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Post by Sherry on Dec 12, 2012 13:47:03 GMT -5
Cat version. And I was thinking more along the lines if using them simply as a transition tool. That way they can start getting used to heavier textures.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2012 15:22:50 GMT -5
Gotcha. Ok, the next day I have off I'll go check the food out again. Unfortunately mischief decided to get sick today so it may be a while before I can get away from him. I'll let u know what I get.
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Post by Sherry on Dec 12, 2012 15:31:14 GMT -5
Oh no! Hopefully he's feeling better soon
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2012 22:46:58 GMT -5
Thank you. Me too. I'm not TOO worried, though I feel I should be. I think I'm just all worried out after the past year with Bandit and Emmett and Gir (DIPs). Maybe I'm just being optimistic, cause I just can't take another sick/hurt baby in such a short time. It would KILL me. The part that really sux is that I am going away next week to see my beloved family for the first time in a whole year. I WOULD be going the week of Christmas like I do EVERY year, but my job this year REFUSED to let me take off then, so I'm going next week instead. I REALLY hope this resolves itself by then or my BF may have to take the week off too while I'm gone just to watch Mischief, and right now we REALLY can't afford that. I spent $500 today for the emergency visit, blood test, xray, and meds and as it is we aren't buying any presents for anyone this year as we can't afford it. BLAH. I really do hope my poor baby is OK. He is still groggy from the sedation tonight, so we will see what tomorrow brings.
As for food stuff - so do you think we should try a new protein first, or should we just do slivers when we can first?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2012 22:51:10 GMT -5
WOW, that whole "...and we're not buying presents..." thing sounded HORRIBLE. I didn't mean it the way it sounded, just saying that ESPECIALLY this time of year we are rather low on funds. I would ALWAYS put my babies needs before stupid presents, I just feel bad that I can't do a little something for my family since I haven't seen them in SO LONG. THey are always trying to do for me and my BF, I just wish I could reciprocate. HAHAHA, I jokingly tell my family that I MYSELF am their present this year as it is costing me $300 just to get to them ;D
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Post by Sherry on Dec 12, 2012 23:08:04 GMT -5
Since slivers don't seem to go so well right now, why not try to get the ground version of whatever it is you are presently making a soup from and start adding into that to thicken it and give it some texture? Or even a close protein. As for the whole "not buying presents"- Cliff and I haven't been able to afford that for a while now ;D So I KNOW where you are coming from
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2012 23:42:05 GMT -5
hmmmm...can't say I've seen ground rabbit before. And I don't know what protein would be close. The only thing I could try would be one of the commercial grinds you mentioned. I THINK they had a rabbit version......yes, they did, but it of course was the MOST expensive tub. I think it was Radcat and it was $26 for an 8oz tub of their rabbit grind. Bleh... I wonder if I could take the rabbits to a butcher and see if they would grind them for me??? As for the slivers, they aren't opposed to them as long as they are small, it's just that the slivers wouldn't last long enough between soup making times to have some every day. Wait, I just thought of something...when my BF butchers the rabbits maybe I can have him cut out all of the *filet* parts and refreeze them. Then I should have enough to thaw 1 a day to have slivers. THis might work We are going to have to make soup again Sat or Sun so we'll give this a go. Also, I think I'll have some time tomorrow to go to that pet food warehouse - I'll see what I can find. I'll let you know tomorrow!
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Post by Sherry on Dec 13, 2012 9:42:12 GMT -5
Talk to your butcher! He may be willing to put the whole thing through a grinder for you How are they doing with heart/organs right now? If they aren't eating enough heart, using a taurine supplement may be an idea. I know you do the soup, but not sure how much heart you are adding?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2012 13:58:13 GMT -5
As for the butcher - honestly, I wouldn't use the people I buy the rabbit from as it isn't the *best* of stores, but it is the only one that offers a variety of proteins. I would have to find another butcher, which for some reason seems to be a problem around here. The best I have is a grocery store, and I don't know if they would grind up meat bought from another store. As for the heart/organs, I had originally made the soup exactly according the the recipe listed on this site (8oz meat, 2oz liver, 1oz heart, 1/2tsp bonemeal, 1tbsp pumpkin). However, a month or so ago our boys were having very *off* poops and someone (you actually ) had mentioned putting less organ meat in (by 1/4), so now we do this recipe (and I follow it directly) - 8oz meat, 1.5oz liver, .75oz heart, 1/2tsp bonemeal, 1tbsp pumpkin. THeir poopies did get a little better after the change, but they were also having some other kind of issue that Pogo needed meds for and Bandit is still fighting (we thought bacterial issues but all tests came back normal - so we don't know what was going on). In fact, all of my boys still put out REALLY stinky poops occasionally, don't know why. Is this enough organ meat? I am willing to try upping the organ meat again if you think they need it (especially being that Bandit is now on about 3 months of soup, Pogo and Mischief 2 months, and Tak 3ish weeks). I mentioned it before, but I will clarify it here - When we make soup we butcher 5 rabbits (cleaned but whole) and enough organ meat to make as much soup as the meat allows (usually 7 batches), and I use about equal parts water to *soup mixture*. I keep 2 thawed batches in the fridge as my boys go thru about 1.5 batches a day, and rotate in frozen batches as needed. We do it this way to save time and freezer space (and because my boys eat in bulk - about 32oz a day between the four ). If you see anything I need to tweak or if you have questions feel free to bombard me - I like learning
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Post by Sherry on Dec 13, 2012 14:08:49 GMT -5
Actually the proportions needed change according to the ferret. For some, 2oz each isn't enough, for others too much! If your boys seem to be doing good on what you are giving, that's fine Our biggest hurdle then is going to be texture. Have you tried ALL slivers just topped with a bit of soup, like a gravy on top?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2012 14:19:44 GMT -5
Ah, gotcha. Yeah, changing the soup per ferret would be rather difficult. I could manage it if I thought they needed it. How would I know who needs more and who needs less? What signs do they present with to indicate how much organ they each need? No, I haven't tried covering the slivers, but I have tried mixing them in the soup and sometimes they eat them, other times they don't. My boys are brats However, I do nuke their meals in the microwave as they prefer their soup warm (sometimes to the point that they won't eat the colder soup - this happens with my BF a lot as he doesn't heat it as long as I do). And sometimes when I nuke it some of the meat at the edges cook up. They don't like the cooked soup but I mix it in anyway to add some texture - it kinda resembles ground meat. Also, I have been gradually blending their soup less and less so that the soup itself is rather thick. The only problem here is that this method tends to leave small chunks of meat and organ behind and they REFUSE to eat these.
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Post by Sherry on Dec 13, 2012 14:45:13 GMT -5
Okay then! Since they are used to a ground texture you need to start warming it a bit less. Because when they are getting actual bone, it may become brittle, which is very dangerous. If you are warming it for 10 seconds, start by only doing 8-9 and so on.
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Post by Sherry on Dec 13, 2012 14:45:56 GMT -5
Get them used to lukewarm first, then we'll start doing straight slivers.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2012 14:48:28 GMT -5
Oh sorry, forgot to mention, we don't add bone into the soup, only the bonemeal. I haven't tried giving them bones yet. My BF butchers the rabbits and throws the bones/skeleton away - he only packs the strips of meat into a container for me to soupify. Now, is it dangerous to nuke the bonemeal?
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Post by Sherry on Dec 13, 2012 15:37:46 GMT -5
If it's raw bonemeal and not the powdered type, yes. The next time you do a rabbit- save the rib cage and offer that sectioned up, see what they do!
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