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Post by Aftershock on Sept 18, 2017 19:25:14 GMT -5
You're actually not too far from me- I live in Idaho. : ) Bahahahahahaha, I still haven't seen Game of Thrones, but I've been saying that since my crew started getting super lazy and fat lol
Oh Flint, bhahahahahahaha! Cow got hers into my mouth once. I felt super bad for her, they tasted bad lmao!
RE scuffing them in your lap- This also works great! I have a harder time seeing Cow actually eat what I'm spooning into her if she's in my lap, so the floor works better for me personally. Also, moving them onto all fours is GREAT! I do the same thing and make sure they can see me dip the spoon (or finger) into the soup. When they get consistent about licking from the spoon or finger without nose or gum dabbing, you begin to let go of the scruff, then you can inch them closer to the dish (just enough to keep them from running away), bring spoon/finger to their face for a few licks, then right back to the dish. This teaches them that the dish is where the food comes from : D
Let me list out the steps- 1. Spoon/finger feed until the willingly lick on their own 2. Once they lick willingly, begin to let go of the scruff 3. When scruff is no longer needed, place them close to the dish and bring spoon/finger to them for a few licks, then right back to the dish 4. Once they move to lick from the dish on their own, praise them a TON
Note, because they are ferrets, there will likely be some steps backward here and there, *this is completely normal* they 'forget' that it's food some times and you have to start at a couple of steps back. : ) I mean, mine STILL do this occasionally, so it's nothing to feel bad over if it happens!
***Flint- Yes! Spoon feed Flint like a baby! I actually never thought of that before, it's kind of adorable!
How is his incision doing? I bet he's also feeling less sore too. Hopefully we can get him onto raw soon and help him heal a bit faster with it<3 That little bit of raw could definitely be making a difference with his energy : D Is he still peeing okay? Is he still eating a few tablespoons twice a day? Does he get kibble at night?
RE how long soup lasts- If left out I'd say approximately 8-12ish hours. Our guidelines say 6-8, but I've always left them out for at least 12 hours and never had an issue. You could always put out a dish ***(plates are actually better for the switching process, they are less intimidating than a bowl : D ) with a few ounces on it in with them as a snack and put the rest in the fridge. Soup in the fridge really only lasts a few days at a time, it starts getting a really icky smell after that. It is perfectly fine to put back in the fridge though.
RE poop size- It's really a shocker, isn't it? They use more of the food they eat with raw, kibble has a ton of stuff they can't process in it, so their poops are huge. I can always take a picture of my floofs poops later and post it up if you like?
You are so welcome! ; ) it's what I'm here for and I am more than happy to help!!
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Post by bishop24 on Sept 19, 2017 0:55:20 GMT -5
Yes! Missy is getting better and has actually licked it out of the dish but every time we have to start with a scruff to remind her that it's food
Flint is doing much better with the spoon! He is eating a lot more with it too and actually goes multiple spoonfuls without trying to run away or protest. He ate a whole dish full clean by himself for dinner (3 oz or so!) and licked some of the dribbles off of himself before rubbing the rest on my carpet... He is an incredibly messy eater and refuses to eat any chunks but I'm still super proud. He hasn't had any kibble for 2 days and we cleaned out all of their stash spots to prevent unauthorized snacking. He is still having difficulty peeing. He can't seem to go all at once so it takes him a few tries. I'm not sure if it's just a part of the recovery or something more. We are still watching him really closely and he has still lost weight. Not sure if I should call the vet or not? We are feeding him 3-4 times a day and it was hard to judge just how much he was eating at first because so much ended up on his face and stomach and paws and us and the ground. But I feel good with his dinner tonight. Can I feed him too much? I want him to have another snack before bed but I don't want to make him sick.
And I would actually love to see some pics of your ferret's poop!
