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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2012 2:10:00 GMT -5
Wanted to let you know I was still here (though I'm wondering if you are getting my messages on here in the first place???). Sorry I've been absent for a few days, but work has had me extra busy with extra hours and craziness. And finally today I got my first day off in over a WEEK, and naturally, I am TOTALLY sick. I NEVER get sick. But man am I in a bad way. And about to go into another 7 day stint at work with no days off BLEH! Which leads me to my update - Bandit and Pogo are doing well and probably ready to move onto chunks. They have been eating rather thick soup for over a week at about 5oz and 4oz respectively. Mischief on the other hand is not doing as well. I'm lucky to get 3oz a day in him and the only way I can I have to spoon feed him or use my finger for a while before he'll even take to the bowl. And heaven forbid he find a chunk of meat in the soup - he'll take it off somewhere to eat it but then he won't eat anymore soup for hours. I want to make him a feeding den to see if that helps, but honestly, I don't think this is the problem as we've tried makeshift feeding dens before with no better luck. But he is pottying OK and still active, so I suppose 2oz a day is enough for him? ? I WAS going to add turkey puree into their soup today but of course this d*mn SICK has me bed ridden and I wasn't able to make it to the store. SO, that will have to wait for a little while longer. Their poops are looking better - more well formed, though still small. Someone is pooping some green out, but hopefully that will pass. But of course they and their poops STINK! PHEW!!! So that being all said - do you have any pointers concerning Mischief and his lack of desire to eat??? I hope all is well with you and yours!!! Planning any new outings with the girls anytime soon???
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2012 7:47:49 GMT -5
Sorry I've been a little absent! Just started the new job so I've been busy getting trained. Anyway, are you adding any oil onto his soupies? Maybe try blending some dry kibble and sprinkling it on top of his soupies? Another possibility is adding a little kibble soup to his raw soup and see if that makes him happier! I'm actually planning a trip back home to see my sisters and family this Friday. This will be the first time they meet Nyxie so hoping all goes well! I'm sorry you're sick especially on your day off! I hope you get better soon
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2012 23:01:30 GMT -5
They all get their oil as their morning treat after they eat their morning meal. I could add it to their soup but I think it would make them sad to not have their morning oils anymore As for Mischief, I think I've discovered the best way to feed him now!!! YAY!!! I've noticed that unlike his other 2 brothers he prefers to eat 2-3 times a day ONLY. Bandit eats nice sized meals multiple times a day, Pogo likes to eat small meals multiple times a day, but Mischief prefers to eat 1.5-2oz two to three times a day. Using this method I've gotten him to eat 4oz already today! I'm glad that's figured out! Thanx for the info though. I'll keep it in mind if he starts to revert back again. I'm starting to feel a little better so the next chance I have I'm gonna get some turkey and try adding that into their soup. Also, I'm gonna try and get the soup thicker and thicker with small chunks. I don't want to go too fast since we've just gotten Pogo and Mischief to eat so well. So I see you have the job! YAY for that How is that going? Also, I hope your trip goes well. Where do you go to? Are the girlies destined for a LONG road trip hehehe! I'm sure it's gonna be great fun for everyone involved!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2012 0:27:07 GMT -5
Wooo that's great! As for making the soup chunkier, don't hesitate to backtrack if necessary. It is a part of the process I think the turkey is a great option. Just go slow and hopefully all goes well! You can also sneak some small slivers in it. Skinny pieces seems to work better than cubes. We are driving to Miami. It's about a 3 hour drive. The girls have made this trip before hehe. And yep, got the job. I do financial transcription. Making about minimum wage right now but as I get more skilled I have the potential to make more
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 0:50:51 GMT -5
