ferretfreke
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder[/b]
Posts: 235
|
Post by ferretfreke on Sept 8, 2009 20:49:45 GMT -5
My ferrets have been on whole prey for a number of months now. The main percentage of their diet being mice. One of my boys was sick last month with helicobacter-like signs. Before treatment he vomited up some mice. He responded to treatment very quickly and has made a full recovery. During his treatment I fed him some homemade cooked chicken soup and Evo canned duck. I have him back on raw foods and some whole prey. My problem is he will not eat mice now and actually has a very strong gagging and spitting response to them. I tried offering him a live one to encourage him to eat one. He went to make the kill, got a whiff of it and started gagging and salivating and pawing at his mouth. He couldn't even go after the mouse after that. I also tried putting some oil on the live mouse to try to help him. He licked the oil off and was okay, but every time he went to bite it, he'd have the same response. I showed my vet what he does when offered a mouse today and he thinks it is actually a physiological response not just refusal to eat and that I may never be able to get him over it. Has anyone experienced this problem? Any suggestions?
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Sept 8, 2009 23:00:30 GMT -5
I've never seen it in ferrets but I have seen it many times in people who have been violently ill after eating a certain food, so why not ferrets. You might try rat and see if you get the same response. I know that sometimes after a given period of time, sometimes weeks, others months they can once again stomach this food but I've also known people who years after the experience still cannot face the offending food. That food doesn't even have to be the actual cause, just the stuff that happened to come up . For your fuzzy it's reacting like at one time it poisoned him (I'm not saying it did, it could all be coincidence). I've read where wild animals who have been poisoned using a certain type of protein or food and survive will often not touch that food source again. ciao
|
|
ferretfreke
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder[/b]
Posts: 235
|
Post by ferretfreke on Sept 9, 2009 1:27:30 GMT -5
Even though he has not vomited rats he has the same response. Maybe they are very similar smelling or something? He will not eat rats or guinea pigs since his illness. I haven't tried rabbit, but I would not be able to feed rabbit that often anyways due to cost. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to feed him right now. He's mainly been eating chicken, DO chicks (once a week), quail (once a week), CGH. He does not eat organs unless fed whole prey and that is my concern. I want to keep him with the group too and that is hard unless they are all eating the same thing. This really sucks. I go through all the hard work of switching him and then this happens. It's irritating!
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Sept 9, 2009 23:11:00 GMT -5
I can understand your frustration, he may yet eat prey again, though considering his strong response to a live mouse.... . I know saying be patient doesn't offer you much but if he will eat frankenprey for awhile you're still doing him a lot of good. Leave him with the others, but allow him to have "his" food too. Captain Jack and Calypso were a pair that I had that found themselves eating a totally different diet for a time. Jack discovered mice early on, it took Calypso months to figure out that they were food and that they were good to eat. Perhaps, some others might jump in and add to this thread, it's just my opinion. ciao
|
|
|
Post by sherrylynne on Sept 10, 2009 0:12:13 GMT -5
Could it possible be the fur doing it? I mean, if it's both mice and rats. Maybe start him off on pinkies again, see it that works.
|
|
ferretfreke
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder[/b]
Posts: 235
|
Post by ferretfreke on Sept 10, 2009 23:54:45 GMT -5
I offered a small rabbit yesterday and he's been eating it well. So I don't think it's a fur thing. I have tried pinkies and he just pretends they arent there but I dont think he did his whole gagging spitting thing. I could try putting them chopped up in soup and see what happens. I really dont want to make him vomit though. Maybe I could work with him with rats cus he doesnt have the violent response. I think it's more of a refusal. I know above I said he had the same response to them but I thought about it (it was a while ago) and I think he just wouldnt eat it. Either way it wont hurt to offer a rat again. If he doesnt eat it the others will.
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Sept 11, 2009 0:04:31 GMT -5
Eating whole rabbit is good. Good luck ciao
|
|
ferretfreke
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder[/b]
Posts: 235
|
Post by ferretfreke on Sept 18, 2009 0:54:50 GMT -5
I may have been seeing things, but I swear I saw Unagi eating a mouse today. Whatever he was eating it was the last bit of it and I swear I saw a small foot before he ate it up. I'm crossing my fingers that it was.
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Sept 18, 2009 22:28:55 GMT -5
Good luck, we've all got our fingers and paws crossed for you. ciao
|
|
ferretfreke
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder[/b]
Posts: 235
|
Post by ferretfreke on Sept 19, 2009 0:38:46 GMT -5
Well he may not be eating them yet but he sure likes killing them. I fed them all live tonight and he killed three out of the four and was very excited to do so. He couldn't even handle that before. Then he kept stashing them even though he wasn't eating them. I think he is powering through. He still did some gagging but I think we're going to get past it eventually. My cute little killer!
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Sept 19, 2009 20:04:46 GMT -5
You have to love them....instinct is a powerful thing . ciao
|
|
ferretfreke
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder[/b]
Posts: 235
|
Post by ferretfreke on Sept 27, 2009 1:49:48 GMT -5
Unagi's eating a mouse!!! My boy powered through! Since he enjoyed killing them still, I just kept giving him live ones and each time he seemed to get closer to eating them and tonight he is! What a good boy. It's a huge relief. Now I pray he keeps it down or I'm screwed. It was kind of weird though, he only ate the skin and hair and a front leg. I guess it's a start.
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Sept 27, 2009 7:39:28 GMT -5
Congratulations . Percerverance pays off. Our fingers are crossed that the meeces pieces stay down. Good luck ciao
|
|
ferretfreke
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder[/b]
Posts: 235
|
Post by ferretfreke on Sept 27, 2009 23:02:03 GMT -5
He kept it down! He still wont eat much when given mice, but I think we'll get there. He only ate a small amount tonight just like last night. Thanks for your well wishes!
|
|
|
Post by sherrylynne on Sept 27, 2009 23:38:03 GMT -5
He'll get there! Especially if one of the others try to steal it from him
|
|