|
Post by Sherry on Sept 19, 2011 17:51:18 GMT -5
For now, plan on about 6-7 oz a day. Simply because he's a kit, and he's transtioning to raw, combined with them starting winter appetites! He'll likely eat a ton. But if you've got more baggied up in the freezer, it's a simple enough thing to take out an extra bag if needed.
|
|
|
Post by xreinvention on Sept 20, 2011 10:06:03 GMT -5
Sounds good! The first few times I cut up about 3 oz each time - so he is about right on track. Yesterday though he only ate about 3 oz. I left the kibble in at night and he didn't touch it much - at least it didn't seem like there was much missing.
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Sept 20, 2011 11:06:37 GMT -5
I've noticed mine have always had the odd day where they don't seem to eat much. They usually make up for that lapse later on ;D
|
|
|
Post by xreinvention on Sept 21, 2011 17:26:35 GMT -5
Gave him some chicken with less "breading" on it today and he still ate it. I think I'll feed him this for a few days and then try without any. We'll see how that goes. He's still not eating 6 - 7 oz. Yesterday he ate about 3.5 oz and today he's only ate 2 so far (and trust me, I've been trying for more! lol) Granted - he still has another meal in a few hours to hopefully get more in. Is it okay that he's only eating this much?
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Sept 21, 2011 19:37:27 GMT -5
It really varies by ferret. I've got one adult female who if she puts away 2 ounces a day- it's a miracle! At his age, he should(I'd have thought) be eating more. Keep a close eye on his weight, behaviour, and activity level. It might take a week or so for his appetite to really kick into high gear. I've not had any kits that young, though, so I'll talk to a couple of others who have and get back to you. It might just be that his tummy is really tiny. Are you leaving food in the cage for him throughout the day/night?
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Sept 21, 2011 19:40:18 GMT -5
One other thing- are you actually weighing the meat, or estimating the weight?
|
|
|
Post by xreinvention on Sept 21, 2011 19:45:05 GMT -5
I leave kibble in his cage at night but during the day I'll leave the chicken in for a while and take it out for a little while before I feed him again.
I'm actually weighing the meat. I picked up a food scale before getting him.
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Sept 21, 2011 19:47:52 GMT -5
Ok, good! I used to estimate at the very beginning, and wondered why they were eating so little ;D Turned out I was actually giving twice as much as they were capable of eating
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Sept 22, 2011 23:02:37 GMT -5
OK, talked to some of the others. For a wee one that young 3 1/2 ounces is likely all he can hold. Evidently 3-4 months is when the appetites start going through the roof. Heather suggests weighing him daily for a while, just to make sure he's gaining as well. And it's best to keep a chart of it.
|
|
|
Post by xreinvention on Sept 23, 2011 9:23:35 GMT -5
Well that definitely makes me feel better about how much he's eating haha. Weighing him may become a challenge - he doesn't sit still and is a very light sleeper and wakes up anytime someone even goes into the room he's in. I'll definitely start trying to get that done though. I had been wondering if I should be doing that. Edit: Got him weighed. He weighed 1.16lbs. That seems so tiny. Thank you for finding that out! He's still doing really well with eating the chicken with less kibble on it. Tomorrow I'll be gone helping a friend move all day - so my roommates going to take over for the day. I'll try to give him some chicken with no kibble on it Sunday and let you know how it goes.
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Sept 23, 2011 15:00:07 GMT -5
That's a good weight for his age. After all, he's a tiny little guy! I've got an adult female who weighs in at 540 grams, so just a wee bit more Since he has imprinted on his food so young, I think we should switch things up a bit from the norm. Every third day, I think we need to try him with a new protein. Otherwise we may have some trouble switching him from the chicken! So when you get back, can you grab some pork, turkey and another one? Maybe some heart and liver as well.
|
|
|
Post by xreinvention on Sept 23, 2011 16:09:34 GMT -5
I did pick up some turkey last night and was going to ask you about it on Sunday - so great timing. Also - I was going to ask if it's okay for him to eat the fat off of meats. (I'm figuring it is, but want to make sure.) When I make pork chops I normally cut off all of the fat before cooking them and figured I could just give that to him. I'll grab some beef on Monday so that I have 3 different kinds for him. I already have some chicken hearts and livers so I'll try some of those as well.
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Sept 23, 2011 16:26:14 GMT -5
Yes, by all means give him the fat! Best way to put weight on a carnivore mine get that, and the chicken skin if I remove it Try him on the turkey next, I think. It's milder tasting than the heart or beef. Let me know what he thinks of it!
|
|
|
Post by xreinvention on Sept 24, 2011 10:20:29 GMT -5
Alright, ill give it a try. I have a random question. Ihave a friend who use to own ferrets and fed a raw diet. She's telling me that once I start with bones I need to boil them first to soften them up for the ferret, but I thought cooking them in anyway was dangerous for them.... but she swears that boiling them is different than cooking them...
|
|
|
Post by Sherry on Sept 24, 2011 11:19:54 GMT -5
NO!!!!! Never, never, NEVER feed bones that have been cooked! Only exception to this rule are bones either done in a pressure cooker, or have been submerged for the ENTIRE cooking process. And that's only for sick fuzz. The bones then can literally be mushed between your fingers. Otherwise, the bone becomes very brittle, and can be like eating glass. Raw bones are MEANT to be eaten by carnivores. Think about cats eating birds and mice. They certainly don't cook the prey Believe me, they have no problem crunching up the bone ;D I listen to mine doing it on a regular basis!
|
|