Only eats when scruffed

[bluemoose]

I gave Tonks a live mouse to stimulate her interest in whole prey. She caught and killed it pretty quick and then acted like she wanted to eat it. She'll pick the mouse up and take it to the corner to chew on it but not enough to break through the skin. She clamps down on it if I try to take it but as soon as I let go she just takes it back to the corner, gives it a couple chomps, and then walks away.

What I've discovered is she'll eat if I scruff her. I don't have to force the food into her mouth, I just hold it in front of her and she starts eating it. But as soon as I let her go she takes the mouse back to the corner and stops eating. She'll eat soupie and whole prey but only if I scruff her and offer it.

I know she recognizes it as food because she eats it and she must be hungry because I don't offer anything else so I'm not sure what her deal is. Is this normal behavior? I didn't have any issues like this switching Mango and Kiwi

[sherrylynne]

Instead of scruffing(with the soup at least), try just keeping her on your lap with the plate and spoon. That would be the next step for her. I know with my Boris- he basically learned his "new" food had to be eaten from a certain bowl, or he simply wouldn't eat. I honestly think he may have somehow imprinted a behaviour(eating from one bowl) concerning the food. In that dish, the food was safe to eat. Otherwise not.
I'm not saying this is what's happening with yours, but it's possible!

[bluemoose]

Well shut my mouth. Tonight she was noming whole rabbit in the cage no problem. Maybe she's just not a big mouse fan.

[Heather]

Rabbit is a ferret fav
ciao

[shilohismygirl]

Yeah, it is. I put a ton in the ferret's cage the other day, and Hiro was up and awake, asking for food, as they had run out. I put a lot of rabbit in there, and I'll be darned if the little beggar didn't eat it all himself, and then asked for more.