grimtas
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Post by grimtas on Mar 2, 2017 12:30:57 GMT -5
First a quick introduction. It's been decades since I've been around ferrets in the house I will admit the ferrets I was exposed to in my teens were not mine and truth be told I don't think they were well taken care of by an older step-sister. That being said I found myself in a position where I needed something to take care of and the first thing that popped in my mind was to become a Ferrant. Last Thanksgiving Day I set out in trying to find any local breeders or rehoming services. I did not have much luck in my area so my last resort was to visit the local pet store to pick up a pair of Mar.. Ferrets. Meet Mischief and Mayhem: Mischief: Mayhem: After several months of fighting with suppliers I finally completed my FerretNation Double-Wide Triple-Tall home for my fuzzies while I'm away. Don't worry they get hours of playtime every morning and evening until they are completely pooped prior to returning to their enclosure. Once things settle down in current life events I'll eventually allow them to free roam at least one room of the house as I need to get a lot better at ferret proofing. The little buggers find all kinds of creative ways to get themselves into trouble. A little over a month ago I decided Mischief and Mayhem needed more friends. Again nothing was available in rescue/craigslist, etc. so back to the pet store I went as I needed to pick up some more kibble anyway. This trip the store had 7 ferrets available and I was very hard pressed not to take them all home with me. Meet Havoc and Scamp: Havoc: Scamp: Around three weeks ago I decided after researching better sources for kibble then my local pet store as they frequently run out of the no-grain variety I have been feeding them since bringing them all home. I started reading about bladder stones and such caused by kibble. That's when I decided to dump the kibble and look for more natural alternatives. I found this site in my research and have been reading, studying, and gleaning all the information I can on the subject. I’ll admit I started their journey a bit hasty and did a few things wrong. I started out going to the grocery and picked up some chicken wings. For the evening meal, Kibble had previously been left in the cage and filled when near empty day and night, I chopped up some wing tips and center sections and put that in their food dish. I was very thrilled that Havoc took to it quite well and began chomping away. This gave me false hope. Chief, Hemmy, and Scamp wouldn’t touch the stuff. I tried a very rough grind to make the food a bit smaller but no luck with my other three. I left the kibble available in their cage over the two days I kept attempting with a rough grind of just chicken wings. More research later I learned about a frankenprey menu for a balanced diet so off to the grocery I went, this time I brought home 4lbs boneless/skinless chicken thigh, 2lbs liver, 1lbgizzards, and frozen tripe (The white stuff, it’s been thrown out now since it’s bad juju). Had to run across town to the local Asian market for the 2lbs hearts. As I had so much difficulty the previous two days with the grind of chicken wings and getting all the fuzzies to accept it as food, I packaged it all up and stuck it in the freezer for later. Now for a step backwards and start making soups for the transition. I followed the 8oz muscle meat, 1oz heart, 1oz liver, ½tsp ground eggshell recipe for my soups, I also added in 3 eggs while making this batch of soup. I thought the 4lbs of chicken would get me a few weeks. Boy was I wrong. I froze my soups in 3oz ice cube trays for feeding time ease. It didn’t last a week total. Back to the grocery Week one went well only Mayhem was giving me any troubles starting out, had to finger feed him most every meal to let him know it was ok before he would eat out of his dish on his own. I put 12oz of food down for the four of them morning and evening (~6oz ea /day) After two days of soups I completely removed the kibble from their cage. All went well with the very liquidy puree’s I made from the first batch. Second grocery trip yielded an additional 5lbs heart, 5lbs liver, 12lbs boneless/skinless chicken thigh. With this batch of food I decided to run all the chicken thigh through my meat grinder instead of the blender all hearts are rough chopped in the blender and livers pureed. Most of the heart and liver is back in the freezer. Yes I know I have a lot on hand the across town trip is the reason I bought so much. Putting the second batch together I doubled the base recipe amounts placing 8oz of the muscle meat into the blender to make the soup. I only placed enough water to the mix to keep the blender blending making a very