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Post by Aftershock on Sept 19, 2017 13:05:05 GMT -5
Missy will get the lightbulb eventually ; ) I'm so glad to heard Flint is doing better with the spoon!!! 3oz is GREAT! Especially after his surgery! I'm just so happy and proud, you, Dan, and Flint are doing SO WELL! Messy eater tip- grab a blanket that you don't mind getting dirty and pop the messy ferret in it when they are done. Keeps your floors and such clean lol I would call the vet and ask about the trouble peeing- I'd suspect inflammation, but the vet will know about how long until he should be peeing correctly again. Honestly, after surgery, the weight loss is to be expected, but raw soupies are going to help him gain it back<3 3-4 times a day is great! I mean, you CAN feed them too much, but that is more of if you are syringe feeding the ferret. If he will eat from the spoon, keep feeding him. Ferrets generally self regulate food, there are the rare ones that do get fat, but I doubt that's the issue with him. : ) Do keep in mind, Flint hasn't been eating a ton the past couple of days, so his poops are probably smaller because of that as well. When my three boycott turkey, they have smaller, less frequent poops. A poop picture, as promised- This is after eating Frankenprey duck, with a quarter for comparison. I should have at least one partial wholeprey poop later today (I offered some guinea pig head today and Gator went nuts) and I will post that one up too. Wholeprey poops are fascinating!
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Post by Aftershock on Sept 20, 2017 10:27:36 GMT -5
bishop24 How are poops looking this morning?
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Post by bishop24 on Sept 20, 2017 11:53:21 GMT -5
Big and orange!!! I think we r good 😊 It started when I went to take a pic of ferret poop and found a huge piece of plastic in it. Bullet dodged!
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Post by Aftershock on Sept 20, 2017 13:43:51 GMT -5
Whew! I'm so happy to hear that!!! That's so scary when it happens!
Now that that's done and over with- How are they doing with soup today? : D
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Post by bishop24 on Sept 20, 2017 22:54:07 GMT -5
They are doing so well! Flint was actually eating out of the bowl tonight!!! But he does not like any chunks! Anytime he came across a little solid place of fat he would stop and I'd have to take it out to get him to eat again. Missy was eating out of the bowl too! But she still needs to start with a scruff but after a dab of meat to her nose and a lick of the spoon she is at the bowl. She makes squishy face though and after a minute or so of eating out of the bowl she puts her head between her legs and goes super squishy uck and then runs away. Does she not like the taste? She was also the one who ate the rubber 😐 maybe she thinks rubber tastes better?
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Post by Aftershock on Sept 21, 2017 11:24:34 GMT -5
Flint- Go Flint!!!! WHOOOOOOOO! Such a good boy! Give him some extra cuddles from me, kay?
RE the solid pieces- He will get there, right now I'm more concerned with him eating soupy on his own every time and gaining back some of that weight he lost.
Missy- Same here, for now, just keep it up with the nose dab! Currently she's just getting used to the texture, I mean, it's like being served cake your whole life to be served crickets, or in this case, cricket soup lmao! They are both doing AMAZING!
You are doing awesome! Keep it up!
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Post by bishop24 on Sept 21, 2017 12:53:50 GMT -5
So proud! Husband was feeding Missy this morning and after he got her eating out of the bowl she literally licked it clean (and then tried to steal the bowl 🤣) So he had to defrost the last of the soup and she ate half of that too! Even Flint was doing well. After he got him eating out of the bowl he ate by himself for a while without protest! My hungry little furbits eat all the yums! I'm gonna have to make some more soup tonight 😋
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Post by bishop24 on Sept 22, 2017 0:55:59 GMT -5
I got fresh, free-range, hormone free chicken parts that smelled MUCH better than the ones I used before from the grocery store to make more soup. Missy is my little superstar and licked almost the entire bowl clean tonight 🤗
I remember you saying that there would be steps back...Flint seemed upset at the new soup and was making his best pathetic "your poisoning me!!!" sad face. I eventually got him to half heartedly lick my finger before he ran away. I tried a few minutes later with the same results. I made the mistake of trying to bring a full tablespoon of soup to his face. He promptly swatted it with his paw and threw meat soup all over himself and me. I had to rinse him off and baths are one of his least favourite things in the world, next to fresh meat soup 😐 After he finished drying himself off I got him to eat a couple of spoonfuls. Little boy eat your soup! He is definitely feeling much more like himself. But he shakes a lot now and he never did before his surgery. Maybe because he's lost so much weight? He weighs 2.2lbs now (1000g) and used to be 2.5 lbs (1150g)
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Post by Aftershock on Sept 22, 2017 21:35:34 GMT -5
Awesome job Dan!