So how was the trip??? I saw that Nyx had a bit of a hard time. How is she doing now - better I hope! I bet it was nice for you too. I miss my family terribly. I haven't seen them in almost a year (that's the breaks when you start a new job like I did in Jan - you simply don't get the rights to time off for a trip). OK, so I know we are kinda in a rut. We are still at soupie stage (5+weeks for Bandit and about 3 weeks for Pogo and Mischief) and cause my blender sux I don't think I can really make it any thicker than it already is - so my soup consists of about 11oz of meat and 10oz of water. So now I suppose we add slivers. I really wanted to work in another protein before jumping to this step though since rabbit is SO expensive. We already have to butcher about 5 rabbits a week for just soup! Last week I was sick, and this week Pogo is sick, so again, we are stuck. Until Pogo gets better I don't think he will accept any thicker soup or a new protein (His is the Slime/Blood stool thread - long story short, Pogo had slime stool for a few days that started getting blood in it. He got lethargic, ONLY slept, and wouldn't really eat. He acted nauseous and wierd and maybe in pain. Took him to the vet today and he is on Amoxicillin for 10 days. We get a fecal back in a few days, so until then, there is no definitive diagnosis.) Anywho, I'll keep you updated on everything. My next step will be to try a new protein, and then the slivers. Hopefully we will get to this point in the next week. On another note - HOLY CRAPBALLS my boys are EATING A TON!!! So I discovered today that my measurement of their soup intake was WAY off. All this time I thought Bandit was eating about 5-6oz a day, and Pogo and Mischief about 3-4oz. In reality they are eating nearly TWICE that It would take forever to describe how I figured this all out, but needless to say, I finally actually weighed their soup today and discovered my mistake. SOOOO, Bandit REALLY has been eating about 11oz a day and Pogo and Mischief about 6-7oz. That's absolutely INSANE!!! No wonder Bandit has gained a whole pound this month! And he's eating 4oz a sitting (which I thought was 2oz). I don't see how he isn't throwing up from being so full!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2012 9:05:55 GMT -5
Hey! I'm actually still away with the fam, come back Sunday. We're doing great, fuzzies are happy and Nyxie is doing a lot better Anyway, on to your boys. I think in terms of going to the next step, slivers are the way to go. I would recommend doing them longish (1-2 inches) and skinny. Start as skinny as you can cut. You could also include some of the small rabbit bones (spine, ribs, etc). The marrow can encourage them to eat the meat if they really like the marrow. Let me know how the new meat goes and hopefully your boys will start tapering off soon. Mine always eat double the soup. Probably because it's so easy to eat lol
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2012 14:31:33 GMT -5
I know you busy, probably especially now that you were gone for a while. THought I'd do a quick check in though... HOPEFULLY, after this week we will start progressing forward with chunkier things. But of course, life had to knock us for another loop so we have been pushed back yet again. As mentioned before, I had bought some turkey to try in their soup to get the boys used to another protein (that is cheaper and more readily available), but that ended up getting wasted as right after I got really sick and couldn't handle much (and my BF is too busy usually and doesn't really know how to make the actual soup). THEN Pogo got sick and just recently got over that so I didn't want to try any new things until he got better AND he wouldn't eat ANY soup that had any form of chunkiness to it, only the liquid, so I had to water his down for a while. That being said, he is now spoiled (little weenie) and doesn't want to eat the chunkier stuff now that he is better Then, my BF was sick last week so I had a lot on my plate and didn't make it to the grocery store. THEN I was FINALLY able buy some more turkey TUesday but it is in the freezer until next week now because --- Bandit went into the vet yesterday to check up on his bladder stones (WHICH ARE MAGICALLY GONE - I thank the raw for this!!!) but they gave him too much sedation and he wouldn't wake up yesterday, even to potty initially cause he went pee all over himself and the couch POOR BABY. SO, since I was gonna make the turkey soup yesterday it got pushed back and now I'm in my major work week (I work most of my hours Friday thru Sunday) and don't want to risk Bandit getting sick when I'm not home if he has a reaction to it, and he still isn't fully 'awake' yet. BUT - on the kinda bright side my soupie batches have become rather chunky (sometimes even whole chunks of rabbit and organ get in there) and my boys are getting use to it (Bandit loves it). It's only a kinda brightside as I haven't intentionally been making the soups chunkier, my blender is doing that for me, which means it's probably about time for a new blender So ANYWHO, gonna keep going like normal for the next few days then I'll post up how the turkey goes over on my next day off! How are things with you and your girlies??? Have you taken them to school yet???
