Help! Ferrets choking on bones?

[pazupazu1]

My boys have been doing great on raw. Although I started mashing and chopping my own bone-in meats after feeding commercial raw with bone and both my ferrets tried to throw up a few times.

The bones are fairly small (chopped up chicken necks) and this started happening after I started feeding them. My oldest I caught trying to throw up yesterday and one time some saliva came out. He hasn’t done it since then. But today my youngest was waking up and he started trying to throw something up but nothing came out and he went back to sleep.

They are eating, drinking, playing, pottying and acting completely normal. I just know that throwing up is no good. Although nothing has come out. Could they be having a hard time with the bones? I don’t believe they swallowed anything else as I keep my room completely ferret proofed and the boys aren’t really troublemakers. Maybe I should chop up the bones even smaller?

[abbeytheferret6]

Raven brought up Celene's video on smashing bones. Here it is. Hope it helps.
holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/18359/smashing-bone-beginner-ferrets


I know the feeling. My Phoebe( new to raw at the time) was choking on the tough wrap that held the stomach of an 8oz rat. It plugged her throat and her tail bushed out . I had to give it a tug. Since then, I cut up the hide of rabbits and older rats in tiny pieces. If I had not of cut it at all, she could have chewed off her own bite -size.

So you can keep them extra long maybe or do as Celene did---extra small. 
Maybe someone can give other advice.

[Heather]

I would suggest leaving larger bones forcing them to chew them a bit rather than just swallowing
ciao