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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2011 13:27:09 GMT -5
All you do is gradually decrease the amount of kibble you're using. With her, I wouldn't change anything else (no new meat, no new size). Just slowly get the amount of kibble down, with everything else about her soup staying the same. Once she's just eating a completely raw soup, then you can start increasing the size of chunks, etc.
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Post by hazelrah on Jul 12, 2011 23:10:53 GMT -5
Excellent, sounds good. I've also been wondering, as Falcor is so far ahead of Oryx, should I be adding new meats/bones/other foods into his diet, or would that put him further ahead? I don't want him to be lacking anything or getting bored just because she's being picky
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2011 14:40:33 GMT -5
Yes, you definitely can progress with Falcor. Before we do, just so I have it down, specifically, what is each ferret eating? (chunk size, soup ingredients, etc).
Also, sorry about the delay, I've been ill these past couple of days :C
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Post by hazelrah on Jul 13, 2011 20:21:23 GMT -5
Oryx is getting soup which consists of pureed chicken, a little bit of pumpkin, crushed up kibble, olive oil, and chunks that vary up to about 1/2" by 1/2". She's been at that spot for a few days now, and is comfortable with it. Falcor is just eating straight pieces of raw, boneless chicken. I've also been giving him a bit of pumpkin/olive oil/pureed chicken cause of loose stool, and been adding powdered eggshell (when I have the time to grind it up : They both appear to be willing to eat raw egg, as long as there's olive oil and a tiny bit of kibble sprinkles. There, I hope that helps! I'm sorry to hear you've been sick, hope you feel better soon
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2011 23:20:44 GMT -5
Okay, well, I think we're at a point where introducing Falcor to bone would be good. Chicken/gamehen wings are usually the best starting point. For the newbies, it's good idea to smash the wing (especially the drum section) with a hammer to break up the bone. You can also cut slits (center toward the outside of the wing) in a few places along the sides to give them something to sink their teeth into. Don't hesitate to rub oil on it (or, even stick bit of kibble in the slits if you absolutely need to) to get him interested. The loose stool could also be because of the lack of bone, so getting him on that is important. When we get him handling that (chicken and cgh) then we can start on the variety, I think
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Post by hazelrah on Jul 14, 2011 6:58:16 GMT -5
Yay! Ok, I'll run out and get some wings today post an update later
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Post by hazelrah on Jul 15, 2011 9:40:00 GMT -5
Ok, so the wing experience went really well! I cut bits of the meat away a little and smashed the bone and all, and Falcor didn't even pause. He ate the meat like it was any other day, but he wasn't really that good at getting the meat close to the bone, so he just stashed them with the rest of his toys I'm going to be keeping an eye to see if he goes back later.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2011 11:24:20 GMT -5
Ahahaha, that's generally how it goes, yeah. Cutting the wing into chunks sometimes helps, as well, especially if he seems *eager* but unable to really get a grip on how to successfully eat bone. Also, cornish game hens have thinner bones and sometimes that's what they need to get started.
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Post by hazelrah on Jul 16, 2011 13:55:21 GMT -5
Well, he's been getting better at getting the meat off the bone, but he's still just moving the bones themselves around I shall go ahead and pick up some game hen and see if that's a little easier for him.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2011 19:33:12 GMT -5
sounds good. Let me know how that goes.
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Post by hazelrah on Jul 18, 2011 16:25:59 GMT -5
The game hen is going a lot better. He seems to be just nibbling the ends off the bones and working his way in, which I think is adorable for some reason Game hen seems to be expensive here though, so I'm hoping to get him convinced that chicken bones are edible before I have to buy more I was wondering, is fish ok for them to eat? I assume so as I've seen pictures of ferrets fishing before, but is frozen then defrosted fish ok? I happen to have some extra
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2011 6:06:31 GMT -5
Definitely. I use frozen fish, too, mainly tilapia (since it's so light), but my guys enjoy salmon as well (they've eaten others, but tend not to like any of them as much). So yeah, that's another area you can experiment with and see what catches their fancy
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Post by hazelrah on Jul 19, 2011 8:24:27 GMT -5
Ok, awesome! Tilapia is what I have too, yay! I'll see how Falcor feels about it next meal time, it would be awesome if he'd help clear out the freezer. More room for his meat that way
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Post by hazelrah on Jul 19, 2011 9:53:09 GMT -5
I'm all excited, so I had to post a second time I gave the kids egg again this morning and they both, especially Oryx ( ), went absolutely nuts for it this time!!!! She was jumping up and trying to shove her head in the bowl before I even put it down! How often is it safe to give egg? If she likes it this much, could I use it to tempt her to eat meats etc.? She seems to like it even more than oil. I'm so excited to have found a food besides kibble that she loves
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2011 19:54:43 GMT -5
With raw egg, I'd say once a week. A *complete* raw egg is fine and balanced (yolk, white, and shell), but if you separate it out (where they're getting just or mostly just whites, by design or by accident) it can cause hair loss if fed frequently (i.e. more than once weekly).
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