Hi Dennis,
 
Thanks for your response!  Actually, I didn't know anything about
scent-receptors in ferrets.  And it's true about her not recognizing food
as food.  We have had other ferrets - all able to eat a variety of foods -
but Mabel never showed any interest in the alternatives - just a
condescending sniff as she made her way to her own food bowl.  It is also
true that Mabel shows absolutely no interest in consuming rubber or any
other material other ferrets find so toothsome, which I always found odd.
She loves to play with rubber - that is bite squeaky toys - but she never
gnaws at them.
 
Anyway, thanks for the info.  I guess the first thing to do is to make
her realize hard food is food again.
 
Hi Debbie,
 
I think you're right about the way to introduce her to hard food.  I
should have introduced the food much more slowly into her diet, rather
than making her go cold turkey.  If I can ever get her back on hard food
again, I will definitely go that route.
 
8-in-1 says their shelf life is 3 years - if the food is kept in a cool,
dry environment.  I have stored it in a refrigerator with the humidity
control set on high so we'll see.  But I think I will try and get her on
another brand as soon as possible.
 
Thanks so much to both of you for your input.  I'll let you know if I get
any positive results!
 
Fran
[Posted in FML issue 1292]