thick paste. The other 8oz of muscle meat grind I divided evenly and placed into the bottom of each of the ice cube slots then poured the sludge on top to freeze. Once thawed this gives me a very thick paste with some grind in the mix. I have been feeding the second batch to the fuzzies for the last week with very good results, Hemmy still occasionally looks at me when I put it down as if to say you have got to be kidding me again. Back to a single finger in the bowl licked clean then the eats a bit and off to play. Now my fuzzies get their breakfast and dinner right after they are allowed to escape their cage, they do not just sit and eat their fill all at once, when they go back in their cage in goes their soups. By the time it’s the next mealtime their bowls are licked clean every time. Another mistake I made was not buying a scale to record their weights when I started. I bought one yesterday and tried to weight them. What a hassle so I tried to give them some raw scrambled egg to try to calm them while weighing. It was fun for all, Mayhem and Scamp loved the egg at first licks, Mischief and Havoc couldn’t be bothered right away. Got good weights now. Last night I decided I needed to up the ante a bit, when making their normal half soup / half grind mix I placed an additional 2oz of rough grind chicken wing to their bowls as well as a raw scrambled egg on top(From the weighing exercise). Havoc was thrilled and went straight for the big pieces avoiding the soup. Mischief and Mayhem ate around the bigger pieces for a bit then off to play, Scamp had a lick then it was playtime. Later on I convinced Mayhem to try a bit of the chicken wing meat that had a little bit of bone and some skin, I was pleased he ate it all. At bedtime I placed their bowls in the cage and they all just passed out like normal. Another twist last night was I brought home some fishing worms to see if any/all liked them to use as treats. They loved it, as did I watching them try to figure out what exactly to do with the squiggly worm crawling around the floor. Once they figured out how to pick it up it was off to the races with all four of them trying to take it away from each other. Many laughs later only about an inch piece was left from an 8 inch worm and they all ate some of it. This morning I was a bit dismayed as they had food remaining in their dishes. Then I remembered I added an additional 4oz of food plus two eggs to last night’s meal (That’s a lot of extras) I eased my mind after weighing what was left and it was only 3oz total weight mostly all the rough grind chicken wings. I mixed this morning’s breakfast (only 6oz of soup) into the remaining dinner and presented, all had a lick and ran off to play this morning. One cup of coffee later I look at the feeding area and there’s Mayhem sucking down some chicken skin. I’m so proud of him. I’ll see how much they ate later tonight. I’m hoping for just a few bones left. The Poops: Holy cow, we are defiantly the detox mode, small poops very smelly, I need to add a bit more eggshell I think as they are not runny but not firm, very sticky and smelly. Had a day of stress poops looked like fish row couldn’t figure out whom it was? The last week I’ve been a bit concerned as they have not been drinking much if any from their water bottles, I know I have plenty of water in their food so I’m thinking they are getting enough from their food. The litterbox cleaning looks to be about ¾ pee ¼ poop every couple of days I think the addition of the heart is good and working well Playtime: I thought my fuzzies were bouncy prior to the transition but now they have tripled their excitement during playtime and longer 3-4 hours in the evenings. I can’t even walk across the room without 2-3 of them jumping at my knees playing. Playtime now has become somewhat tiring for me by the end but they are looking, playing with a whole bunch more vigor now then on the kibble. Their/My journey continues…
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grimtas
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Raw Feeder
Posts: 33
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Post by grimtas on Mar 2, 2017 12:31:27 GMT -5
Now for the fuzzie stats: Mayhem: Born 3 Jul 2016 Male Current Weight 2lbs 15Oz
Mischief: Born 24 Jul 2016 Male Current Weight 2lbs 12Oz
Scamp: Born 27 Nov 2016 Male Current Weight 2lbs 08Oz
Havoc: Born 27 Nov 2016 Male Current Weight 2lbs 05Oz
I'm still looking for an exotic vet I will trust for their first wellness checkup. After reading about one of our members episode of a double rabies vaccination I'm very hesitant to have them vaccinated at all beyond what Mar.. already did with the first distemper shot. When I do locate a good vet I'll get a baseline bloodwork, etc for ongoing records.
