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Post by Heather on Aug 7, 2011 21:48:27 GMT -5
Name: Kels HF Forum Username: Fleapop 1. Forum.ferret.com 2. I would like to switch my four ferrets to a fully raw, whole, and live diet. I am also wanting to switch my cat and dog to the same diet at the same time. I would prefer to get them completely off of kibble, but I plan on keeping some kibble around in case, for whatever reason, they stop eating the raw food. 3. I am interested in switching to a natural diet because I have read that ferrets and other animals on a natural diet generally are healthier and have less tooth decay or staining/plaque buildup. I also have read that switching them to a completely natural diet seems to make their poop smell less and they seem to have more energy and muscle. Also....I am all about animals being natural and expressing their natural instincts so I think it would be a much better thing Not to mention, if all my animals are on a natural diet of meat, if one of them doesnt finish their food, i can easily give it to another animal for example my dog. I also feel that raw meats are easier and a bit less expensive to get where I am rather than ferret kibble, which, to get the better stuff, i have to order it online. I have also read that manufacturers of ferret kibble do not even know the exact diet a ferret should be on, meaning they do not know exactly how much nutriets and vitamins they are supposed to have on a daily basis. At least with a raw diet i know they are getting enough protein and I can always add vitamins to the meat like zookeepers do with zoo animals. lol. 4. I am very willing to make this commitment to my animals. 5. I currently have 4 ferrets. Woolfie 9 months, Jackson Fox estimated 2 years, Tomlin approximately 1 yr 3mos., and Rascal 1 yr. 3 mos. Everyone is male except for Woolfie she is a sweet little girl. No health problems as far as I know. they have all been to the vet recently and have been vaccinated and de-flead. They are all a healthy weight all about 2-3lbs Woolfie might weigh a little less because she is younger and a bit smaller than everyone else. I got Woolfie in January from a pet store, when I came home about a week later I found Fox on Craigslist, his owner had bought him and a girl from some people and the girl disappeared, fox got really depressed and stopped eating so she didnt want him anymore, that was the first week of february. Tomlin and Rascal just came to us through another craigslist ad, a mother of 5 decided she didn't have time to take care of them anymore after one of their friends passed away of old age a few months ago. She said they turned a year in May but I am unsure. she gave me vet papers that showed they are up to date on vaccines and healthy, with recent dates on them. Tomlin and Rascal are much larger than Woolfie and Fox though, so I am unsure if she is correct about their ages. But maybe Fox and woolfie are just much youngeR??? Woolfie is a Marshalls ferret, I am pretty positive the rest are on account they all have the 2 dot tattoos that indicate they are neutered and de-scented, I know marshalls does that to all their ferrets, not sure if other breeders do as well. 6. I currently have them on a blend of 8 in 1 chicken flavor, with some Marshalls premium blend, a little bit of kitty kibble since they are always stealing it from the cat, and I have mixed in a few handfuls of Science Diet Dog food Healthy coat formula that I feed my dog, they are always stealing her food and she is always growling at them so I figure if they have a little they wont steal so much of hers, which is true....since i added it they stopped stealing hers LOL. 7. No, but I have tried feeding them a raw chicken thigh and they sniffed at it for a few minutes and then left it and went to sleep so I fed it to the dog. I think if I tried harder it would work though. 8. well I am a huge animal lover, but I am perfectly okay with feeding live food to them. I had a ball python for years and used to feed him by hand. meaning, I would hold the mouse in my hand and he would take it from me. definitely scared the crap out of me the first time he did it because i wasnt TRYING to feed him that way, but.....it worked and after that we just fed him that way. maybe thats crazy but i never got bit so i wasn't worried lol. OH yeah, and we all love taking outings to the park, lake, river, anywhere in the outdoors where we can all run and play and see each other in plain site. I have also been clicker training them. or working on it. I havent really been doing too much training in the past week and a half on account I have been in and out of town a lot this past week and a half. but we are all together now 9. Everyday. Hi and welcome to the mentoring program. In a little while your mentor (Jackie) will introduce herself. She will be also accompanied by one of our newest students who will also assist and observe how things are done (You get the two for one deal ;D) Once she does her intro you can get started on a new adventure in natural ferret care and diets. Please remember to post regularly (daily or as per arranged with your mentor) so that your mentor can assist you move along safely in this adventure. If you experience computer difficulties or are going to be away, please notify your mentor and most of all relax and have fun . Your mentor is here to help you on this journey. ciao