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2012 23:36:57 GMT -5
HOPEFULLY, after this week we will start progressing forward with chunkier things. But of course, life had to knock us for another loop so we have been pushed back yet again. Oh I've read those thread. You've been put through the ringer lately THEN I was FINALLY able buy some more turkey TUesday but it is in the freezer until next week now because --- Bandit went into the vet yesterday to check up on his bladder stones (WHICH ARE MAGICALLY GONE - I thank the raw for this!!!) but they gave him too much sedation and he wouldn't wake up yesterday, even to potty initially cause he went pee all over himself and the couch POOR BABY. Oh that is such amazing news on the stones! *YAY* BUT - on the kinda bright side my soupie batches have become rather chunky (sometimes even whole chunks of rabbit and organ get in there) and my boys are getting use to it (Bandit loves it). It's only a kinda brightside as I haven't intentionally been making the soups chunkier, my blender is doing that for me, which means it's probably about time for a new blender Well at least something good is coming from the dying blender. I'm glad the boys are adjusting well to the chunkier soup. So ANYWHO, gonna keep going like normal for the next few days then I'll post up how the turkey goes over on my next day off! Wishing you all the best luck! I think it will go rather smoothly. Don't be afraid to do a mix of rabbit and turkey if they seem hesitant to try just turkey alone. Or make use of any favorite oils/treats How are things with you and your girlies??? Have you taken them to school yet??? Things are going well Trying to catch up with life after an extended vacation from it lol. Its hard getting back into the swing of things. All the girlies are doing great, enjoying the cool weather!!! Getting ready for halloween and costume shopping Do you have any plans for halloween? Haven't brought them to school yet, trying to catch up on school work and learn to balance my new job at the same time. lol soon though!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2012 15:05:40 GMT -5
WOW, I didn't realize how long it's been since we've been on here. We have yet again been dealing with crazy stuff here and I've lost track of time. I'm sorry Between my BF having serious issues with his asthma and having to visit the doc a lot and try all kinds of meds and yet ANOTHER appliance going out and having to be replaced (yeah, our A/C unit for a whooping $5000 - as if we even HAVE this kind of money to spend right now), AAAANNNNDDD our adopting a new baby - we have been REALLY busy these last few weeks. For a quicky update - I still haven't tried the turkey (which is now in the freezer) but as the boys are starting to eat less we are down to about $40 a week on food, which is still high but not NEARLY as much as it was, and we have really gotten the hang of the rabbit soup, SO for now we are just trying to get them to eat chunks of rabbit. We will be trying a new protein, just not yet. Our blender is slowly dying so I am now finding actual chunks of meat and organ amongst the soupy. Bandit is doing pretty well with this though sometimes he will pull them out and stash them somewhere. He also will eat rabbit slivers easily. But of course Pogo and Mischief are different stories. If Mischief is hungry enough he will eat all the soup with no problem. If he isn't that hungry he will eat the more soupy soup and stash the chunks. I would normally just try to make him hungrier but he has gone as long as 16 hours (pretty frequently) without eating so it worries me a little to make him go much longer without food. Pogo simply doesn't want to eat anything that isn't liquified, so if the soup is simply too thick he just won't eat! Questions - Pogo: How do I make him want to eat chunkier soup so he will move to chunks? Mischief: How do I get him to eat enough? He shifts from days of eating readily to days of hardly eating at all. Because of this I have an issue trying to move him to chunkier soup much less chunks as he won't eat to begin with. Bandit has now been on soup for 2 months, Pogo and Mischief for 5-6 weeks. I feel like we are in a rut and I really want my boys to move on in their switch, but I just don't know how to progress from here. Do I make my boys so hungry they will have to eat the chunks, cause that makes me a little nervous since this could be up to 24 hours without food in some cases? UPDATE - as you've read we've brought a new lil boy into our business He STILL hasn't told us his name so for now he is just 'lil one'. He is around 1.5-2yo and is adrenal. He's already had his adrenal surgery so we are simply watching him cloesly