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grimtas
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Raw Feeder
Posts: 33
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Post by grimtas on Mar 3, 2017 10:28:27 GMT -5
I made another grocery run on the way home from work yesterday. I browsed the Local Asian market a bit better. I had no idea the selection they actually have. I picked up the following to add to the menu of proteins: 1.22 lbs Frog Legs (Bone-in) 1.10 lbs Quail (Bone-in) 1.09 lbs Beef Tongue (I'll use this as the .5 heart in the final menu) 1 lb smelt (Didn't realize in the market how bad they really smelled. When I tried to give them to the fuzzies when I got home it stunk so bad it all went in the trash. I won't try that again until I have an outside pen for them built) 1.48 lbs Lamb (Muscle) 1.55 lbs Pork heart (Heart) 1.29 lbs beef intestine (organ) 1.89 lbs pork liver (organ) 1.28 lbs pork back fat (Muscle) 2.78 lbs Whole Rabbit (Muscle I plan to de-bone most of it, Bone-in from the backbone/ribs/neck) 1.85 lbs Duck Feet (Bone/treats? just something to mix with my attempts with chicken feet) The little buggers eat better then I do at the moment spending $70 for the above and most of that I would eat too I need to look for more organ options the next trip out but I think I have a good start to begin making a balanced frankenprey menu. They had beef penis but I passed on that one as I couldn't think of what category to place that in. Joked with my 16YO Son later that I almost bought it to put on the BBQ and tell him it's sausage Last evening I was pleasantly surprised both bowls were empty when I got home. The breakfast was 6oz (50% soup 50% chicken muscle grind) and 6oz of chopped chicken wing. In checking the cage I only found 4 stashed pieces. I'm hoping they are not using their tunnel to stash as it's wired to the top of the cage. Bad picture but this is their safety cage when I'm not at home. I also picked up some salmon oil from the pet store at lunch yesterday. The initial tasting none of them wanted much to do with it. I "Grabbed and Dabbed" a few times but left it alone for the most part. I know I'm pushing my guys a bit quickly but they are still very young so the overall process (Hopefully) should be a bit easier to transition them. If they push back I can simply back pedal the steps to get them comfortable again if necessary. Last nights dinner 6oz soup grind 6 oz chopped chicken wing they left 4oz by this morning and I only found three pieces stashed in the cage. Threw the left overs out and started a fresh breakfast this morning. Again I'm pushing a bit this mornings breakfast is 6oz soup/grind 4oz chopped chicken wing 2 oz finely chopped frog leg. For an extra measure I put two drops of salmon oil in each dish. Yesterday's egg is processing as noticed in their litter box, poops are still a bit lose and slimy but should get better with more bone/eggshell. Hopefully I'm doing all of this correctly as this is my first attempt to transition to natural/raw. Going to give my cat a soup/grind cube to try over the weekend as if all goes well with the fuzzies I'll be transitioning my cat and two dogs to a more healthy balanced diet as well. I'd love to get my fuzzies to live prey but my vegetarian wife will not allow that option ever.
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Post by LindaM on Mar 3, 2017 13:59:57 GMT -5
Whooo, well that was all very detailed, finally got some extra time to read through all of it. Congrats on deciding to ditch the kibble and let them eat a species appropriate diet! They're gonna love you for it, and the changes you will see in them will amaze you.
So, just to point out some important things to keep in mind. * Raw eggs - 1 raw egg per ferret, per week limit. Double in the shedding season. (Doing more than that can result in some really nasty poops) * Salmon Oil - 1tsp per ferret, per week limit. * Duck/Chicken Feet - These are very boney with little meat, so if you give for a meal, add some muscle meat to it, or it can lead to constipation. That said, it can help bring in variety if you struggle getting other bone-in meals. * Fish - Fish should always be given in moderation, so limit to one meal a week of fish. * Intestines - Not all ferrets will eat this, in fact, most will entirely avoid it, or even a mix of food with it incorporated.
As for how much they eat, yep, you'll need a scale to weigh how much you give and how much they eat, and since you have 4 of them, you may need to separate for meals for a week or so to get an idea of how much they eat on average. Bear in mind, at the start of a switch they all tend to eat more and then wind down. Depending on the season, they will also eat more or less, autumn and winter will see them eating more, and spring and summer has them slim down again. Age and gender also factor in. The adult female ferret will eat around 1-3oz a day, and the adult male ferret will do around 2-6oz (generally 2-4oz, but some do more like 3-6oz). And kits will eat several times those amounts since they're basically just tummies with teeth attached.
