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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2011 12:23:25 GMT -5
Oh by the way I wanted to mention something: You told me I should get rid of the wood chips and use towels or blankets or something nice and soft on the floor. Well it's funny, not only do my ferrets really enjoy the towel much more than the litter, but it also solved another problem I was having! My little ones knew to poop in their corner litter box, but sometimes their aim wasn't so good! Sometimes rather than get inside the box, they would just back up to the edge and poop right outside the box! Argh... Well I'm happy to report, that now that there is a nice soft towel on the floor next to the litterbox, they are always careful to climb all the way into the litterbox before pooping or peeing! Is it because they like the towel and don't want to get it all gross and poopy? I like to thing so Clever little ones!
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Post by katt on Apr 22, 2011 12:46:37 GMT -5
Man I swear I responded to this last night! It must not have gone through,,, *grumbles* stupid phone. What I said lol was that you are a natural at this whole switching business! ;D Cutting the mouse open is a very common technique to lure them in. If that doesn't work, cut off a little piece and stuff it in their mouths to get them to taste it. The hardest part with whole prey is getting them past the fur. There are ways to do that more sneakily if they don't take to it so don't worry too much if they don't eat it at first, we'll get them there. As for the towels, you are absolutely right. Ferrets usually do not like to poop on their bedding or toys. Now there are accidents, and temper tantrums, but usually... Do you have any hammocks for them? They love hammocks! Read around here there are all kinds of ideas for cozy bedding. www.holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=cageHow did they take to the mouse? Any luck?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2011 13:31:25 GMT -5
Not sure, I left the mouse with them last night along with a chicken leg and a little soupie. This morning, both halves had been moved but... One of them was in the litterbox with the poop! Why would they put it there? They have never put their food in there before. The other half I couldn't find so I think someone ate it. I have another mouse I can offer tonight. As for hammocks, yes they have 2. Right now however they are "grounded" to only 1 hammock. This is because my cage has 3 shelves, and for a little while my fuzzbutts were starting to "forget" to use the litterbox and poop on the shelves instead. I thought it might help to restrict them to only the lowest shelf and the floor, until they get more accustomed to their new home and get into the habbit of pooping in the litterbox. Hope that's not mean! They have never pooped on the low shelf, and their water is there, plus they like to eat on that shelf. They liked the upper shelves but cleaning up the poop was getting annoying. Hey, after seeing how they reacted to the towel, do you think lining the shelves with something soft that they like would help discourage them from pooping and peeing on them? Also, the 2 upper shelves had a ramp and a slide connecting them. My fuzzes liked to just climb the cage bars to get to the upper shelves, but then getting DOWN was an issue, because they didn't like the slippery plastic ramp or slide. Sometimes they seemed reluctant to come down, or would give up and just jump or fall off. What do you suggest for this? Should I maybe coat the ramp and slide with fabric or something that they can grip to, so they can climb up and down comfortably?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2011 13:47:20 GMT -5
Oh one more thing... I wasn't going to mention this because I was worried someone might get offended, or that it might be dangerous for my fuzzies, but I gotta come clean...
After seeing a bunch of videos online of ferrets eating live mice, my nephew wanted really badly to see if his ferret would eat one. His ferret is about 4 months old like my Fenton (from the same batch).
He had a small live feeder mouse from the reptile store and put it in the bathtub with his ferret. His ferret sniffed it once and immediately lost interest. There didn't appear to be any drive to hunt it or anything. The mouse seemed really docile and wasn't biting or anything.
Fenton similarly showed no interest in the mouse, and didn't even chase it or anything.
Fiona however surprised us all... She is only 2 months old and TINY, but as soon as she saw the mouse, she tensed up and was focused like a laser on that mouse! She chased it around, maneuvering until she had just the right angle, then she pounced on it and almost immediately dispatched it with a bite to the neck.
Anyway, I hope that wasn't bad to do that! She seemed to love it. Our boys on the other hand were not the least bit interested.
Is this dangerous? If so I won't do it again. The mouse didn't hurt Fiona but could it have?
