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Post by Sherry on May 18, 2017 9:18:06 GMT -5
that is WONDERFUL news!!! Keep them at this size for 3 or 4 days, then move up a bit again. Good example is with the chicken necks, halve instead of quartering Do the same size approx with the meat chunks as well. With most of mine, I aim for something about the size of an adult mouse for chunks. With wings, I segments, cut between the bone, and break the bone of the drumette with a cleaver.
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raebees
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Raw Feeder
Yes, i am contagious. 😂😂
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Post by raebees on May 18, 2017 21:40:34 GMT -5
They did well with necks again, Bella is still struggling between being hungry and being willing to work for it but she ate a couple decent sized pieces. Moxie went back for thirds this afternoon! She ate well at breakfast and around 3 are another two decent pieces. I left them with 2.8oz and by dinner, .8 oz was left and I'm fairly sure Moxie ate most of it 😂😂 I left the .8 necks and added some chunks of both chicken and beef to make it 2 ozs. Beef is still not a favorite but the chicken pieces are a bit thicker than them so maybe they'll decide it's better to eat the beef 😄 Tomorrow we'll have wings for breakfast. I'm struggling to find other bone in choices. Quail and chicken are the easiest for me to get a hold of. Rabbit is expensive but I'm thinking I may go ahead and pick one up for variety. I can also get a hold of frog legs, though they're usually over $6/lb. I think I'll ask on the feeder breeder page if anyone lives close to me. Adding mice and rats would be fantastic, especially if they're cheaper than the pet store.
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Post by Sherry on May 19, 2017 8:21:03 GMT -5
Okay, in that case grab about a dozen tiny pinkie mice, some larger pinkie mice(about 6 or 7), about a dozen fuzzies, a few hoppers, and about a dozen adult mice and we can get them working through that journey as well
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raebees
Junior Member
Raw Feeder
Yes, i am contagious. 😂😂
Posts: 219
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Post by raebees on May 25, 2017 1:26:31 GMT -5
I haven't had luck yet finding a good supplier of whole prey other than online so I'll be holding off on them for now. The good news is breakfast goes regularly smoothly, I've been leaving larger and larger pieces, along with a few the size they prefer. Both of them have taken pretty well to chunks about 2 inches long and inch wide and inch tall or so. As long as it contains bone, it gets eaten.
We are having some trouble still with muscle meats, especially beef. I'm tempted to pull another hold out and serve beef for a few days, using the bone meal powder for breakfast again. Would that be the right way to convince them?
It's funny, Moxie has the kill shake down, she 'stretches' each piece by shaking it out. Bella does not kill shake and usually gives up before even trying 😂 And sometimes Moxie puts her nose up at fresh breakfast to go sniff out a forgotten piece of meat. I'm proud of that little girl, she has done really, really well with the bone in and is making progress on muscle pieces. Bella, is still Bella, and remains my most stubborn girl. I sometimes wonder if she's a wardy, even if only slightly. She is nervous, resistant and stubborn but loves water and standing on her head to clean her belly 😂
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Post by Sherry on May 25, 2017 9:23:43 GMT -5
That is actually what I do with proteins they are holding out on Some momma tough love on their behinds! And I am thinking your Bella simply doesn't need as much food as Moxie does. She is a light eater. Two of my girls I've had over time have only ever eaten about an ounce a day in summer.
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Post by Sherry on May 25, 2017 9:28:47 GMT -5
Got a pop quiz for you 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. What counts as a "different protein source?" 4. List 3 organs aside from liver. 5. Is it a good idea to mix muscle meat, bone in and organs all in one meal. Explain why.
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raebees
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Raw Feeder
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Post by raebees on May 28, 2017 1:13:48 GMT -5
1. What are some good emergency taurine sources if you run out of heart? Beef tongue (other tongue), or powdered taurine. I've read between 250mg to 500mg per day if using the powdered version. I would opt for 500mg, split to be given twice a day, since taurine is water soluble, and the powdered supplement isn't as effective as having hearts would be. 2. How can you tell if your ferret is getting too much or too little bone? Stools will become very firm, dry, and your ferret may have trouble pooping if eating too much bone. Stools will be sloppy and loose if given too little bone, barring organ days. If younger, you may also start to notice the deficiency manifest itself through their growth and gait. 3. What counts as a "different protein source?" Anything genetically different from another. The young of an animal doesn't count as a different protein if fed in the same week. 4. List 3 organs aside from liver. Brain, spleen, kidney 5. Is it a good idea to mix muscle meat, bone in and organs all in one meal. Explain why. Unless as part of a balanced grind or as whole prey, then no. Especially with multiple ferrets, you risk them picking out their favorites and leaving the rest for others which can lead to a deficiency over time. We've been on a beef kick for the last couple days, aside from organs last night. The first day Moxie ate the chunks just fine. I was rather surprised but she figured it out! Bella really didn't even try. So dinner was more beef, again Moxie ate a little. Bella stashed a piece or two but again, didn't even try. The next morning, more beef. This time Moxie skipped breakfast, too. I added a bit of egg wash in the afternoon (they were both being hacky anyways) and they licked it off and left the rest. I went ahead with chopped organs and heart for dinner, which even Bella conceded to chewing through. This morning, more beef 😂 And it sat. This evening, more beef! And it sat, as far as I can tell. I added a smear of salmon oil to the pieces, partly in hopes they'll eat some, partly in hopes they don't dry out as fast. It has been hot here the last couple days. The garage floor is concrete so it stays cool for a long time but I'm wondering if that's playing a part. I've left several water dishes out for them, at least and they don't show signs of distress, just no desire for beef. 😂😕
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raebees
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Raw Feeder
Yes, i am contagious. 😂😂
Posts: 219
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Post by raebees on May 28, 2017 1:25:22 GMT -5
The good news is Bella lost enough weight to do this on her own 😂😂
And Moxie's first time eating that large of a beef chunk.