for adrenal symptoms to pop up to let us know we need to take the next step in his care. He has been with us for 5 days now and is still in quarantine. I'm no longer worried about health issues with introductions but he is a bad biter and I'm pretty sure has never experienced other ferrets before so I'm a little concerned about the impending intros. As for the good news - HE ATE SOUPIE TODAY With only a few tried he licked soupie off my finger, then today he ate almost an ounce pretty readily! This is really awesome for him as we CAN NOT have kibble out in the house because of Bandit's issues, so now he will be able to have his intros sooner than expected! I will be trying soupie during the days and leaving kibble in the cage while we are at work and at night for now (times when the cage will be closed up and unaccessible to my other boys), but hopefully he will take to the soupie easily enough that we can ditch the kibble in a week or so. Any thoughts here??? Sorry I missed your halloween stuff. I hope it was all fun. Did you dress the girls up??? How are you getting along with your new job?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2012 13:34:00 GMT -5
Yeah, so I think I'm going to have to re-blend this batch of soupie (which yields 8 actual batches). Between my blender going down hill and my rushing making the soup a couple of days ago the soup is WAY chunky, like nice size chunks of whole meat and organs kinda chunky. My boys just won't touch the chunks and haven't been eating nearly enough because of it these past couple of days. This just sux cause I'm gonna have to redo each batch individually as I thaw them out, which really sux for the newbie being quarantined in the kitchen. He is the reason I rushed making the soupie - because the blender scared him to death. I felt horrible scaring him like that, but it had to be done and I just rushed it without paying attention to how the soup was coming out.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2012 13:37:15 GMT -5
This also sux because my boys SHOULD be eating soup that is chunky like this by now. But instead they have become masters at eating only the wet parts of the soup and leaving the chunks sitting on the side. The little weenies Should I just leave the soup as is and hope that they will start eating it? I just worry because they are all eating about half of what they were eating last week. I am getting at least 3oz of soup in them a day but that only yields about 1.5oz of actual meat a day and that just doesn't seem like enough to me for male ferts going into winter mode. What do you think?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2012 14:43:37 GMT -5
Yep, the chunks are NOT a hit. Not even with Bandit, who normally doesn't mind chunks. I gave Bandit some lunch and I could tell he was hungry but he wouldn't eat much and every time he ran into a chunk he stashed it and stopped eating (did this several times). So I blended up 1 batch, gave him some of that, and he SNORTED it! Does this mean we are taking a step back here, or just that my boys are weenies and don't want to move to the next level?!?!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2012 3:25:34 GMT -5
I think this just means that you need to progress a little slower for them. When I was at this point with my girls (originally just Pixie and Trixie), Pixie did not want to move past soup. She, like Bandit, LOVES soup and really didn't want anything to do with chunks. What I had to do for her and Trixie is hand feed chunks. Every day I would cut of a few pieces of meat, get a towel, and sit in a chair in the ferret room. I would have my little plate of meat, plus some soup and oil, and then grab a ferret. I'd scruff Pixie or Trixie gentle and sit their butt on my lab. With my free hand I would gently push the piece of meat into her mouth. Coating the little meat slice with oil or soup also seemed to help. I did this until one day, they just started eating the chunks. It took maybe... a month of doing this. But suddenly Pixie just started eating chunks. We went up to bone in pieces fairly quickly from that point. I don't think I ever took the soup -> chunky soup -> chunks route. Rather, we went from soup -> chunks. So maybe that would be something to try. I know your time is limited, but even doing it once a day can really help speed things along. Sorry your boys are giving you such a hard time.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2012 3:32:59 GMT -5