So, most of us end up free-feeding. We put out an AM meal and it remains out until the PM meal and that then remains out until the next AM meal. Thus, food is always available versus putting a meal down and then taking it away a while later. By the time you change their bowls for the next meal, there should always be a little bit remaining in the bowl, this will help ensure that everyone got their fill in that time, versus an entirely empty bowl which might mean that someone didn't get enough to eat. And since yours are all still kits, they definitely need food available to them at all times since they are still growing.
Oh, and I also wanted to comment on the water bottles. If you can, please remove those and replace them with lock crock bowls for water instead. Ferrets do much better drinking from a bowl and the bottles will usually just lead to some really bad teeth damage. They might splash the bowls for a day or two, but that will wear off and then they'll be fine with it.
As for the vaccines, the ones Marshall's apparently give them, are all crap. At the ages they get them, the ferrets still have their mother's antibodies in their systems which basically destroy the vaccine, thus if you want to vaccinate, do it only after 6 months of age, at which time their mother's immunity has worn off. Again, vaccination is a subject that makes all of us uneasy and it's a choice wholly up to each owner. A ferret can have an adverse reaction even if they have never had any vaccine before, or they could be fine with both vaccines. Key points to remember is never get both Distemper and Rabies at once, pick one and get it, then a month later (some suggest waiting 6 months for their system to entirely recover) do the other vaccine, and always remain in the vet's waiting room for 30 minutes to an hour to make sure your ferret is taking it okay and keep an eye on them the next few days. Personally, I will always only do each vaccine once, and never again, as the risks increase with each vaccine given. Some States have a law about rabies and ferrets needing the vaccine every year, most owners will ignore this and just play it safe by not letting other people handle their ferret and stand a risk of getting bitten and them then requesting the ferret be euthanized to check for rabies as not all States do the quarantine. Generally, once a vaccine is given it will usually last the lifetime of the ferret. And a ferret that is sick or has a compromised immune system should never be vaccinated, same goes for a ferret who shows a reaction to either of the vaccines, never vaccinate them again, even if they haven't received both vaccines.
And back to switching, have you thought about signing up for the mentoring program on here? A mentor can help you with your switch and planning a balanced weekly menu, and they'll also teach you very valuable knowledge you absolutely need to know when doing a raw diet.
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grimtas
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Raw Feeder
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Post by grimtas on Mar 3, 2017 14:40:04 GMT -5
LindaM, Thank you for for the kind reply and sorry for the long posts I'm kind of very very detailed in doing things.
Check on the Raw Eggs, I'm currently half the max amount right now as I'm still working on an overall diet. Check on the Salmon Oil, only picked some up yesterday, they have no interest thus far I've used maybe 5-6 drops in my attempts to convince them it's not poison. Check on Duck/Chicken Feet, it's more for my amusement right now to see what they do with them and where they hide them. only two missing toes so far so not much interest from the fuzzies. Check on Fish, tried smelt, I'm a believer if it smells of fish throw it out, the smelt did not go over well with myself or the fuzzies, only Havoc tried to hide then bury one under the couch. Check on the intestines, I'll give them a try if it doesn't go over well I'll toss it, I only picked it up for another organ besides the liver I have, need to see what other organs I can get my hands on this weekend.
Eating, I've been putting down 12oz +/- 1oz AM and PM as the bowls have been clean for the last several weeks I'll up that amount another 3-6oz each meal. I like the idea of feeding them separate to get a better understanding of what each is eating, I just hate having to confine them during the day while I'm away already. I'll see what I can do this weekend to get a better understanding of what each is actually eating. Thus far all four have triple the energy they had while on kibble, so I'm assuming they are all getting their fill but will verify instead of just assuming.
Check on the water bottles, I already have the lock crocks on order, just waiting on the supplier to ship them. I haven't liked the water bottles but that was better then what I tried initially leaving them completely without water within 2 mins of placing water bowls down for them.
I'm still undecided on the vaccines, I'm a firm believer anything Marshal is utter garbage I really try not to support them. My preference would have been to rescue (Would have been a Marshal around here) or find a reputable breeder, of which I could not find one within 300 miles.
I'm considering the mentor program and a creature of habit. I'm a member of many different forums the align with my interest/hobbies/etc. You will find I don't post much as I tend to read lots as I enjoy the search for answers. I post questions when I've exhausted all other means to find the answer.
