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Post by Gg on Nov 28, 2017 23:29:55 GMT -5
I used to use the search box and go through all of the other transition threads but I was still left with questions so I created this one and I must say, I'm getting great advice so far. Why is it that we don't we blend the bone in and not use shell or bone meal? Since I have been doing that, they were eating the bone in the soups so atleast they;re teethsies a little stronger. I also just took out their old soup with bone blended and remade it to the correct recipe. I ordered NOW bone meal online the other day so it should be arriving soon and I'll start using that instead of shell. I always thought it was every 8 ounces of meat so that's another to add to the books. We just tried the new batch for the first time and mixed a small amount of baby food (meat only). I did the grab and dab method throughout the day so he would get used to the taste of baby food but when it came medicine time, he didn't want anything to do with it. He ate some off my finger for a short while but then walked off so I had to follow around, offering the food. He got annoyed but we finished the dose! I just know this will get old fast for him and I hate to scruff him for his meds. We're going to try salmon oil in the morning but I'm wondering if there is another tip you have up your sleeve? As for the chicken wings, they eat the bone with them also
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Post by LindaM on Nov 29, 2017 0:08:56 GMT -5
Not everyone has a blender that can properly handle bones. I have a Blendtec, but I don't want to throw bones into it and risk harming it. I'm sure others share the sentiment. Another concern I might have is that the bones would get to the dangerous phase.. where it's too small to bother crunching, yet too big to simply swallow and a ferret might choke on it. You should also not need to do soup for very long, unless it ends up being a difficult transition for whichever reason.
As for the bones in grinds (your case soup), they do absolutely nothing for teeth at all. Only crunching through bone, as in chunks, works the jaws and scrapes clean the teeth. In soup and grinds, the teeth continue to just build up plaque and tartar and it doesn't strengthen their jaws for crunching bones later either.
Just double checked on the amount it's 1/2 to 3/4 bonemeal or eggshell per 10oz of meat.
He needs to learn to eat the baby food without the soup, don't mix them. Just dab the plain baby food to his nose when doing the dab'n'grab. And it can take a few days of persistent trying to see results, don't get discouraged. It sounds like he is actually doing pretty well. Just keep up with it.
Since you say they eat the bone too... I'm kinda curious whether we may be able to start progressing them onto slivers. How are the wings when you feed them? Smashed bone? Cut into pieces?
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Post by Gg on Nov 29, 2017 11:18:43 GMT -5
When I first started them on blended legs, necks and wings, I would cut the bones into 1-2 sections and then throw it in my blender. I'm surprised it hasn't broken on he since I had a failed attempt for the very first time with chicken neck and had to take the entire blender apart to clean it, then try again. I blended it for about 4 minutes to make sure it got all the bones, then used a strainer to catch and take out whatever bones the blender didnt break down. I do have an Oster blender. The company makes great tools as long as you don't over do it with them. There are still times with skin where Ihave to dig a fork to the bottom to scrap off whatever is clogging up the razors, tear em apart and throw them in the soup also. My guys seem to love the little slivers of skin the get to slurp up. When plended and poured into their bowl, I run my fingers through the soup to feel for any abnormal sharp edges and the ones I thought were edible I would have them eat off my had over the soup so they knew there was bone in it. They caught on really quickly. I was afraid of them choking so i took the extra steps to make sure that didn't happen. When they got on the actual wing tip pieces like in this picture I'll post, that's when we started having some issues but we're past that now Luckily no one choked. I tried to further our progression before and got inch cuts of chicken legs and attached them to the wires of their kennel. I've seen this be done in videos for ferrets eating whole cuts but when I tried, they walked right past them haha. Should I take a leg and smash it? When you say slivers, do you mean the finger nail clipping size that goes in soup? as big of chunks in this picture I uploaded is about as big as they are in their soups for the meat slivers. So these peices of chicken wings look okay enough to clean their teeth? And how do you feel about the joints of the legs and wings?