WOW, I didn't realize how long it's been since we've been on here. We have yet again been dealing with crazy stuff here and I've lost track of time. I'm sorry Between my BF having serious issues with his asthma and having to visit the doc a lot and try all kinds of meds and yet ANOTHER appliance going out and having to be replaced (yeah, our A/C unit for a whooping $5000 - as if we even HAVE this kind of money to spend right now), AAAANNNNDDD our adopting a new baby - we have been REALLY busy these last few weeks. Oh wow, you have so much going on! Congrats on the new baby For a quicky update - I still haven't tried the turkey (which is now in the freezer) but as the boys are starting to eat less we are down to about $40 a week on food, which is still high but not NEARLY as much as it was, and we have really gotten the hang of the rabbit soup, SO for now we are just trying to get them to eat chunks of rabbit. We will be trying a new protein, just not yet. Our blender is slowly dying so I am now finding actual chunks of meat and organ amongst the soupy. Bandit is doing pretty well with this though sometimes he will pull them out and stash them somewhere. He also will eat rabbit slivers easily. But of course Pogo and Mischief are different stories. If Mischief is hungry enough he will eat all the soup with no problem. If he isn't that hungry he will eat the more soupy soup and stash the chunks. I would normally just try to make him hungrier but he has gone as long as 16 hours (pretty frequently) without eating so it worries me a little to make him go much longer without food. Pogo simply doesn't want to eat anything that isn't liquified, so if the soup is simply too thick he just won't eat! If the are eating eventually, I think the best option would be to just hold out for them. I know it's hard, but as long as they are eventually eating and not losing weight, it should be fine. Questions - Pogo: How do I make him want to eat chunkier soup so he will move to chunks? Mischief: How do I get him to eat enough? He shifts from days of eating readily to days of hardly eating at all. Because of this I have an issue trying to move him to chunkier soup much less chunks as he won't eat to begin with. This could just be his natural eating pattern. Like I said, if he is maintaining his weight, he is likely eating enough. I would just monitor his weight and watch him a little more closely Bandit has now been on soup for 2 months, Pogo and Mischief for 5-6 weeks. I feel like we are in a rut and I really want my boys to move on in their switch, but I just don't know how to progress from here. Do I make my boys so hungry they will have to eat the chunks, cause that makes me a little nervous since this could be up to 24 hours without food in some cases? In my post before this one, I mention using the scruff and stuff method. I think this will be the next best step for you considering you have two that are not wanting to move to chunky soup. UPDATE - as you've read we've brought a new lil boy into our business He STILL hasn't told us his name so for now he is just 'lil one'. He is around 1.5-2yo and is adrenal. He's already had his adrenal surgery so we are simply watching him cloesly for adrenal symptoms to pop up to let us know we need to take the next step in his care. He has been with us for 5 days now and is still in quarantine. I'm no longer worried about health issues with introductions but he is a bad biter and I'm pretty sure has never experienced other ferrets before so I'm a little concerned about the impending intros. As for the good news - HE ATE SOUPIE TODAY With only a few tried he licked soupie off my finger, then today he ate almost an ounce pretty readily! This is really awesome for him as we CAN NOT have kibble out in the house because of Bandit's issues, so now he will be able to have his intros sooner than expected! I will be trying soupie during the days and leaving kibble in the cage while we are at work and at night for now (times when the cage will be closed up and unaccessible to my other boys), but hopefully he will take to the soupie easily enough that we can ditch the kibble in a week or so. Any thoughts here??? Oh that is just wonderful! I am so happy that you have brought him into your life. And also happy he is eating the soupy! If he is eating about 2-3 oz of soup a day, I think that would be sufficient enough to take away the kibble. Just watch for the point where he willingly eats from a bowl without your assistance. Halloween was fun No dressing up for the girls (just too busy). But I did go to two haunted houses and that was a lot of fun. And you?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 1:05:05 GMT -5