That leads me to my biggest current question, since switching from kibble to soups in my current three week journey to full raw the last week their water intake has been extremely low. They are urinating just fine and plenty of it and hoping they are getting all the water they need from the soups. Is this normal coming off kibble for water intake reducing?
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Post by LindaM on Mar 3, 2017 15:29:16 GMT -5
No problem at all, I sometimes tend to do long posts and responses myself. I believe the same about meats and fish, especially fish... though some fishies are just really smelly by themselves. Even if something smells slightly off to us, you can still try offering it to your ferrets first, as they might still be fine with it. Ferrets can handle bacteria better than we can, and in the wild would drag their food through dirt and even stash for with their poop to hide it from others, so they can eat it at a later stage. As a rule, ferrets will not consume meat that has gone bad in their opinion. Though that is a little hard to judge right now as new foods, fresh or not, will get the same reaction of it being "poison". But it's good to remember for later on. You may be surprised at how much kits can consume, right now it sounds like they do about 6oz each on your rough estimate, I've heard of some who easily put down 10oz in a day. Blackhole tummies with teeth! Of course, ferrets are all different, so it's best to figure out what yours each do personally. We're gonna head into Spring as well, so appetites will be getting a little less than Winter appetites, though that rule rarely seems to apply to kits. So just check that a little remains by the time you switch out to the next meal, that way you know you're covered. Perfect on the crocks! Haha, don't worry.. we've all first tried the loose water bowl... I think most of us regretted it. The locked in place bowls do so much better, and mine just love drinking from them and sticking their faces in. My two also free-roam, so they also drink out of the cat fountain, without splashing to free the water or trying to drown each other in it, but I think I'm one of the lucky few when it comes to that, most ferrets will probably make it devoid of all water within seconds and burn out the motor. Both my two were Marshalls, I got Loki first, and just over a year later, got Athena from a Petco too. I had wanted to adopt a rescue at the time, but nobody had any, and none on any sites online had any locally either. I was looking around again just a few weeks ago, and still nothing to my disappointment. So, keeping in mind how Marshalls can screw up in the beginning, I've decided to get both vaccinated with each vaccine once, and then done for the rest of their lives. Just to be sure they have received both, for sure. Loki is due his Rabies soon, and Athena needs Distemper. But again, due to the risks involved, vaccines become a very personal struggle and choice everyone has to make themselves after thoroughly thinking about it and some research. Feel free then to read up all the sticky posts on the various boards, and even read through some of the completed Switches, they can be very helpful. You can also do some of the quizzes the mentors gave in those switches and see if you can get all the answers before looking them up, just to test your knowledge. They will tend to drink less, yes. Unlike with kibble, they are now also getting moisture from their food, which keeps them better hydrated. You will notice that they will pee bigger puddles now too, as their bodies are getting more fluid to remain more hydrated than they were before. Whenever you are in doubt about how hydrated a ferret is, you can pinch up their scruff and see if the skin snaps back or slowly goes down when you let go, same technique as one would do with humans really. You can also check their gums, they should be a healthy pink. Oh, PS. if you want to tag someone when replying to them so they get notified of it directly, you can use the @ symbol and type their username, since this can vary from their display name, you might want to use the little icon of a person and the @ symbol on the menu when typing a post or response. Click it, and just start typing the name, and it'll give a dropdown list of choices and you just click the right one. And PPS. I haven't said it yet, but your babies are gorgeous!
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grimtas
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Post by grimtas on Mar 3, 2017 16:33:55 GMT -5
LindaM Tag your it. Tks for the lesson this is the first forum I've used with a tag feature very helpful. Also thanks for the complement on my fuzzies, they are very cute and very spoiled rotten as my better half keeps telling me I've been lurking these forums as a guest for around 6 weeks now only deciding to switch around three weeks ago convincing myself mainly due to this forum it was a very very healthy idea to make the switch. Saying that I think I've been through at least 90% of the stickies and several of the current and previous transitions. I'll have to run through some more to see if I can find any of the quizzes you mentioned. Ditto on checking for hydration, I wasn't overly concerned in their hydration, gums / scruff very similar in treating other animals. I was only concerned by the dramatic reduction in intake. I didn't expect that. I've lost two cats early in their life to diabetes so I'm hyper aware in looking for trouble signs. Our family has raised several cats well into their late teens (Human Years) and dogs into mid teens. All our companions have regular vet visits through out their time with us. To give you an idea when I was stationed in England in the military and transferred back to the US my wife and I brought back 7 of the 9 cats we had at the time. The remaining two were too old and/or ill to make the journey safely and continued the rest of their lives with in-laws in England. Our family is very committed to our companions and if we can extend their time with us we will do what ever is humanely possible. I only regret I learned about natural feeding decades ago we might have been able to prevent some of the complications we have have with previous companions.
