Stress or possible blockage?

[shayla]

Hello!
I am a new ferret mom but not new to ferrets in general. I adopted my oldest girl about 5 months ago (she’s 9 months old). I just adopted another girl this passed Saturday (She’s 3 months old). The reason I wanted to adopt another was because Rose (my oldest) was getting a little bored, so it seemed. Since I got my newbie, Ivy, Rose has been having really thin poops, even really slimey sometimes. She’s been hissing at Ivy a lot which is understandable but no fighting whatsoever. Rose has also been quite a bit less playful. She gets excited when I bring her outside still but in the playroom she mostly finds places to hide. When she does play she gets grumpy at Ivy fairly fast and reverts back to hissing.
She’s never really had big poops since I’ve gotten her but the last few days they have been abnormally small.
Could she have a partial blockage and need vet care or is it just stress from our newbie?

Thank you so much in advance for your time.

[unclejoe]

it's never wrong to have a vet take a look. you can palpate Rose's belly and then Ivy to see if there is any difference. You may be able to feel a mass if there is a blockage. May I ask what they eat?

[shayla]

I tried feeling, I didn’t notice any differences. My girls eat 30% Wysong Epigen 90 (Digestive Support), 30% Blue Buffalo “Wilderness” Kitten food (Chicken), 30% Blue Buffalo “Wilderness” (Duck) and 10% True North ferret food (the food they were raised on, almost done taking it out of their diet). Thank you for replying!

[Sherry]

For all intents and purposes, Rose is almost an adult while Ivy is still a baby So she is likely feeling the same as a teenager would toward a much younger sibling bothering them! With the poops I am thinking it is more likely she is a bit stressed. Have you watched to see how much she is actually eating?

[shayla]

Thank you so much for responding, Sherry! I have been watching her eating habits. She’s still eating just not quite as much as regular which I am hoping is also due to stress she can overcome. Ivy is really rambunctious and nippy whilst Rose is a very calm and gentle ferret.

[hezzera]

Wow Shayla. I know this is an old thread...but this sounds EXACTLY like my situation.
I had my first ferret Grapes for 8 months and shes a sweet, calm ferret who likes her routine. Not much of a player...just liked hanging out.
I really wanted another ferret so I got my other little guy a month and a half ago. I figured maybe the extra ferret would perk her up a little.
My situation is the EXACT SAME as yours. Grapes hisses a lot at the new ferret and has NO interest in playing with him.
Her poops have never been picture perfect either and then after I got the new guy...they've been thin ever since. Thin and small.
I've done so many blockage protocols thinking it might be that..but I feel like shes just eating less because of stress.
What ended up happening with the situation? Has your first ferret gotten used to the new addition? Have her poops improved?

[Sherry]

They either get used to one another(sometimes they bond, sometimes simply learn to tolerate), or you wind up with two separate playtimes.

[unclejoe]

Dec 4, 2018 9:53:08 GMT -5 Sherry said:

They either get used to one another(sometimes they bond, sometimes simply learn to tolerate), or you wind up with two separate playtimes.

Unfortunately Sherry is right, but out of 28 ferrets, only a couple have been antisocial. A couple others took a few months to adapt to new ferts in the house.

[silentdook]

Hi Shayla!
Looking at the foods and percentages, ingredients, etc of kibble can be overwhelming, and we know that what goes in will affect what comes out. There's a lot of indigestable plant protein in a lot (read: almost all) grain-free options. It's the trend manufacturers have jumped on, but now they're just subbing in veggies and legumes. Check your ingredients. If it lists peas three different ways, you can bet the total is more than you want.

I go to the fancy cat sites when I'm unsure where to look for information, like this very thorough article on Purrfectly Holistic for cats.
It also tells us how to figure out carb % with a plug-in pie chart link!