I tried for years to get ferrets to eat chicken - boiled, baked, roasted,
fried, raw... ANYTHING - PLEASE
 
and although I told people who adopted from me that chicken was a better
treat than cheerios or raisins I still couldn't tell them how to get
their ferrets to eat it willingly..  in fact I told them that I found few
ferrets who would eat it unless they were started on it as kits... so I
suggested that they pry open the mouth, shove a little in and hold mouth
closed - but gently... I never knew for how long this should be done...
It just depended on the ferret... and
 
I did not do this - I hate force feeding.
 
Well now I know how to get them onto chicken, BUT I can't say it's fool
proof.  Then again it's worth a try - right...
 
A sick little 7-year-old came to me and God love him he is the epitome
of ferret love..  how I wish I had had the pleasure of his company for
the previous 7 years... this guy will never leave my rescue unless a
SUPREMELY SUPERIOR HOME COMES ALONG and REALLY REALLY wants him... MY
FERRET!  grins...
 
anyway..  in getting him back on food - he went off his food when he was
surrendered - I started with Dr Williams' suggestion of Gerber's stage 2
ckn baby food... heated just a bit and lick lick lick off of my finger..
 
no problem after the first couple of trys of force it TO his mouth and
smear it on.. it's almost liquid so it'll slide down his throat - right.
Well after two "HERE!  I said try it", but only enough force to get it
onto his lips... he began to lick it off my finger.
 
Now because that stuff is so expensive $ .83 for a tiny jar... and
because I run this rescue pretty much alone so finances are ALWAYS
tight... I bought 10 lbs of legs and thighs and boiled a few pieces in
lightly salted water... when boiled almost to death (almost falling off
the bone) I took the pieces out of the pot and cooled the meat on a
plate... when cool I tore off some meat and placed in a (for me a 2 cup)
food processor and blended the meat a minute or so, then I added a LOT of
broth and liquid fat from the pot and blended some more... until smooth
and creamy... I offered Goliath that mixture, again from my finger (he so
sweet always licking from my finger), then from the shallow bowl (OK I
use a saucer from a kids china tea set - the dishes are a perfect size
for a ferret)... Next I started adding ferretvite to the mixture..  he
loves ferretvite and he really dug in to eat then.  Finally I had to
graduate to a larger shallow dish..  not only did he really like his
chicken smoothie (thank you Tammy Butler for that term)... , but soon
everyone wanted to share..  and share I let them..
 
After his trip to the doctor... and because Dr Dori (my idea of a Houston
angel) discovered that he was so very anemic I later started adding
soaked kibble and of course still blending this new mixture smooth...
 
If you get your ferret to like the smoothie... offer him a nibble of the
real unblended thing..  if he still refuses to eat chunk chicken -- start
adding SMALL chuncks to the smoothie.  As he gets used to eating the
chunks along with lapping up that chicken shake make the chunks a bit
larger and still offer small bites from your fingers -- first a lap of
smoothie then a bite of tiny chunk...
 
Well for what it's worth there's my suggestion on how to get a ferret to
eat chicken... without traumatizing him.
 
Let me know how well it works for you at [log in to unmask]
tricksandtreats.petfinder.org or 713-472-6599 after 6PM CT... ;-]
 
Vicki
Vicki Montgomery
Tricks and Treats Rescue
Pasadena, TX 77506
713-472-6599
[Posted in FML issue 4775]