Baby ferret questions

Question
Hi,
I wrote to you about 2 weeks ago about our ferret that had a possible intestinal blockage while we were out of town. I didn't get the chance to thank you for your advice! We had our friend take him to the vet where they helped him pass the blockage without surgery. He is doing wonderfully now! He lost almost 2 pounds in the ordeal...but is well on his way to regaining it.

Anyway, we decided to find him a playmate and purchased an 8 week old male yesterday. So...I have found I have some questions about kit behavior. I just want to know if these are normal. The little guy hasn't been very willing to eat or drink on his own since we got him and we have had to hand feed him soaked dry food...and even then he doesn't want very much. He hasn't stopped whining and occasionally screaming since we brought him home.

We have been supervising his interactions with our older boy (9 months) and I know an "alpha" male must be established, and we do believe this is taking place, but at what point should we step in and break it up? The older guy seems to like to play with him for a bit and then attack him, causing the baby to whine and scream as he is dragged around by his big brother. He lets go and grooms him a bit and then they play. This cycle just seems to continue to happen, and I have read that it's normal...I'm just having a hard time watching the baby be dragged around screaming. Because of the rough interactions yesterday, I housed the two separately over night, was this a good thing to do? I want to believe Beethoven wouldn't hurt his little brother severely, but it's hard for me to sleep thinking it could happen. Should I just keep them housed separately until the baby is a bit bigger?

Also, I scruffed the baby a little bit ago and noticed his skin didn't immediately snap back into place but stayed tented for a few seconds. I know this can be a sign of dehydration but could that be brought on from being moved around so much and then having to fight with an older ferret? Should we just continue pushing him to drink until he does it on his own or be concerned that something more is wrong?

Thank you so much for your help!

-Tahnee

Answer
Hi Tahnee:

Yes! I remember your ferret. I'm SO glad you got him to the vet in time!  So many ferrets die of blockages because people don't get them in quick enough.  You did a good job - and obviously your vet knew what he was doing if he got him to pass the blockage :-)   Often when they give the ferret the barium (which shows up on the xray), it is enough to push the blockage thru and often makes it unnecessry for surgery....I'm SO glad it worked for him!! Once they have surgery, it seems like they are so much more prone to getting blockages in the same place - probably because of the scar tissue in the intestine from the surgery.

The general rule as to when to intervene when two ferrets are deciding who is boss......"No Poop, No Blood, No Foul" is the saying. In other words, if the ferret crying out does not poop and is not bleeding, then it's just part of the process and you should not interfere.  If he gets really upset, he will poop as the other ferret is attacking him - that's what tells you he is truly scared. They DO make a lot of noise while ironing out the technicalities of their relationships!

As far as the tenting and eating such a small amount - are you feeding him the same food he was eating before you got him?  Ferrets don't change food well - they "imprint" on their food at a very young age and he just may not be recognizing what you are feeding him as food, which is probably why he isn't eating much. Baby ferrets *should* have  really good appetite!  They use so many calories playing that they need a large input.  You might want to supplement his regular wet kibble food with some chicken (meat only) baby food warmed in the micro and stir with your finger to be sure there are no hot spots. Also, this is a good time to add some extra water and make the meat into "soup".  It does sound like he might be a little dehydrated, which is not a good idea.  Can he reach the water bowl well or is it maybe too high for him to reach?  If you use a water bottle, are you sure he knows how to work it?  They don't automatically know...you need to teach them by dipping your finger, then touching their nose with your wet finger over and over until they lick the bottle tip and see that water comes out when they do it. You may even have to show him several times.  

If he doesn't pick up on his eating and drinking very quickly, get him in to be checked for an intestinal blockage too - they are not at all unusual in baby ferrets. Often in the pet stores they eat anything from Kaytee Fiesta (DANGER: Dried fruits/nuts/etc cause blockages!) - experienced ferret owners call Kaytee Fiesta "blockage in a bag".  Hopefully you are feeding a nice, high protein ferret specific food like Totally Ferret.  It's not normal for baby ferrets not to eat...they generally eat a ton of food and are eating constantly.

It's important to feed him kibble that has been softened with water until he gets all his teeth in, otherwise they end up trying to pass food thru their system that is too dry and it comes out their little anus and causes the anus to protrude (the lining comes out of the butt) and is very painful to them.  Unfortunately, many pet stores are unaware of this and will feed teeny tiny babies dry kibble, which ends up injuring their little butts before they even get a chance in life :-(*   So, if you ever see little ones in a pet store with pink skin protrusions from their little butts, ask to speak to the manager and let them know the food should be wet, k?   The more people who know that, the better - we can ALL help spread the word and spare these little ones some unnecessary pain.

You may also want to get some extra fluids into the baby by giving him some flavored (my kids like grape and bubblegum the best) Pedialyte - you can get it in the baby aisle at any grocery or drug store. The flavoring helps them drink more - also, if you can get some stuff called Uncle Jim's Duk Soup by Marshall Foods (it is a dry powdered food you mix with water) - mix it with more water than normally, but enough powder that it tastes good (let them lick it off your finger a few times, then he should start licking it on his own after a while)...that is another good way to get extra fluids in him.

If he doesn't pick up eating really well in about another 24 hours, please get him in for an xray. Unfortunately, baby ferrets often get into all kinds of things they shouldn't while in the pet stores and it's not at all unusual for them to arrive at their new homes with partial blockages.  Loss of appetite is a very strong symptom of blockages and they are so life-threatening, it's never worth risking. It takes a vet just a minute or two to tell if they have a blockage.

Best of luck.  My thoughts and prayers are with your baby.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers