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Post by katt on Oct 8, 2011 23:21:21 GMT -5
Any updates?
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Post by michelleapalmer on Oct 9, 2011 19:20:06 GMT -5
Sunday AM: He's eating the soup well, but not really on his own. It's like it hasn't clicked in his head that the stuff in the bowl is food -- but once I give him a taste, he's really good about it! As a matter of fact, I snuck in some kibble sized pieces of chicken breast and he ate them with no problem. Tonight I am going to have it be mostly chicken pieces to see how it goes.
***** Sunday night: I pureed a new batch of chicken and pumpkin and added less water. It's more of a chicken paste. He's eating the paste and chicken chunks when I scruff him. After about a minute, I can let him go and he'll continue licking it -- but then he tries to make an escape! So back to scruffing and he finishes his meal. That's where we're at! I am going to not put kibble in for the night and repeat this tomorrow morning -- Maybe if he knows he only eats in the AM and PM he'll get into the rhythm of it all and start digging in!
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Post by michelleapalmer on Oct 11, 2011 2:21:44 GMT -5
Monday AM: I did the usual handfeeding of puree + chunks.. he's good about it when there's no escape! I put the leftovers in his cage and he didn't touch them all day. So... I just replaced it with kibble (I'm about to go to bed) and he's scarfing it down like he hasn't eaten in weeks. Tomorrow is a busy midterm day for me, so I am going to leave him kibble for the day and will try the raw again tomorrow evening. Any new suggestions? Or should I just keep up with the puree/chunks?
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Post by katt on Oct 11, 2011 15:52:02 GMT -5
Sorry, I had a long couple of days and last night I fell asleep before I could reply. I feel bad. Does he seem to prefer the thicker soup over the thinner soup then? Usually it's easier to get them to eat thinner soup to start with. Try adding some kibble into the soup and/or something tasty (oil, ferretone, ferretvite, etc - something you know he really likes). See if he will eat that when you hand feed him, and then try mixing a small amount into his kibble. (You may need to hand feed him some of the soup-covered kibble to show him it's food). Start small and build up to more soup in the kibble. you can keep hand feeding soup and even chunks during meal time too. He's being stubborn, but that's not uncommon at all. Slow and steady always wins the race. keep up the good work and he'll get it.
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Post by michelleapalmer on Oct 13, 2011 1:37:37 GMT -5
So is the end goal of this step to have him eating kibble with soup on it, or straight up soup? what is the role of the kibble?
He's eating a thinner version of the soup just fine -- I left him a bowl this morning, and it's gone. I made him another and will report back in the morning.
It's pureed chicken, pumpkin, water, and ferretone. Almost looks like cream of chicken soup.... almost. haha
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Post by katt on Oct 13, 2011 4:24:35 GMT -5
So is the end goal of this step to have him eating kibble with soup on it, or straight up soup?Straight up soup - the thicker the better. Eventually he will be eating pureed raw, which we will slowly begin to add little chunks to. Then we will increase the chunks in both number and size, and decrease the soup. We'll gradually add more meats, hearts, organs, bones, etc until he is eating a full and balanced diet that's all raw! what is the role of the kibble?To make the soup taste better to his kibble-preferring taste buds. We want to gradually decrease the kibble, but right now it is what he is used to eating so having it in the soup makes the soup taste more familiar and he should eat it more willingly. Then we sneak it out gradually without him noticing, and voila! He's kibble free! He's eating a thinner version of the soup just fine -- I left him a bowl this morning, and it's gone. I made him another and will report back in the morning. Perfect! As long as he is eating enough of that then continue to feed that and you can remove kibble entirely! No more kibble for him! Yaaay! Congrats on the first big step! It's pureed chicken, pumpkin, water, and ferretone. Almost looks like cream of chicken soup.... almost. hahaSee above comment And that's perfect. Sounds nice and tasty! Okay so let's start making the soup a bit thicker, and gradually decrease the ferretone at the same time. Try making it twice as thick and see how much trouble (or not) he gives you. If he isn't going to take it at all, then water it down to the maximum thickness he'll eat it at, and decrease the thickness again at the next meal, etc so that it is steadily becoming thicker but he is still eating. You might have to employ a little more hand feeding as you go but hopefully he'll pick up quickly. Keep me posted, and keep up the good work. You two are making great progress!
