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Post by jadewolf on Nov 10, 2011 23:06:28 GMT -5
Snorri has a feeding den, and uses it about half the time, but he seems to think that if Dominique is in there snacking, or if he's already put a piece in there, it's "full" and he has to go behind the couch. I know I should be more on top of him and redirect to the den, but usually I'm busy fending someone away from Will's soup or feeding Minnie her soup. If I'm even in the room. Re: bone, after I finish the heart off today I'll go back to the wings and stick with it for a couple days.
Tonight Minnie ate twice as much soup-meat mix. I went to ground lamb as I had some thawed for human dinner. She ate away happily for a couple minutes all on her own, until Snorri came by and scared her off. He will eat plain raw, but really prefers it in delicious kibble soup.
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Post by jadewolf on Nov 14, 2011 9:51:54 GMT -5
Been doing chicken wings since the 11th. The grocery store "helpfully" segmented between the joints already and did not include the wing tips. Good value for humans, less useful for ferrets. I've been cutting them with kitchen shears into 3 pieces for the smaller bone and 4 for the larger. Dominique chews on the bone, I think Snorri just eats the meat off. I've been finding large chunks of bone that I think are about the size they started with, although I've also been finding small slivers they must've chewed on. It didn't help I was not home much, so was not able to take the kibble out for more than a couple hours once or twice a day.
Minnie's been on ground lamb mixed with soup since my last post. She goes back and forth. Most days its two licks and she's done, but maybe a third of the time she actually eats a teaspoon or so. Both Will and Minnie come investigate the chicken chunks for Snorri and Dom.
Today I'm home and can give Will soup every 3-4 hours, so I've taken out the kibble. Perhaps that will encourage the boys. They know the bone in chunks are food, I think they're just lazy.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 14, 2011 11:19:19 GMT -5
Oh, ferrets are very lazy eaters Ok, for the boys, try cutting the middle section between the two bones, but leave those in one piece. A bit harder to eat just the meat without chewing SOME of the bone. For the drumette end, take a hammer, or a cleaver, and pound away at it to break the bone up well, and get it mixed in with the meat. That way, you know they are at least consuming SOME of it. Oh, Minnie Hopefully being home today, and leaving the kibble out of the cage will encourage her to eat more. For at least one of Will's meals, try slivering up some meat, and just top it with the soup. Like a gravy. See if he will eat the bits himself.
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Post by jadewolf on Nov 15, 2011 21:35:02 GMT -5
Ah-HA! So I went into the ferret room with a hammer and a wooden cutting board and hammered the last chicken wing to break up the bone. Thus sending it flying in a comical fashion and making quite the racket which the ferrets slept through. But as far as I can tell, they then ate the vast majority of it including bone. So that's definately the key, hammer the bone into splinters rather than cut it with scissors. There's also the possibility they just hid it really well, but I prefer to be optimistic.
Everyone did well yesterday. Snorri and Dom ate up their bone, Minnie ate a couple teaspoons of lamb soup.
Will will eat Minnie's meat soup if I let him, but I'm still wondering if the mix of kibble and meat was part of his stomach troubles, so I'm not going to give him meat for a while. I want to get him back to 100%, and then try meat again and see what happens, whether it was an ulcer and unrelated to the raw or if it was problems from the mix of kibble and raw.
I'm out of chicken, so it's back to beef strips. I put a small amount of their fave freeze-dried on top to remind them it's food, since every time I switch proteins Snorri forgets. He ate 3 pinky-sized strips of beef in a few minutes, so I think he remembered. So, do I eventually move them up a size again, or do people usually serve strips?
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Post by Sherry on Nov 15, 2011 22:58:48 GMT -5
Depends on how large a piece you want to toss in ;D Mine are very spoiled and get 1"-2" chunks Little so and so's simply refuse it beyond that. And I mean for a couple of days! If you want them eating larger pieces, keep up sizing them til they start refusing. Alright, you know they eat beef and chicken, I think it's also time to introduce either a new protein, or some heart or organ meat. Your choice ;)For Minnie's soup, do you want to try adding in some meat slivers again? Sorry- can't remember what size bits she's now taking in the soup. With Will, it's likely a good idea to get him back on track again first. Next time you try the meat with him, he should be safe without the kibble for an hour or so before giving him the raw. That will give the kibble some time to work it's way through first.
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Post by jadewolf on Nov 17, 2011 22:02:04 GMT -5
Good to know on the piece sizes. I will be sticking with this size for a while at least, as Snorri isn't to thrilled with it. He keeps trying to steal pieces Dominique is chewing on. Maybe because he's a bully or maybe because pre-chewed is less work.
