytakeonit.
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Post by kattadragon on Nov 30, 2016 20:23:26 GMT -5
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Post by kattadragon on Dec 1, 2016 13:29:38 GMT -5
In the picture above from left to right is: Bill, Jezzy, Tiny, and Jack.
I tried giving them little slivers of chicken thigh two days ago. Jack ate it, Tiny took it and left to eat it in her tunnel, Jezzy took it to eat it in her blanket, and I did not get a chance to give it to Bill, he was still sleeping.
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Post by kattadragon on Dec 5, 2016 9:59:26 GMT -5
Update on food: I gave Tiny, Jezzy, and Jack slivers of Pork. They ran off and ate it in their "spot". I mixed some pork chunks in with teir food last night, came back this morning, no one ate it.
Breakfast today: Went back to a 1 oz. chicken liver (diced), 1 oz. chicken heat (diced), 2 Oz. Chicken Thigh (diced), and 6 Oz. ground turkey, 1 Oz. Small batch cat Raw. Still working out the egg shells/bone meal thing.
Jack was not happy about breakfast, so I spoon fed him this morning to get him interested. Tiny and Jezzy dove into the food. Bill ate some and waddled off to sleep some more!!
Play time is usually after work, so no big, and it gives me time to sit with the fuzzys.
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Post by kattadragon on Dec 6, 2016 11:56:25 GMT -5
Epic fail. All four refused to eat the soup for 24 hours.
Back to 2 oz small batch cat, 3 oz ground turkey, 1/4 oz heart/liver. I am not sure if Jack is eating on his own, so he was kenneled alone with his food today so I can monitor better.
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Post by kattadragon on Dec 15, 2016 13:59:06 GMT -5
I now have all four on thickish soup!!! Eating small chunks is still hit or miss. I have separated out Jack and Tiny to see how much of their food they are actually eating during the day. Jezzy and Bill are in a kennel together.
Soup is: Ground turkey, liver, gizzard, heart, and egg shells. Sometimes blended, sometimes small chunks of heat and liver with ground turkey and egg shells.
I am wondering how you integrate other meats? Do I repalce some of the ground turkey with ground beef? Do I wait until they are accepting chunks? I do not want them to be on just the chicken/turkey for too long. Any recommendations?
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Post by Aftershock on Dec 29, 2016 11:33:06 GMT -5
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Post by kattadragon on Dec 29, 2016 12:41:35 GMT -5
They love the soup now. Now I am trying to get them to eat the chunks of meat. That is still pretty hit or miss, mostly miss. I think the chunks may be a bit big. I am concerned about them still being on the same soup and wonder if I should include some ground beef or lamb to get their iron and B 12 up while I get them to take the chunks. Honestly I am kinda lost on how to proceed from the soup.
Bill has a lot of plaque built up on one of his molars, so off to the vet tomorrow to get inspected then cleaned.
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Post by Aftershock on Dec 29, 2016 13:50:38 GMT -5
I'd wait until you get to large chunks to introduce new proteins. What is your soup to chunk ratio?
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