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Post by bitbyter on Sept 4, 2012 10:37:20 GMT -5
I'm going to be making up some ground chicken and turkey tonight. I take it when I make the grinds I should be using the same ratio of organs to meat and also include the egg shells? I'm going to freeze them in little meat balls and then break them up when adding them to the soup. Then slowly start cutting back on the soup until hopefully they are on the ground only.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 4, 2012 13:53:08 GMT -5
That sounds good. And yes, for now try to keep the same ratio.
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Post by bitbyter on Sept 4, 2012 20:00:31 GMT -5
So Wilma ate her full three ounces today and this is what Socks ate of her 3 ounces: I just gave them 2.5 ounces of soup with 2 ounces of ground chicken mixed in each. Wilma dove in as usual, Socks was hesitant (I don't know how as she must be hungry).
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Post by Sherry on Sept 4, 2012 20:13:39 GMT -5
That's not unusual for someone like Soxx to rebel a bit with a change, this time in texture. Just keep at it with her, she'll get there
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Post by bitbyter on Sept 4, 2012 20:28:24 GMT -5
No that picture was their regular soup that I gave them this morning. That's the amount that she usually eats. I just think it's not very much even if she is small. The added ground chicken is in their current evening meal.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 4, 2012 22:13:22 GMT -5
Oh, okay! Misunderstood. Their appetites will go up and down depending on the day, and on how much they've eaten previously(under normal conditions) Looks like she ate about an ounce there. If she doesn't eat with the ground in it, maybe add a bit less for the following meal. Some really have to be led by the hand(or paw) as it were.
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Post by bitbyter on Sept 5, 2012 8:25:53 GMT -5
Apparently according to some vets, ferrets are low maintenance (see other thread) and very easy to read / figure out (sarcasm). So last night I gave them soup mixed with fresh ground chicken mix (same ingredients I used for the soup). late last night / early morning they were very rambunctious waking me up twice between 3 and 4:30 am. This morning, barely an ounce was taken from one of the plates. Thinking they were probably starving I raced downstairs and made up two plates of regular soup for them. Neither one of them was interested in it. Anyhow they both have access to soup today so I guess we’ll see what they've eaten when I get home. I'm just concerned about the amounts Socks seems to be eating. I'm going to weight them both tonight but in my handling of them I think they've both put on weight. Oh, in case it wasn't clear I have pulled their kibble since Sunday evening.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 5, 2012 8:53:39 GMT -5
Sounds like they are protesting both the lack of kibble as well as the change in texture. If they still haven't eaten much, you'll have to hand feed to make certain they are getting enough in them. Like I said- two steps forward and one back
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Post by bitbyter on Sept 5, 2012 16:41:23 GMT -5
BIG SIGH OF RELIEF!! One plate was empty when I got home and the other has been half eaten so at least they haven't totally gone off their soup. I'm going to try adding some ground chicken again tonight and seeing how it goes. When I went back into the ferret room to weigh them, Socks was back at the feeding den eating more soup!! Also, they have BOTH put on weight (very happy that Socks has gained). Wilma = now 2 lbs!! (put on 4 oz, my little piggy) Socks = 1 lbs 9 oz (put on 2.2 oz)
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Post by Sherry on Sept 5, 2012 17:48:40 GMT -5
Oh, that is fantastic just add the ground slowly. Not more than about a tbsp or so for Socks just yet. As she accepts the new texture you can increase the ratio. For Wilma you can likely move a lot faster.
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Post by bitbyter on Sept 6, 2012 7:39:18 GMT -5
It amazes me how smell dependant ferrets are in identifying food. I held off feeding them last night (since about 10 pm they had no food) as I wanted them good an hungry this morning. This mornings soup was their normal mix (about 2 oz each) with 1 oz of ground chicken mixture added to each plate. I guess the ground chicken mix threw off the smell slightly as they immediately ran up to the plates and then stopped and looked very confused. They would keep running to me and back to the plates and even ran over to the empty plate with the dried remenant of the old soup on it. Socks even started eating kibble crumbs off the floor of the cage so I know they were hungry enough.
I took a bit of soup on my finger which Socks immediately licked off, I then proceeded to lead her slowly to the plate of soup / ground by letting her lick off my finger. Within a minute or so she was chowing down on the new mix. I had to do the same thing with Wilma even after she was standing right next to Socks watching her eat. It's almost as if I had to instruct them with my finger that this new smell was something they could eat.
You'd think that the new mix would be fine since it's on the same plates, in the feeding dens at approximately the same time but they seem totally dependant on smell when it comes to food. Visual information must be very secondary when it comes to determining what is edible in their minds.
If you agree that this is the case. I think I might make up a mouse soup with the mice I have from Rodent Pro in the freezer to get them used to that protein source sooner rather than later.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 6, 2012 8:28:12 GMT -5
Again, it varies by ferret ;D I've had some who would start eating the new mix, but as soon as they got a different texture they'd stop. Give the mice a shot! It's the only way you'll know. Although since the smell is so drastically different it may be a new switch all over again. Then again- it may not ;D Whatever- now they recognize the soup with ground as food, so keep working on that also. Every couple of meals, increase the ratio of ground to puree until it's all wet ground, then start with a few actual meat slivers mixed into the ground.
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Post by bitbyter on Sept 6, 2012 9:13:39 GMT -5
Yeah I figure from their reactions I might have to start from the very beginning with the mice which is why I thought soon rather than later would be better since I have them in the freezer.
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Post by bitbyter on Sept 7, 2012 7:51:51 GMT -5
Moring Sherry,
You should warn people that the switch to RAW / Whole Prey is a gaurenteed way to add grey hairs, increase blood pressure and stress.
So my last post above where I switched to a new batch of soup. They really didn't eat any of it. When I can home maaaybe 1/2 oz to an oz has been taken off of each plate. I quickly made up new plates with barely any ground in it (approximately 1/2 oz each) and put the plates in the cage for them. They wouldn't touch it. I left them in the cage overnight with it figuring if they were hungry enough they'd eat. This morning they hadn't even touched it.
That's a full 24 hrs since they last ate anything of a significant amount. When on RAW how long can they safely go without eating? I've noticed that they really only seem to be polishing off every other feeding (even) and I'm throwing out most of the (odd) feedings.
Anyhow this morning I put two new plates down and they hoovered into them. This is the new soup batch mixed a little thicker than normal but with no ground in it. I stuck around this time to make sure they were eating. Socks ate half her plate and as usual Wilma ate 90% hers and will probably finish her's off before I get home. I was relieved by this as I was worried that there was something about the new batch of soup they didn't like.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 7, 2012 8:47:32 GMT -5
They've decided to drag their heels Okay. Frankly I'm not overly worried when they miss a meal. But not two in a row. Odds are it's not going to do much harm, though. Wild weasels don't always catch food every day. Since they are only eating one larger meal a day, cut the second in half for them. Less waste that way. And you can likely cut Sock's food amount as well, since she seems to need less. This is the time you find out approx how much you need to put out for each, so experiment with it. Since they ARE digging in their heels, give them their normal puree, but only put about a tsp of the ground in, mixed well. If they take that, increase to 2 tsp for the next day. Do the increases for the meal they eat the most at.
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