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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2017 19:10:01 GMT -5
Thank you for understanding the importance of vetting GusGus. Call up around for any local vets, or surrounding suburbs if you don't mind driving. Mention the circumstances with GusGus and being on Pred. Hopefully someone can work something out or can provide you with advice on who to go to or in general what you can do for GusGus. Many of us understand the tight budget. I'm a full time student so cash is tight for me also. Darwin has a 20 lb minimum for orders. You need to purchase a total of 10 Packages (2lb each)minimum after you complete the introductory order for $14.95. All orders are free shipping.. or at least the total price includes the shipping from what I gather after inspecting the site. I'm not certain how the reoccuring order works when it comes to cost. They may charge either per week, or per shipment. I think possibly per shipment. You could enquire through email if you would like more info, or I am happy to do so on your behalf. If you do go with a grind like Rad Cat or Darwin, (or both if you can locate or order them in within your budget) then fantastic. You could find your nearest RadCat provider and give them a call, see if they can order in for you and you can pick up in store. This may possibly be cheaper compared to ordering and having them delivered. Find what works for you. I think Katt mentioned earlier on that it's an hour away from you. But if it's within your ability, go for it. A good meat grinder can be anywhere from $500 to $700 or more. At the current moment It may not be best to invest in one at this stage. Further down in the track, probably, but you will also need to learn how to balance the ground mixes.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 11:52:05 GMT -5
Oh! I didn't see the minimum order requirement. That's very likely where I went wrong. I have called a few vets, and the only one that sees exotics near me is about 45 minutes away. It will be $100 there (I've gotten prices and everything). I am going to figure it out though. It just may be a week or so. But I am working it out, I promise. I will definitely call some places and check out if they have RadCat. I can either do that or continue to buy stuff to mix up at home. I am God awful with math, so if I do my own grinds then I'd need to know weights in order to weigh it out and mix it up correctly. Lord! They're so expensive!!! I'll stick to doing it by hand. Parker and I were talking last night; GusGus' coat looks absolutely AMAZING! He's so soft and fluffy. And he seems to be getting bigger. I love it! He's so happy now. He war dances all over the house. Is it typical for a ferret to sorta imprint on one person mainly? He likes Parker, but he seems to prefer my presence. I can hold him longer than Parker can.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2017 1:52:23 GMT -5
Good work on calling a few vets! Ground mixes tend to be slightly pricey, but since you have a single ferret buying a few tubs could last you and in the end you could save money just as you would buying raw in bulk. Yes, ferrets can bond with their humans or other ferrets. Since gusgus is a single ferret it would be likely that he'd bond with you. I'm out at the moment so I'll get back to you with everything i missed.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2017 1:34:15 GMT -5
In regards to home made grinds.You could follow a similar recipe as the HFF soup. You could potentially use a “Mince” grinder for this as it wouldn’t include the actual bones. These cheaper grinders are more for grinding up mince for sausages. If you intend to include bones in the future, you would require a stronger grinder which can be pretty pricey. I still do recommend using the Rad cat as it is already pre-ground and balanced. It makes it easier for you. Homemade grinds require you to weigh out your meats so having a good set of weights would be recommended, along with some utensils such as measuring spoons, possibly some buckets or mixing bowls. You could use empty ice cream containers too for storage, unless you prefer to do large bulk preps in one sitting and portion them out into meal bags.
Optional adds: Egg Whites+Yolk, Yolk, Salmon Oil. That above recipe may last a day or two. You could double the recipe up for a larger batch if you wanted. If you cannot locate another organ, you can do 1 oz of liver instead, but long term it would be ideal to have another organ in there. We don’t really encourage mixing two different proteins unless the ferret has tried them individually to begin with. While thinking in regards to ground mixes done at home, combining two different proteins can potentially pose an issue for ferrets. For example, if a ferret was to have a sensitivity to Chicken, however if the particular ground mix is a combination of Chicken & Beef, (or multiple other proteins), this can make finding the culprit more difficult since the proteins are ground together. The benefit of feeding single proteins per meal, makes it more easier to take out a protein, without the added waste of meats as what could potentially happen with ground mix containing multiple proteins. For example, you prepare a batch to last the month of ground Chicken, Beef and Lamb > ferret shows sensitivity to it or has a reaction > that entire batch would go to waste. Not saying that combination ground mixes cannot be done, it can, but my advice for that would be to prepare ground mixes either according to protein type, or after you’ve tried GusGus with that protein first. That brand Rad Cat has individual protein batches, which makes it fairly handy.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2017 12:17:05 GMT -5
I am going to make up some individual baggies of the food for him.
