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Post by Sherry on Mar 6, 2018 7:18:32 GMT -5
We need to state pushing them as they are getting too comfortable with what they are eating. Every 3rd or 4th meal add in more pieces and less soup till half and half, then start increasing the size of the bits until that size reaches half and half etc
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stacylo
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Post by stacylo on Mar 6, 2018 11:14:13 GMT -5
Okay will do. This morning I put 1/4 soup and 3/4 pieces and Echo ate some which is great. She is the real hold up I think.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 7, 2018 8:22:33 GMT -5
I'll bet she moves faster when she knows she has no other options How are they doing for variety now?
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stacylo
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Post by stacylo on Mar 8, 2018 9:08:43 GMT -5
They seem to be doing pretty well with variety. The soup has been pork soup as of late and then the pieces have been a variety of chicken, pork, rabbit, and quail.
For the last two days I've been doing 4 oz meals three times a day and it's been 2.5 oz pieces and 1.5 oz soup and that is going over well and that's more than 50% pieces.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 9, 2018 7:14:46 GMT -5
Excellent. Let's start cutting the soup out over the next few meals and increasing the chunks and size of them.
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stacylo
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Post by stacylo on Mar 9, 2018 7:40:33 GMT -5
Then last night they only ate 1 oz. But maybe that's because Rogue and Calamity got their rabies shot? Not sure. All four ate a combined amount of only 5.5 oz yesterday.
Also, I'm going out of town march 14 through the 21st. So I'm planning on prepping all meals for my husband to pull out of the freezer for them. So just fyi I'll be planning a week ahead.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 10, 2018 10:32:16 GMT -5
You are right- the vaccine would have had an impact on them. Their appetites should be back to normal in a few days. And good idea prepping ahead of time! I've done that when I had to house sit and Cliff was here with them alone.
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stacylo
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Post by stacylo on Mar 13, 2018 7:22:36 GMT -5
They WERE eating better but then last night they ate literally nothing overnight. Nothing. They ate a total of 4.5 oz yesterday which totally freaks me out. They have been eating 10 oz or so each day. I'm leaving town tomorrow for a week and have prepped a week's worth of food but I worry that the pieces are too big or there's not enough soup mixed in and they're not going to eat all week. They've successfully eaten at this consistency and size before. And I give Finn some soup with her medicine so I know she's at least getting what she needs for her insulinoma but the other 3 barely ate yesterday. :/
EDIT: I watched Echo at least nibble at it so I know she's eating something. I hear her chewing on pieces including bone. So maybe I just need to back off and let it be. I just worry when they're not eating! The babies are now 8 months old so maybe their eating will back off a bit? 5 oz for 4 female ferrets does not seem like enough to me but maybe it is?
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Post by Sherry on Mar 13, 2018 9:21:37 GMT -5
They'll be fine And as long as Finn is getting something with her meds she'll be good also. Have your hubby post in here if he wants, just for the security. And they have reached a point where appetites will cut back due to age, as well as spring drop. My tiny females often only ate an ounce a day each in the summer. How much do they weigh? They are also going to have meals, or even entire days, where they simply aren't hungry. It happens It is part of a ferret self regulating. That is one of the reasons I give a "lean" meal or day where I give half or less of what I normally do.
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stacylo
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Post by stacylo on Mar 13, 2018 9:35:27 GMT -5
As of March 1 Echo was 717 grams, Finn was 815 grams, Rogue was 1054 grams, and Calamity was 1218.
I'll try to get him to post but he's unlikely to since he doesn't do much of the internetting haha. What's more likely is that he'll give me a detailed update and then I'll update my woes lol.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 14, 2018 9:11:44 GMT -5
Sounds like a plan
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stacylo
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Post by stacylo on Mar 22, 2018 9:09:21 GMT -5
Okay, back in town! While my husband loves the ferrets tons and I appreciate his attempts... his skills at following instructions are sub par. So they ate the same 75% rabbit pieces, 25% soupy for the entire week that I was gone. *headdesk* Instead of rotating the three different types of meats that I painstakingly prepped and wrote out in very clear detailed instructions. They ate betwe 8 and 12 oz every day plus egg every other day. Echo is blowing her coat and fur is everywhere.
With that said, they are definitely eating the food and it's almost no soup at all. So I think this weekend maybe I'll see what happens if I include no soup.
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Post by Sherry on Mar 22, 2018 9:46:48 GMT -5
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Post by Sherry on Mar 30, 2018 12:18:39 GMT -5
update?
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stacylo
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Post by stacylo on Mar 30, 2018 12:21:05 GMT -5
Yes! They ate rabbit and quail (separately of course) with NO SOUP!!!!!! They were a bit begrudging about it but nonetheless they did eat it! On some level I think it helped that I was out of town because I'm more likely to question their eating and give them what they want and my partner is more likely to be like, "welp, y'all will eat if you're hungry".
So other than Finn and her soup with her meds for her insulinoma they haven't had soup in 3 days! I'm not sure what the next step is... maybe heart/organ meals?
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