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Post by elliottsmama on Mar 3, 2017 22:50:36 GMT -5
Ferret has had a decrease in appetite and energy today. Poops are small and tar like. I'm going to do the blockage protocol. I hadn't because I had no reason to suspect he got into anything, but could it be a hair ball?
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Post by elliottsmama on Mar 3, 2017 23:05:42 GMT -5
I examined further and they are not black, but are very, very dark brown. No shape at all, but not watery. Tarry is a good word.
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Post by elliottsmama on Mar 3, 2017 23:08:58 GMT -5
More notes...it could be because he had a massive amount of heart Tuesday and didn't want much of his bone in meals the last couple days. Just muscle meats. Since he is acting off, I'm doing the protocol just in case.
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Post by elliottsmama on Mar 4, 2017 0:48:30 GMT -5
Normal poop after the protocol. Still waiting on the orange poop.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 4, 2017 10:01:36 GMT -5
Blackish/dark tarry poops on just muscle meats would be the norm. If he is doing okay after protocol, I would be giving JUST bone in meats for the next 4-6 meals until he starts eating them again.
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Post by elliottsmama on Mar 4, 2017 11:13:37 GMT -5
What if he's not eating them though? It doesn't hurt him to go without food? Also...his poop ended up being fine after the protocol. He had 2 normal poops and then 2-3 orange ones.
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Post by Heather on Mar 5, 2017 0:30:20 GMT -5
I would also feed some bone in meats. He will eat them when he gets hungry. That being said, if you feel that he's gone too long without a meal then vetting to rule out possible ulcers or other digestive issues should possibly be considered. ciao
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Post by Sherry on Mar 5, 2017 10:00:53 GMT -5
Sometimes you need to "out stubborn" them When getting on full bone, and I know they are healthy(no insulinoma) and/or will eat meat off bone I segment a wing, cut the middle in half between the two bones, cut the drumette lengthwise to expose the marrow, and put in a much smaller amount(about half- I do ONE wing for 4-5 ferrets twice a day) than they will eat all together. I want them a bit hungry. At the next meal time I toss the leftovers and give a new one. Next meal same thing, etc . They usually miss one meal entirely. Next meal some of the meat is eaten off the bone. Next someone will usually nibble a wing tip. By the end of the third day everything is gone.
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Post by elliottsmama on Mar 5, 2017 15:03:13 GMT -5
Okay they are both being weird about the bone-in now. Baxter has eaten chicken wings without issue for two months. New little one has been eating them since I switched her to raw 2 days after I brought her home. Now neither of them will touch the chicken wings. I thought maybe they were bad, so I went to the butcher and got some fresh ones. Nope. They pick them up and carry them around and hide them places, but they aren't eating them. I caved and left each of them with a wing (cut up) and some gizzards. Usually they are together, but I wanted to make sure he was eating. I know she is, though less. He ate the gizzards, but not the wing. So he is eating even though it's less than he was. When I got up, he asked to come out and played for 1.5hrs solid. Could he just be sick of chicken? Each week he has chicken, beef, and turkey. However, chicken wing is the only bone-in thing I have been giving him. Could he be sick of it? What other bone-in meats could I try besides chicken? I even blended up chicken wings with some heart and an egg (he loves those), and he wouldn't eat it.
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Post by Heather on Mar 5, 2017 21:45:12 GMT -5
I would be trying to orientate to him to other bone in meats. Species appropriate meats would be rabbit, quail, duck....of course rat and mouse if you're the least bit interested in feeding prey. My guys really are not fond of chicken, and will not touch wings unless I really force the issue ciao
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Post by LindaM on Mar 5, 2017 22:00:23 GMT -5
You should be able to easily get whole rabbit, whole duck, whole quail (I usually find these in packages of 6), as well as duck necks from an Asian grocer/market.
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Post by elliottsmama on Mar 6, 2017 10:16:49 GMT -5
Good ideas!
AND...drumroll...I stubborned him out and he ate the wing! Ha ha.
I'll go to the Asian market and pick up those things. Good idea! I could only find a quail at our butcher's an it was like $15 for this teeny tiny thing and I couldn't rationalize it.
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Post by LindaM on Mar 6, 2017 14:37:44 GMT -5
Ouch! To give you an idea of prices I tend to pay at the Asian store we go to: I'm able to get a pack of 6 jumbo quail for $12, whole rabbit at $3.99/lb, and whole duck at $2.89/lb and $2.50 for 2lb chicken hearts, I can't recall the cost of duck necks right now though.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 7, 2017 9:52:45 GMT -5
Linda- prices where you are(US) and where we are (Canada) are very different lol. I could only wish I paid that little (headwall)
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Post by LindaM on Mar 7, 2017 17:26:19 GMT -5
Sherry, I don't recall OP stating their location, so my bad if they're also in Canada. I can't say I envy those prices. I'd already rather be paying prices from my home country than US prices, which are considerably higher, for definitely poorer quality meat. But if there's one thing I ended up learning through travel and immigration, is that it actually doesn't make much difference where you go in the world, things even themselves out cost-wise somehow. While stuff costs more in the US than I was used to, the salaries here are also higher. And it works out the same if you live in one of the big US cities too, salary will be higher, but cost of living will be too. If it makes you feel any better, there's products in Canada that I end up needing to spend extra on to import, or bribe a friend in Canada to mail them, while still paying for them, simply because I can't get them in the US.
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