Hand-fed ferret wont eat kibble now

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I rescued a male ferret (Kosmo) about 3 months ago, he is about 2 years old,lived his life in a cage. When I got him they gave me a box of his normal food, when that got low I couldn't find that food any where, I searched high and low, so not thinking too much about it, I bought another food that seemed to have all the ingredients that a ferret needs, well you guessed it--he wouldn't touch it. I researched online and made him a "duck" soup that I have to force feed him with a syringe, I was up every 2-3 hours around the clock for the first week. I took him to a vet, she examined him, drew blood and deemed him healthy, no dehydration, enough fat on his body,no obstructions, lab work all normal. She thought that he may have a little stomach problem so gave him Amoxicillin,Flagyl and pepto bismol.I gave him that for ten days. Prior to the vet,I ended up calling the company that made his food and ordering a case of it for him, took 1 1/2 weeks to get it. So I thought we were in business at last but he will not touch his old food either. We are going on 4 weeks with me force feeding him, I have tried to introduce about 15 different ferret and kitten kibbles and he doesn't like any of them. The only way I can get him to eat is mix up the "duck" soup, I use Pedialyte,Ensure,Science AD and Chicken baby food and blend it up for him, warm in microwave. He eats well as long as I feed him but he will not eat if I just put the bowl down on the floor or in his cage. Bowl movements normal, he pees OK. I just don't know what else to do. I love the little fella but at this point I am ready to give him back. I spoke with lady at the ferret rescue and she said he could be depressed or need a playmate, I spend a lot of time playing with him and he is allowed the run of the house, he has a hammock, tunnels, huts and some other toys. I drag him around on a towel which he loves. I met a lady who has ten ferrets and exposed him briefly to them to see if maybe a playmate was in order and all he would do is hide and screech at the other ferrets. My daughter has a ferret (Emma) and hers will eat any thing, Kosmo didn't want to play with Emma either when she came to visit. I want to him to eat kibble again, I worry that he is not getting enough food because now he only comes out 3-4 times a day to be fed. What can I do?

ANSWER: Hi Pam:

What a lucky little guy this ferret is to have such a sweet, loving mommy!  It sounds like he has not had a very good life before coming to you and he is truly enjoying you fussing over him, preparing him something 'special', etc.  Ferrets are very intelligent, emotional little creatures and he is just enjoying being loved right now - he probably has not every had anyone love him this much before, so there is a psychological aspect to this eating problem.  When you feed him, you are also telling him "I love you and will take care of you" and he is surrendering himself to that love (just as a baby would with its mother) by eating the food you offer, even tho it's not what he would normally recognize as food.

Ferrets "imprint" on their food at a very early age. If they are only exposed to one brand of food, they will only recognize that as "food".  A ferret can literally starve himself with a bowl of a different brand of food right in the cage because he just does not recognize the new smell as being food. Your daughter's ferret was obviously exposed to different foods/tastes early in life, so he is flexible in what he accepts. This is why we always recommend folks feed their ferret a mixture of AT LEAST two different premium ferret foods, so that if one company changes their formula, the ferret will still have something to eat until he accepts the new food. Several years ago Iams Kitten kibble (in the purple bag - a good second food to add to what you have) was changed and we had ferret moms all over the place panicking because suddenly their kids wouldn't eat it. So, even tho you have his 'usual' food, I hope you will consider getting a bag of another food (AFTER he is used to his kibble again), then mix them together to store before using,so the smells mingle.

It is also an excellent idea for ALL ferret parents to give their kids "soup" fairly often so they have something their kids will recognize as food when they are ill and need soft food. So, the food you've been feeding him is a great 'soup' for him and may, someday actually save his life.  At some point in any ferret's lifetime, there will probably be a need for 'soup', so it is best to get all of them used to it - and STAY familiar with it - before there is a need; introducing a new food can be quite stressful for a ferret - just as you say, he still won't eat on his own. You may even want to try an easier "soup" that I use with my kids: A tablespoon of A/D and a bit of water, microwave about 8 seconds, stir until it is a gravy consistency and just above lukewarm (their body temperature is about 103 degrees, so they like their food and their bath water very warm). This makes it easy - I just keep half dozen cans of A/D in the cabinet and give a bit every night before bed; everybody goes to sleep with a tummy full of warm soup. :-)  I recommend that once we do get him off this and back onto his kibble, that you make some sort of 'soup' (just A/D and water warmed is fine) for him maybe once a week and watch him accept it as a treat :-) My kids hated it at first, but before the first week was over, they stand in line to wait for warm soupies! Most ferret moms do feed their kids soup regularly just to keep them used to eating it - and the kids love it and look forward to it once they get the idea. The easier it is for you to make, the more likely it is that you will give it often - A/D has absolutely everything in it that your ferret needs.