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Post by michelleapalmer on Oct 13, 2011 20:11:49 GMT -5
Ah, okay! I see where we're going now. He's been really good (and easy!) about eating soup, so I will follow your instructions regarding the thickness. I've also added a little bit of eggshells and he didn't even notice. Progress! Hooray! **** A quick note before I go to bed: He is eating up the soup like a champ! Two bowls this evening... and I left him another for his overnight snacking that is slightly thicker than before. He started munching on it but then retreated back to his hammock... full belly makes a sleepy ferret! You were right about the amounts -- it's so odd to be refilling his bowl so much. Looks like he's figuring this out. So... as soon as he's eating straight up pureed chicken mush, I add chunks? Or should I start with some chunks as the soup gets thicker? Have you noticed how impatient I am? ;D I just want to fling a defrosted mouse in there already!
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Post by katt on Oct 14, 2011 3:31:30 GMT -5
;D Patience isn't always my greatest virtue either. But it does pay off I promise. Now keep in mind it Never hurts to try and skip steps. Offer him a chunk of chicken before you blend up the next soup batch. Hand feed it and see what he thinks. If he doesn't want it, no worries we'll sneak it up on him. Id he decides he likes it then hey, we can save some time and skip some steps! This is one case where the process is not Nearly as important as the result. As long as he keeps devouring soup, make it nice and thick. Try a bit and see how he likes. And feel free to mix in chunks any time, they are usually jus easier to disguise if the soup is thicker. Cut some chicken into suuper small pieces. Think somewhere between a grain of rice and the tip of your pinky. Mix some into the soup really well so they are nice and disguised. Start with a few small pieces and gradually increase both the size and number of the chunks. Let me know what you Ty and how he does. (let me know how he likes plain chunks too if you give that a try - as a tip coating it in a little oil, ferretone, or even a little soup may make it more enticing for him...)
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Post by michelleapalmer on Oct 15, 2011 1:17:12 GMT -5
Question... do ferrets have less energy at this stage? He just seems to be sleeping a lot! It may just be that I'm paying more attention now that I'm so involved with his food schedule.
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Post by katt on Oct 15, 2011 1:27:11 GMT -5
Usually on raw they will have more energy, but it can take some time for their bodies to adjust to that point. How are his poops? As long as he is still bright and active when he is awake and is eating well etc and his poops are okay (keep in mind weird pools are pretty normal at this stage) I wouldn't be too concerned just yet, but keep an eye on him. It's easy to overreact and become paranoid with these guys, but @ the same time you can never ever be too alert and watchful with them either. rofl They do enjoy giving us gray hairs. How is he eating and what are his poops like?
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Post by michelleapalmer on Oct 15, 2011 2:48:01 GMT -5
He's still eating well -- I snuck in some chunks so we'll see what he does with that tonight. His poops look like chicken and pumpkin, honestly! They're not loose, just more orange and a little softer than I'm used to! I think I am just peeking into his cage too much... like, "ugh! he's STILL SLEEPING WHEN WILL HE EAT HIS SOOOOUP??" but then he does and everything is fine.
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Post by katt on Oct 15, 2011 11:41:06 GMT -5
Lol You're just a concerned mommy, it's okay. His poops sound perfectly normal for this stage or the switch. Let me know how he does with the chunks. How big were they?
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Post by michelleapalmer on Oct 17, 2011 15:16:17 GMT -5
They were small -- I'd say 1/4"-ish, like a chicken mince. He's not having any of it. He licks the soup around the pieces and then they just go bad, so I am back to just soup only. I'll increase the thickness over the nxet few days. He's being finicky! And his stools are a lot looser these days... not sure what is up with that, but he is completely kibble free now so it might just be the adjustment.
Also... it turns out he had ear mites. His scratching seemed a little excessive so I took him in. I suppose it's something that can't be avoided in a shelter situation. He's a happier ferret these days!
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Post by katt on Oct 17, 2011 22:18:24 GMT -5
Ear mites are really common. They are easy to treat and won't cause any harm (as long as they are treated of course). The poop is pretty normal. Add in a little powdered eggshell to the soup as well as pumpkin and that should help some. The rest will clear up when we get bones in his diet. Start thickening the soup. Also you may want to see if you can get your hands on some ground chicken. He may (or may not) like that. If he doesn't you can always mix it into soup. When you added chunks did you add a lot of chunks?
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Post by michelleapalmer on Oct 18, 2011 2:22:07 GMT -5
I will check around for ground chicken tomorrow. Fortunately, he's been really good about the eggshell so no problems there. I was pretty heavy handed and enthusiastic with the chicken chunks, so that was most likely the problem. It was almost half chunks half soup -- and he knew it! Tonight's before bed meal: A little thicker soup with about 1/4 finely minced up chicken. He ate a bit of it just now, so we'll see if he polishes it off throughout the night. Looks like progress!
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