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Post by Klarissa on Jul 25, 2015 11:47:49 GMT -5
...and silly Willy is back to not eating. He drinks, he plays, he has great energy, but he won't eat out of his bowl, or kibble from my hand. If I put kibble in his bed/hammock, he will eat it all, so I put 10 pieces of kibble each bed/hammock. I also syringe feed him raw soup + kibble mush every 6 hours.
He lost his pal last weekend, then was rehomed to me Monday, so he has had a very stressful week. How long is "normal" for a stressed/grieving ferret to not eat.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2015 12:47:14 GMT -5
Poor little Willy has had a rough week. Is Willy a boy or girl, I thought that I read posts that mentioned Willy as a boy and then a girl? You are syringe feeding him, so he is getting food into him. How are his poops. Ferret love deeply and grieve deeply. I haven't had any who have lost someone and grieved. Heather has had her share of little ones who grieve. I tagged her and I know she will help offer some advice. Keep giving Willy lot's of love and build your bond with him. It will help.
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Post by Klarissa on Jul 25, 2015 13:18:04 GMT -5
Willy is a boy, and his poops are normal. We spend lots of time together; I bring him into bed, I go into his room & sit/play with him, I put him in the bathroom while I shower because he likes to run in/out of the shower while its on.
He gets RR, but it doesn't appear to make a difference. :/ not eating is really worriesome
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Post by Heather on Jul 25, 2015 15:31:26 GMT -5
OMG...poor wee mite. How could anyone do so wrong by him?!! You're doing what you can for him and just keep doing it. Make sure he's getting enough food and you just give him all the lovin's you can. He's still not made the decision to live. You're helping him do that. He's got to realize that his life hasn't ended with the death of his friend. You've got to get him believe that you're his new beginning ciao
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Post by Klarissa on Jul 26, 2015 13:34:43 GMT -5
My house has descended into chaos. No one teaches life lessons better then pets, today's lesson is taking the good with the bad. Pros: Willy not only ate the food out of his bed, he also ate 10 pieces I put in his food bowl. Will continue to count kibble until his eating is consistent & continue 2 syringe feedings a day as he did lose a bit of weight. When he settles in better we will start the transition, as the little guy has never had any food of a wet/soupy consistency. Con 1: We tried to intro Bear and Willy for the first time since Tuesday. Bear is hissing & screaming BEFORE anything has happened. Willy was chilling in one of the laundry baskets, and Bear beelined for him making a racket. I have no doubt Willy was confused, and when he got up she ran away and he chased. The chase continued, he would get her in a corner, he is much bigger, could've attacked but let her get away, screaming and hissing. I held one in each arm, and Bear was the one trying to bite Willy. I put them down, there had been no brawls, or fear defecating this time. Again Bear went after Willy. It's like Bear wants to be alpha, but knows she can't take Willy. This time Willy decided enough was enough and they fought. We let it play out for a few seconds, and they pulled back, then Bear launched herself at Willy and he bit her paw. She has 2 puncture marks, but she walks on it, and other then being grumpy she got her fuzzy butt kicked, she is fine. Willy seems more upset, I don't think he understands why Bear is such an ornery, vocal little sprite. Con 2: Trixie is a b*tch. I love her to pieces, but she has taken to biting my husband and I when we try and stop her from getting into trouble. She drew blood from both of us last night as she tried to get into my side table to play with power cords. We end up having 5 hours (2 2.5 hour sessions) of playtime because Willy gets his own time. Then he goes away, Bear comes out on her own, then we get out Trixie the two of them play, then Bear goes away, so Trixie gets alone time too. Everyone gets a turn sleeping in my bed. Everyone still gets RR. Today I was happy to go to work, and have a break from animal anarchy (don't get me started on the dogs )
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2015 16:36:27 GMT -5
I'm sorry that things are difficult at the moment. They probably will be for a while to be absolutely honest. I hope things settle down quickly though. You're all dealing with things and feeding off each others' heightened stress. Try some mindfulness exercises or something else that you find super relaxing, around the ferrets, for a few minutes a day. I know it might sound like nonsense but honestly they will definitely pick up on your energy and you'll become a representation of calm and positivity. It might not help straight away but keep it up. These things take time and happen gradually and the more you believe it will work the more the ferrets will pick up on that too. It won't stop them grieving but it will help you all cope better xx
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Post by Klarissa on Jul 26, 2015 17:45:56 GMT -5
I've recruited my husband even more, one of us does the morning, the other the night, so I don't get so overwhelmed with my ferret rodeo. I'm more frustrated that other then what I'm doing, there is nothing else I can do. I got an adult coloring book to help me chill out, while Bear goes into my underwear draw and stash everything under the bed Breathe in. Breath out. I LOVE this forum, its so amazing and supportive. Other then my husband, the people in my life don't get the "ferret thing". The struggle is real But, all of the "work" is 100% worth it without a doubt. I know a lot of people who regret their pets because of the work, and nothing my ferts or pups could do to make me feel anything less than grateful for the.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2015 19:53:46 GMT -5
That's the right attitude to have. I'm glad your husband is supporting you in this. Good luck and keep us up todate!
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Post by Klarissa on Jul 26, 2015 20:05:58 GMT -5
Willy is eating his kibble! I know I mentioned it before, but I was hesitant, because he ate the 10 pieces I put in his bowl, and the stuff I put on him while he sleeps. But I got home and he had eaten everything again, its such a relief. Having a ferret not eat is so stressful (for him no doubt too).
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Post by FireAngel on Jul 26, 2015 20:32:21 GMT -5
You're doing so well with them! I'm glad your husband is helping, having some in house support is great!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2015 1:06:03 GMT -5
That's brilliant. woohoo! Xx
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2015 6:25:28 GMT -5
Hurray Willy!
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Post by Klarissa on Jul 27, 2015 8:52:30 GMT -5
We can barely keep his bowl full, I think wee Willy is trying to gain back lost weight overnight We were counting the pieces of kibble, now we put a layer just enough to cover the bottom of the bowl to keep up with his appetite. One step closer to being able to transition him to raw. But... Trixie :mad: she climbed into bed with me last night (awwe), but she was scratching me. When I reached under the covers to move her a little bit, she sunk all 4 canines into my hand. My yelp woke up the landlords, oops. She has been uppity, and lively lately which I was happy to see. But, argh! Those little teeth hurt! We've tried the sin bin - she just goes to sleep. We've tried scruffing her - adds to the madness. We were giving her lots of attention, but then she started biting us. We wait until she wakes up & runs around the ferret room to get her out, so we don't wake her up and make her grumpy. She is eat, drinking, pooping, and has the most energy I've seen since Rocket (DIP) passed. I love Trixie, but with all the biting its hard to give her the attention she needs.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2015 16:19:23 GMT -5
Woohoo! Glad about Willy.
Trixie may be going through another stage of grief... Not sure what to suggest except give her time. Her bites could mean leave me alone I guess, or they could mean something else xx
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Post by Klarissa on Jul 27, 2015 17:05:04 GMT -5
Trixie has become so feisty, that we are just going to try leaving her alone as much as possible for the next 24 hours. See if her message is "leave me alone!" We've separated Bear & Trixie for the last couple days as well. They tussle, always very short, never any injuries or fear defecation, but I'm sure Bear is sick of Trixie's attitude.
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