The treatment your vet had Kosmo on was in case he had a helicobacter infection - or commonly called an ulcer. Since he has completed the treatment, we know he there is no physical reason he can't eat kibble; so you have that in your favor and you should proceed with the change as soon as possible and move thru the different phases as quickly as he will allow you to.  You do NOT, however want him to go more than 24 hours without eating.  This is really pushing the limit.  However, if you set that number lower, he can easily hold out and WILL wait for the soup and handfeedings...so, we need to start making changes!

First, you need to know that this is not something he is purposely "doing" to you; however, that doesn't mean that he is not enjoying the special attention and love he has been receiving!  Several things are going on here that are obviously working FOR him, but AGAINST you. Because he loves you, he has trusted you to prepare this "soup" for him and probably has become used to it at this point, possibly even forgetting about his first 'food', which would explain why he didn't jump in and eat it when it was offered to him....and he may already have had a full belly!

First, I would cut out the A/D and replace it with kibble that has been ground up into powder in your blender. You will probably have to use more pedialyte or Ensure to make up for the drier ingredient. Feed this for a couple of days, then eliminate the baby food and increase the ground up kibble.  Feed this for a few days. I think you get the idea....

Now you are down to his kibble, Ensure and Pedialyte.  Eliminate one of the liquids and feed ONLY his ground up kibble and the liquid you chose to keep. Also, each time grind the kibble less and less, so that eventually you are feeding nearly full size kibbles with just a little Pedialyte on them to soften them. At this point, each day put less and less fluid until he is down to ONLY his kibble.

It does take a while, when done properly. You may be surprised. At some point, he may suddenly recognize his kibble and eat it willingly - if he does this then just speed up the process as much as he will allow....he may just go straight for full, dry kibble some day and surprise you! (let's hope so)

I do know people who are not successful in accomplishing this and they end up handfeeding their ferrets for the rest of its life.  It doesn't sound like you want to do that, and I believe if you will slowly change the ingredients, eventually he will be eating hard kibble and not even know a change has been made.  On the other hand, he may shut down and not want to eat. A ferret can actually starve itself if they don't recognize what they are offered as food!  So, you will have to monitor him and be sure he isn't losing weight - he MAY lose a little; just don't let him lose a lot.   Ideally, we would like to get it down to a point where you can just make the 'soup' as a treat for him maybe once a week so he remembers what it is just in case he gets sick - you won't have to handfeed as such, but mine do appreciate being held and getting a bit of one-on-one attention while they eat from a little custard cup.

You don't say what his original food was. Hopefully it was a premium ferret food such as Totally Ferret, Path Valley Farms chicken flavor, Marshalls...?  Just about any ferret food EXCEPT Kaytee products. Kaytee Fiesta is downright dangerous for them.  Ferrets are 'obligate carnivores' (meat eaters) and Fiesta has dried fruits in it, which are notorious for causing intestinal blockages, which often kills ferrets before their owners even notice they are sick. Here's a great website on choosing healthy foods in case you need it to decide on another food to mix with what you already have:

  http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html  

I'm partial to Totally Ferret, Path Valley crunchy chicken and 8 in 1 ULTIMATE (the only 8 in 1 food that I would recommend) - my kids love those of all of them they have been exposed to over the years; these are the ones they like best.  I'm afraid that possibly the reason you haven't been able to find the food he eats is that possibly they are in the process of discontinuing it. There was a large movement last year to get manufacturers to remove some of the 'junk' ferret foods from the shelves (Kaytee Fiesta specifically).

You may have to practice some "tough love" to a point - just don't let it go too long, i.e....maybe starting today, since he is used to the soup you've been making, you can 1.)stop syringe feeding him and use your finger just to get him started, then let him finish eating on his own.  2.)Once he does this, you may move to placing the bowl of warm food in his cage and waken him and show it to him.   The only problem here is that you never want to leave wet food of any kind in the cage for more than an hour, as it quickly grows nasty bacteria and could make him really sick.  3).After an hour, if he doesn't eat the soup, remove it and replace it with a bowl of his DRY kibble.  

You may even want to physically PUT A KIBBLE PIECE INTO THE FRONT OF HIS MOUTH from time to time and keep your fingers there (just outside his lips) and keep moving the kibble back into his mouth when he tries to spit it out, so he MUST crunch down on it and taste it - sometimes tricky, but I've done it with my kids and they do eventually give in and bite down on it - just make sure you don't force it down so he swallows it whole; that could cause a whole 'nuther problem!