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Post by LindaM on Mar 3, 2017 16:55:11 GMT -5
They're always spoiled rotten one way or another, haha. My hubby tells me the same, as does my mother and grandmother whenever they get some photos sent their way. My fuzzies get new toys almost every week... which of course they mostly refuse to share with the cat, and I'm never allowed to take back and put away some of the toys or they throw a fit and climb to get to it and throw it all down to the floor to steal and hide again. So mine are definitely spoiled rotten little buggers. Here you will find some of the completed switches, usually there's some quizzes throughout, but at the end there's a final exam they take, which you can try some of them to see how you do on them yourself: holisticferret60.proboards.com/board/55/archivesI think your ferrets have found themselves an absolutely wonderful family in you guys. And I totally agree. Honestly, looking back to some of the animals I had owned before, and those of my family and my husband's family, if I had been better informed back then, I'd have done the natural diets right off the get go, and it probably would've done a world of difference. But what matters is that now that you know, you plan to take action with that knowledge. As it stands right now, both my ferrets are raw fed.. and kitty.. well kitty has always had bad tummy troubles, but is finally on at least canned foods only now... raw on the other hand, that's a whole different story for him. He's still at the stage where he'll look at it, sniff it, and shake his paw in that disgusted way they do when something is displeasing, even when he's just watching the ferrets eat. He's going to give me gray hairs, I swear.
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Post by unclejoe on Mar 4, 2017 8:52:47 GMT -5
I just want to say welcome to the group, and your fuzzies are beautiful
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grimtas
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Post by grimtas on Mar 6, 2017 14:54:55 GMT -5
unclejoe Thank you for the complement. Loving my fuzzies more and more each day. Progress since Friday, I've been closely monitoring how much food/leftovers in their dish after each feeding only once over the weekend did they completely empty their dishes between meals and I've observed all four of them eating at various times of the day so I think they are all getting their fill. The only day they emptied between meals I put in another 4oz of food and they ate less then 1/2oz prior to dinner. I did not have time to rearrange their enclosure to separate them to have a more accurate account of food intake per fuzzie. Still working on that one. I'm logging each meal how much I put down for them what I put down and what leftovers remain between feeding. Still feeding my soups, but I've been gradually reducing to a total of 3oz soup this morning and replacing the remaining amount to 12oz per feeding with either lamb(muscle), chopped chicken wing (bone-in), frog legs (bone-in), quail (bone-in) I need to start on my balanced weekly menu and just keep the soup mix to 3oz to keep up their interest but continue to graduate them to full chunks and whole chicken wings / larger quail pieces. I tossed the beef intestine over the weekend decided not to even try that one. I still need to get other organ options besides the liver I have to reduce overall iron intake. The poops: They are getting firmer with the addition of the additional chicken wing, frog legs, quail. Can see some processed bone from each of them so that's a good thing. Energy levels are still higher then when on the kibble and I'm really enjoying their antics and craziness. Each is really fitting into their namesakes well.
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grimtas
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Post by grimtas on Mar 6, 2017 15:12:16 GMT -5
Thanks to the menu examples on this forum. I'm planning for the following menu based on what proteins, organs, hearts I have on hand. I'm slowly introducing new proteins into what they are already eating at an approx 1/4 total weight mixed in with the rest of their chicken dishes. Once I see they are taking well to the new proteins I'll up the ration to 1/2, then full for each meal.
