WARNING: KAYTEE FIESTA DANGER!!

Question
Hi my ferrets name is Maya! In the store they told me to pick out any ferret food, so i chose Fiesta from Kayatee.
Then I read they're not supposed to be fed that food! My hands are shaking b/c I'm afraid something will happen!! That's my first question. Second, it keeps on doing poop on the second floor corner! How do I train it to do it in the litter box. #3 It didn't eat it's food in the morning at all! Third, why is it biting me, I am more scared of it then ever before, does it like socks???I think so!!! PLease answer me back QUICK! By the way will it get out from under the couch, because ti did yesterday! She's a girl by the way. She just puts her nose on top of the food and play around!!!! HELP HELP HELP

Answer
Hi Betty & Maya!

Remember when I said that ferrets are "obligate carnivores" and they eat MEAT, never fruits or vegetables?  Kaytee Fiesta has dehydrated (dried) fruits and vegetables in it!  Last year there was a class action suit started against Kaytee company because so many ferrets had died from eating this food.  A ferret's digestive system is very short and the dehydrated foods do not have enough time to REhydrate (get the water back into them) during digestion.  So, it's very very important that you remove this food from Maya's cage IMMEDIATELY.   The worst place for ferret information is *often* at the pet store, as they usually have no training on various animals needs, etc and will only try to get you to buy the most expensive item on the shelf; in this case, Kaytee Fiesta.

My suggestion is that you take the Kaytee Fiesta back to the pet store and tell them you want to trade it for something SAFE for your ferret to eat.  You are welcome to print out this reply and take it with you if you wish. I would welcome a lawsuit from Kaytee for giving out this warning for their Fiesta food.  In my opinion - I don't EVER by ANYTHING from Kaytee because they do NOT take safety into consideration for ferrets and MANY MANY ferrets have died as a result of this "blockage in a bag" (that's what people who are informed about ferret food call this food and you may save another ferret's life by telling them that at the pet store, if they don't already know!

There is a chance that your ferret *could* already have a blockage from eating the Fiesta.  You will need to watch VERY closely for a few days.  Hopefully you were ready and have some HAIRBALL REMEDY (malt flavor) on hand that you can give to Maya.  Give her 1/2" round droplet out of the tube twice TODAY ONLY and watch to be sure her poops are not thin like spaghetti or no poops at all.  If she is pooping normally, then watch to be sure she doesn't stop eating, or if she starts vomiting (other signs of intestinal blockage from the dehydrated fruits in the Fiesta).

IMMEDIATELY REMOVE THE KAYTEE FIESTA FROM HER CAGE! If you cannot return it to the store today, pick out every piece (even the tiny ones) of fruit in what is in her bowl, so she doesn't get any.  This is obviously NOT what they were feeding her in the store, so she doesn't recognize it as food anyway.  GET IT OUT OF THERE, and get some HEALTHY FOOD in there right away.  Ferrets can't go more than a couple hours without eating, so it's important she ALWAYS have food in her cage - use the Kaytee (without the fruit) until you can go get some healthy food - but DO IT TODAY, okay?

Remember how important I said it was to READ all about ferrets BEFORE you bring one home?  This is one good reason why.  You can avoid problems like this if you read up in advance.  Intestinal blockage is one of the quickest ways to kill a ferret; and Kaytee Fiesta food is the one that does it. It is important that you go back to the last letter I wrote to you and READ the food chart - maybe with your dad or your sister - and choose a GOOD healthy food for Maya.  I usually recommend Totally Ferret, 8 in 1 "ULTIMATE" (only - the other 8 in 1 foods aren't very good), Path Valley Foods Ferret FOod, Marshalls........ask the pet store what they have been feeding Maya because ferrets "imprint" on their food.  Maya is just playing in her food because she isn't sure it's food. She will only recognize it as food if she has had it before. You have to introduce new foods slowly. So, I would definitely take the Kaytee back (REMOVE IT FROM HER CAGE AND POUR IT BACK IN THE BAG AND RETURN IT TO THE STORE).  If you can't get back to the store right away, it is URGENT that you pour out the food that is in her cage, sort thru it and take out EVERYTHING except the pellets. The pellets are okay, but not *good* for her, but they will give her something to eat until you can take the bag back.

LITTERBOX TRAINING:  Again, Betty, I don't want to nag you, but his was covered in the URL I asked you to read *before* you brought Maya home.  You are quickly finding out WHY it's SO important to READ BEFORE you bring a new ferret home!   Put blankies or soft cloths, pajamas, etc, on the floor all around the litterbox; put a poop IN the litterbox, so she knows that is where she is supposed to go potty.  When you take her out of the cage, you MUST start her in a SMALL ROOM - like the bathroom - and have a litterbox in there.  Play with her, but as soon as she starts to back up, pick her up and put her in the litterbox and tell her to "GO POTTY GOOD GIRL".  Keep repeating this until she goes potty IN the box.  Always put a little bit of poop in the very back of the litterbox so that she knows that is where the poops go.

