Q:"You stated that ferrets are primary (or obligate) carnivores and ALL the
books I read prior to getting my first baby stated the same thing; so I'm
very confused. I got [my ferret] at 8 weeks of age (she will be 3 in Sept
99), I have never been able to entice, trick, beg, or in any other form get
her to eat meat of any kind."
A: But have you tried to bribe her with an all-expences paid two-month
research jaunt to New Zealand? Well, it would work for me....
Ferrets, like polecats and black-footed ferrets, have a very short period
of time where they learn what is good to eat. This period of time extends
from weaning to about 6 months of age, about when they are capable of
heading out on their own. To a minor degree, they can still learn new
foods for another six months, but after a year, the process shuts down.
This period of time is called the 'food sensitivity' phase, and the process
is called "imprinting." Since ferrets use their nose to identify food, the
exact type of imprinting is called "olfactory imprinting." In other words,
if the ferret doesn't recognize food smells, it won't recognize the food as
edible.
A lot of people write to complain about two things; first, their ferret
loves veggies, and second, their ferret won't eat meat. What they have is
a difficult case of olfactory imprinting. The ferrets, most likely fed
only a basic kibbled food since weaning, recognize some of the smell of
veggies but do not recognize the smell of the meat. It is that simple.
Kibbles are made with a lot of plant proteins (mostly rice and corn), and
even though there is some meat, after processing, spraying with oils and
association with the plant material, it no longer smells like meat. At
least not fresh meat (poultry, fish, beef, pork, lamb, etc.).
The best solution is to give the ferret as wide a diet as possible while
they are still a kit. This not only increases their food selection, but
also increases their ability to accept strange foods when they are older.
This is absolutely the best solution, and the only one with a money-back
guarantee. Besides, and this is something some people do not recognize,
ferrets are very *PLEASURE* oriented; they do things for pleasure rather
than for social instincts, like a dog (cats are the same way, which is why
both ferrets and cats are difficult to train unless you take advantage of
their desire for pleasure). Ferrets can gain a great deal of satisfaction
from their food, and actually enjoy food variety. So don't get stuck with
a single brand or type of food; mix it up from day to day and watch your
ferrets gather to see what they are being served.
Once olfactory imprinted, ferrets can be quite resistant to the
introduction of new foods. Some (a minority) will actually starve
themselves rather than try new foods, but most are more open to palatable
introductions. Here are a few tricks:
1) Mix a little bit of the new food into the old food, then gradually
decrease the old food until they are eating nothing but the new food. This
takes time, but is quite effective. 2) Grind some of the old food into a
powder and dust in on the new food. This makes the new food smell like the
old one. You can also store the new food in the old food container to help
pick up the smell. 3) Mix some of the food in water to make a paste, then
add a drop of ferrettone or nutrical. When they go for the goodie, pop the
new stuff in their mouth. You can also squirt the pasty food into their
mouths with a syringe. Oooo, they love that! 4) Dirty them with the food.
Personally, I like to rub it on their upper lip or paw, which they do not
like, and they will lick it off in an effort to clean themselves. I do
this with chicken gravy; I just stick their paw into the gravy, and after
they run around a bit, they stop to clean themselves. If this is done
enough, they soon realize the stuff is edible. This has never failed for
me, although some have taken more time than others. 5) Never give up. You
have to realize older ferrets are hardwired to specific smells, and
rewiring the brain takes time, effort and consistency. Never give up, make
a program and stick to it, and always realize each positive experience will
help in the long run. 6) Recognize a small portion of ferrets will never
accept new foods unless they are starving. So take their food away from
them at midnight (if they are not ill or hypogycemic) and feed them at 8am.
You are nuts if you think that time without food will hurt a ferret--hell,
some SLEEP that long. That is what body fat is there for; they will do
just fine. But hunger is good when introducing new foods. 7) A very tiny
number of ferrets just can't break out of the olfactory imprinting mode,
and will never accept a new food. Sorry, but it can happen. Just pray
your kibble company never changes its formula or goes out of business, or
you will have to learn the basics of force-feeding.
Bob C and 16 MO' Fert Food Lovers (Missing Moose, Crystal and Apollo)
[Posted in FML issue 2722]
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