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Post by katt on Apr 22, 2011 19:18:31 GMT -5
Not sure, I left the mouse with them last night along with a chicken leg and a little soupie. This morning, both halves had been moved but... One of them was in the litterbox with the poop! Why would they put it there? They have never put their food in there before.This is actually quite common. Ferrets are hoarders, this includes food. Having a feeding den helps to minimize stashing but does not eliminate it. In the wild, weasels will actually hide their food, and then defecate/urinate on it to discourage other animals from eating it. The other half I couldn't find so I think someone ate it. I have another mouse I can offer tonight.Check the bedding, and behind/under the cage as it might have been stashed or thrown out. I have sen both happen. Sometimes they prefer their meat nicely aged. As for hammocks, yes they have 2. Right now however they are "grounded" to only 1 hammock. This is because my cage has 3 shelves, and for a little while my fuzzbutts were starting to "forget" to use the litterbox and poop on the shelves instead. I thought it might help to restrict them to only the lowest shelf and the floor, until they get more accustomed to their new home and get into the habit of pooping in the litterbox. Hope that's not mean! They have never pooped on the low shelf, and their water is there, plus they like to eat on that shelf.Is there bedding on the shelves? If not, this will help. You can make bedding, have bedding made (there are lots of people who will do custom bedding) or even just slip a pillowcase over the shelf. Here is a link to Potty Boot Camp You start small and work your way up. When there is an accident, you take that level, shelf, etc away for a few days, then give them one shelf back. When they do ok with that for a while, give them another. Etc etc. www.holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=training&action=display&thread=108They liked the upper shelves but cleaning up the poop was getting annoying. Hey, after seeing how they reacted to the towel, do you think lining the shelves with something soft that they like would help discourage them from pooping and peeing on them?;D I guess I missed that when I read it the first tome. Yes. Look around in the Bedding and Cages section if you want to see ideas on how some people have decorated theirs. Also, the 2 upper shelves had a ramp and a slide connecting them. My fuzzes liked to just climb the cage bars to get to the upper shelves, but then getting DOWN was an issue, because they didn't like the slippery plastic ramp or slide. Sometimes they seemed reluctant to come down, or would give up and just jump or fall off. What do you suggest for this? Should I maybe coat the ramp and slide with fabric or something that they can grip to, so they can climb up and down comfortably?Can they jump? I don't even bother with ramps at all. The only time I did was when Koda was too small to jump high enough. If they can't jump it, then yes some fabric for grip should help. I know that you just got this cage, but I would REALLY REALLY recommend looking into getting a Ferret nation cage. They are THE best cage out there for ferrets. Best use of space, space for storage, most floor space, best use of height, and WAY easy to clean, and totally escape proof. Also one of the safest cages out there. They are expensive but ferret.com often has special on them, and you can usually find used ones on Craigslist.
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Post by katt on Apr 22, 2011 19:26:52 GMT -5
Oh one more thing... I wasn't going to mention this because I was worried someone might get offended, or that it might be dangerous for my fuzzies, but I gotta come clean... After seeing a bunch of videos online of ferrets eating live mice, my nephew wanted really badly to see if his ferret would eat one. His ferret is about 4 months old like my Fenton (from the same batch). He had a small live feeder mouse from the reptile store and put it in the bathtub with his ferret. His ferret sniffed it once and immediately lost interest. There didn't appear to be any drive to hunt it or anything. The mouse seemed really docile and wasn't biting or anything. Fenton similarly showed no interest in the mouse, and didn't even chase it or anything. Fiona however surprised us all... She is only 2 months old and TINY, but as soon as she saw the mouse, she tensed up and was focused like a laser on that mouse! She chased it around, maneuvering until she had just the right angle, then she pounced on it and almost immediately dispatched it with a bite to the neck. Anyway, I hope that wasn't bad to do that! She seemed to love it. Our boys on the other hand were not the least bit interested. Is this dangerous? If so I won't do it again. The mouse didn't hurt Fiona but could it have? ;D www.holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=livefeedingLive feeding is fine. Some do it, some do not. I personally feel that it is much more humane than CO2, which is how feeder rodents are killed. Here is a video of my Koda hunting outside last summer. There is a catch though. With most ferrets there is a learning curve, and some ferrets are better hunters than others. You have to be prepared to put the mouse out of its misery of the ferret does not make a clean kill. Both of my boys are efficient hunters thankfully, but even so I have had to end a few bad kills. Live feeding has several benefits. It is more humane than CO2, it is a good way to give them some natural enrichment (physical and mental), and it is also a way to ensure that your ferrets know how to hunt if they ever manage to escape from home. This can greatly increase their chances of surviving if goodness forbid they slip the coop. Most people do this in their bathtubs, but in the summer I like to do hunts outside. It furthers the natural enrichment IMO, and for some reason being outside seems to make Koda an even better hunter. Kenai has only been with me since this November so this will be his first summer hunting outside - we'll see how it goes.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2011 2:19:02 GMT -5
Ah cool! So live feeding is ok... Your fuzz is a good little hunter What about ferrets like my Fenton who aren't interested and don't attack? Can they ever learn? Anyway, I offered pork today in the form of ham hocks. I don't think Fenton my boy is hungry enough yet, but Fiona started nibbling right away on the skin and ate a little meat too.