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2011 23:25:55 GMT -5
Here's a little about me Name: Jackie HF User Name: Jackie Location: West Coast, Florida About Me: Hello! I'm Jackie I am 19 and a senior in college, working on my B.A. in Chemistry/Biology I am about to start writing my thesis, which I am really nervous/excited/anxious to do My goal in life is to become a neonatologist (sick baby doctor). After I graduate I am taking a year off to get myself together before I start med school (hopefully) in 2013. My favorite color is..... pink My favorite food is.... Pizza My favorite holiday is... My birthday My favorite hobby is... Couponing. I am an avid couponer :-D I started to try to save some money, and now I am completely hooked! I like to listen to...all music. I love music from all genres, rap, rock, hip-hop, pop, country. I don't discriminate I collect... Health and beauty products. Ever since I started couponing, I started collecting high end health and beauty products. I have a collection of about 200 shampoo/conditioner/styling products/bodywash/razors/toothpaste This list goes on and on actually Something about me you might be suprised to know... When I was 10 years old (thought I was invincible) I climbed four stories up a large banyan tree. After reaching the top I joked about jumping down, and before I even started my desent, the branch I was standing on broke and I fell four stories down. I was knocked unconscious and rushed to the hospital (my parents terrified). After numerous tests, they found out that... Nothing was wrong I had a bleeding on the brain, and a bruised pelvic bone but nothing else. Nothing serious. I was actually able to go home a couple days later. It was a wake up call to be more cautious and appreciate life, and live it to the fullest. I became a mentor because... I am really passionate about feeding raw and have seen first hand the benefits it has. If I can personally help someone give their fuzzy a better diet, then I am more than happy About My Ferrets: I have three beautiful female ferrets. Pixie: Is my soul ferrets, my sidekick, my partner in crime. I got her at 8 weeks old and we've been inseparable since. She is 2.5 years old now. Pixie is super spoiled, and switching her to raw was the hardest. But, she eats whole chunks like a pro now and is as healthy as can be! She had a blockage scare about 1.5 years ago that she thankfully passed on her own. Pixie follows me everywhere, licking my toes, ankles and socks. I <3 her. Trixie: One day, Pixie had escaped. She had somehow gotten out of the house. I searched for her for all day and into the night. No luck. I made posters and prayed that she would be found alive and okay. I am so heartbroken I cannot even explain it. I thought she was gone forever. To help me overcome the grief I was feeling, my boyfriend brought me to the pet store to pick out a ferret. I didn't really want to even look at another ferret, but he told me that when we DO find Pixie, she needed a friend so she doesn'’t want to escape so much. So I picked out a beautiful little champagne girl, who I named Trixie. Pixie was found the next day and even since then, they've been the best of buddies. Trixie is now almost 2 and is a bit... slow. But she is beautiful, fluffy, and hilarious She is extremely docile and enjoys being held and petted. Trixie was not the easiest switch, but definitely easier than Pixie Dixie: She is my latest addition. I saw her at the store and she was the most adorable thing ever with her dark little nose and endearing personality. She is CRAZY! She is about 8 months old and is just as insane as the first day I brought her home. She acts like she is on crack or something She is constantly moving, moving, moving! She was the easiest to switch to raw and took to it instantly She has no manners, climbs all over people and their face She is the instigator of the group. While Pixie would prefer to play with me and Trixie would prefer to stash socks and eggs, Dixie gets the party started and I love her for that About My Natural Feeding Experience: I started feeding raw over a year ago. I first started with freeze dried raw. My girls took to it instantly. I saw SO much improvement in my two (Pixie and Trixie at the time) that I never looked back. After feeding that for approx. 6 months, I realized that it was killing my pocketbook. I decided I wanted to try to incorporate whole meats from the grocery store to cut costs. Pixie was very stubborn to accept chunks because she absolutely LOVES soup. But it seemed like one day she just started eating chunks, and we were switched! Type of mentor: Freeze-dried Raw, Commercial Raw, & Frankenprey Specialty: Younger fuzzies and stubborn fuzz butts
