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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2012 17:09:25 GMT -5
I take that back! I just went to collect dishes from the cage and 1 is completely empty, another is half empty, and one is untouched. This is the most raw soupies to get eaten while in the cage EVER!!!
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Post by Heather on Feb 14, 2012 21:23:07 GMT -5
That sounds fantastic Ok, ferret check. Snuggle ferret, take one hand I use my left to gently hold ferret in harness hold forefinger and thumb gently supporting neck, other 2 fingers behind the front legs (ferret is lying feet down...I hope I can make myself understood here ) run your opposing hand palm up along their chest. Just under their front legs, feel their ribs, feel the layers over their ribs (this a great way to look for lumps and bumps too). There should be a layer of fat (it's winter) that you can feel over their ribs, you should still be able to feel ribs (unless it's like my Minion he's a bit of a chunk monkey). Once you checked that with palm still inverted move from the bottom of the rib cage along their abdomen to their hips. Do you know what an empty ferret feels like? Do this sometime before you feed and then do this after, so you know the difference of a full and empty ferret ;D. By doing this you can tell if your ferrets have been eating and who's been eating. Note who's fatter, who's skinnier and who might need to eat more. Do this daily. If you've got questions, just drop a line and I will try and explain better ciao
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2012 15:12:45 GMT -5
So..I think I figured it out >.> Took me a couple tries ;D I can feel Soxx's ribs the easiest. Freya and Marley both feel like they have a good layer of flub over theirs, their ribs were much less noticeable. I just felt them all up, and am going to do some lap feeding here in a minute so as to make sure that they get a good dindin in (they weren't too keen on breakfast and didn't touch what I left in their cage). I will give them some massage after I get them to eat to see if I can distinguish between full ferret and empty ferret. Plus I am feeling a little down and giving lap meals is a nice snuggle/relaxing time for mommy
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Post by Heather on Feb 15, 2012 15:42:11 GMT -5
Snuggle time is a great recharge ciao
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2012 16:36:05 GMT -5
Oh, I forgot to mention earlier -- everybody is on 100% raw now, no more freezedried!!! Lap feeding yielded 100% soupies eaten for everyone...including lil miss picky, Freya Marie! Now...to get them to do this...WITHOUT lap feeding! (insert eye roll here) I am gonna be my biggest challenge with that...I hate watching them not eat, it stresses me out and I am pretty stressed already, but I don't have the time to keep continually lap feeding... I couldn't really detect a difference between full fert and empty fert (pre- and post- feeding)...except maybe the belly is a little less squooshy?
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Post by Heather on Feb 15, 2012 18:18:36 GMT -5
I"m thinking that maybe your fuzzes are feeling rather full anyway. Unlike kibble fuzzes raw fuzzes have a full feeling belly, it takes a little more soft squishing to get what you're looking for....don't squeeze though. If you leave your hand basically cupped and run it down their abdomen you should be able to feel their full bellies when they've eaten. I tried dropping a meal out of Atreyu's feeding regime and just leaving it in his cage...nothing I went in and opened the cage door and had him sit in the cage (me sitting on the floor, so I'm not snuggling or touching) and spoon feeding him, making sure that the food in the spoon stayed close to the bowl (in the bowl). I also didn't push it when he gave up, just closed up the door and turned the lights off...so I'm hoping that he will get the idea that he can go to the bowl anytime and munch. Hopefully Sounds like you're wee ones are certainly enjoying their dinners while you hold them...Atreyu's the same way....eats like a little pig when he's snuggled on my lap, sleeps if he's left in the cage . That's great that you've weaned them off the freeze dried. 100% raw feeding that's great....now we have to find the trick to get them to munch on their own ciao
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2012 9:23:58 GMT -5
EXCELLENT news!! When I went to my boyfriend's house last night I left all three furkids nomming down on soupies in their cage!! When I got home this morning, Freya and Marley had 100% empty bowls, and Soxx's bowl was about 50% empty! Now I can't say for sure that Freya ate all of hers, Marley all of his, etc....but since I left them chowing down on their respective bowls I'm going to guess and say that they ate their own So I'm off to work now and am leaving a bit more in their bowls than I did last night (I gave them a good supper, then bedtime soupies was about 1/2 their normal serving size 'cos they hadn't been eating it there). I'll let you know if they chow down solo again! AND! AND! AND!!! My order from HareToday should arrive today!