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Post by katt on Apr 23, 2011 2:59:58 GMT -5
Ah cool! So live feeding is ok... Your fuzz is a good little hunter What about ferrets like my Fenton who aren't interested and don't attack? Can they ever learn? Anyway, I offered pork today in the form of ham hocks. I don't think Fenton my boy is hungry enough yet, but Fiona started nibbling right away on the skin and ate a little meat too. Some ferrets never make good hunters. Some can learn. Also, since you don't know who ate the mouse half, it is possible it was Not Fenton, and that he still does not see it as food. As for the pork hock, the tough skin can be daunting to some ferrets. Some love it, some won't touch it. Do you have any plain pork chops that you can offer him?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2011 3:59:31 GMT -5
I can get some pork chops. There is also meat in the hock under the skin, I could cut some out to make it more accessible. I think Fiona ate the mouse half, not Fenton, because today I gave them another mouse and watched as Fiona ate its legs and head! Eww... I hope she finishes it and doesn't leave it like that! So I think Fiona is a little predator now, she can kill her own mouse and eat it too! That's neat! Fenton also did something new today, I was holding him and scratching his back, and to my shock he started licking my arm! He has never licked me before, though I have petted him to sleep lots of times and he would sometimes lick the air, but always seemed to avoid licking me. Anyway once he got started, he vigorously groomed my arm for about 5 minutes while I petted him. It was funny too, when he got to my shirt sleeve he would grab it with his teeth and try to pull it off LOL... I experimented with putting my hands in front of his face to see if he would lick them, and he licked a couple times then stopped. He seemed to only want to groom areas with hair, avoiding hairless areas like the palms of my hands (insert joke here). Anyway just thought that was cute and a surprise! I had a pet rat before that used to "groom" me like that, and I wondered if ferrets would do that. By the way that is one rough tongue! It's scratchy like a cat's tongue, but I think maybe even rougher! Fiona has not licked me so far, but she sure goes to town on Fenton! After a nice long playtime and exploring and they are both ready to sleep, as they are getting snuggled up to sleep, Fiona almost always now will groom Fenton's ears for a minute or so then close her eyes and go to sleep.
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Post by katt on Apr 23, 2011 11:15:37 GMT -5
haha Go little Fiona! I don't have a female myself but everything I hear about them is that they are feisty! That is too cute that she cleans his ears before going to sleep each night. It sounds like Fenton is starting to see you as another ferret, a real part of his business Congratulations, you are now part of a ferret business. Some ferrets are very kissy, some never give kisses, and some just take a bit to warm up. Koda gives great kisses all of the time. With Kenai it's like a major event if he gives you kisses. He will groom my arms on occasion, but that's because they lick the lick the lotion off. haha And yes those tongues are very scratchy! Just wait until you are getting kisses on your eyelids from a very persistent ferret. *my skinnnn!!!!!* *Aw but it's so cute...it hurts!..awwww...owww...awww...ouch!*
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2011 11:53:03 GMT -5
Haha so your Koda is a great kisser? How cute! This morning during morning playtime we had another first with Fenton! He was running around playing and he started dooking! I have never heard him dook before. I thought maybe since he was deaf he wouldn't do it. But he was definitely dooking while he played! He only did it for maybe 20 seconds though. I have only had him for what, 3 weeks or so now? Could it be that he's still warming up to me and his new home? So they have eaten some of the pork, should I maybe get them some beef today?
