# please help, ferret refusing to eat!



## llama_girl (Jul 6, 2008)

one of my ferrets had started loosing a bit of weight so i decided it was best to feed seperatly...but he wont eat! :-(

fed his some cheap mince yesterday which he would eat out of my hand but not touch in his dish. but he wouldn't touch his kibble and when i've put a chick in for him today he just takes it to the back and puts it in a nice little pile :-( how good is mince for him as more than a treat? i need him to eat but don't want to be doing more harm than good.

i'm off to the shops for things to put in 'duck soup' any one got a good recipe please?

any ideas why he has stopped eating? could he have gone off the kibble we buy or might he be being bullied by our newer two?

i'm ever so worried about him! he is still him usual self, active, good temperament...but obv. if he isn't eating in the next day or so it's time for the vets. but just wondered if anyone had any advice of what i can do.


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

i have now perfected my duck soup......

4 chicken wings
2 cups of kibble
olive oil
ferrevite
1 cup bran flakes

boil the wings for 20 mins remove chicken from bone 
poor the water from the pan you boiled the wings in into a blender add the 2 cups of kibble and 1 cup bran flakes
3 table spoons of olive oil
2 table spoons of ferrevite
blend until its a nice sloppy stinky mess

serve luke warm

This can be frozen on the day of making and defrosted in microwave

Just a couple of things have you checked his teeth and throat.... he could have a cold or something stuck

good luck keep us informed

xxxx

ps avoid sniffing duck soup it stinks real bad!!!!!!!


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

Mine sometimes eat mince as a stable diet the odd week out of the month.

I vary between steaks,beef mince, chicken legs and wings and once i gave them liver but they wouldnt touch it. They also get biscuits on a daily basis.
if hes not eating and wont take anything i would make an appointment at the vets ASAP because ferrets can go downhill very quickly due to their high metabolic rate.

Marina


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## llama_girl (Jul 6, 2008)

ahhh...brilliant! thanks loads! i looked up some recipes on the net and they all had random stuff in them like calcium tablets(ground). I will get some chicken and stuff when i go to the shops in a min...i dont mind, it's the smell if its for the little one!

i'm happy to add that he has eaten his chick, but none of his kibble...I'll get some more mince and diff kibble aswell...

Marinam2, thanks...i know which is why i was so worried!

i'm wondering if when i've put in things like chicks/mince before the others have pinched them before he ate his as he likes to hide it and eat when he's ready...but there is always kibble in the cage :s

if he still seems off by the end of today even though he's had something i'll get him to the vets


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

that recipe is fool proof every poorly ferret i have had in has loved it never turned it down so it should go down very well the bran is in the cereal isle and looks like porridge it isnt actual kellogs bran flakes...lol 

It may just be the fact that the newbies have messed up his routine and made him feel a bit down....

fingers crossed he is better soon


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

shes walking down to the shops as i type this for the bits

i know bugger all about ferrets etc, but i can see its alert, acting normal i would say, i cant see any change in behaviour in it since the months its been here, and i have seen how rodents, mammals etc can suddenly go downhill but its acting fine..

it was willing to take food from you, and now it has eaten
we defrosted a extra mouse to give it...but we cant remember where we put them to keep the next doors cat from getting them...heehee

it was a ferret seen and wandering loose for a long time, then walked into somones house.

i told LG last night, when she seperated it and brought it in, that i thought it would be better with its friend, even if it wasnt frinds with the other 2, as i thought as they are supposed to be paired etc, never single, if it stress by 2 of the others, overnight alone would be worse...and just seperate at feeding time...does that make sense?


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

if he aint flinging poop he is fine but they change may have just upset him a bit. dont seperate them for feeding etc just add more food the ferrets will soon realise the food is constant and not feel the need to fight or steal it quickly which would obviously give him a chance, if he is eating anything then its a good sign try giving a raw egg in a bowl with them all in there so they have to share, also the duck soup is sloppy and requires lapping which will also encourage sharing he will be fine if he stops eating completly then panic and run to the vets!!


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

Kylie said:


> if he aint flinging poop he is fine but they change may have just upset him a bit. dont seperate them for feeding etc just add more food the ferrets will soon realise the food is constant and not feel the need to fight or steal it quickly which would obviously give him a chance, if he is eating anything then its a good sign try giving a raw egg in a bowl with them all in there so they have to share, also the duck soup is sloppy and requires lapping which will also encourage sharing he will be fine if he stops eating completly then panic and run to the vets!!


ah, you see i know bugger all about ferrets...didnt think they were that smart..

she said yesterday she was going to make duck soup, i said great i love eating duck..and she went soddoff its for the ferrets! women! hehe

well the smell cant be as bad as ferrets!


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

oh, if i cant sleep and i go outside at 3am or what ever...i can gurantee its the 2 new ones that come out and see whats happening...the other just sleep through me stood there ******* it


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

duck soup stinks 10 times worse then ferrets imagine there biscuits hot and wet mixed with chicken and marmite smelling stuff , trust me it stinks i have all my windows when making duck soup



and by the way you are now past the point of trying to fool me i know you love then dearly!!