4.)STOP feeding him through the night IMMEDIATELY; no need to wean him off overnight feedings. He's an adult ferret and IF he wants to eat at night, he can eat the kibble :-)  Feed (or OFFER food four times during the day, but that last feeding before you go to bed is his last chance if he wants 'soup'. 5.)Through the night, there will be fresh water and a bowl of dry kibble in the cage. (He may well surprise you - if you want to keep track, COUNT THE KIBBLE PIECES WHEN YOU PUT THEM IN THE BOWL and count them again in the morning to see if he has eaten :-)

Every ferret is different - this may take only a couple of days, or it could take a few weeks if he persists. Try to remain calm with him and understand that this is a big change for him. Try to keep mealtimes peaceful at your house in general. If there are kids running thru the room, or someone is screaming, they feel all that tension. Eating should be relaxing and a time to LOVE, even if you have to be persistent - don't get angry.

Be sure you are keeping a bowl of COUNTED kibbles in the cage at all times, in addition to a bowl of fresh water (they are more likely to drink from a bowl than a hanging bottle; just make sure it is flat-bottomed, heavy & he can't turn it over).

Please keep me updated on how he is doing?  I would love to have updates - and there's a possibility that I can think of other 'tricks' as you go along and encounter various problems.  I'm really counting on that "no feedings after bedtime" and the bowl of kibble in the cage - my bet is that within three days, some kibble will be missing.  As soon as you see that he is eating even ONE piece of kibble on his own, STOP THE SOUP IMMEDIATELY - he is accepting kibble.

Very important that you don't allow him to become thin and emaciated during this process. You might want to weigh him before starting, if you have a scale, and then every day along the way. You don't want him to lose enough weight that the weight loss in itself can trigger other illnesses...but you DO have to be persistent in changing the "routine" he has become accustomed to. At first he will be confused, no doubt, but as a few days go by, he will probably get the idea that the bowl of kibble is starting to look good :-)

Will be anxiously waiting for an update! My thoughts and prayers are with you and Kosmo!  You will both be FINE in no time - really! :-)

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Jacquie,thanks so much for your input. I printed your response and will follow your instructions. I do have one question--his food prior to this episode was 8 in 1 premium hearty chicken flavor which is sold at Wal mart--I have since learned that this may not be the best choice--since I am going to be grinding up kibble can I go ahead and make the switch to totally ferret (which I have already purchased in hopes that he would eat it)? or should I just try to get him back on his old food and worry about adding different kibble later on? I really appreciate your help.

Answer
Hi Pam & Kosmo:

I think it would be a good idea to keep him on the old food - just for one bag, and only because it is a familiar taste to him. By the time he has gone thru that bag, hopefully he will be eating it along with Totally Ferret. Start with the bowl of dry kibble in his cage 100% the old, familiar food. Then, after he starts eating the dry kibble, sneak in a few Totally Ferret pieces; and each time you fill his food bowl, put less and less of the old food and more and more of the TF as you get close to the end of the bag.  By the time the one bag of old food is finished, hopefully he will be completely changed over to Totally Ferret (and believing it is a treat :-)

Ferrets *can* change foods and get used to new ones, but it's just sometimes tricky and takes patience. I often recommend that folks grind up the old food and put the crumbles into the bag of new food, shake it up so the crumbs and smell permeate the new food. Since the big picture in your case right now is to get him to eat dry kibble, at first it would be best to use some of the old food because it's a familiar taste to him. I try to change only one thing at a time.  

They can get tummy upsets if food becomes a big issue, and he may sense your attitude about the food, so try to downplay it and act positive about it, i.e. act like the Totally Ferret is a treat. When he is a good boy, have a few pieces of kibble handy and say "good boy!!" and offer one piece of TF as a treat. A bit of reverse psychology works wonders in situations like this.  It's amazing, but anything can be a 'treat'...it all depends on how we represent it to them.  He knows it is something with a bit different taste and if you say it's a treat, he will believe you.  Most ferrets take to Totally Ferret quickly. I haven't seen a ferret yet who doesn't like it.  Also, I've personally spoken with the nutritionist who formulates their food and I know the time and trouble they take making sure that every nutritional need is met in their food.  If feeding some other foods (Kaytee, some 8 in 1 foods) you really should give the ferret vitamins and supplements to meet all their nutritional needs, but not Totally Ferret. Totally Ferret is nutritionally complete for ferrets.

Once you get him changed over to Totally Ferret, I hope you will consider adding another premium food so you never have these food problems again. By then you will probably be sick of messing around with food changes, but IF TF should ever change their formulation, you could be suddenly stuck with a ferret who won't eat...so it's just good planning to prepare for the inevitable.   Also, keep him familiar with some type of 'soup' - even if it's just A/D and water - warmed and stirred to gravy thickness(that's what I give my kids because it is also nutritionally complete, easily digested and especially good for them if they are ill).

It sounds like you're on your way to the solution. Every day that passes, you are one day closer to him being *weaned* ;-) and your freedom.  I hope you will keep me updated.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers