New Ferret Not Eating

Question
I have had 1 ferret(Inuyasha) for 4 years and a few weeks ago I got 2 new ones(Spunky & Chaos). At first Inuyasha was scared of them and they were fine. Now Inuyasha is fine and the new ones are scared and won't come out of the cat condo in their room. I just noticed that Spunky is getting really thin and I've been trying to see if he is eating and losing weight or not eating at all but I can't tell since all three of the ferrets eat from the same bowl out of their cages and in their cages Spunky & Chaos are together.  
I was wondering if he might not be eating from because he is scared or because he misses his previous owner who had him & Chaos for about 2 years. Or could he just be so scared that he is eating and still losing weight.
Also what can I do to make Spunky, Chaos & Inuyasha ok with each other?

Answer
Hi Jessica:

I apologize for the late reply to your question. It was put into the "question pool", which means the person you asked the question of does not know the answer. I will try to help you, but I apologize that it has been so long since you asked your question.

Often ferrets who are re-homed will stop eating - yes, missing their previous owners. Usually if they are with another ferret they are bonded to, it makes it easier, but not always. You just may have a really sensitive little one there.  I would recommend a LOT of personal, one-on-one attention to him.  Right now, don't push him to bond with the Inuyasha - too many changes at once. First he needs to feel secure and loved and be able to eat - then you can worry about introducing new friends.

One thing you can do is be SURE you are feeding him the same food he was used to eating before you got him. Ferrets "imprint" on their food and he may not even recognize other foods as food...so that's really important.

If he's still not picked up weight by now, get some Hill's A/D from your vet.  Warm it and add water until it's 'soupy'; dip your finger in it, then touch it inside his lips so he can taste it. Do this several times until he readily accepts it and eats on his own. You may have to do this each time you give it to him. It should always be warm, but not hot - stir with your finger to be sure there are no hot spots in it that can burn him.

Hopefully by the time you receive this he will have gotten used to you as his 'new person' and will have relaxed and started eating again.  If he has not, please please take him to a ferret knowledgeable vet to be sure he doesn't have a blockage that could be causing him not to eat. The vet will give him a small amount of barium (probably mixed in some A/D) and will xray him every 15 minutes as it passes thru his digestive system. This will show on the xrays if there is a blockage. Blockages are life threatening and must be dealt with quickly before they get completely blocked and surgery has to be performed to remove it.

Best of luck to you and your little ones.  Once your little guy feels better, no doubt he will feel more like playing with Inuyasha and his other friend too!  It is best to introduce them in a room with lots of toys for them to play with; maybe some Ferretone so everyone is in a good mood. Be sure not to favor any one ferret over the others or you may see some jealousy.  I really think once he feels better, you can let them out to play together and they will get along just fine. Right now he probably feels like a 'newly adopted kid' who isn't sure where he fits in. Lots and lots of love will always help.

Best of luck - please let me know how it works out?  I hope he's eating by now.  If not, he definitely needs to be seen by a ferret knowledgeable vet.

Again, I apologize that your question was not answered in a timely manner by the person you asked to answer it.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers