HELP! My ferret is chewing on her food bowl and wont stop

[stellathedemon]

hi! i have two cat snakes (Ferrets) one of which chews on her bowl... a lot. its worrying because im not always home, and if she chews a chunk off like last time she could swallow it. i have tried using chew sticks, raw feeding (they hated that), reprimanding her when she does it (she didn't care), positive  reinforcement, and extra playtime (i want to let them free roam but i cant because its unsafe and they are escape artists. advice?

[caitmonster]

I do not know what kind of bowl you have, but the bowls for parrots are great for ferrets--they lock onto the cage and are either aluminum or HARD plastic. May be worth looking into if you are concerned that her current bowl is succumbing to chewing.
www.amazon.com/Parrot-Food-Dishes/s?k=Parrot+Food+Dishes

As for how to prevent it, I'm afraid I don't have any helpful suggestions... sometimes chewing can be a symptom of pain or digestive issues. Has she been into the vet recently, and are there any other signs of potential discomfort (tooth grinding, squinting)?

I had a ferret with Waardenburg syndrome who always chewed a bit on her bowl in between bites--she had been looked at, and it was just one of her quirks.

[unclejoe]

we have always used these

www.chewy.com/lixit-quick-lock-crock-small-animal/dp/264600?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Lixit&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyLS-_rTC8AIVxgeICR1dEglhEAQYAiABEgK5x_D_BwE

If she is chewing hard plasticc bowls, make sure you check her teeth often. A broken tooth can be serious.