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Post by Charlie on Feb 27, 2021 19:58:30 GMT -5
Anyone else having their ferrets not eating as much or not eating? Is it the change of season? Charlie was eating in the winter all his meals and now he hasn't been finishing his food and last night he didn't eat dinner. He has been playing and peeing and pooping, drinking water fine. He hasn't eaten anything he shouldn't because there's nothing in his ferret proofed house for him to eat. He didn't even want to eat his egg today but I put salmon oil in it and he ate that. He even passed up his mouse which is his favourite meal.
He has been licking like something is in his mouth so I have been trying to look in there and can't see anything. His teeth look good. When we play he still play bites me so it doesn't seem like his teeth are hurting because he wouldn't be biting me then. He hasn't been pawing at his mouth either so I'm not sure what is going on or is it the change in season. How do you even get them to open their mouth to see inside? I don't have anyone to help hold him and open his mouth. I do scruff him and use my free hand to open his mouth but he definitely doesn't stay still. lol
Thoughts?
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Post by caitmonster on Feb 27, 2021 23:12:06 GMT -5
Hmm... no change in food intake noticed here. Hope you're able to get some answers. Could be the season, I suppose. Is he normally sensitive to weather or seasonal changes this time of year? Is he intact?
Looking in their mouth is rather tricky, even with two people. A vet visit may be in order especially if he continues to skip meals.
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Post by Thérèse on Feb 28, 2021 9:29:24 GMT -5
While I am now heading towards Winter, so things are different here, I will comment it could be seasonal.
Of my three in residence, Sparkle's appetite is definitely picking up, Schatzi's is maybe a little increased and Zing is still definitely in Summer appetite mode. Having had many ferrets over many years, the thing to note is they all time their seasonal swings to their own clocks. Assuming they are not out of seasonal balance altogether, from inappropriate lighting or being born out of season, all ferrets still have variances to exactly when they change season. This can be particularly obvious with intact ferrets (which being in Australia I see often enough, in fact Sparkle is still intact). So your little one just may be one who starts in on seasonal change that little bit before others.
Having said all that, if you do have any concerns that his health is compromised, a vet check is never a bad choice. Hope he is fine.
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Post by Sherry Stone on Feb 28, 2021 9:59:09 GMT -5
Both my ferret and my cats have started to reduce appetites, and Contessa is starting her coat change
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Post by unclejoe on Feb 28, 2021 19:33:56 GMT -5
I have had some, but not all, ferrets whose appetites were affected by seasonal changes, esp winter, but they usually started showing changes in late fall/early winter, and also became less active. If this is new, and he continues to poop normally and drink water, it may pass in a few days, but if he continues to skip meals he should be checked. He could have a parasite (unlikely in a ferret proof environment) or digestive tract changes. How old is Charlie?
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Post by Charlie on Mar 2, 2021 20:49:48 GMT -5
Well the good news is that Charlie has his appetite back!! Yay!! Of course when I get concerned is when the vet isn't open. lol
His poops were getting smaller but that would make sense because he hasn't eaten much. I know he has had fur balls. But on Sunday morning he threw up a fur ball. Finally a sign of something that wasn't right. I know Charlie isn't a chewer and doesn't eat things he shouldn't. He's not one of the typical ferrets who eats buttons off remote controls or cords or anything for that matter. I'm grateful for that. I don't have any rubbery stuff around for him either. But just in case he may have eaten something he shouldn't have (which I scouted the house for anyways) I had given him some Vaseline mixed with salmon oil which he ate like a champ. I didn't have pumpkin in the house. I wasn't sure how much to give him so it was rather a very small dose more like less then an 1/8 of a tsp.
I had to go out for a couple errands and left him a mouse to eat and his liver and kidney all chopped up fine and mixed with a bit of salmon oil. (don't worry, he hasn't had much salmon oil, in fact he is always under the recommended amounts) It's just a few drops because it's in a dropper bottle. But I was relieved to see that he had eaten his mouse and had a good size poop when I returned. He normally eats the whole mouse minus the tail and a back foot, but this time he had skinned his own mouse and left some of the fur and eaten the meat and bone out of it. That was quite talented. haha
UncleJoe, Charlie is 3 1/2 years old now.
Sherry, I think Charlie is starting his coat change too. His mask is starting to grow again. In the winter his mask turns into a V but in the summer it gets fuller.
Therese, I know each ferret can have different seasons some earlier than others and visa versa, but it's interesting to compare with other ferret owners. Even Charlie's season changes are different from each year so it's hard to tell for me sometimes.
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Post by unclejoe on Mar 3, 2021 23:00:25 GMT -5
I know they CAN do it, but having been owned by 31 ferrets, I've only seen one fur ball. I even had one, Poppy/Carol, blow her coat overnight with no adverse effects or hairballs. One thing I do is at least when I do nails and check ears, I do a pinch/pull check on the fur. It's just pinching and pulling fur to see it there is any shedding going on. Normally they can manage shedding season, but Carol freaked me out. I put her to bed one night and the next morning she was nothing but peach fuzz less than 1mm long.
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Post by Charlie on Mar 4, 2021 21:42:43 GMT -5
I know they CAN do it, but having been owned by 31 ferrets, I've only seen one fur ball. I even had one, Poppy/Carol, blow her coat overnight with no adverse effects or hairballs. One thing I do is at least when I do nails and check ears, I do a pinch/pull check on the fur. It's just pinching and pulling fur to see it there is any shedding going on. Normally they can manage shedding season, but Carol freaked me out. I put her to bed one night and the next morning she was nothing but peach fuzz less than 1mm long. I've always wondered what "blowing their coat" meant because I've not experienced that with only my first ferret. lol It seems his coat changes slowly so I don't notice it much but when I look at pictures, it's almost like a different ferret. lol I've wondered how they can eat mice with fur and all and not get fur balls but yet when they clean themselves, then get fur balls. That goes for cats too. |
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Post by unclejoe on Mar 4, 2021 21:57:39 GMT -5
another of my early ferrets, Erika, was a panda. we went away for 2 days and she went from gray markings to black, but still had a full coat. Amazing little fuzzies
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Post by Sherry Stone on Mar 6, 2021 9:59:00 GMT -5
My Emily was one who would quite literally blow her coat almost overnight. From long thick dark chocolate to a very short almost milk chocolate colour.
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Post by caitmonster on Mar 6, 2021 20:29:30 GMT -5
Rocky definitely "blew" his last year--looked a bit silly running around with his fuzzy little body and big fluffy head.   |
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on Mar 8, 2021 7:41:31 GMT -5
Oh yeah when they do not eat their favorite food--something is suspect. Glad the problem is resolved:) I do not give mine salmon oil because my Buddy does not like it, and I haven't forced it on him to get used to it. so I just put some egg yolk in my pumpkin to get him to eat it. Blockage protocol here holisticferretforum.com/health/emergencies/blockages/blockage-protocol/1 tablespoon is fine --of course getting them to eat it is why I doctor mine up. Some ferrets may like it as it is. Got quite a few pictures of my Buddy's hairball poohs. Of course it has been investigated by me so that is why it looks this way. I do not know if this has mouse fur in it or not. He used to get them real bad. I do have a grocery store nearby that sells quail eggs. maybe that has helped with him.  |
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