> One problem still exists, though.  He was feeding her whatever store
> brand he could find cheap.  Therefore, she refuses to even touch the
> Science Diet and Iams kitten foods we have for our other two ferrets,
> even if it means she goes hungry.  I finally broke down and bought a
> few store brands to try and get her to eat something.  She's currently
> eating Purina One most of the time, with Friskies flavors and Friskies
> kitten food thrown in on occasion when she gets bored with the Purina One.
 
Have you tried moistening the dry food and seeing if she'll eat that?
Back a long time ago, when I bought my 2nd ferret, I put him in the
cage with the first with dry food and moist cat food, and it turned
out that he wouldn't eat either. When I moistened the dry food, he
gobbled it down. Eventually I was able to wean him from the
moistening.
 
For how long will she go w/o eating anything? Are you sure she's
eating *nothing* during those periods? Since you've got other ferrets
starting to eat her food, here's another idea - leave them all with
unlimited access to your preferred food(s). Then, a couple times a day
give her access to the foods she'll eat (if you're really afraid that
she'll starve to death). Or maybe you can give her some NutraCal or
whatever supplement instead of any 'solid' food options.
 
With a human baby, when dealing with such things as a nursing strike
(breastfed baby that won't nurse) the advice usually given is to NOT
offer anything but the breast to the baby. Will the ferret truly
starve herself before she eats the less desirable food??? If you do
try the nutritional supplement approach (with no solids but dry or
water moistened 'good' food) then she will feel hungry most of the
time...
 
Or maybe you can find some combination of juice or broth or something
to moisten the food with that makes it more palatable as a way to wean
her onto the new food....
 
Good luck!
                   *Tigger*
 
[Posted in FML issue 0412]