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2011 0:09:57 GMT -5
Hello! I am really excited to work with your and your furry family Okay so just give me a basic idea of what your goals are for the ferrets diet. Do you want to feed solely whole prey? Some combo of whole prey + raw?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2011 12:49:25 GMT -5
Hey there Fleapop. I'm a new mentor in training and as part of my training I'll be popping in here and there to give some feedback and suggestions too so I can start getting my feet wet on this whole mentoring thing Anyways! Here is a little bit about me. I can't wait to help start working with you, I think this will be a great experience for the both of us and very rewarding in the end as well Name: Emmi HF User Name: Tablefor3ferrets Location: southern Idaho, USA About Me: I am a freshmen at a community college and will be working up to a vet degree, hopefully specializing in small animals and/or horses (big difference, haha!). I own quite a few pets on top of ferrets and a horse and am always up for a workout or something fun to do. My favorite color is..... purple, it matches my horse. My favorite food is.... chow mien at Panda Express and homemade enchiladas. My favorite holiday is... 4th of July! I love how everyone comes together and celebrates the wonderful holiday all at the same time. I also love the food. My favorite hobby is... hiking, photography, and horseback riding I like to listen to... oh boy, where do I begin?! Katy Perry, Eminem, Taylor Swift, Johnny Cash, George Strait, The Middle East, Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gale, Goldfrapp, and One Republic. Those are only a couple that I like, haha! I collect... Breyer horses, yes, I love my Breyer's... Something about me you might be surprised to know... I am a black belt in karate and I hate watermelon with salt. I was also Grand Champion showman in horse 4-H fair two years in a row. I became a mentor because... Animals from the very beginning were going to be my way of life, I have always had animals and always will, they are apart of me. I want to switch not only ferrets but eventually other animals over to raw food diets. It helps keep diseases away and lengthens their lifespan. It is as simple as that, I need nothing more. About My Ferrets: I have three ferrets. Wolfie is my sole ferret. He is a four year old, Marshall's DEW whom suffers from Insulinoma and has been fighting it for approximately six months now. He was the one who got me to start feeding raw, since I don't allow him to have sugar (because of the Insulinoma) I immediately started switching him and he took to it wonderfully, he wasn't hard to switch at all. He is my little boy and always will be, because of him I know what love truly is. Nala is a darker two year old Canadian sable and is the craziest thing I have ever seen. We found her in the paper saying that her owners couldn't keep her anymore because they had to move to a state where ferrets were illegal. Stella was overall our first ferret but became my brother's as did Nala. Stella is a four year old Marshall's sable and is a sweetheart, but looooves to chew on stuff and you always have to keep shoes and socks! away from her (you have no idea how many socks I have gone through because of her…). Although Nala and Stella are considered my brother's ferrets I take complete care of them, so actually, I guess you could say that they are all mine! But I love them to death and always will. About My Natural Feeding Experience: Before starting the mentoring program on HFF (which was about three months) I have never switched a ferret or any other animal to a raw food diet. Although I already had my ferrets off of kibble for about a month before I started on the mentoring program. Nala and Stella were somewhat stubborn at the beginning, but Wolfie took to it almost immediately. It may have been hard in the beginning but now they are much happier and of course healthier. Type of mentor: As of right now I only switch from kibble to raw. I would like to work my way up to whole prey in the future.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2011 20:38:36 GMT -5
Oooh I am so glad I have you both to help me out!!! Well.....I am wanting to switch them to a mixture of raw meat, whole animal, and some live food. I have already fed one of mine a mouse the other day which he seemed to LOVE! and since then he has been extremely playful, which is really adorable! he is usually the more....lonerish one who just likes to explore and ignore me and the others, now he is all over the place, under my feet, running up to say hello then doing flips and bouncing off.
So yesterday I bought 2 frozen rabbits and a bag of pig knuckles.
I don't know if pork is ok for ferrets to eat so I have just been giving the knuckles to my dog, she loves them, been getting them since she was a pup.
So last night I put one of the rabbits in the freezer and the other in the fridge to thaw it out for today. So about 2 hours ago, I started cutting and chopping away at the thawed rabbit. I have been reading a lot on here about making a soup/pastey type meal for the ferrets, So I cut as much meat as I could off the rabbit and then put the meat without bones into a food processor and processed away. I added some chicken broth to make it more liquidy and have more flavor.
I also Thawed some frozen chicken I already had at home and cut some of that up into chunks.
While I was preparing all this, I would put some little pieces of rabbit meat in a bowl on the floor for the ferts to check out and see if they would eat it. some licked it but for the most part they werent too interested.
After making this "soupy/pastey" substance, I mixed a little bit in with their kibble. I also grabbed Fox and put some in his mouth, because he wasn't really interested, then I did that and he is IN LOVE!! I did the same with the other 3. Woolfie ran off with some paste and a piece of meat in her mouth and ate it, or at least I assume she did. LOL it was tiny soo I think she did LOL. Rascal and Tomlin weren't too interested either. I think Rascal just wants another mouse.
So now they have a fresh food dish in their cage with some of this paste and kibble in it.they are currently sleeping soo I was planning on leaving it for a while and if they didnt eat any more by about 10:30 pm I plan on taking it out and giving the rest to the dog. She loves it!
I also gave some to the cat and dog Since I am switching everyone in my house to a natural diet. Including myself! lol So I saved all of the bones with meat still attached and mixed that with the soup and put it all in mason jars which are now im my fridge and freezer for tomorrow and the rest of the week.
Oh, and I also got some more mice for them yesterday, which my cat just got into. She took one out of the container they are in carried it off started playing with it, lost it. and I just found it. its ok just a bit shook up. poor mousey!
Anyways..... that is whats going on with us today!!!
What do you think?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2011 22:22:17 GMT -5
Wow, you had a lot going on today ;D Everything looks pretty good. What else is in the paste/soup you are giving them? If it is just chicken meat and stock you should start adding in some heart (chicken, beef, pork hearts are fine), 1 chicken liver (or if it is a beef liver, cut it more into thirds), some crushed up eggshell (the crushed up eggshell adds in calcium that they would get from the bones), and you could also add about a tsp (per ferret) of either canned pumpkin or blended up iceberg lettuce (this acts as the "roughage" that they would get from the stomach contents of whole prey). I think that is all you would need to add to their soup for now (Jackie will correct me if I'm wrong ). Here are the requirements of a balanced meal (for a ferret)- 75% muscle meat 10% edible bone 10% organ meat, which should consist of 2oz of liver and 2oz of another organ 5% roughage I hope this helped and of course if you have any questions, let us know!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2011 22:31:32 GMT -5
WEll I put some of their kibble in it with a little dog kibble since they like it so much I also sprinkled some fish food flakes on top. all of my animals go CRAZY for fish flakes. I don't have fish anymore but still have a jar of food my cat and dog used to work as a team to find and devour ALL OF THE FISH FOOD in the house.
Oh I like how you have a ferret named Wolfie as well! Except my Woolfie has 2 o's LOL
I also just tried giving them some more mice to hunt to see if they would go for them. Fox and Tomlin were not interested in the mice. Woolfie was not too interested in the mice at first and then began to follow one around and play with it. holding it down with her paw and sniffing it. She nibbled on it a few times but then started asking me when I was going to let her run around again so I went and got Rascal (the one who hunted the other day) and he promptly went after the mouse and killed it, it took him about a minute and a half so I gave him another weanling which he killed almost instantly. those are his second and third kills ever.
I left Woolfie in the tub to watch so maybe she would get an idea. she definitely was watching Rascal but didn't try to interfere.
Should I just try to give her another mouse in the future to see if she gets the whole Predator thing?