Missy is such a good floof! : D *high five*
Flint is a text book example of 'doesn't like change'. You wouldn't think that they would be able to tell much of a difference by just switching brands of meat, but they very much can. He is just throwing a fit because it's a different brand of chicken. ; )
RE Flint shaking- Is it all of the time, right after he wakes up, or while he's eating?
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Post by bishop24 on Sept 22, 2017 23:12:34 GMT -5
Flint is shaking mostly while he is eating, just waking up, and sleeping but sometimes when we hold him too. But it's hard to tell when his is just wandering around. He ate much better today. He ate off the spoon while he was all cozy in my hoodie 😊 He was still shaking though 😕 Missy is a little eating machine. I set aside 10oz of soup (~8oz without the added water) for the 2 of them today. They had almost half this morning (missy ate most of it) and she finished off her half and some of flints tonight. Should I feed them some more tonight? I don't think Flint got enough and Missy licked the dish clean again. Hungry hungry ferrets!
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Post by bishop24 on Sept 23, 2017 9:36:27 GMT -5
Hmm, I was thinking about your comment about Flint not liking change and you are totally right! It explains a lot of his bad behaviour, especially around Missy. It took him a good 7 months to stop being a total jerk towards her. It helps knowing that for future changes. He is just like his mom 😌
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Post by Aftershock on Sept 24, 2017 0:02:33 GMT -5
Flint- He's not normally wobbly when he walks, right? Honestly- shaking is just kind of a ferret thing. Mine do it a lot when eating (I assume either out of excitment, or because I generally serve cold/frozen food), and they also do it when waking up or when we hold them too. The last two are a body regulation thing, since ferrets natural temperature is much higher than ours. I always feel like a jerk when I pick them up for cuddles and my hands are freezing, so they start to shake. As long as he isn't stumbling around, speed bumping all of the time, SUPER tired, or convulsing, I wouldn't worry about it.
***These signs point straight at Insulinoma, and the ferret needs a BG check by a vet if you don't have a monitor at home to test with. If they are convulsing or having a seizure (flailing and possibly even screaming, watch carefully though too, super long stares into space with the look in their eyes that they aren't there can also be a seizure) they should have karo rubbed on their gums, FOLLOWED BY A HIGH PROTEIN MEAL. The karo will bring them out of the crash, but the high protein meal (raw soup is great for this) will keep them from crashing again. The karo is ONLY if they are IN A CRASH. I am not telling you this because I think he possibly has it, but because if the occasion ever arises, I would like you to be prepared. BG checks are great to get at the vets just to make sure everything is happy with your floofs<3
RE feeding more than what you offered- For sure, offer as much as what they will eat. Right now they are making up for 'lost' nutrients they weren't getting from kibble, so they will be eating a lot more than in a few months ; )
lmao, I don't like change either. I'm always telling Trevor I'm a rock!
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Post by bishop24 on Sept 24, 2017 11:47:30 GMT -5
1. Ferret's name: Missy 2. Ferret's weight:775G 3. Ferret has eaten 3 oz on average per meal. 4. Stools on various proteins: Definitely smaller. Sometimes its just a drop. No plastic anymore! 5. Activity levels: Huge difference the last few weeks. She is much more social and doesn't sleep or hide as much. 6. Weekly menu: Chicken soupy. She is eating on her own now and all we have to do is put the bowl down and show her 7. Picture of ferret from above: 1. Ferret's name: Flint 2. Ferret's weight: 980G 3. Ferret has eaten 2 oz on average per meal. 4. Stools on various proteins: Same as missy's 5. Activity levels: He is back to his usual ferrety self since the surgery. He's playing, getting into mischief, making friends with everyone, running down hallways in our condo, cuddling up in our bed in the middle of the night. It is awesome! 6. Weekly menu: Chicken soupy. Still needs to be held to eat. Usually have to start with a scruff and a soupy dab on the nose. Is eating off of the spoon again but defiantly takes his time 7. Picture of ferret from above:
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