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Post by ferretsgoboom on Oct 28, 2011 15:34:28 GMT -5
and yes, im sure they both ate it, because i feel their tummy before and after i leave for school, AND he has gotten much heavier Princess got a little fat herself!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2011 19:20:06 GMT -5
That's great let me know how the soups go - and definitely add some pumpkin, squash and/or eggshells if the diarrhea continues
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Post by ferretsgoboom on Oct 29, 2011 18:53:14 GMT -5
i bought some liver for them! i saw some chicken hearts but i didnt know if i should have gotten them or not
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2011 19:25:05 GMT -5
Yeah getting some livers is a good idea. I would baggie them up into about 3 oz sections (1 liver = about 1.5-2 oz) and then freeze them for when we're ready to try organs. Organ meat often causes loose stools, and with the recent diarrhea issues, I think it would be best to wait until their tummies settle. You will need about 12 oz of liver a month. Heart meat would also be good to stock up on. You will eventually want to feed 1-2 meals of entirely heart a week.
Also, do you think you could explain to me what diet style you'd like to feed? I know you mentioned you wanted to feed live prey, but that is mainly limited to mice. You'll need at least 3 proteins for a balanced diet.
Are you thinking of all whole prey (live mice, frozen/thawed rats, quail, rabbit, etc), whole prey + raw meat pieces (beef, pork chicken, turkey), or some other kind of combo? Knowing that will help me to get you to exactly where you'd like to be. Whole prey is VERY expensive, so if money is limited, doing a mainly raw meaty diet with supplemental whole prey is often the best way to go (it also allows for good variety).
Also, you can raise your own whole prey to cut costs (there is a section on raising various types of prey).
Some other things that would be useful to buy: Hammer/mallet - For crushing up bones to expose marrow and help transition to whole bones Canned pumpkin, squash, or squash baby food - Great for preventing diarrhea & adding bulk to the diet. Eggshells - You can make ground eggshell powder which replaces the calcium in the diet while on soup. Use raw eggshells (no hardboiled ones) and let dry overnight and then grind in blender, coffee grinder, or with mortar and pestle. Extra virgin olive oil or fish oil - Both of these can be used as a treat and to help with shedding. Try to find ones with little to no ingredients, no preservatives, citrus additives, etc. Plastic baggies - I like to get the cheaper plastic baggies for daily portions and then put them all in one big heavy duty bag to seal from freezer burns.
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Post by ferretsgoboom on Oct 29, 2011 21:03:15 GMT -5
i would like to feed them mostly raw meats such as beef, turkey and chicken pieces but occasionally feed them whole/live prey. maybe once a month.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2011 0:34:26 GMT -5
Okay, that sounds like a plan It will probably be easier to get them on the raw pieces and then try to integrate the whole prey after they are eating bone in meats good.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2011 9:18:20 GMT -5
Any updates? How are the stools?
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Post by ferretsgoboom on Nov 1, 2011 15:09:34 GMT -5
the stools are still a little loose but he is pooping his normal amount. sorry for not updating, got caught up with school work they are still on their soupies and seem to be getting used to it!
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Post by ferretsgoboom on Nov 1, 2011 17:09:53 GMT -5
also i was in a hurry this morning so i didnt have time to prepare them anything so i just got some ground chicken and mixed some duk soup and ferretone for them til i got back :/
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2011 23:09:55 GMT -5
How did they eat the ground? If they left a good amount of food, I wouldn't leave them with it again until their more comfortable with the mush. What is in the duk soup? How chunky/smooth is the soup? What are you adding to it as of now? Have any of them lost weight? Weight gain? Just want to make sure we're monitoring them over the switch to watch for any signs of not eating. If you see any weight loss, signs of pain or discomfort (grinding teeth, lethargy, etc) feel free to take a step back, give them whatever they'll eat (kibble, soup, whatever) and wait until they stabilize again before going forward. And please let me know if you're worried or concerned about anything
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Post by ferretsgoboom on Nov 2, 2011 0:22:04 GMT -5
they LOVED the ground chicken, they ate it all!! um here are the duk soup ingredients: Ingredients: Chicken By-Product, Desiccated Chicken Liver, Primary Grown Yeast, Norwegian Kelp, Flaxseed, Micro Pulverized Bee Pollen, Garlic Concentrate, Cod Fish, Lecithin, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Niacin, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Iron Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite. Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein, not less than 34% Crude Fat, not less than: 16% Crude Fiber, not more than: 5% Moisture, not more than: 10% Lactobacillus acidophilus (min) not less than 9 billion CFU/lb i made the soup as chunky as i made their original chicken soup. it wasn't water, more like a paste, but a tad bit wetter i also added a tbs. of ferretone They both gained a little weight they are doing so good right now!! max gained so much energy!! and princess is growing her fur back! they seem to have forgotten about their precious kibble!! but yeah everything looks good!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2011 8:54:59 GMT -5
That's great! Keep making the consistency thicker My concern about the duk soup is that it contains garlic, and that is known to be toxic in ferrets
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Post by ferretsgoboom on Nov 3, 2011 15:20:15 GMT -5
wow!! why would they add something toxic to ferrets if they made it FOR ferrets?? pet stores these days i will start making the soup thicker!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2011 17:18:58 GMT -5
Sounds good If they stay refusing to eat it thicker, feel free to take a step back and make it less thick. You can also try putting in slivers of meat in the soup, and see if they eat it at all.
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Post by ferretsgoboom on Nov 6, 2011 10:22:21 GMT -5
I put some liver in their soup and they ate it!!! i only put a little bit in because i didnt know how much they needed to eat. but all is going well i made it thicker too!
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