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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 9:02:39 GMT -5
Rico has officially become bored and depressed. No matter what I do to the house or the room he just lays there. Even after awhile outside he just lays down. I have been giving him rescue remedy but it doesn't seem to be working. I have bought him new toys made him a new dig box made more tunnels. But I get nothing from him. I try and play with him all day everyday and show him he's not alone and that I love him.
We took him to the vet to make sure he wasn't sick. She said he was perfectly healthy. We have got to get a new ferret ASAP. But since the incident at the shelter we haven't been able to take Rico back.
Nate and I have discussed just bringing another ferret home and let them sort it out. But I think that would be so unfair to the other ferret if Rico really hurt him.
We are stuck. What should we do! I miss my poor sweet fun Rico. I feel so bad for him. It's not fair. Please help! We are desperate. It has been like this for almost a week now. Any advice would be so much help. Thanks everyone.
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Post by Thérèse on Apr 14, 2014 9:32:25 GMT -5
I have never used rescue remedy. I am not a big fan of drugs and I consider anything mood altering to be a drug, even if it is all natural. Having said that, my understanding is that rescue remedy is to calm ferrets. So using it would seem counterproductive in this situation.
Also there is a way to sort of rile up ferrets , if that is the right phrasing. I remember Bob Church doing both a way of petting a ferret that calmed them but he also did something that excited the ferret too, at the IFCA symposium. I know hurricanekatt posted a lot of video snippets from the symposium round the forum but I'm not sure if that move was one of them.
And a week isn't so long either, ferrets, like people, have there high and low times. Rico may just need some time to rebound from the stress of the visit to the shelter.
What is the weather like where you are? Ferrets are much quieter weather extremes, and are little sleepy heads in Winter. Could Rico have his seasons mixed up?
Would suggest discontinuing the rescue remedy and just continue loving on him to reassure him things are fine. And trying to get him going, I roll my guys over and rough up their tummys or swoosh them across the floor and they get up and dance back for more when I want to get them going.
In a little while try again to find a friend for him but go slowly with the intro, ensuring they both feel safe, and maybe he will find someone he likes with a more tentative intro experience.
Good luck and hope Rico gets back to his cheeky self soon
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 9:44:59 GMT -5
Our weather has been odd here lately at some points in the week it's in the 80's and others it's in the 30's due to all the rain we have been getting. We take Rico on walks when it's warm enough. But when it's cold he just gets backyard play time.
When I saw that the RR wasn't working I stopped. (Sorry I forgot to mention that) Even when I rough Rico up he still just lays there. I'll try and chase him and I get nothing. Not even a lift of the head. I feel so sad for him. When I working I let him lay in my lap. It just scares me that I haven't seen my happy Rico in a week. How long can this possibly continue it's breaking our hearts seeing him so sad.
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Post by msav on Apr 14, 2014 10:19:02 GMT -5
Have you tried a new change of scenery. Taking him to a place he has not been before. New smells new things will stimulate him and he should respond. Maybe take him to a nearby park he has not seen before. Or maybe to a pet store or other animal friendly place.
every time any of my ferrets get depress. I take them out to my RV and let them run around in it. It is a good thing they don'r get bored and depressed that much otherwise the RV would become just as boring. It is tough with one ferret, Because you are basically the only source of interaction for him.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 10:39:56 GMT -5
We have actually. He gets excited for maybe 10 minutes then just lays down again.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 10:44:59 GMT -5
Aww...poor Rico. Like Therese said, he may have his seasons mixed or just be in one of those moods, that we all get and he's feeling blah! Everyone may not agree, but what I would do, is just go out to Petco and bring home a little girl. I say Petco, because while we don't necessarily like what they do, their ferrets are in good health and they need a home too. I would look for a little girl, who is a few months old, already and connects with you. She will be all about exploring her new home and Rico will be fascinated by this new ferret in his home and forget all about being sad/bored. Like I said, not everyone will agree with me. I did have one other thought, keep an eye out on Rico. I doubt this has happened, but he has been visiting other ferrets and there is always the possibility, that he could have picked up a slight bug.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 1:01:53 GMT -5
Do you have the toys that chirp? My two go absolutely bonkers over their chirpy toys. We have a mouse and a bird, and Steavn likes the mouse, and Penny has her birdy baby. I also agree with Poncesmom. Bringing a little girl in to keep him company might do the trick. Just make sure she's healthy Hope your little guy gets better!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 1:47:33 GMT -5
Don't give up ricodico! I must tell you a story.... I found my Jimmy at the shelter. He had been adopted and RETURNED to the shelter 3 times over the course of 4 years. He was labeled a biter (even had a sign on his cage). He had never had a good play mate much less a cage mate. Well, he fell in love with my husband. We were at the shelter visiting with ferrets to see if we found one that we had a connection with. They were all cute, but none really connected with us. The whole time we were there Jimmy was clawing at the cage to get to my husband. When we finally let him out, he was all over us (well, mostly my husband). We ended up adopting him and giving him his forever home. He always seemed like he was lonely. He apparently loved us, but I really wanted to find someone for him to play with. One day the shelter mom called me and said that someone brought in a sweet little albino that had been found in a field. He was in quarantine at the time but I went to check him out anyway. What a sweet boy with a huge attitude! I told her that I was thinking about trying to find Jimmy a friend. She told me that he had been through all the ferrets in the shelter and he never liked any of them. I insisted after a few weeks and we brought Jimmy in to see this new ferret. First we tried him with a little girl. He tried to kill her. The little girl was terrified and he had a death grip on her throat. It happened in less than a minute. the shelter mom separated them and then I had to rest...that was really stressful. Jimmy ran around for a while...that was his home away from home you know...he had spent 4 years at that shelter so he had some exploring to do...his old haunts so to speak. I asked about the albino. the shelter mom said, well, it's worth a try...he has spunk for sure. We put them together and there was all this terrible screaming! The shelter mom was standing over them both so I knew they were in good hands. I had to turn away because I was bawling my eyes out. I thought that new ferret was hurting my baby! After about 5 minutes (no blood, no poop) they started walking around the play area together. Then they started chasing each other in the tubes. By the end of the visit they were best friends. I brought Mickey home with me that day (he's my avatar picture). Mickey and Jimmy bonded in that instant. They loved each other and missed each other whenever either was gone. I had to take them to the vet together because they got upset if the other one wasn't there. They were truly bonded until the day that Jimmy went to the bridge. Mickey misses him still (as do both my husband and I).
I guess the moral to this story is....don't ever give up. He may want to be an only ferret right now, but that doesn't necessarily mean forever. Maybe it's just not the right time right now.
Good luck with him. Please keep us posted as to how he's doing.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 13:57:03 GMT -5
Aww...poor Rico. Like Therese said, he may have his seasons mixed or just be in one of those moods, that we all get and he's feeling blah! Everyone may not agree, but what I would do, is just go out to Petco and bring home a little girl. I say Petco, because while we don't necessarily like what they do, their ferrets are in good health and they need a home too. I would look for a little girl, who is a few months old, already and connects with you. She will be all about exploring her new home and Rico will be fascinated by this new ferret in his home and forget all about being sad/bored. Like I said, not everyone will agree with me. I did have one other thought, keep an eye out on Rico. I doubt this has happened, but he has been visiting other ferrets and there is always the possibility, that he could have picked up a slight bug. I just feel so hurt when Rico's like this. I can't help but just cry and hold him. I hate to see him just laying on the ground sad. It breaks my heart. I want my swee happy fun Rico back. I am just thankful he is still eating. I have tried everything under the sun to get him to start playing. Even his FAVORITE toy the squeaky elephant can't get him motivated. We are going to look at a little female ferret soon. I really hope Rico just falls in love and he can be happy again. It's very heartbreaking and discouraging.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 14:00:01 GMT -5
Do you have the toys that chirp? My two go absolutely bonkers over their chirpy toys. We have a mouse and a bird, and Steavn likes the mouse, and Penny has her birdy baby. I also agree with Poncesmom. Bringing a little girl in to keep him company might do the trick. Just make sure she's healthy Hope your little guy gets better! His favorite you is a squeaky elephant. That's not even doing the trick. I have bought so many new toys this week it's unbelievable. I think the female might do the truck as well. Just gotta find the right one. Like I told poncesmom, we are going to look at a little girl some time this week. We are praying she's the one.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 14:04:43 GMT -5
Don't give up ricodico! I must tell you a story.... I found my Jimmy at the shelter. He had been adopted and RETURNED to the shelter 3 times over the course of 4 years. He was labeled a biter (even had a sign on his cage). He had never had a good play mate much less a cage mate. Well, he fell in love with my husband. We were at the shelter visiting with ferrets to see if we found one that we had a connection with. They were all cute, but none really connected with us. The whole time we were there Jimmy was clawing at the cage to get to my husband. When we finally let him out, he was all over us (well, mostly my husband). We ended up adopting him and giving him his forever home. He always seemed like he was lonely. He apparently loved us, but I really wanted to find someone for him to play with. One day the shelter mom called me and said that someone brought in a sweet little albino that had been found in a field. He was in quarantine at the time but I went to check him out anyway. What a sweet boy with a huge attitude! I told her that I was thinking about trying to find Jimmy a friend. She told me that he had been through all the ferrets in the shelter and he never liked any of them. I insisted after a few weeks and we brought Jimmy in to see this new ferret. First we tried him with a little girl. He tried to kill her. The little girl was terrified and he had a death grip on her throat. It happened in less than a minute. the shelter mom separated them and then I had to rest...that was really stressful. Jimmy ran around for a while...that was his home away from home you know...he had spent 4 years at that shelter so he had some exploring to do...his old haunts so to speak. I asked about the albino. the shelter mom said, well, it's worth a try...he has spunk for sure. We put them together and there was all this terrible screaming! The shelter mom was standing over them both so I knew they were in good hands. I had to turn away because I was bawling my eyes out. I thought that new ferret was hurting my baby! After about 5 minutes (no blood, no poop) they started walking around the play area together. Then they started chasing each other in the tubes. By the end of the visit they were best friends. I brought Mickey home with me that day (he's my avatar picture). Mickey and Jimmy bonded in that instant. They loved each other and missed each other whenever either was gone. I had to take them to the vet together because they got upset if the other one wasn't there. They were truly bonded until the day that Jimmy went to the bridge. Mickey misses him still (as do both my husband and I). I guess the moral to this story is....don't ever give up. He may want to be an only ferret right now, but that doesn't necessarily mean forever. Maybe it's just not the right time right now. Good luck with him. Please keep us posted as to how he's doing. Your story has just lifted my spirts!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing that!! Maybe Rico is just a jimmy. He just needs someone with a bigger personality to show him who is boss and put him in his place so he can have fun! It just worries me how as he is getting. I'm afraid he is gonna get to the point he's not eating. I don't know how many times I've just seen him laying there and I just crying. I just hope he gets better soon. It's killing me to see him like this. I feel like a bad ferrent.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 17:01:59 GMT -5
