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Post by kikimama on Jul 26, 2012 9:43:30 GMT -5
I can't get chicks here so I got them embryo eggs. They are human grade. Its a 1/2 to 3/4 developed chick still inside the shell. They went nuts over it. I will get them some goat them to add another bone and meat to their menu. Kodo is 2.0 (She has great muscle tone, you cant feel her ribs anymore, play and cuddles time are wonderful) Podo is 3.4 lbs (So full and firm looking. His coat is out of this world and he plays and cuddles. I have never had a ferret look this good.) Monday: Chicken breast with bone halved/ liver Tuesday: Chicken wing/ground pork with egg shell Wednesday: Turkey thigh bone in/duck wing Thursday:Home made chicken meal( chicken breast,egg shell,bone meal)/ground heart with 1/4 chicken breast and their oil.(Still getting there) Friday: Chicken wing/turkey neck with diced turkey meat Saturday: Turkey leg/pork pieces with bone edge Sunday; Chicken wing and cracked raw egg/chicken gizzards with their oil I will get them some goats meat today and add it to their menu. I so can wait to get to the city so I can have prey for them. Kodo side view Side view
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Post by Sherry on Jul 26, 2012 10:19:35 GMT -5
Wow! They are looking FANTASTIC! They presently have 3 proteins, and a 4th being introduced. That's the basics. Obviously more is better, but they are good with that if you can't get more right now. Okay, how are they with the turkey thigh bone, pork bone and the duck wing? By that I mean how much of the bone are they actually able to eat? Otherwise, I count 4 good heavy consumable bone meals(chicken wing and turkey neck), 2 very light bone meals(chicken breast), and 2 bone substitutions(egg shell and bone meal). Also, how much liver are they getting each? Should be about 2oz each of liver. Also keep looking to see if you can find another organ(kidney, lung, etc). Keep working on the heart with them as well until they are eating at least one meal of heart a week.
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Post by kikimama on Jul 26, 2012 14:08:12 GMT -5
With the Duck and chicken wings I can get for them they are eating all but a few little pieces of bone left over, but it is completely striped of any meat, muscle or fat plus the end has been broken. I have been giving them the bone out a pork roast that has been cut to expose the inside of the bone. There`s about 3oz of meat on each bone. That bone is left but there is no marrow left and the bone is striped clean. With the embryo eggs there was nothing left but clean shell, the chick and all its goodness was gone. Now would that count as a complete meal or should it just be a treat? Now that I know they can have goat I can get the stewing/soup goat meat. There is bone and meat together. With the liver they are eating about 2 oz cut up. I have to put their oil on it but they will eat it in cut up pieces. As for the heart I have to mince it add 1\2 oz of chicken breast and their oil from them to eat it at all. I have been cutting back on the chicken breast and on the oil but Podo is smart. He looks at it smells it sneezes then looks at me as if ..."wheres the really food Mom" lol Kodo she just eats it . Her bowl is gone and she's after his,(where she would put it I have no idea her tummy is so full and round) then its one and he will eat it. They are quite the pair.
Again thank you for helping with all of this. I am so happy that they are big full and happy.
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Post by Sherry on Jul 26, 2012 17:36:52 GMT -5
Wow! I'm amazed they can eat the duck wing! Bonus ;D Okay, that's 5 heavy bone meals then. What they need is at least 6 heavy bone meals for the calcium they desperately need, especially kits. Can you substitute either the turkey thigh or drumstick for a bone they can eat? Also they will ultimately need 8-9 consumable bone meals a week, which means you'll need to include other bone to replace the eggshell and bone meal. If they can eat duck wing, no reason they shouldn't be able to consume a chicken thigh or drumstick. Keep working at the heart Here are a couple of sample menus to give you an idea of what I'm talking about: Saturday AM duck necks Saturday PM lamb tongue (3oz) & goat kidney (2.5 oz) mixed w/CR turkey Sunday AM chicken wings Sunday PM lamb heart Monday AM pork chops Monday PM lamb heart (2 oz), goat & veal kidney (2oz), 1 cgh gizzard, mixed w/CR turkey Tuesday AM kidney (2oz) and tongue, mixed w/CR turkey Tuesday PM CGH Bone-in Wednesday AM duck necks Wednesday PM CGH bone-in Thursday AM liver (2oz per ferret), CGH & lamb Thursday PM chicken wings Friday AM CGH bone-in Friday PM chicken wings ******************* Sunday: AM ¼ Cornish hen (bone) PM chicken heart (organ) Monday: AM chicken breast (bone) PM pork chunks (boneless) Tuesday: AM quail (bone) PM ¼ Cornish hen (bone) Wednesday: AM chicken neck (bone) PM liver/uterus (organ) Thursday: AM pork chunks (boneless) PM chicken neck (bone) Friday: AM quail (bone) PM chicken breast (bone) Saturday: AM chicken heart (organ) PM pork chunks (boneless) ********************** Monday: 1 large adult mouse and 1/2 a chicken breast and half a chicken wing with a good sliver of turkey heart Tue: 1 6 week quail half and ground pheasant whole ( about 2-3 oz) wed: med GP half and half a pheasant breast Thurs: chick treat with rabbit breast and rib bone, sliver of heart and liver Friday: 8 week quail ( about half) and a chicken neck and chicken heart sliver Sat:Chicken thigh smashed bone, pheasant kidney and pheasant liver slivers Sun: Quail whole with no feathers and turkey breast halves and some save rabbit brain
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Post by Sherry on Jul 26, 2012 17:38:21 GMT -5
Oh, almost forgot ;D The eggs would be a once a week treat Neither eggs nor chicks should be more than weekly. Eggs because they'll make for funky poops, and chicks because of lack of nutrition.