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Post by katt on Apr 23, 2011 12:37:30 GMT -5
Haha so your Koda is a great kisser? How cute! Yes he is. He is my first ferret and was an only ferret for a year before Kenai came home. He's my "heart ferret" and we have been through a lot together. But he gives out kisses like candy! haha He loves to lick all over my face and ears and arms. Ear wax and nose snot are especially delicious. And if I want a kiss all I need to do is put my nose up to his and ask him for kisses. He gives them upon request. Little kids at the store/vet love it. haha They get that squirmy, smiley, giggly look that only kids can get. This morning during morning playtime we had another first with Fenton! He was running around playing and he started dooking! I have never heard him dook before. I thought maybe since he was deaf he wouldn't do it. But he was definitely dooking while he played! He only did it for maybe 20 seconds though.I LOVE vocal ferrets! I have to say Koda would sometimes dook at us (we like to dook at him lol) but was overall pretty quiet. Since Kenai came home though there is significantly more dooking all around. I love it. They huff too - listen for it when they get really excited when they are playing. It sounds almsot like they are wheezing or running out of breath. It's like if you make an over exaggerated "e" or fake smile with your mouth and breath in and out rapidly. Just that "huff huff huff huff" noise. It's so funny and cute. Not all ferrets do it apparently. Both of mine do. I have only had him for what, 3 weeks or so now? Could it be that he's still warming up to me and his new home?Definitely. So they have eaten some of the pork, should I maybe get them some beef today?Yes beef would be a good next meat. Any luck with Fenton and mice yet? If not, try cutting a little piece off (with some good meat, and maybe a tiny bit of fur too) and putting it in his mouth while you hold him in a gentle scruff in your lap. You might do this a few times. Then see if he starts eating them or not. If not we will try a different approach with him. Have you been able to find any other organs? Chicken liver is usually really easy to find. You can look for beef liver, pork liver, beef/pork spleen, and pork kidney too. Organs are really key so see if you can't get them a little more liver and even heart today too. Last time you did a soup for the heart and liver correct? See if they will take it whole this time. Also if you can get some chicken hearts. I know in some places they are hard to come by though. But they are a big favorite of Koda's, while he is much less fond of other animal hearts.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2011 3:46:46 GMT -5
Oh yeah the huffing! My 2 both started doing this only recently, when they get really excited playing. It's really cute! Almost like a tiny puppy panting LOL...
Fenton did another cute thing, when I woke him up for evening playtime he was very groggy and he sort of whimpered, almost like a dog, when I woke him up! Funny... I have also heard him whimper in his sleep, while his legs were twitching almost like he was trying to run in his sleep! I wonder if he was dreaming?
Anyway back to business... I have some chicken livers, but they are frozen and I need to thaw them. My local Asian market does sell chicken hearts! I'll pick some up Sunday or Monday.
No luck so far with Fenton and mice. I will try the scruff and stuff method you suggested. Would it help to try starting him on pinkies rather than a big furry mouse?
I saw they ate some of the ham hocks, but it didn't look like they ate very much. Maybe it was hard for them? I got kind of worried that they might not be getting enough food and picked up some ground beef. I wondered if they would like it. Oh they liked it all right... Fiona immediately started chowing down on it like it was an old familiar food. Fenton at first just sniffed it and wouldn't try it. I scruffed him and when he yawned I snuck a piece in his mouth. His reaction was like "Hey that was good!" and after that, he was right next to Fiona chowing down.
Not to get off-topic, but I noticed Fenton is doing something lately that worries me. When he gets really rowdy and excited playing and he's running around and stuff, every once in a while he will just stop right in the middle of play and lay flat on his belly on the floor, wait maybe 3 to 5 seconds, then get up and resume playing. It almost looks like he is plopping down on his belly from sheer exhaustion and then when he catches his breath he resumes playing. I'm just guessing though. The other thing I thought it might be is that the floor is cool and it's warm here this time of year, maybe he likes laying on the cool floor when he's all heated up? Anyway, just wondering if I should be worried. It seems like I read somewhere that this kind of behavior could indicate low blood sugar.
He will do other similar things sometimes, like just flop down in the middle of playing, or move like he's lazy or tired, acting really floppy and feeble. But on the other hand, when he gets really excited and riled up, he will keep his body tense and move fast like the other ferrets I have seen.
Fiona never gets that tired, lazy, or uncoordinated / floppy look, she's like a coiled spring all the time and I don't think I have ever seen her look tired from physical exhaustion
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2011 11:27:56 GMT -5
Ok checking in:
Last night I fed them only chicken livers (whole) and strips of beef heart. They ate both.
I had rabbit meat and bones in the freezer and I'm leaving that with them this morning to work on all day while I'm work. I was surprised, they immediately started chewing on it, even though it's a new meat!
The last few days have been good, they are eating pretty much anything I put in front of them!
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Post by katt on Apr 25, 2011 14:20:02 GMT -5
Yaay Sorry I didn't reply yesterday. I meant to but school is crazy atm. I had a ton of papers and a test today. I'll be on again in a few hours to give you an ACTUAL response!
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