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Post by Heather on Oct 4, 2011 12:32:42 GMT -5
Boo's throwing a tantrum ...hmm. Back to basics for him. What was he eating before all this? take it back to there. If it was being hand fed soupies then do it and move him along slower. There's one in every crowd...the brats Some ferrets respond to a push with a push back. They're rather stubborn creatures who feel everything has to be their idea. Boo's feeling overwhelmed so he's pushing back. Did you change anything about the soupy? other than being fed with the switched ferrets....protein change? chunks of meats? anything? What is Boo's personality type? Would he stand up to being scruffed and stuffed? This is a serious decision in my opinion, force feeding a wee one and I would sooner avoid it if possible. It's quite stressful to them, but for some it's the only way to get things rolling again. If you decide to do this I may just get Sherry to pop in and give you a bit of instruction on this (she's the ultimate in this as her Boris has required it many times....has to have been one of the most difficult switches on here, he hates change..any change ) Please keep me posted on Boo, it sounds like Duke is taking it all in stride and is moving forward. Keep an eye on him though, during a switch (as you probably know from previous switches) for some reason the ones that switch the easiest sometimes crash and fall back. So, keep a close eye on him, otherwise he looks like he's going to move right along. Now, we just have to get Boo rolling again. Good luck..talk at you later ciao
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Post by loveless on Oct 6, 2011 12:14:48 GMT -5
I'm still using the same recipe for soup that I started out with on Boo. The first batch was on the large side so I'm still using it. I froze it into cubes so there is no real change to the base. Personality wise he's on the mild side of everything. He'll take a scruff and stuff for a bit, if i can get it in his mouth he usually eats it with out to much of a fight. He'll take tiny chunks from a scruf but he's turning his nose at the soup and paste right now.
For Duke I'm keeping a small bowl of soup in the cage where he tends to stay as an added boost to the chunks he's eating along with my two already switched fuzzies. My two switched fuzzies hate soup so he's getting the majority of it. I even caught him stealing away a cornish hen leg bit today and munching down whole heartedly.
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Post by loveless on Oct 8, 2011 20:34:26 GMT -5
further update: Boo still isn't to keen on eating just about anything willingly at the moment. He did eat a few peices of frogs leg willingly before he went into full toddler lock jaw mode of refusal. He's a bit on the thin side and seeing him unwilling to eat bothers me. Is there anything I can try and get into him that will add some meat to his little bones?
Duke is slowly catching on from my other two. He seems to have a good interest in the foods they so enthuasticly wolf down.
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Post by Heather on Oct 8, 2011 20:45:23 GMT -5
Do you have access to goat's milk? I use that for my sickies. They like the taste (it doesn't convert to sugars) and if you use the whole milk it is high in fat. It seems to put on weight. Any idea as to why he's suddenly decided he doesn't like any of his raw foods. What if you added more liquid to his soupy? Would he eat it then? ciao
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Post by loveless on Oct 8, 2011 22:30:17 GMT -5
I'll look for goats milk. I remember seeing it in one of my stoors as of latly I just have to remember which one. What ammounts and how often would you suggest?
I don't know what mad him go off of what he was eating, adding more liquid dosn't really do anything to entise him. He's not a nose licker so dabbing a bit on him usually get a fast responce of him rubbing his face clean on the ground or the nearest bit of carpet or ferret to his companions annoyance.
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Post by Heather on Oct 9, 2011 0:28:43 GMT -5
I use about 1/2 tsp to a tsp of goats milk to about 2 to 4 oz of meat/soupy. How did you get him started before? Will he allow you to put some into his mouth (see Hurricanekatt's scruff and stuff)? It's not a force feeding persay....you just want him to taste it again. ciao
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Post by loveless on Oct 9, 2011 1:35:53 GMT -5
I started him off with a bait and switch, A finger with ferretvite on it and then dipped it in soup when he was into licking. He kept at it and finshed off a bowl.
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Post by Heather on Oct 9, 2011 16:00:54 GMT -5
Is that what you did or what you're doing? You may actually have to do that again. I don't know what they think about sometimes...how to frustrate us I think Let me know if he's eating a bit now? ciao
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Post by loveless on Oct 12, 2011 0:02:50 GMT -5
Sorry for the long wait. It's how I started him and I did that again with slight intrest that quickly waned off. I then decidded to add some egg to the mix since he ate egg youlk and he's on the eating voluntarily list again when being hand fed.
He's also showing intrest in small meat bits with kibble breading. I spend the weekend in ferret lock down watching them carefully and saw him eat a few peices from the bowl.
Duke is progressing prety well. He even fought over a peice of torn up chicken wing. I'm still suplamenting his diet with soup to make sure he's getting enough. (My chunk butt switched boy is far to happy with the fact there is double the food available at all times now lol)
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Post by Heather on Oct 12, 2011 10:46:50 GMT -5
I"m glad that you're seeing progress and yes raw egg works very well for some...try scrambling it up (not cooked, just mixing the yolk and the white and then adding the raw to it. Making it a type of soupy. I switched a lot of fuzzes that way and found it particularly easy switch for the ones that actually like egg. It looks like he might actually be quite partial to this. That's great that he's eating the breaded meats...great job. I'm glad to hear that the other wee boy is thriving with his new diet. That's the problem with switching the little ones, no one ferret has a solid method of actually switching. What works for one won't work for another. Keep me posted as to Boo's progress ciao
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Post by loveless on Oct 12, 2011 12:07:40 GMT -5
I managed to get ahold of some goats milk and they both loved it. I'm looking foward to them putting some more weight on. They have put on some weight since I got them so they no longer look decimated but adding more chunk to their rumps will help them. Thats what I did to get Boo to get back to eating. I'll be keeping that up for a bit and hopefully he won't decide he's had enough of it. I understand you on the odd ball nature of switching when I found out my big boy Richard wasn't a kibble addict but a crunch addict by going frome kibble to bone and then struggling to get him to eat meat. It was odd watching him strip the meat off of a bone and then taking the bone and leaving the meat. To this day he still prefers the boniest parts of their dinner.
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Post by Heather on Oct 12, 2011 23:09:31 GMT -5
I'm glad that they like the goat's milk. I've not met too many that don't like it. Don't give too much to begin with as it requires time for their tummies to get used to it, but it's not anything like milk. I had nothing but grief with cream (which many advocate to put weight on) but goat's milk seems to be much easier for them to digest. Fingers are crossed that Boo continues on his path forward and doesn't get tired of what he's eating again. ciao
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Post by loveless on Oct 14, 2011 23:27:32 GMT -5
Update time. I'm keeping up on the new mix for Boo and he's accepting it. He's also activly munching on kibble breaded bits activy from his bowl and has started to show intrest in the self made jerky that the other fuzzies tend to make
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Post by Heather on Oct 14, 2011 23:34:32 GMT -5
That is so great....like I've said before there is no right way to switch a ferret only their way ;D ;D However they get there is all that counts, the mentors are only here to try and sort out the various methods so that your wee ones can find their way to their switch ;D Thank you for the update, I'm glad that you've found the method or lack of method that suits Boo ciao
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Post by loveless on Oct 19, 2011 12:34:40 GMT -5
Another update: I'm keeping steady with the diet of kibble covered chunks and soup for Boo. He's doing fine now and eating regularly. I'm going to wait on changing his diet for a while since he's finally back to a normal eating schedual and I don't want him to start snubbing his food until he's gained a little more mass.
Duke seems to be going along fine. He's eating with my two switched babies as well as Boo. He seems to be liking the copious amounts of food available. He's still the smallest and thinnest of them all but if he keeps this up he'll be chunking up in no time.
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