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Post by w1ldc4rd on Feb 8, 2011 17:33:52 GMT -5
Hey guys,
My newest ferret Snitch seems to be extremely aggressive with his food. He'll hiss incessantly once he gets his teeth on it and my hand is near. He'll also hiss when I'm around and it snatches it out of my hands. How should I deal with this situation?
Appreciated
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Post by goingpostal on Feb 8, 2011 17:56:34 GMT -5
I'd just leave him be honestly, right now meat is super high value to him and he doesn't grasp you are giving it to him, or that there will be more. He'll probably get over it in time. You can try handfeeding him small pieces but most ferrets prefer to run away and eat in private. None of mine really care too much about me around their food but will fight and hiss with each other but my cat was super protective of her raw at first and has really calmed down about it.
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Post by bluemoose on Feb 8, 2011 19:47:47 GMT -5
I used the hand feeding tactic with my dog and ferrets. I would hold the food in a closed fist (they knew it was there) and let them sniff my hand trying to get it. This method will almost certainly get you bit but it works eventually. I hold the food until they stop trying to take if from me and wait. Then I let them eat it out of my hand. If they're not careful and gentle about taking it, I close my fist again. Eventually they'll learn that food comes from you and you're willing to give it to them if they're polite.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2011 20:25:50 GMT -5
bluemoose, you think that approach would work with a gobbler? one of my dogs on kibble was like a vaccum, and i'm finding on raw it's the same, she swallow evrerything, only chews it enough to fit down her throat.
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Post by bluemoose on Feb 8, 2011 20:41:21 GMT -5
Hm I'm not sure. I would guess no because she'll only be eating slowly because you make her. As soon as she has the chance to wolf the food again, she probably would.
When mine were on kibble, I just spread it around on the ground so they couldn't eat it so fast. With the raw I feed large chunks and the chicken and sometimes the pork is bone in which slows them down. Just be sure the bone is large enough that it can't be swallowed whole. You can also feed the food still semi-frozen so she has to chew it more.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2011 23:38:42 GMT -5
ah i`ll try the semi frozen. On kibble i had a ball in the bowl that she had to eat around worked great... she never figured out she could have just picked it out. LOL thx sorry to hijack
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Post by dreamsome on Feb 9, 2011 15:48:24 GMT -5
when i first got london (he was almost 3 mos at the time) and was either playing with him or near his food, he was pretty aggressive too. he never bit me but you could tell he was very defensive of the food and his toys! right away i knew this was something i was NOT going to tolerate and when he'd "hiss" (it wasn't an actual hiss, it was more like a.... how do i put it.... like a snort) i would immediately scruff him. sometimes i'd do the scruff and drag. he's now 6 months old and has never been aggressive like that since. sometimes i wonder if it was a baby phase for him, but now i really think it has to do with dominance. show him that you're the boss and it's not acceptable! he's now my big lover and i don't think he would dream of being aggressive with me again.
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Post by goingpostal on Feb 9, 2011 17:56:31 GMT -5
Is it "dominance" when a little kid smacks another kid for nabbing his toy? People need to get over that stupid alpha crap, try grabbing someone else's dessert while they are eating it and see how that goes. Animals protect their resources, that's how they stay alive. It's completely normal behavior, whether humans find it acceptable or not. My most nippy little girl fuzz will eat her meat right out of my hand and my cat who adores me beyond anything turns into satan when I try to get a mouse out of her mouth.
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Post by Sherry on Feb 9, 2011 20:55:40 GMT -5
I found hand feeding worked exceedingly well with mine. Here's a little girl who was a major fear biter concerning everything. She realized raw meat was a wonderful thing As for the food aggression itself, it will calm itself down. I'd not worry about it. Although, with another fuzz, it won't likely end ;D
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Post by bluemoose on Feb 9, 2011 20:59:37 GMT -5
Hand feeding is also great for teaching tricks
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2011 23:26:22 GMT -5
try grabbing someone else's dessert while they are eating it and see how that goes. try to steal my chocolate or desert and your likely to end up with a stump where your hand was... ;D
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2011 23:46:28 GMT -5
Never mess with a woman and her chocolate. That's a rule :-)
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Post by goingpostal on Feb 9, 2011 23:51:16 GMT -5
try grabbing someone else's dessert while they are eating it and see how that goes. try to steal my chocolate or desert and your likely to end up with a stump where your hand was... ;D Ah, but I'll alpha roll you to the floor and then sit on you, maybe scruff you a little? That should solve the problem.
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Post by Sherry on Feb 10, 2011 0:06:29 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2011 1:31:47 GMT -5
that would definitly be a sight worth video taping considering I'm very oompa loompa-ish at 5 ft tall and about 230 lbs...
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