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Post by kikimama on Aug 1, 2012 16:48:54 GMT -5
Sorry I am still feeding them well. I've been away looking for houses. I am in Edmonton so I will get them some mice andouille for the other goodies you gave mentioned.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 1, 2012 18:40:03 GMT -5
How are they doing with the heart and organ meats, and have you been able to increase the bone in their diet?
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Post by kikimama on Aug 1, 2012 18:42:05 GMT -5
The duck they are getting are duck wings. They have been eating them since that is the only duck we can get for them. I will send you a photo of before and after so you can see the bone they are eating.
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Post by kikimama on Aug 7, 2012 0:13:29 GMT -5
Im trying. I gave them mice on Saturday. Kodo had the tail gone in minutes and then the head was messed up soon after. Once Podo smelt what she was eating he tried to take it from her. That started a hishing contest then they were rolling aroung with each other. In the end the shared both of them. I was surprised they ate them all. Nothing left. Drumsticks...hollly crap....I put two large drum sticks in and it was like I never feed them before. The sound from them while eating the skin then you could hear the breaking of the bone and cartalidge. They ate one and a half each. Little piggies. Now I can add that to their diet. As for heart and organs -Liver they will eat but not happy about it. Heart I still have to mix with chicken skin or small pieces of chicken with their oil. Both dont like it. Funny though they ate the whole mouse and didnt need any help with the organs or heart. It was inhailed. I got some tripe too. I cut it up and gave it to them to see if they would eat it. Couple of pieces but nothing to grand. I bought them ox tail, that was big hit. I had to watch my fingers. They at the some of the bone and all of the marrow out of the tail. Its a softer bone though.
I dont know if I have enough bone in their diet yet but I will go over it again and send it to you. On our last 10 days of holidays. The ferrets have met more friends and are the hit of the campground again. lol.
Thanks for all your help, sorry I haven't been on. I will send you their weights and diet tomorrow.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 7, 2012 9:40:42 GMT -5
Gotta LOVE those food fights ;D Okay, when you get together their next menu, we'll go over it. Can't believe those little beggars are being sticklers about the heart! Might be an idea to try a full day of nothing but heart, cut in half and mixed with a bit of oil or pumpkin. I'm thinking maybe if they have to chew it they may take to it a bit better. Right now, that's about the only thing we really need to work on. You may also want to order some taurine powder until they are accepting it more readily. Have you tried beef with them yet? If so, maybe they'll take beef heart better?
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Post by kikimama on Aug 14, 2012 12:57:34 GMT -5
Ok got some pumpkin beef heart going to try that tomorrow. Here's hoping it works. They really don't like it. Gave them lamb chops this morning. It's a big time winner and they come cut just the right size too complete with bone.
Kodo is 2lbs 11 oz Podo is 3lbs 9 oz my pork chop. Last week menu was Drum stick/duck wing Goat stewing meat boned/liver Chicken thigh bone in/pork stewing meat with bone Mouse/drumstick Heart/duck wing Beef stewing pieces with bone/lamb ribs. Their menu will get better once in Edmonton. Here in cold lake it's really hard to get them choices. Everything is already frozen or really high in price. The lamb is the most in cost but it good for 9 meals each. I had to make a roast turkey and roast chicken to get the inners.
Thanks again for letting pick you brain.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 14, 2012 20:08:52 GMT -5
Okay, let me know how they do with the beef heart instead! Hopefully the brats will take to it better, since heart NEEDS to be an integral part of the diet! And if they are eating all the bone you've listed it looks fairly good. I'd still like to see a heavier concentration of bone since ferrets have very high calcium needs. Bone heavy meals would be things like wings and necks. Meals more bone than meat.
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Post by kikimama on Aug 16, 2012 14:04:07 GMT -5
I will try to get more bone in their diet. They are eating most of the bone that is given to them. I found oxen tail. They seemed to like it but I believe it is mostly cartilage not bone. There was very little left. They have lots of energy and play in them. Their coat is soft and their skin is looking good no flakes or dryness to it. Their nails grow like crazy. I have to cut them twice a week. The best thing about them now is they smell good. Very little odour.
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Post by kikimama on Aug 25, 2012 17:53:39 GMT -5
No luck on the heart. They wont eat it. I'm stuck, not even on if I put oil on it now. They lick it off and leave it. I tried to give them heart for two days in a row. I had to throw it out. So we are giving them the rest of the diet and when we get to the city I'm hoping to get them rabbit and other prey.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 25, 2012 18:00:30 GMT -5
Okay. Heart is exceedingly important. We have GOT to get them eating it. Can you puree, and add 1/2 tsp heavy(whipping) cream per ferret? Start like a new switch. As they are out playing, grab a ferret running by, dab some on the end of the nose, put them down. Grab the next ferret, dab, etc. If you keep doing this, sooner or later they will start licking it from the end of your finger, then you can start moving to a spoon, etc. Without the taurine they can get from things like heart, they will become VERY sick.
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