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Post by Sherry on Sept 30, 2011 15:25:02 GMT -5
It really depends on how many hearts are in there. He needs enough for one full meal a week, minimum. The thing with hearts is they are taurine rich. And while we still don't know exactly how much taurine a ferret needs added, we DO know that other obligate carnivores like cats need a fair bit, since their own bodies don't produce it. They have adapted to get it from prey animals. What you CAN do is order a taurine supplement, human grade. He'd likely benefit from that anyway, since heart meat appears to be difficult for you to come by easily. Just give him a couple of 500mg capsules mixed in with his food a couple of times a week, in addition to whatever hearts may be in the package And no- they cannot overdose on taurine, since the body simply excretes what it can't use.
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Post by xreinvention on Sept 30, 2011 17:09:45 GMT -5
I had been thinking about ordering some taurine capsules so at least I was on the right track. I'm going grocery shopping tonight so I'll look once again and see if I can find some hearts at one of the grocery stores before I buy some of the powder. I'll also take a look at what meats I can find other than chicken, turkey, pork, and beef - easily anyways. Have to love living in a little town.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 30, 2011 22:30:32 GMT -5
If you have a butcher there, they might be able to hook you up with some kind of heart meat. You may have to order a larger amount, but you can always baggie and freeze it to have on hand.
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Post by xreinvention on Oct 1, 2011 10:32:51 GMT -5
Yeah, the meat place I was talking about is the only local butcher we know of. I know there's one that's open more in a town 90 miles from here, which I can get meat from, we just don't go there very often.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 1, 2011 10:36:04 GMT -5
Oh, well. It was an idea ;D I was actually able to get the butcher(aka meat manager) at my local grocer's to order in a case of chicken hearts for me. It was only a 10lb case, so not too big. With the one who's farther away, try calling and asking if they keep that sort of thing in stock. If so, when you DO get out there, you can buy in bulk.
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Post by xreinvention on Oct 1, 2011 16:23:33 GMT -5
Definite good idea. I'll have to call Monday and see about that. We're looking to go up there in 2 weeks anyways. :] I've fed Squirt nothing but plain Pork today and he's ate almost 3 ounces of it. He must just really not like the turkey. Should I feed it to him a few more days and then try beef or try some hearts/livers/gizzards first? If he likes beef as well that will be 3 different meats - is that enough? If not I'll order some things either from the butcher out of town or off Hare-Today just for some extra variety.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 1, 2011 16:54:26 GMT -5
Try him on the beef first. Beef tastes stronger, but not as strong as heart and organ meat. Do the gizzards next, then heart, then liver. The minimum needed is 3 proteins. More is always better Also, once he gets further along, we'll get a tentative menu set up for him. That will give you a better idea of where you can substitute various meats depending on what's available As for the turkey, we'll try it again later on. What they hate one day, they just might love the next ;D
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Post by xreinvention on Oct 1, 2011 22:47:23 GMT -5
:)Sounds good. I'll try some Beef on Monday then - since it will be 3 days on the pork. On a side note - we bought a freezer today - so super excited to be able to get meats in bulk.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 1, 2011 23:44:26 GMT -5
Congrats on the freezer! Ok, for the interim, switch him back and forth between the chicken and pork. You may want to try the turkey again on the off chance. Or you can leave it until later. Your choice Also wanted to mention- if you can grab chicken necks we can start them next week as well. If not, wings will do.
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Post by xreinvention on Oct 4, 2011 17:23:01 GMT -5
I will be going to the store tonight and will pick up some chicken wings/necks. When I give him them do I need to cut them up/break bones or anything?
Started withbeef yesterday and he wouldn't take it at first. Id mix it with chicken or pork and he would just shake off the beef (all I have at the time is ground beef). So I mixed some pumpkin in with it and he ate all of it. Today he's eating plain beef, not a ton, but probably 1.5 oz.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 4, 2011 19:36:43 GMT -5
Don't forget- beef is a much denser meat, so he doesn't have to eat quite as much of it to feel just as full And at least he's eating it! That's fantastic If you like, you can try just slashing the meat on the wing and see what he does with it. If he sniffs at it, licks it, and walks away you may have to section the wings, and cut between the two middle bones. With the necks, again- offer it first to see how he does. If he won't touch it, try chopping them in half. You want to start with the largest pieces he'll eat, since you can always step back to the point of smashing them up. If you start with smashing them first, he may just decide that's the only way he's going to eat it!
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Post by xreinvention on Oct 5, 2011 12:28:36 GMT -5
Okay, sounds good. Should I keep him on beef for a few days and then try the wings / necks or should I offer them sometime today/tomorrow? Also, had to rant. Had contacted vets in town months before getting Squirt. Wanted to make sure I had all of the bases covered. There was one. I figured that was good. Then the owner of the Pet Store recommended her as well, so I thought that was great. Had Squirts appointment this past Saturday. Got a call on Friday asking if we could reschedule it for sometime this week. Was rescheduled to tomorrow. Then today I get a call. "Well, our ferret vet moved out of town unexpectedly, we thought we were going to have a new one by Today which was why we rescheduled your appointment, but we can't seem to get one here." So now, I have to call the vets in Bismarck (90 miles away) which, I know there is one, that just wasn't ideal.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 5, 2011 13:14:01 GMT -5
Oh, that's a real pain about the vet! Maybe they might know of one closer? You never know! As for the beef, keep him on it for about 3 days. That's a good amount of time to discover how it reacts with them.
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Post by xreinvention on Oct 5, 2011 13:37:02 GMT -5
I asked about the Vets, but I live in a really rural area and the next decent sized town is Bismarck, and they're the only other place close by with an exotics vet. Alright, that's what I figured.
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Post by xreinvention on Oct 7, 2011 17:12:04 GMT -5
Okay, so yesterday was the third day with eating just Beef. He seemed to be doing fine on it until just a little bit ago. His last two poops seem to be really runny / diarrhea like. He's not acting any differently or acting like it's hard to potty or anything, but his poops weren't like this before. I don't know if that means that it doesnt' sit with him or what... Opinions?
I tried him on a wing this afternoon though. I gave it to him about an hour ago and he's still eating off of it. He hasn't touched the bones at all but is working on getting almost all of the meat off of them, so far.
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