Also....How many ounces of meaty soup should I be feeding them per day would you say? all of my ferrets are between 2 lbs and 3-4 lbs
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2011 22:44:54 GMT -5
WEll I put some of their kibble in it with a little dog kibble since they like it so much I also sprinkled some fish food flakes on top. all of my animals go CRAZY for fish flakes. I don't have fish anymore but still have a jar of food my cat and dog used to work as a team to find and devour ALL OF THE FISH FOOD in the house.Hmm, I have never heard of any one feeding their pets fish food other than fish! Jackie will most likely have something to say about that. Oh I like how you have a ferret named Wolfie as well! Except my Woolfie has 2 o's LOLHaha, I know, when I saw that I was like "Whoa! Cool!" Should I just try to give her another mouse in the future to see if she gets the whole Predator thing?In my opinion, if she is already taking to eating whole prey and enjoying it, I think that would be fine, it couldn't hurt. Also....How many ounces of meaty soup should I be feeding them per day would you say? all of my ferrets are between 2 lbs and 3-4 lbsIn the beginning I gave my ferrets as much as they wanted. For the first few months they will be eating more than usual (once they start becoming accustomed to it) because they are making up for all the lost nutrients that wasn't provided in the kibble. Then after they have been on raw for awhile they will settle back down to their normal eating rate.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2011 22:56:59 GMT -5
Well.....I am wanting to switch them to a mixture of raw meat, whole animal, and some live food. I have already fed one of mine a mouse the other day which he seemed to LOVE! and since then he has been extremely playful, which is really adorable! he is usually the more....lonerish one who just likes to explore and ignore me and the others, now he is all over the place, under my feet, running up to say hello then doing flips and bouncing off. Okay, so I would try the live mice with the rest of the crew. One on one is best so they don't get distracted or territorial over the mousey live can be a great jump start to eating whole prey So yesterday I bought 2 frozen rabbits and a bag of pig knuckles. I don't know if pork is ok for ferrets to eat so I have just been giving the knuckles to my dog, she loves them, been getting them since she was a pup. Those are great proteins! ANY meat that is unaltered, smoked, seasoned, salted, etc. is fine. Pork is a major favorite here The bones might be too much for a ferret, but the meat is just fine So last night I put one of the rabbits in the freezer and the other in the fridge to thaw it out for today. So about 2 hours ago, I started cutting and chopping away at the thawed rabbit. I have been reading a lot on here about making a soup/pastey type meal for the ferrets, So I cut as much meat as I could off the rabbit and then put the meat without bones into a food processor and processed away. I added some chicken broth to make it more liquidy and have more flavor. So lets try a more basic soup recipe. One meat, blender into a smooth paste (like yogurt). Add water to make it soupy. Did the chicken broth have any additives liek salt or seasonings? If so, avoid it. It's no good for the fuzzies. I also Thawed some frozen chicken I already had at home and cut some of that up into chunks. They might be resistance to chunks ATM. I would just start with some soup, and then add chunks into the soup once they are happy with the taste of raw While I was preparing all this, I would put some little pieces of rabbit meat in a bowl on the floor for the ferts to check out and see if they would eat it. some licked it but for the most part they werent too interested. Yeah they probably don't recognize the chunks as food. Stubborn little brats! After making this "soupy/pastey" substance, I mixed a little bit in with their kibble. I also grabbed Fox and put some in his mouth, because he wasn't really interested, then I did that and he is IN LOVE!! I did the same with the other 3. Woolfie ran off with some paste and a piece of meat in her mouth and ate it, or at least I assume she did. LOL it was tiny soo I think she did LOL. Rascal and Tomlin weren't too interested either. I think Rascal just wants another mouse. Try making the soup without any kibble, and see if he still likes it So now they have a fresh food dish in their cage with some of this paste and kibble in it.they are currently sleeping soo I was planning on leaving it for a while and if they didnt eat any more by about 10:30 pm I plan on taking it out and giving the rest to the dog. She loves it! A healthy fuzz can go 12 hours between feedings. Soup can be left out about 4-8 hours depending on temps. Chunks around 8-12, whole prey 24-48 hours. Oh, and I also got some more mice for them yesterday, which my cat just got into. She took one out of the container they are in carried it off started playing with it, lost it. and I just found it. its ok just a bit shook up. poor mousey!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2011 22:58:32 GMT -5