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Post by LindaM on Nov 29, 2017 15:33:58 GMT -5
Not all fuzzies will take to the hooked meat right away. Not sure if mine even will, but I am hoping to do some kind of hooked set-up in their room in the future. Ares is a wee crap and adores relocating all the meat out of the bowls to HIS stash. Could you take a photo with a teaspoon and the meat or a hand holding the bits, so I can gauge size properly as I don't know the size of that bowl from the photo? For teeth cleaning, your chunks need to be big enough for them to work on crunching the bones from it. When too small, they may try to just swallow it whole. Ferrets can eat the entire wing, cut it into three sections to start with. For weight bearing bones like the thigh, it may need to be smashed up first. This is a photo from yesterday of Athena having to eat some remaining chunks of chicken back (wee snots got some tough love yesterday because they tried being picky the previous meal). I got the stink eye as you can see for interrupting her breakfast, she promptly ran off with the chunk of meat under their bedside table to eat in peace.
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Post by Gg on Nov 29, 2017 16:49:48 GMT -5
Haha that's too cute! I love when they're sassy. Heres a pic. How do you feel about the size?
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Post by LindaM on Nov 29, 2017 17:09:06 GMT -5
This is the size they eat when mixed in with their soups? If so, how do they feel about a whole meal of slivers like that? Have you tried it before, or only a few of it in with their soup?
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Post by Gg on Nov 29, 2017 17:41:12 GMT -5
I started doing plates half full of the slivers of the chicken wings! I dripped a small amount of their soupie on it and Appa took really well to it last night. This morning I made a new soup and did the same since last nights chicken wing plate only had a few pieces on it so I wanted to give them more...I made a new soup mix as well with chicken I just got from the butcher, they both hated it and kept licking their chops as they turned away so I thought maybe the liver or chicken was old but it didn't smell bad..They'd lick it off my finger, but not eat it out of the bowl. So I put that back in the fridge and made another batch with NEWER chicken (by simple truth) and they like this one better, though, I am now out of wings. I haven't done just meat without bone on these slivers though. Just the wing tips, chopped up. Question for ju, I get the Simple truth brand of chicken that's supposed to be the best in smiths however, even though I just made it, it has this sour smell to it. Is that normal for organic chicken? It happens almost everytime with this brand, but not the cheaper ones.
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Post by LindaM on Nov 30, 2017 17:31:41 GMT -5
I don't really buy meat from Smiths much, did just buy some pork on special for the furkids yesterday though. I get my chicken from Harmons (Utah only), but I don't buy the super expensive organic one of theirs. Their other chicken is really, really good, beautiful pieces of meat and nothing unnatural either, so no use in buying the crazy expensive one. I am incredibly iffy when it comes to which meats I use for food for me and my husband, so I only buy our meat from Harmons. I don't buy some of the considered problematic brands though, like Tyson. I know they'd supposedly cleaned up their act, but the hubby really hates that company so we refuse to support them.
I have used organic chicken though, and I don't remember it smelling sour.. perhaps the pack you got was bad? If you still have some, I'd cook it and if it still smells sour, it's gone bad. Odd that it would happen that much though.
I'm thinking that once you get the bonemeal powder, we can try seeing if the fuzzies will eat some slivers only meals without the soup, since they're willing to eat those little bone-in bits. How about trying to segment a chicken wing into 3 pieces, and seeing if they want to give it a shot. If not, that's fine we'll go at it slower from the start, if they do eat them though, that'd be awesome.
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Post by Gg on Nov 30, 2017 20:43:57 GMT -5
Tyson is not supported by my monies either. I just got the bone meal powder! I'm about to make another batch of soup and I'll cut up the chicken wings to see if theyll eat that first, I'll update after. Do your chicken livers get really brown in the fridge after thawing for a day? Almost like a dark brown/black?
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pegleg
Junior Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 180
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Post by pegleg on Dec 23, 2017 19:36:50 GMT -5
Yeah! That sounds normal to me. Liver is really high in blood
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Post by Gg on Dec 23, 2017 22:25:32 GMT -5
Thank you so much for responding! I've been getting fresh ones frequently just in case lol Now I can save money.
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