Minnie's getting soup with beef slivers and eating well (for her). A teaspoon or two without fighting, including some of the beef.
I'll go check out the freezer and see what else I have. I know they aren't wild about lamb and love pork, but I don't recall what I have in stock. Probably one more day to finish out the thawed beef, anyway.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 17, 2011 22:52:25 GMT -5
Okay- sounds like you've got it well in hand Let me know what you give them next, and how they take to it
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Post by jadewolf on Nov 19, 2011 12:45:44 GMT -5
Spoiled little buggers. I cut the beef pieces into strips 2/3 to 1/2 the size because Snorri was eating kibble, and he went back to the beef and chowed down. The only pork I had was some pork chops, so they're getting that now. With luck they'll remember that they love pork more than anything. The chops were bone-in. Can they have the meaty bones to gnaw on, or are they dangerous, being much more solid than poultry bones? Oh, also, they have a pair of friends visiting for the week as I'm ferret-sitting for the folks who watch them while I travel. Zinnia is Snorri's near-identical twin, not just same color but same fat butt and foofy tail. They sleep together, and I think it's only a matter of time till he teaches her about pork.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 19, 2011 13:33:16 GMT -5
Yes, they can definitely have the bone to chew on. They'll get all the gristle and the like off, and it will give them a good dental workout And that would be interesting if Zinnia winds up preferring raw to her kibble ;D
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Post by jadewolf on Nov 23, 2011 15:56:16 GMT -5
Pork was a smashing success. Today I cut up a turkey to freeze in parts, and gave them their first serving of turkey. Snorri ate a bunch, Dominique was sleeping but he's less fussy anyway. I also have the neck and giblets.
Minnie has been eating measurable amounts of soup with pork in, roughly two teaspoons per meal.
I think the two things I haven't really been doing is effectively getting bone into them, and having enough organ meats. I need to find ways to make it work.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 23, 2011 16:53:53 GMT -5
Bones and organs can take time. Best bet is just to keep smashing up the bone for the two who are doing well, and with Minnie, keep trying to creep up the amount of meat in the soup, as well as the size of the bits. For some, it's a really long process. With organ, if they won't eat them outright, make a soup, and add about 1 tsp heavy cream for "flavour". It can make the difference
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Post by jadewolf on Nov 26, 2011 15:31:55 GMT -5
I'm concerned about Dominique. Over the past week or two he's started looking like a mistreated new surrender at the shelter. His fur is thin; that's been for a month or so. I assumed it was shedding for winter. Everyone else now has their winter coats and he's still looking pathetic. He's slender, but I can't feel his ribs as much as a truly sick ferret's. This summer he was definately bulkier than he is now. Thinking about it, he's probably back down to the size he was when we got him from the shelter around June. He bulked up a lot around August, but has lost it all again. The really worrisome thing is he's got that disarrayed fur thing that sick ferrets get where they just look all rumpled. And the eyes. I can't describe it better than sick ferret eyes. Here he is today: I have one pic of him from the fat and happy month: Here he is a week after we got him
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Post by Sherry on Nov 26, 2011 21:03:46 GMT -5
He doesn't look well. Ok, quick rehash of his diet- he's eating meat, some bone, heart and liver, correct? To be honest, my first thought looking at him, and reading what you've said is adrenal. His coat is looking pretty thin around his shoulders, and on his front toes. Although that could be because they are white(?). Check his throat/belly area and see if he has any fur loss there. Here's a link to some of the various ways they can lose their fur with adrenal. It's not all the typical loss on the tail and rump: holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=adrenal&action=display&thread=2022&page=1
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Post by jadewolf on Nov 27, 2011 20:29:24 GMT -5
Right, calling the vet tomorrow morning. Poor baby's a year and a half old. He doesn't have any truly bald patches, but his fur is really thin all over.
He hasn't been eating as much heart as recommended, and no liver. I hope I didn't set something off with an unbalanced diet.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 27, 2011 22:59:39 GMT -5
No, that wouldn't be happening yet. It takes several months for dietary insufficiencies to show up. A sick ferret can thrive on just meat baby food from the grocery store for up to about 6 months before anything has to be changed. And although that is young for adrenal, hurricanekatt's boy Koda was diagnosed at a year There's a chance the fur loss alone could be a funky shed since it's winter time, but the weight loss has me concerned. I'm also going to ask the other mentors/mods to pop in and take a look at his pics and give their opinion as well.
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