Okay so here is what I think would be a good idea: Remove kibble for 2-4 hours. Make a soup with a single protein (keep it simple for now), add some eggshell if you have any, and a bit of pumpkin if you have it, blend it to consistency of yogurt or more watery, and spoon/hand feed a bit to everyone. See if anyone likes it. Give the kibble back after feeding Also, continue with the whole prey, see if anyone else will eat the mice (live or dead). Getting past the fur is the hardest part
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2011 1:16:32 GMT -5
WEll I put some of their kibble in it with a little dog kibble since they like it so much I also sprinkled some fish food flakes on top. all of my animals go CRAZY for fish flakes. I don't have fish anymore but still have a jar of food my cat and dog used to work as a team to find and devour ALL OF THE FISH FOOD in the house. What are the ingredients of the flakes?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2011 23:24:38 GMT -5
fish meal, dried yeast, ground brown rice, shrimp meal, wheat gluten, feeding oat meal, fish oil, potato protein, dehulled soybean meal,soybean oil, algae meal, sorbitol, lecithin, monobasic calcium, phosphate, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C.), yeast extract, inositol, niacin, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, riboflavin-5-phosphate (source of vit. B2), a-tocopherol-acetate (source of vit. E), D-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate (source of vit. B1), pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vit. B6), vitamin A palmitate (source of vit. A), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vit. K), biotin, cyanocobalamin (source of vit. B12), cholecalciferol (source of vit. D3), manganese sulfate monohydrate, zinc sulfate monohydrate, ferrous sulfate monohydrate, cobalt nitrate hexahydrate, color includes: beta-carotene, bixin, blue no.2 lake, red no. 3 dye, yellow no. 5 lake, yellow no. 6 lake, ethoxyquin as a preservative. HOLY COW THAT WAS A LOT OF WRITING.
This is Tetra Min TRopical flakes.
the guaranteed analysis is : min crude protein: 47% min crude fat: 10% max. crude fiber: 3% max moisture: 6% min. phosphorus: 1% min. vit. A 15,000 IU/KG Min vit. B12: 110 uG/KG Min Ascorbic acid (vit. C): 390 MG/KG min vit. d3: 1,400 UI/KG min. vit. E: 140 IU/KG min. niacin: 700 MG/KG min. inositol: 1,400 MG/KG min choline: 2,100 MG/KG min. biotin: 1MG/KG min Omega-3 Fatty Acids: 8,000 MG/KG
this stuff is just tiny flakes that i sprinkled a little bit onto their food. The cat and dog go CRAZY for this stuff. the ferrets were also pretty interested in it.
But d*mn that is a lot of ingredients.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2011 23:39:44 GMT -5
Honestly? I'd do away with it, at least for the cats and ferrets. The yeast and brown rice cause spikes in the blood glucose, and make the pancreas have to work harder to get it back to normal levels. :-\ and since they are the second and third ingredient, there is assumed to be a large amount (ingredients are listed from largest amount to smallest amount). Sorry to have you type that all out! ;D Have you ever given your kids any oil? Mine like olive oil, which is a great treat and hairball preventative. You can also use fish oil (plain fish oil, no flavorings or anything).
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2011 3:39:37 GMT -5
I haven't tried the oil yet. I will try that tomorrow. Oh but just now I fed them all a dish with some cold meat with some soup mixed with a tiny little bit of kibble. they were all eating the meat also. there is about half as much meat left in the dish right now. Rascal didn't eat just now, but he ate a small mouse earlier.
Oh and Woolfie killed her first mouse today. But I think it was mostly a game to her. she kept playing with it like a cat. swatting it back and fourth. Then rascal ate it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2011 4:30:28 GMT -5
Awesome on them eating the meat!! Do you know approx. how big the pieces were? Was it chicken meat? So all but Racsal ate it? Congrats on Wooflies kill! If you notice her "playing" with the mice live , rather than making a kill, she might not make the best hunter. Some fuzz just don't make good hunters (two of my three won't kill anything, would rather snuggle the dinner ). Hopefully she'll get the hang of hunting as she gets more experience Woo on Racsal eating the mouse! So out of your kids, who has eaten mouse? And who has eaten raw chunks or soup?
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