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[unclejoe]

try grinding some of the JWB and sprinkling it on top of the wet food

[fuzzywrangler]

Hi thank you for letting me join! I'm from the UK and love love love my little fuzzies!! I currently have 6 ferrets however one of them is a rescue and was not looked after very well and is terrified of any sort of contact 😢😢.

I have had her a little over one week and have been giving her my attention by talking in soft voice to her and having her placed where she can see me when I am busy at home, also every meal I am feeding her from a small shallow dish or my hand (holding by my finger tips) she has made amazing progress however she is still so scared!

I was wondering what would be best to go forward in helping her over this fear as I am not wanting to force her with handling just yet as when I transferred her from her carrier to hutch she deficated, bit me and squealed in fear 😭 I didn't acknowledge that she bit me I just placed her in her new home. I have used salmon oil, malt paste and also pureed meat in a large feeding syringe as extra treats so she has no choice but to approach me if she wants it.

Please help me help this little one finally know what love is xx

[unclejoe]

Hello, and welcome to the group. First, I suggest that you fo to this link and start a new thread, as you have tagged on to an older one. It helps reduce confusion, holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/new/58
It sounds like you are already making progress. My suggestions would have been just what you are doing, i.e. frequent gentle handling, speaking softly and offering appropriate treats. I would not recommend the malt paste, tho, due to high sugar content. If she is still in fear biting stage, then handle less frequently and gradually increase, but still give her attention in and out of cage. She needs to know that she is safe but of course you want her to integrate into the family. Don't give up. Some take longer than others to acclimate, esp if they come from rough conditions.
Good luck and please keep us updates, and introduce your others.

[ferretmum]

My ferrets will still not eat anything but JWB, after trying out most other brands including cat food I am slowly running out of hope that I will ever find something else, this has been going on 6 months and counting. I have 3 boys 2 are 7 years old and 1 is 5 years old. My Reggie who is 7 years old seems to be struggling with his back leg, he can still walk but seems to find it hard, I don't think he has long left. We are taking him to the vet to see what they say. I have tried so many things to get them to eat and every time I put food in their bowl they take it out and only eat the JWB. I am worried this is the end, can I get any advice?

[unclejoe]

well, I never was able to transition to full raw, butI got nearly all of them to eat a soup made with ground kibble and minced raw. Some people use that as a transition step, so you can try it. Older ferrets are a lot harder to switch than babies

[ferretmum]

Thank you for your reply. I will try the mince, would you use Turkey? and some of their JWB food and then if they like it, start using a different kibble mixed in?

[unclejoe]

I fed most of mine soups made with turkey mince and ground kibble. but these last 2 stopped eating it. I switched to a good quality wet chicken kat food and a little ground kibble for flavor, and they got tired of that so now they get salmon or a seafood mix pate with the kibble powder. If I could get them completely off kibble I would. They are my last ferrets so we'll just run steady as she goes.