Hello!

I have also been trying to feed a raw diet to my ferts, but have
decided to settle for the cooked version - one because no one will eat
the raw stuff and I have one fert that likes the cooked one. He is only
about 4 months old. The other boy who is 4 1/2 months WON'T eat it! And
the other 3 are 4 yrs and 6 yrs and won't touch the stuff - they only
want their kibble. I tried taking a ferret treat (the soft kind) and
mushing it up and adding a piece of cooked chicken in it. It worked. It
got eaten. But they still won't touch the all cooked pieces of chicken
and turkey I offered. Beef is just out of the question - NO ONE goes
near it! Well at least I have one that will much chicken/turkey and
revels on the bones! Good for teeth cleaning. Does anyone have any
ideas as to how to get the other ones to indulge? Actually, I'm kinda
glad to not feed raw - salmonella and such (mostly I'M afraid of it as
I've read that ferts don't get salmonella) and the cooked is nicer to
handle. At least they are getting SOME protein out of the cooked! It's
gotta be better than what is in kibble that has been processed, cooked,
processed and had the protein and other vits put back in (which is NOT
a natural source and I wonder how much my ferts are actually getting
of it!). I've tried taking ALL kibble away and just offering cooked
chicken and turkey - but the older guys just stare at me like they
are saying, "Why don't you give us some FOOD! We're HUNGRY! And stop
putting that other nasty stuff in here cuz we are NOT going to eat it -
no matter HOW long it sits there!! NOW FEED US MOM!!!" And I cave in
and give them the kibble. I can't let them go hungry!! We had to switch
from a water bowl to a bottle when I got the 2 new McKay kids cuz the
one, Simon, was dumping the water ALL over the place. I felt SO bad
until the older guys got the hang of drinking from the bottle, I'd
bring them a glass of water to drink out of a few times a day. Happy to
say, everyone drinks from the water bottle now and we have a dryer fert
room and cage! So does anyone have any tips on getting the older boys
to eat the chicken/turkey? ANY help would be appreciated!!

Also, Simon is a Panda and some one from the FML here wrote me to tell
me that maybe he didn't have FADD (Ferret Attention Deficite Disorder)
but that he may be deaf. Well a few tests and sure 'nuf! He's deaf.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to communicate w/him? He
bites sometimes really hard and I give him a one finger tap, tap on the
nose and instinctively say "NO", but I know he can't hear me. He is
also tearing up the other McKay baby, Alexander! The scruff of his neck
is raw! I was using Bitter Apple and it seemed he stopped scruffing the
heck out of him, then all of a sudden, this morning, Alexander's neck
was all raw again! Back to the Bitter Apple. I'm thinking maybe Simon
bites so hard because he can't hear the other ferrets screams? He tears
up the cat to who lets out the most God awful sound too! Then he jumps
the fert room barrier and high-tails it outta there! I've tried to
cuddle him and pet him slowly to calm him, but he is just so full of
energy, he pays no attention to me and wants to bite my cheek, my chin,
or anything he can sink his teeth into! I've taught my other ferts to
not bite by SCREAMING when they bite me and they INSTANTLY let go, look
surprised, then dash off! A few of those screams and they don't want
to 'latch on' anymore, but how do I convey that to a deaf fert? In the
18 yrs I've had ferts, this is the first time I've ever had a deaf one
and I'm having a hard time knowing what to do!

Thanx!!

Dawn

[Posted in FML 5773]