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

Kylie said:


> duck soup stinks 10 times worse then ferrets imagine there biscuits hot and wet mixed with chicken and marmite smelling stuff , trust me it stinks i have all my windows when making duck soup
> 
> 
> 
> and by the way you are now past the point of trying to fool me i know you love then dearly!!


nah hate em....cant stand em....and LG hasnt got proof/witnesses or recordings that last night i was worried, cuddled it, talked to it and so she says that i loved them..........see no proof what so ever!!:Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

i do believe the evidence alone is in that post you just made!!


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

is she back yet..... has your house strated to stink yet???? trust me its yuck


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

Kylie said:


> i do believe the evidence alone is in that post you just made!!


damn....er someone has hijacked my pc....this is a robot...

must admit, there........................ok :whistling2:


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

Kylie said:


> is she back yet..... has your house strated to stink yet???? trust me its yuck


just sent a sms to me, shes waking back up the big hill.....

is a nice defrosted mouse ok?


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

yup mice are fine if my snakeys dont eat i chuck it in with the ferrets and *tadah* demolished in 30 seconds......you found them now then wheres your hiding place i will remember for next time you forget lol


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## llama_girl (Jul 6, 2008)

im back...got bran flakes lol!! had left before you made that post...! ooops!! 
not started yet lol...will it be ok without the bran for this batch?
he has visably lost some weight which is why i'm so worried.
ok...i will put it in a dish for them all to share so the naughty new ones can learn to share better!
i also asked the pet shop if they can get hold off a dif type of kibble for me...its worth a try!
yeah he found the mice...they were on a high shelf in the front room.

he told one of the fuzzits he loved her then when he noticed i was stood listening tried to make me promise not to tell anyone


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

llama_girl said:


> im back...got bran flakes lol!! had left before you made that post...! ooops!!
> not started yet lol...will it be ok without the bran for this batch?
> he has visably lost some weight which is why i'm so worried.
> ok...i will put it in a dish for them all to share so the naughty new ones can learn to share better!
> ...


 
it will be fine without it just bulks it up a bit, glad he is loving them

try giveing cat milk 2-3 times a week that helps put on weight, and raw beef of any kind the cheaper fattier stuff is best 

leaving work now let me know how things go

kylie


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## llama_girl (Jul 6, 2008)

Kylie said:


> it will be fine without it just bulks it up a bit, glad he is loving them
> 
> try giveing cat milk 2-3 times a week that helps put on weight, and raw beef of any kind the cheaper fattier stuff is best
> 
> ...


good stuff...picked up some minced beef and some cat milk whilst at the shops 
i had to explain to the bloke in the butchers 'coz he looked at me funny when i asked for mince and was asked if i wante dthe best and i replied, no i'd like the worst lol! I think he thought i was being sarcastic at first!


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## llama_girl (Jul 6, 2008)

do i puree the chicken or just mix in the pieces to the rest of the mush? lol


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

llama_girl said:


> do i puree the chicken or just mix in the pieces to the rest of the mush? lol


bloomin ferrets..eating better than me!:whistling2::notworthy:


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

add it to the blender so its all one mush


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

Kylie said:


> add it to the blender so its all one mush


you should have mentioned holding the blender lid on hahahhahahahhahahhahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

comon sense tells you that..................................... :whistling2:


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

Kylie said:


> comon sense tells you that..................................... :whistling2:


i just heard a scream! mind you, it was pretty hot though shes lucky


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

oh no lol thta did make me chuckle is she ok?


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

Kylie said:


> oh no lol thta did make me chuckle is she ok?


smelly:lol2:

she didnt make a fuss and i didnt know it was hot until i showed her how to do it, otherwise i wouldnt have laughed....but shes ok, and it was funny!


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

i said it smelt bless her well lets hope he likes it i know he will and it will get his appetite back up a running have a lovely evening will check back mora

kylie
xxx


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

Kylie said:


> i said it smelt bless her well lets hope he likes it i know he will and it will get his appetite back up a running have a lovely evening will check back mora
> 
> kylie
> xxx


ok will tell her....once she opens a window or 2 
nighty!


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

llama_girl said:


> good stuff...picked up some minced beef and some cat milk whilst at the shops
> i had to explain to the bloke in the butchers 'coz he looked at me funny when i asked for mince and was asked if i wante dthe best and i replied, no i'd like the worst lol! I think he thought i was being sarcastic at first!


 :lol2: that made me laugh im sure that was one puzzled butcher


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## llama_girl (Jul 6, 2008)

thanks loads for all the advice...put some 'duck soup' in last night and they've scoffed the lot! also put in some cat milk today which they all shared nicely :flrt: also when i checked this morning and woke them all up i watched Charlie eat some kibble so im not worried so much any more! just keeping an eye on him.
And yes it smells as bad as you said it would...:lol2:


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

oh good i am pleased!!

glad your happier now
xxxx


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