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Starting Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4/26/2008 9:08:19 AM
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[size=6]My sister bought two ferrets in a small cage for 140 at a pet store. I always thought that was odd, well two months after that one of them died the other is still alive (her name is Shaky). We realized they were older ferrets. Shaky is lost some hair isn't very play-full and now stopped eating completely. We have to hand feed her every day or else she wont do it by herself. Once I start feeding her she wont stop eating, but it has to be hand feed. Even if she starving she won't eat by her self. We also started giving her vitamins.
I heard changing their food to sudden is bad for them so I'm still giving her the same food.
Any suggestions? [size=7][/size][/size]
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 5/9/2008 7:05:32 AM
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| There are a lot of things it could be, so I don't feel ready to answer for sure without more information. When you hand feed, are you mixing the food with liquid to make it softer, or is it the food right out of the bowl? Do you know what she was fed before she was brought home? It's possible that it's a medical problem as well. Does she appear to stare off into space frequently? How is her energy level? Are there any noticable sores or lumps anywhere on her body? How is her weight? Any more info. would be very helpful...
Father of two:
Tanuuki (6 year male)
Mika (1 year female)
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 5/9/2008 7:05:32 AM
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| Went back and re-read your post (I hate that you can't easily see the other posts when replying on this forum!), and keyed into something I missed the first time: hair loss. If you can tell, where did the loss begin? Was it near the tail, moving towards the head? While you're back there, check her vulva. Does it look swollen? Is there any discharge? Not to scare you into thinking the worst, but my first guess would be adrenal disease. Unfortunately, it's tough to diagnose that yourself, so you should have a vet take a look at her. The three signs listed above are the easiest to see, and if you see them you should definitely get in right away. On the other hand, hair loss can also come from malnutrition. Given the circumstances you listed (not eating enough, having to be hand fed, etc), that is also a distinct possibility. If she doesn't have adrenal disease, I'll re-ask my previous questions. There are so many different reasons for a ferret not to eat, ranging from disease to depression to rearing, that it's almost impossible to guess from that alone...
Father of two:
Tanuuki (6 year male)
Mika (1 year female)
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Starting Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4/26/2008 9:08:19 AM
Posts: 3,
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when we first got Shaky she was eating a diferent brand of food my sister was giving it to her dry. Shaky wasnt eating much back then either. We gave our other ferrets another type of food and we mixed it with water so its very mushy. We got her to slowly change food and at first she was eating but then she gradually ate less and less & now she doesnt want to eat at all. She likes treats and she loves the paste vitamin stuff. I did notice some sores. She doesnt stare into space but she doesnt play or run or anything. I don't know if this has anyhing to with it but she snezes alot.
Please give any sugestions.
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New Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4/27/2008 5:10:12 PM
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You mentioned hair loss, loss of apetite and not active. Most ferrets when purchased from a pet store are 8 weeks of age and very small. This sounds like an older ferret. Hair loss can be caused by a number of conditions. The most common condition is adrenal gland disease. This can only be treated by a vet and can be costly. Some other signs of adrenal gland disease is loss of apetite, swollen vulva in females, sexual or agressive behavior, extreme itchyness. But the main problem at hand is the lack of food intake. Ferrets have a high metabolism, which means what goes in one end is out of the system in about 4 hours. They need high protein low carb foods. Have you tried feeding your little one Gerber baby stage 2 baby food? Get the chicken or the turkey and mix it with A/D cat food(purchased at a vet) or straight out of the jar. Get her eating that. You can also mix it with your ferret food. You can also try mixing the baby food with cooked chicken or beef liver. Just puree the livers and mix it in with the food. Add a hard boiled egg with it. Again high in protein, and make sure you are trying to feed her every 4 hours if possible. Make sure she is also drinking. As for the sneezes, it's possible to get bits of dust in the nose, or other small irritants. If there is nasa discharge with the sneezes, or you see watery eyes and she sounds congested. She can have a upper respiratory infection and will need to see a vet for that. Once you make the appointment to the vet, you can also inquire on the other conditions your ferret has. Make sure the vet knows about ferrets. Some vets will not treat ferrets as they are classified as exotics. Hope this helps
Proud Parents to Sarah, Jasimin, Casper, Taz, Patch, Beuregards, Demon, Scooter, Stripe, Ivan, Calvin, Hobbs, Nikita, Norma, Eistein Junior, Coco, Bonnie, Clyde, Stinker, Grace, China (Forever Toby- Rainbow Bridge Jul 07, Forever Ben Dec 07)
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