Don't feel bad You are still doing everything in your power to make him happy. If you were a bad ferrent, you'd give up and sell him and his belongings on Craigslist to a teenager who lives in her parents house and she doesn't work because she's too busy with school, but she's failing school because all she does is hang out with her friends and her boyfriend and she forgot about her new ferret thats at home because all it does is sleep, poop, and ruin her $150 MissMe jeans that she just got for Valentines day, so she's thinking about letting it go free, because, ya know, that's where ferrets come from... So you see, I don't think you're a bad ferrent at all *this message was to make you feel better and I am, in no way, trying to upset you* Peace, love, and ferrets
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 18:30:04 GMT -5
Don't feel bad You are still doing everything in your power to make him happy. If you were a bad ferrent, you'd give up and sell him and his belongings on Craigslist to a teenager who lives in her parents house and she doesn't work because she's too busy with school, but she's failing school because all she does is hang out with her friends and her boyfriend and she forgot about her new ferret thats at home because all it does is sleep, poop, and ruin her $150 MissMe jeans that she just got for Valentines day, so she's thinking about letting it go free, because, ya know, that's where ferrets come from... So you see, I don't think you're a bad ferrent at all *this message was to make you feel better and I am, in no way, trying to upset you* Peace, love, and ferrets This seriously just made me laugh for 15 minutes! And you are right! If I was a bad ferrent I would just give up! But I'm not. I can't ever give up on my sweet Rico. He's my everything. Thank you for cheering me up! you're hilarious!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 22:14:14 GMT -5
Some ferrets don't jump for joy all the time. I have a sullen ferret. He gets excited for a little while but many times when I wake him to come play, he just curls back up and goes to sleep. It's really work to get him to socialize sometimes. Does Rico like outside? that might be something to try...if your weather is getting more nice these days, maybe a trip to the park or just outside in the yard would help his spirits. Yogi would rather do anything before playing. He doesn't eat much and it seems a lot of effort for him to play. But now that spring is here, he's playing more than before...I wonder if they feel the same way we do sometimes, I just want to stay in bed for a week. Sometimes they all boycott playing and stay in bed during the winter. And I really can't blame them. The only reason I get up sometimes is to go to work....and then it's a chore. Maybe the little guy just needs some vitamin D from the sun! hehehe it has been a long winter.....
I'm glad that you liked my Jimmy story. He was a very inspiring ferret. He got an entire life's love in the two years I had him and I'm sure that with all the love and play that he got from Mickey, he forgot all the bad from his past. He was very loved.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 23:25:58 GMT -5
Some ferrets don't jump for joy all the time. I have a sullen ferret. He gets excited for a little while but many times when I wake him to come play, he just curls back up and goes to sleep. It's really work to get him to socialize sometimes. Does Rico like outside? that might be something to try...if your weather is getting more nice these days, maybe a trip to the park or just outside in the yard would help his spirits. Yogi would rather do anything before playing. He doesn't eat much and it seems a lot of effort for him to play. But now that spring is here, he's playing more than before...I wonder if they feel the same way we do sometimes, I just want to stay in bed for a week. Sometimes they all boycott playing and stay in bed during the winter. And I really can't blame them. The only reason I get up sometimes is to go to work....and then it's a chore. Maybe the little guy just needs some vitamin D from the sun! hehehe it has been a long winter..... I'm glad that you liked my Jimmy story. He was a very inspiring ferret. He got an entire life's love in the two years I had him and I'm sure that with all the love and play that he got from Mickey, he forgot all the bad from his past. He was very loved. We walk Rico everyday if it's warm enough. But if it's not he gets backyard play time with his sweater on! Rico loves loves loves the outside. I have a window by my office and we have a play pen that Nate built especially outside my window so I can watch Rico play! He gets as much outside time as he possibly can! I feel the same way sometimes. Like I just don't want to get out of bed. But then Rico comes and bites my toes and gets me excited about the day. I am sure little Jimmy was so happy to have such a happy loving home like yours.
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