One ferret transitioning well, one not so much

[redplanet2001]

I’ve got two ferrets I purchased separately but only a week apart. The male (Caesar ~11/12 weeks) is eating raw meat with no issues. The slightly younger female on the other hand (Cleopatra ~9/10 weeks) refuses to eat anything but kibble from what I can see. She may be eating some meat while nobody is looking as I put 3 ounces of organ mix in the bowl at night and it was all gone in the morning. But, I’m worried she’s not eating it or is being picky with what meats she will eat in the diet. Even in the short time after getting them that I had kibble I was concerned she wasn’t eating enough compared to Caesar. I understand he’s a male and is going to eat more than her, but he seems like he eats much more often than her and is growing a lot faster than her. She is pooping often so I guess she’s not starving. I’m a first time ferret owner so any information would be greatly appreciated. Just trying to do this right and have them be happy and healthy.

[lyles]

One thing about transitions with ferrets younger than 6mos is that they are much easier to switch.

A trick I do that never fails is that I start off with the kibble, then I start introducing thin slices of 'dessert' meat (slices of strong flavor beef like chuck or eye round and chicken breast)next to the kibble (laid up against the inside of the same bowl as the kibble) and give them slightly less kibble than what they would normally eat in one sitting. Do that for a few days then add more of that meat and less kibble for a few more. If they ignore the meat at first, don't worry. It shouldn't take more than a week but you can keep doing this for up to 2 weeks without worry of malnutrition. You can rub some of the meat in their mouth a bit to get them to chomp on it some to get the familiarity with it, but it'll work and you can then start giving them the meat and organs you want to set them up with, just make sure to gradually mix the meat if you are using meat from another animal.

Also males are physically larger than females, so it's only natural he's outgrowing her. Females eat much less too, after 6mo she should only be eating 2-4oz a day, males up to 8oz.

[Charlie]

Do you keep your ferrets separate so you know what your female is eating? I was taking care of my sister's female ferret for a couple months and her ferret is tiny and eats about half of what my male ferret eats. Because your ferrets are very young, you will want to feed them more. They eat a lot more food when they are kits and as they get older will end up eating a bit less. Give them as much s they will eat. If there is a few bites of food left over then you are giving them enough but if the food is gone, then give them more.