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Post by Heather on Feb 16, 2012 12:27:14 GMT -5
Great news...sounds like your little ones have decided to move on. Sometimes...it's just time that's needed................and a bit of a push ;D ciao
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2012 18:11:15 GMT -5
Well..maybe they've come around...maybe not...they didn't touch what I left them in their cage during the day, and had no interest in what I offered them around 4:30. I just fed Soxx -- started on my lap, then moved him next to me, where he kept eating for a minute then ran off. Marley ate down to the chunks solo, then ran off. Freya snubbed her nose at the whole bowl...goober I've got the ground chicken/bone/heart/liver defrosting in some room temp water, along with a couple pounds of chicken chunks from last weekend, and chicken hearts. If it was 2lb ground chicken, with 1 heart, how many chicken hearts do I need to add? 3 or 4? And how many livers? 2? Since the bone is ground in with it, do I need to add eggshell?
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Post by Heather on Feb 16, 2012 22:23:44 GMT -5
Maybe they weren't hungry? They ate very well in the morning right? One thing you're probably going to find is that there is going to be one meal they are famished and another not so much. Unfortunately, the time you decide that they don't need as much at one meal is the time they decide they need both meals or eat the night one instead of the morning one...they are ferrets after all Ok, you don't need to add the egg shell as there is bone already ground in....that's actually better for them. Hearts...2 lbs--chicken hearts?--I would use about 6 (freezing messes up the taurine levels) I feed heart high so I would say a minimum of 4 or 5, optimum 6 or 7. Liver...I would use 2 or 3. ciao
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2012 7:23:29 GMT -5
Ok - I will do 6 or 7 hearts, I certainly have plenty now (4lb!! Altho only a chunk is being defrosted, the rest is frozen. ;D ). They all tucked in and ate a bit last night when I put them to bed, not too keen on soupies this morning but I spoon-fed a bit. To my surprise Soxx gets the award this morning for eating the best solo!
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Post by Heather on Feb 17, 2012 12:29:59 GMT -5
Sounds like they're getting into this...which is good. I know that they're still not eating it comfortably but they're eating and for the most part eating well. Great job ciao
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2012 18:08:44 GMT -5
So! I made up fresh soupies tonight...most everything I needed finally thawed...except for a couple pounds of meat which are still thawing out, but I need more icecube trays before I can make more! ANYWAY~ when I finished making the soupies I fed the kids in their cage. I put them in front of their dish, got them to lick it a couple times, then closed the doors and left the room (and made MY supper ;D ). They were all tucking into it pretty well when I left, and when I came back, all three bowls were pretty much licked clean Instead of feeding them right when I got home from work (about 6 hrs after being fed this A.M.) I waited a little while longer, until it'd been around 9 hours. Do you think I should start to spread the feedings out a little bit to encourage them to eat it? It would be nice to cut back on waste, I throw A LOT away, and they seem to eat more every other time I feed them or so. I think leaving the room helps too, I'm not distracting them, and they can't try to tug my heartstrings by laying next to their foodbowl with puppy dog eyes....lil boogers ;D I gave them all snuggles when I let them out, and gave lil rib/belly massages. I *think* I detected a difference -- their wee bellies felt a bit bigger. Freya's DEFINITELY felt different/bigger/"full", I am just about 100% she ate her entire bowl Then we had a whole-business cuddle, all three ferts in mom's arms...they are getting so fat I can hardly hold them all at the same time! Now they are raising heck in my room ;D I hear lots of dooking!
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Post by Heather on Feb 17, 2012 18:31:39 GMT -5
;D ;D ;D ;D Sounds like a good day Sounds like your guys are all full and happy. That's a very good thing. One thing to remember, not that it helps...but....the more stressed you are the less likely they're going to eat. I don't know why that is but it is. So the more stressed you get about them eating their food the less likely they are to eat it. I'm glad you can feel the difference, it's much easier to feel a full raw fed ferret (because they will actually eat a meal until they're full, it doesn't swell up afterwards). This will help you when they're feeling ill and other times when you don't know which fuzz is or isn't eating. Good job. ciao
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2012 19:55:12 GMT -5
I have been feeling better lately So that is probably helping them as well. I haven't felt like yelling "EAT YOUR SOUPIES D@#&%^&!!!" or felt like saying "FINE! I GIVE UP!" lately ;D I also realized...I have been neglecting dental care Since it seems like it might be quite awhile til they are eating bone-in meat......what should I do for their teethies? Freya and Marley like nbones but Soxx could care less. And umm...I don't think they'd appreciate me brushing their teethies too much
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