• Monday am: Chicken Wings / Frog Legs / Quail (Bone-In) • Monday pm: Chicken Wings / Frog Legs / Quail (Chicken Thigh / Lamb / Pork / Beef / Rabbit) (Bone-In / Muscle) • Tuesday am: Chicken Wings / Frog Legs / Quail (Bone-In), Two Eggs • Tuesday pm: Chicken Thigh / Lamb / Pork / Beef / Rabbit (Muscle) • Wednesday am: Chicken Wings / Frog Legs / Quail (Bone-In), 6 drops salmon oil • Wednesday pm: Chicken Heart (Heart) • Thursday am: Chicken Wings / Frog Legs / Quail (Bone-In), Two Eggs • Thursday pm: Chicken Wings / Frog Legs / Quail (Chicken Thigh / Lamb / Pork / Beef / Rabbit) (Bone-In / Muscle) • Friday am: Chicken Wings / Frog Legs / Quail (Bone-In), 6 drops salmon oil • Friday pm: ½ Beef Tongue + ¼ Liver (Chicken / Pork / Beef) + ¼ other organ (Need to find other organs from the market) • Saturday am: Chicken Wings / Frog Legs / Quail (Bone-In) • Saturday pm: Chicken Thigh / Lamb / Pork / Beef / Rabbit (Muscle) • Sunday am: Chicken Wings / Frog Legs / Quail (Bone-In) • Sunday pm: ½ Liver (Chicken / Pork / Beef) + ½ other organ (Need to find other organs from the market)
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Post by LindaM on Mar 6, 2017 16:32:53 GMT -5
It sounds like they're doing very well. Menu is looking good so far, nice variety in there, both in bone and muscle, so let's see if we can get them eating everything on it in full. As for other organ, most commonly in our house ends up being kidney since it's easiest to find, but you can do pancreas, spleen, and brain (be wary of doing too much or consistently doing this one, it's very rich and can lead to diarrhea). I think you can see which other parts can count for organs here: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/13628/defines-nutritional-organ-meatAnd just a small note to keep in mind about the frog's legs, while definitely great for bone-in meals, these are usually pretty lean compared to other proteins, so you may want to limit to 2-3 meals in the week, and not have them back to back with each other, so do eg. Frog Legs, then next bone-in is Chicken Wings, and then the next can be Frog's Legs again or something else.
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Post by unclejoe on Mar 6, 2017 18:59:47 GMT -5
We have a Scamp, btw. He's 3 1/2 lb of muscle, brain and energy,
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grimtas
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Post by grimtas on Mar 7, 2017 11:52:21 GMT -5
So still doing well with the transition. I've limited the soup to 3oz per meal and fill the remaining 9oz with other chopped/chunks (1/2") etc. So far they are taking to it all. As they are doing so well I'm trying to add as many protein options as I can to get them used to changes/proteins. The quail yesterday they left ~3oz by dinner time, this included the stashed pieces. For dinner they got the remaining quail, their normal chicken soup, and 6oz of rabbit cut into 1/2" chunks. By this morning 4oz remained mostly the rabbit so back into their breakfast with that adding in some chopped chicken wings and two eggs. LindaM thanks for the reminder about the frog legs being lean I'll keep track of when and how I feed them. I made another grocery run yesterday and found pork kidneys and Uterus for the organ supplement, picked up some beef liver, more quail, lamb(Pricey stuff for lamb steak. They might have to share that with me), more frog legs (I might share them too), a whole duck, and 12lbs more of skinless/boneless chicken thighs as it was cheap chicken Monday at my local market. I've finished portioning all the hearts/organs/liver/muscle/bone-in meats into 2/6/12oz portions and it's all taking up half of my freezer... I think I have a great variety of proteins now and plenty on hand for hopefully the next 30 days or so. Your not kidding tummies with teeth as they are going through ~1.5lbs of food a day at the moment. This is a pic of left overs from one of the weekend feedings: A pic of one of the weekends meals (This is 6oz of soup it's less now): My processed frozen soups this is 50% chicken thigh grind 50% soup mix: Just a cute photo from bedtime last night: And a better photo of their safety enclosure while I'm away:
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grimtas
New member
Raw Feeder
Posts: 33
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Post by grimtas on Mar 7, 2017 14:03:19 GMT -5
Quick question to confirm my memory. I though I read that beef tongue contains taurine is that correct and if so is it suitable for the .5 heart meal?
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