my skinny ferrett

Question
well my Noel is about 2 yrs old. She is a happy an use to look helathy. But i had to move an i had no room to take her with me so I let her stay at my mother's friends house an I just got her back for a weekend an she is so skinny an is unhappy an not so playful. i got no idea how to get her to her happy helathly self. what should I do. O and i took food over to ware she was staying an i guess she was being fed. I just want how i can have my happy little noel back. what should I do? please help.

Jamie

Answer
Hi Jamie:

The best thing you can do is spend LOTS of time playing with Noel - she thought you had given her away and she obviously started mourning your loss!  I bet she didn't eat the whole time she was away :-(   It's very sad and many people don't know it, but when they give their ferrets away, the ferret often dies because they stop eating and just wish themselves dead without their previous owner, especially if they were very loved and well taken care of.

So, the best thing you can do is make her some soup (get some Hill's A/D from the vet, scoop out a tablespoon or two and warm in the micro for about 10 seconds and add a tablespoon or so of water until it is the thickness of gravy; then dip your finger in it when the temperature is just nice and warm, and touch it on her nose/inside her mouth to make her lick it off. Keep doing that until she keeps licking it and she should eat at least 1/2 to one can a day for a few days and she will pick that weight back up and enjoy the extra attention from you too.  Be sure to refrigerate any leftovers to use next feeding and feed 4 or 5 times a day for a few days.

Another good thing to do is to hold her on your chest and just snuggle her close and hum or sing to her to calm her down in a quiet room. Talk quietly to her and let her know you will never leave her and tell her how much you love her. Stroke her gently and give her lots of kisses. Do this daily several times a day and her appetite should pick up. If it doesn't you will need to get her to a vet to get her back on track.

Here's how to check if you need to get her to a vet:   Pinch up the skin on the back of her neck - does it stay tented up? or does it snap back down flat?  If it stays up, she probably needs fluids from the vet to get back on track. If it snaps back down, you can probably just give her the A/D "soup" above for a day or two to get her back eating again. LOTS AND LOTS OF LOVE will do wonders for this little one.  If it doesn't, please get her to a vet....if you wait too late, you could lose her.  Hopefully she will eat for you. If you can't get the A/D. try baby food chicken (meat only) warmed in the microwave and fed on your finger same as above - it's basically the same but the A/D  has more nutrients in it for her. Letting her lick it from your finger will help assure her that you are there and love her.

Best of luck - kisses for that little girl!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers