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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 23:13:44 GMT -5
I brought home a 6 week old ferret. My almost 2 year old ferret went with me and they were in the car for two hours and were fine. My older one Rupert seemed nervous and uncomfortable, the baby is full of energy and wanted to play with him when I got home and Rupert attacked him I immediately separated them. I don't know what to do now, I would hate to have to get rid of him Rupert has come up to him since then and sniffed him but I'm afraid he's going to hurt the baby. Thanks for your help! My older ferret hasn't been around other ferrets, he is around my parents small dog though.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 10:13:49 GMT -5
Hi and Welcome to the HFF This also happened to me when I brought home a six week old little girl. Roamy attacked her. He was serious about it. Juliet happily accepted her and mothered her. I had to separate them for two months to give Mika time to grow up a little. I saw a post similar to this on Facebook, was that you? You will want to supervise the interactions. The general rule is if Rupert draws blood or the baby poops from fear, stop the integration. You can put Rupert in an empty carrier for two minutes. No longer though or he forgets why he is there. Make sure to use the same words, such as No Bite in a stern voice. Then bring him out and you can either wait or try again under your supervision. You can wash all the blankets and give both of them a bath, so their scent is similar. You can try a community treat. Place a plate of oil out and let them both lick it. Put them in a neutral place that Rupert doesn't consider his territory and supervise. Don't give up on the baby. Rupert is simply asserting his dominance and letting the baby know this is his territory and he is in charge. That may take a little more time since the baby is small and not able to hold their own against a grown ferret. Here is a link to another discussion about this issue: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/6532/introducing-new-ferretGood luck and keep us posted. We love pictures here, pretty please. (dance)
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 13:17:01 GMT -5
My kit is separated from my senior female. Three times she has attacked her. Yesterday she came thru the blockade I had (unknown to me until i heard hear screaming in the pantry, which is where senior cornered her). An older ferret can do some damage to a kit. Mine had a limp the first couple of weeks i had her--- I am guessing from where senior first attacked her. Her little chin bumped the floor because she limped on one of her front legs. Had her x-rayed no bone breaks. Thankfully my biter enjoys playing with her, so she will get some practice play fighting.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 16:08:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses! I've been so stressed out about this, I feel so horrible for doing this to Rupert I thought he would've loved to have a friend & he's been so weird and won't play. I would really hate to let go of the baby he's so sweet and I have already fallin in love with him & it's been a day since I've had him lol. I'm going to try again today and bathe them together, I let the baby sleep in Rupert's cage last night & Rupert like he usually does slept in the couch & in my bed. I thought maybe Rupert's blanket would make the baby smell like him. I might try putting them on the bed together and make Rupert stay on it, the problem is the baby tries to bite him immediately and wants to play and Rupert tries to get away & gets upset. Should I force Rupert to stay on the bed I know he will attack him eventually if Rupert feels too afraid. The Facebook post btw wasn't me
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 16:28:17 GMT -5
It is so hard. I know you love Rupert and a new baby is scarey because they are so small and tiny and fragile. It may take some time, but Rupert and the baby will most likely become friends and may even bond.
I talked about bathing them. I'm not sure that I would bathe them together. A bath is slippery and most ferrets are going to try to jump out. If you do bathe them together, I would have someone else to help. Have towels ready. If I have to give a bath, I usually put a container in the sink with the towel right there. Mine all love water but I have not been able to handle four in the tub at once. Make sure the water is nice and warm. Ferret skin is tough and lukewarm will be too cold.
My baby Mika was fierce and fiesty. She also wanted to play and Roamy didn't like that at all. Rupert was an only ferret, so he probably just isn't sure what to make of this new little one. One thing that Roamy seemed to appreciate was I always offered him the first hug, kiss or dinner plate. Juliet is the boss, but he seemed to need the reassurance that he came first with me, before the baby.
If you place the baby on the bed, (what is his name?) then hold the baby and let Rupert sniff his rear end. Then let the baby sniff Rupert. Ferrets engage in alot of tail sniffing. Maybe for the next couple of days, you can simply hold the baby and allow Rupert to get use to him. Then put the baby down and hold Rupert. Give him alot of hugs and attention and let the baby romp around him.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 16:48:57 GMT -5
Since u only have the two, ur RUpert may come around pretty quickly. A lot of ferrets do like to cozy up together when sleeping and young ones like your two old still like to play----Whereas my senior does not play much.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 16:59:57 GMT -5
His name is Chip Ive been giving Rupert extra love but i have to force him out of his hiding spot, he hasn't wanted to come out and play which isn't like Rupert at all. I have been letting Rupert sniff Chip and he slowly backs away and runs back into the couch. Chip doesn't care to sniff Rupert he is ready to just play with him. I've been keeping the coconut oil next to me whenever I make Rupert check out the baby & then I give him some (he is obsessed with coconut oil). I have my boyfriend to help me out with the bath I can give them separate baths but I read a couple places that bathing them together bonds them. I am going to try again today hopefully it will go a little smoother! :/ thanks again for the help! I wish I could post a photo but I'm on my phone not near a computer. They are both ADORABLE! Wish me luck!!
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 17:11:05 GMT -5
I will be wishing you luck. Baby pictures are too funny. They usually come out blurry since the little fellows hardly stop moving. Nap time is ideal for pictures.
Your description of Rupert gives me hope. He's unsure but he is not hunting him. He doesn't seem to be keeping a worrisome eye on Chip's activities. I think you are going to be okay, given a little time.
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Post by unclejoe on May 28, 2015 17:14:49 GMT -5
good luck. it's usually a mater of time if they don't get on straight away. Once the kit is big enough to defend himself, anything goes.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 23:35:50 GMT -5
Unfortunately I had to rush Chip to the vet he was very lethargic & throwing up his poop is normal but the vet said it can be some intestinal problem where the intestinal track goes inside itself? He did an ultrasound saw nothing & wanted to do surgery to look around. I decided I'm going to wait till tomorrow, they gave him pain meds and fluids. It's been two hours since we got home and he's playing and acting almost normal a little groggy probably from the pain meds. It's so weird to me because he was completely fine yesterday. Any thoughts?
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 0:23:32 GMT -5
Now he's acting completely normal, digging in his tube running around trying to bite and play with me. Maybe it was the two hour car drive from yesterday or being in a new home with a strange ferret & strange owners?? I hope I hope I hope that's it!!!! >.<
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 11:21:32 GMT -5
How is Chip this morning?
It makes me uncomfortable that the vet wanted to do surgery that quickly. The ultrasound was okay, did he do any bloodwork? Did he put him on antibiotics?
What color were his ears, paws and nose. Were they pink or white?
When you say vomiting, how many times and was it right after eating? What did the vomit look like?
I'm asking all these questions to give us a little more info. There are ferrents on the forum with more medical experience than I have. Let's see what they say.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 11:40:37 GMT -5
I'm going to take him to my vet that has helped Rupert with a intestinal blockage before. I live in California so there isn't much to choose from, he was the only vet available at that time that worked on ferrets.
Everything is pink, he looks healthy. He has been up this morning since 8:00 am playing & just took a nap. He was full of energy from 9:00 pm till almost 3:00am. I gave him another dose of pain meds at 2am.
Last night his poop was black & this morning the same he hasn't been too interested in food yet, he has been drinking water. He hasn't thrown up since yesterday at about 5:30pm his throw up wasn't very much it was watery and brown & it happened 3 times.
I've been reading online and it says that he might have ulcers because of his poop is black which indicates blood, the doctor didn't bring up getting samples tested. My normal vet isn't working today, she works Saturday otherwise I'd have her take a look at him and run some tests.
I am just a huge mess this morning I have been crying all morning with the thought that he might have some crazy stomach or intestine problem.
He's so little it just breaks my heart, I've had him for two days. I can't afford to do a $1700 surgery but if there's no other option but surgery I can't not do it. I'm just praying that he is just stressed from the move.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 11:45:53 GMT -5
I asked about antibiotics and he said he doesn't need them.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 11:58:42 GMT -5
I think another vet is a very good idea. I'm tagging Heather for some medical advice.
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