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Post by Sherry on May 28, 2017 8:23:31 GMT -5
Okay, evidently she hates beef ATM It happens. I would keep it in the rotation for one meal a week anyway. Bella may warm up to it. And correct on the quiz questions! We will do a couple more in the next week or so while they try to get used to larger pieces
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raebees
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Raw Feeder
Yes, i am contagious. 😂😂
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Post by raebees on May 28, 2017 10:53:47 GMT -5
Sounds good, I'm picking up more quail today and am starting to defrost the goat leg, too. Hopefully she'll like goat better than beef. This morning we're having chicken necks because those have been a firm favorite. I'll be leaving the pieces a bit larger because Moxie is a champ at working through them now. For being my fat girl, I can't believe how much resistance Bella puts into chewing! 😂😂
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Post by Sherry on May 29, 2017 9:23:51 GMT -5
Sounds good Let me know how they do with the goat!
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Post by Sherry on May 31, 2017 9:26:08 GMT -5
1. What is a healthy diet item that can be used for hairballs, and his often should you give it? 2. Are leaner meats better for your ferret or fattier meats? 3. What is a Normal Fasting Blood Glucose level?
4. What percent of the diet should be organ? 5.Give 2 examples each of muscle meat, edible bones, and organs
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raebees
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Raw Feeder
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Post by raebees on May 31, 2017 11:35:34 GMT -5
1. What is a healthy diet item that can be used for hairballs, and how often should you give it?
Eggs! Either the whole, whisked egg or the yolk only (whites contain avidin which is a biotin binder but yolks have enough biotin to counteract it if fed together). They can be fed one egg per ferret one or two times a week outside of shedding season, two or three times a week during shedding season. If already feeding eggs, it can also make an acceptable 'gravy' for introducing new foods because it's something they're already used to 😄
2. Are leaner meats better for your ferret or fattier meats?
Typically fattier cuts of meat are better since fat is energy for ferrets, but too much fat can lead to seedy stools which is an indication they're not fully digesting the fat. Feeding straight fat is not ideal since they need the amino acids from the protein, too. Rather, choose fattier cuts like chicken thigh, or fattier proteins like pork. It's a good idea to follow a leaner meal (turkey or rabbit) with a fattier meal, too.
3. List 3 sources of edible bone
Chicken (any and all parts, though some bones may need to be smashed if they prove too dense), Rabbit (same as chicken), Quail, Frog legs, Duck. Most fowl makes great bone in choices. If they fail to eat the bone then it does not count as a bone in meal.
4. What percent of the diet should be organ?
10% should make up the organ portion, though ideally 5% will be liver and 5% will be another secreting organ such as kidney, spleen, testicles, uterus or brain.
5.Give 2 examples each of muscle meat, edible bones, and organs
Muscle: beef or pork cuts (especially since the bones of these animals are usually too dense to feed as a bone in choice, feeding as a muscle meat allows them to gain the benefit of variety.)
Bone In: Duck, Quail (frog legs 😂)
Organs: Sweetbreads, Brain
We are doing well with the size of pieces. Even muscle meats are being offered at about the same size as a split flat of chicken wing. Bella is being Bella, stashing all the pieces and only eating a little once she realizes there is nothing more being offered. She has lost a little more weight, too. I should post weights soon 😂
Moxie is my champ. She was always the one I was most worried about but this little girl is turning into a pro! She wanted up on the counter where I cut their food and serve the cat her portion. Usually what the ferrets don't eat becomes the cats next meal but Moxie decided she wasn't quite done with it. She definitely has a preference for 'aged' meat 😂 I also tried offering large meal worms 😂😝 I am not a fan of having to hold live bugs. I need tweezers! Bella ate one after I dipped it in salmon oil lol but didn't want a second one. I figured meal worms were a good introduction to bugs. Thankfully there are 50 of them so we will continue offering them as snacks.
Moxies's big pork chunk! Poor thing looked incredibly uncomfortable after swallowing the last piece!
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raebees
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Posts: 219
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Post by raebees on May 31, 2017 11:38:27 GMT -5
Bah! #3 Changed!!! Lol
Normal fasting BG is around 90 I believe. Less than 85 is suspected insulinoma and 70 or lower is confirmed insulinoma.
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