I am in the process of doing the hard and horrible thing of switching the
ferret's food.  I only have one really staunch withholder who REFUSES
anything but cat food.  Jeesh.
 
I admit, that when I first got them, they were eating the Friskies Dental
Diet because that's what my cat eats.  (The cat was here first) Well, we
first started with mixing the Dental Diet and Totally Ferret in hopes that
a switch would occur.  I even box it in a container so that the Totally
Ferret smell seeps into the Dental Diet.
 
These guys are free roam and I can't really monitor their individual eating
habits very well except to say that the dental diet is crumbed up on the
floor the most.  I've been slowly and surely taking out more and more
dental diet and putting in more and more Totally Ferret.  Sola is the only
one who won't eat it.  Everyone else still grabs a piece of Dental Diet
here and there, but I've never seen Sola eat anything but the Dental Diet.
Everyone seems to be trying to make the switch.  Even the cat is eating
the TF now. :-)
 
(Note: I tried to switch over from DD to a high quality kitten food cold
turkey.  I was under the impression that "when they get hungry enough,
they'll eat".  Well, Sola didn't and got wobbly on me.  I watched her
closely, but she just didn't eat for almost 2 days.  I couldn't take it
anymore and got her some DD and she chowed down.  That's when I decided
to try other things)
 
I tried taking the TF and putting it in a container with a smidgen of
Ferretone and coating it in a thin film of Ferretone.  That helped with
the other guys, but Sola looked at me like, "Who the hell you think you
foolin'?"
 
So, I tried a TF paste of crushed TF and water and everyone took it
reluctantly.  Once they tasted, they were cool with it and took it freely.
But, alas, Sola REFUSED.  I got some into those jaws of steel and she
chomped it up and swallowed and I rewarded for eating it (a lick of
Ferretone), but she just won't take the hint.
 
Tonight, I made a TF broth of TF and water.  I am reluctant to spike it
with anything else.  I don't want them to expect the other taste with the
TF.  It was AMAZING!  I had 3 out of 5 take it with no problem.  In fact,
Venus-Orion-and Luna wanted it in a bowl so they could lap it up.  I put a
few hard pieces in the broth and they took one or two and ate it on their
own.  YEAH!
 
But, Eros was iffy about it.  He took it when I syringed it into his mouth.
He kinda lapped but wasn't thrilled with it.  I've seen Eros eat the TF,
though, so it doesn't bother me too much.  He's kinda strange with eating.
Even with things like Nutrical and Ferretone, I have to grab him, make him
take the first lick and he is like "OH!  This is GOOD stuff" and he eats it
like nobody's business.
 
Alas, Sola wouldn't have it.  I finally got it in the side of her mouth and
got a little on her tongue and she lapped furiously to keep from breathing
the liquid.  I mistook it to mean she liked it and put her down thinking
she wanted it and she took off.  I got her to take a reluctant syringe
full.  I rewarded her afterward.  (She's the only one I rewarded)
 
Also, I only made her take one syringe full.  I don't want to make her
sick.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  I really really really want them
to take the TF and be able to ditch the DD forever.  I think I am almost
there.  This has been going on actively for a few months.  I've tried half
heartedly several times over the past year and a half though.  It just
seems that we just slide back into our old habits.
 
I am thinking my next course of action is to make everyone sleep in a cage
at night instead of just free in their room so I can really start taking
the DD away and be able to monitor what Sola eats.  I just don't want to
cage her, alone, and take away the DD.  I am afraid she will have the
impression that we are starving her alone in a cage away from her brothers
and sisters.  If I cage them, I will cage them all, or at least a pair in
one cage and a trio in another cage.  This way, she at least won't have
that tension.
 
I welcome all suggestions...
 
April "LOVES" Ferrets
 
L una
O rion
V enus
E ros
S ola
[Posted in FML issue 3066]