Sorry for my delayed response. Started some new meds that have me a little out of it.
As soon as I can, too, I'm gonna go to the store and try to find some of that RadCat stuff. If I can't, I'll find different proteins and mix them myself with the above recipe that you gave me.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2017 19:33:54 GMT -5
I am going to make up some individual baggies of the food for him. Sorry for my delayed response. Started some new meds that have me a little out of it. As soon as I can, too, I'm gonna go to the store and try to find some of that RadCat stuff. If I can't, I'll find different proteins and mix them myself with the above recipe that you gave me. I hope your new meds work well for you. I'm here to support you regardless of what you decide. I do encourage you to try your best to get the pre-made ground mix, rad cat. Creating home made grounds can seem a little overwhelming, intimidating and confusing. It really is something that can take a bit to learn and understand to ensure everything is probably balanced for GusGus. Unbalanced raw is incredibly dangerous and I really don't want you to ever worry or stress about keeping home made grounds balanced. I want you to be confident knowing GusGus is being fed the best diet available for him. I feel that using a commercial ground mix will save you time, energy and a whole heap of clean up mess. It would be completely balanced so you can really rest easy knowing that you will not have any issues on that area of raw feeding. Not only will it be easier for you, it is also simple and easy for others to understand and feed. Example, there may be times where you may have family/friends or a ferret sitter look after your ferret. In those times, the pre-ground mix doesn't need anything other than being placed onto a plate. Now for a little change in topic, How is GusGus ? I would love to see a dangling pic, and a birds eye view pic of him to see how he's going~ I hope everything has been going well for you too healthwise.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2017 11:12:10 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2017 11:13:25 GMT -5
This was the best I could get by myself. [img src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/ .gif" style="max-width:100%;" src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/ .gif"] I need to trim his nails again. I'm just afraid of trimming too far. =/ Meds are okay. Right now they are making me incredibly sick though. So just waiting for that to pass. Hoping it isn't a forever thing! Edit to add: Sorry it's such a short response. I have a puppy running around the house, a ferret running around the house, and I'm trying not to vomit or pass out! Will give a longer, more detailed post hopefully tonight.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2017 0:10:22 GMT -5
No problem. Trimming nails can be quite a scary task when you first start doing them. Don't worry, with practice they get way easier.Here is a diagram of trimming nails. To be safe, you can simply trim a little off to begin with and when you get more confident after practice you can trim a little more off. I hope you feel better soon. Having new medication is quite a roller coaster. Any news in regards to the vet appointment?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2017 9:26:42 GMT -5
Awesome! I'll just do a little bit at a time for a few days. Thanks for the graph - definitely a helper! <3 So far, this new medicine is doing nothing but making me sick. =/ I hate it. But, it's better than the alternative! That's what I keep telling myself anyways! As for vet, I'm hoping to make an appointment in the next few days.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2017 20:30:22 GMT -5
How is GusGus going at the moment with the raw?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2017 12:10:53 GMT -5
He's doing really well! We bought some different proteins for him, so hopefully can incorporate that into his diet soon! We bought some pork, beef and more chicken (that was all we could find at the store). At the moment he is asleep in the Christmas bag, curled up in a bunch of tissue paper. He seems to be thriving. How did he look in those pictures to you? Like he's bulking up in a healthy way? His poops still seem to be normal, too.
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Post by katt on Jan 17, 2017 0:49:05 GMT -5
Please post what amounts of each item you are feeding in each meal please. Organs, hearts, bones, etc.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2017 6:31:24 GMT -5
I agree with Katt. Could you tell me the amounts of each item you feed and could you also post the weekly questionnaire please? GusGus does seem to be gaining some weight from his photos, possibly a mix of good food and the pred. Any news on the vet app?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2017 9:10:50 GMT -5
No news yet.
As much as I hate to, I'm going to have to step away for a bit. I've got a lot of stuff going on in life right now and am stepping away from the internet. I know it's not what's best, but it's what I have to do at the moment. Hopefully I'll be back soon. Don't know how it goes on here, but I'll be gone for a while. Will keep feeding him the balanced meal that you gave me, keep a check on his weights, etc. But I won't be able to post on here as much.
Thanks for all your help! <3 I really appreciate it.
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