SOCKS:  Ferrets LOVE socks and they love shoes.  It's important that you NOT let her play with shoes because she will pull out in insides and eat them and this can cause an intestinal blockage, so put all shoes UP off the floor in the room where Maya is playing. You will ALWAYS have to do this every time she is out to play.  (*READ:  FERRETPROOFING and it will tell you all about these things). There are MANY things you MUST remove from her reach (and don't forget they are very very ornery and will get to things unless you put them in another room and close the door.

Maya is probably digging underneath the couch. They will ruin the underneath side of the couch (and get the stuffings out of the couch) if you don't get her out of there.   We have 1" strips of wood screwed all around the bottom of our couch so our ferrets can't get underneath there.  Again, read "Ferretproofing" at http://www.ferret central.org .

Maya is biting because she thinks that is the way to play. It is how she played with her fellow kits (baby ferrets), so she knows no other way ........YET.  YOU must teach her with showing her toys, rolling hard plastic balls for her, SAFE toys. You can shake a sock, a towel, even pull a sheet on the floor and watch her hop on for a ride. If she needs to, put her ON the sheet, then pull it. She will think this is GREAT FUN once she gets on and understands she can go for a ride!!

PLEASE PLEASE...for Maya's safety, put her in her cage and let her take a nap while you read the stuff I gave you to read yesterday.  It is VERY important.  There are HUNDREDS of things in your home and ways she can literally KILL HERSELF if you are not prepared for her.  You MUST prepare your home for her by making sure she cannot get to things like erasers, rubberbands...and MANY MANY OTHER THINGS!! If you FERRETPROOF your home BEFORE you let your ferret out running loose, she MAY actually have a chance to live, but she is NOT a cat or a dog and you absolutely MUST do these things.  Until then, please play with her in a small room (maybe your bedroom? with the door blocked off and everything picked up so she can play ONLY with things that arhe safe for her to play with.......and don't forget to get EVERYTHING out from under the bed, the dressers, etc and make it so she cannot get into your closet. YOU must be the mommy - the boss - the one who protects her from the things that will hurt or kill her.  You MUST READ up on what is dangerous to ferrets.

You obviously did NOT read what I had recommended or you would NOT have bough Kaytee Fiesta food!!  I just want to remind you - and I"m not trying to be mean here, just tellling you the TRUTH.   If you do NOT read up and be READY for your ferret, by FERRETPROOFING, knowing what things are dangerous to her, what she can and cannot eat, etc., SHE WILL DIE IS A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.  I hear from people all the time that bring home ferrets and don't read up on them and the next thing you know, the ferret is either very very sick or dying because it ate something it was not supposed to, or it fell from a high place because the person was not watching and it climbed up too high and vet bills for ferrets are VERY HIGH.  The cost of buying Maya and her cage is *nothing* compared to oa $500 of $1,000 vet bill!!  So, if you want to keep her, and keep her healthy, PLEASE read the information I sent you the other day BEFORE you got Maya - and remember that I told you to read it BEFORE you got her, but you didn't do that, so now you are yelling "HELP!"    This is why I told you to read these things FIRST, BEtty.  

I don't mean to get on you or be mean - just trying to make SURE that Maya lives a long and happy life with you, okay?

I don't want you to feel you can't write to me - I will ALWAYS try to help you, but YOU MUST READ these things - I just can't tell you everything because it's books full - and as a ferret owner, YOU MUST READ THE INFORMATION - at LEAST the short, minimal information at Ferret Central.

If you want to impress your dad that you are RESPONSIBLE, you best pick the fruits out of Maya's food, make sure she has water and toys in her cage, then YOU sit down and READ.....okay?    I will be here for you, but I expect you to do the reading.

p.s when you go back to the pet store, be sure to buy FERRETLAX or KITTYMALT, or some other kind of hairball remedy (they call it that because you ALSO use it to give to them when they shed so that the hair doesn't form a ball inside their intestines and cause a blockage.  Right now you need to give some to Maya to be sure she doesn't have any dried fruit stuck in her intestines.  I HOPE she does not. That would be very sad. It would take her several days or a week to die from it, but you MUST READ so you KNOW THESE VERY BASIC THINGS.   Okay?

Also, you say that Maya is biting, remember she is a baby and she is growing teeth. Get healthy things for her to chew on (NO RAWHIDE). You can get a little bag of "N-BONES" Ferret Chew Treats - Chicken Flavor. They are in a pink bag and they are healthy for them to chew on (they melt inside their tummies :-) Be sure to keep the bag zip locked so they don't dry out and out of her reach so she can't eat the aluminum bag they come in (dangerous).

Please stay in touch with me and let me know how it's going. IF YOU READ the stuff I sent the other day, you will be MUCH better prepared to care for Maya - if you don't there is nothing anyone can do to help you thru all the things you are going to need to know in time to say Maya's life.

I HOPE you will show RESPONSIBILITY and do the right thing by Maya - SHE is counting on YOU to KNOW THESE THINGS to keep her SAFE and HEALTHY.

Sincerely,
Jacquie Rodgers