Update time... As a group, the boys are eating well again. Over the past few weeks their appetites have gradually and consistently gone downhill - I don't know if it was the supposed *bug* that passed between them all or what - but now they are eating like champs again. Actually, save for Bandit they are all eating more than they ever have (roughly 6-7 oz a day this week), and even Bandit has gotten back up to about 7oz. It makes me feel a bit better about things. They haven't really gained any weight, but they seem healthier all around. As for individuals... Bandit - still a chubster and his coat is still so soft and gorgeous! For the first month he was eating a TON (as much as 12oz a day), then these past couple of weeks he has gotten down to as low as 3.5oz a day, but is now back up to about 7oz. He seems to be feeling better than he has in a while, but he still isn't great. As you've read in other threads we are now putting him on Amoxi to see if it can help with whatever is goin on in his gut. He was eating slivers and some chunks, but has decided to revert back to soupier soup, the lil weenie. Pogo - He still has yet to shed and put on winter weight, but his coat has become quite a bit longer than his usual short and scruffy doo and it has become SO SOFT! He is also eating better (from about 2/3oz a day to now about 5/6oz a day). He did go on Amoxi as he seemed to be the *sickest* with whatever *bug* they all had, and it did help, but he is still having strange STINKY poos off and on. I will have to keep my eye on him. Mischief - Still eating erratically, but has been eating really well this past week. He also hasn't shed or gained winter weight, but I think he is going to be a sleek fert like my Emmett was yearround. His coat hasn't gotten all soft yet, but I've still got my fingers crossed. His energy level is the highest of the three boys. The Newb - He took to the soupie IMMEDIATELY and on his own started eating out of the bowl. He still likes the soupie and takes it willingly, but the problem is he simply won't eat enough. Per sitting, it takes me holding him and all but forcing a spoon down his throat to get him to even finish an ounce. He doesn't hate the stuff, he simply doesn't want to eat much of it. I have yet to be able to get 3oz a day in him. However, he does LOVE to eat soupie out of the bowls his brothers are eating from - this is SUPER cute, but kinda annoying when I'm in a hurry to get to work and this food stealing results in my other boys not wanting to eat anymore since the NEWB took over their bowl - the little weenies!!! I think I'm simply going to have to be tough and just take the kibble away cold turkey. I'll make sure I get at least 3oz in him a day no matter what, but as for making him eat more, I'm gonna need some advice. He's just odd, not like my other boys - he took to the soupie so easily and without any pushing or enticements yet he simply won't eat enough. I'm gonna put him up for the night without any kibble to see if this will help him eat more tomorrow (as long as I can finish getting the 3oz in him tonight). It still worries me though leaving him with no kibble since I don't know his health condition well - since he IS adrenal I know the chances of him also being insulinomic are higher than with other ferts, but I won't know if he is until symptoms show. But what if I make him sick by not leaving any food in his cage overnight - in which case I wouldn't know since I'd be asleep??? I would leave soup in his cage overnight, but since I plan on feeding him RIGHT before I go to bed he probably wouldn't want to eat the soupie before it went bad. THe thing for him is - I won't cage him with his new brothers until he is OFF of the kibble since I can't allow kibble anywhere near Bandit. His integration has gone SWIMINGLY so I'm not too concerned about problems between him and his brothers - just the kibble issue. Gotta say though - considering his integration really has gone so well (no fights except for Mischief and his strange Waardy play-fights AND no biting, even though he bites me and my BF all the time) I'm almost a little worried that a fight is bound to happen sooner or later. Just hope if it does I'm home and they aren't caged together. So, as we have a newbie in the switch I plan on keeping the soupie on the smoother side for at least another week or two. I'll just start leaving some rabbit aside to put into their soupy soup. ABout this - how long will rabbit meat keep in the fridge? Long enough to last a week? As for Halloween - I'm glad one of us had some fun. My BF and I ALWAYS go do SOMETHING for halloween - usually Busch Gardens or Univeral. But this year he was simply too busy with school so we missed our fav holiday Is Ok though - I ended up working but at least the boys hung out with their Dad for the night. How is the job going??? WAIT, how is the new car??? You have it right??? I haven't seen the thread on it for a while.
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