HAND FEEDING PROBLEMS: There are two quandaries about hand feeding a ferret that should be discussed, and that the problem of ferrets who decide to only eat when hand-fed, and what to do when they become "addicted" to foods hand-fed to them. These have happened to me nearly every time I resort to hand feeding. I hand feed them to restore their health, and then they won't eat without hand feeding or they won't go back to their regular food! The dilemma is that just stopping hand feeding could cause a relapse, and the ferret is back in the hospital cage. I cannot tell you why ferrets do this, but I have worked out a way that weans them off the hand and back to the dish that MIGHT succeed for you. No promises! First, hand feed on a REGULAR schedule. I feed every 4 hours during the day and evening, with an 8-hour hiatus during my sleep time. I use an alarm clock to insure I stick to this feeding schedule because it makes weaning off the hand much easier later. When the feeding regime has accomplished its goals and the ferret is ready to be placed back with their friends, just stop hand feeding them and see if they eat on their own. Be patient; they may not eat for some time (this is where using the scales to check food consumption is extremely helpful -- they may be snacking out of sight!). If they won't start eating on their own by the next day (if dehydrated, limit the wait to 8 hrs), go back to hand feeding them, but start extending the time of the feedings by an hour while at the same time mixing in small amounts of the normal diet in the food. Also, start placing FRESH portions of their normal diet in the cage. Each day add a bit more of the normal diet to the food and extending the feeding times. This technique will gradually wean the ferret from hand feeding and the "sick diet" in all but the worst cases. In the few cases where I couldn't wean ferrets off the hand, it didn't matter to me because they had a terminal condition and hand feeding allowed me more visiting time. Bob C [Posted in FML issue 4405]