runt of litter

[Joe67 239]

one of the jills is to skinny,before i went ferreting the vet was kind enough to check her out for free and reckoned shes ok..vet reckoned she was runt of a litter,that would explain her size but not how skinny/bonny she is?i did explain ive seen her eating,and she does get livly when out but in the hutch she spends more time in sleeping area out the way more than any of the 9 ferrets thats here,looking at the ferrets crap looks like one has the runs,wonder if its her..will just have to keep watching her and see how it gos

 

edit:she gets rabbit and alpha,anything else that could help fatten her up abit?

[AndyL 0]

If you can, try and split her from the rest for a while and keep an eye on her.

 

She may just be being bullied by the others if she is the runt, she will be getting pushed out of the way at feeding time (or be reluctant to feed freely and fully) and knocked around by the others when they are at play, due to her smaller frame.

 

I have had similar with my mine a couple of times, they just need a bit of time on their own to build themselves up and gain some weight / muscle.

 

If she is the one with the runs (you will find out if you segregate her), the runs may be stress related, as above segregation would be your best course of action, it will at least give her a fighting chance, as the other kits get bigger she will find it harder to feed and take care of herself during play.

Edited September 1, 2011 by AndyL

[Joe67 239]

shes a fair bit older than the 2 kits but the size difference already is unreal.from what ive seen i wouldnt say shes getting pushed about,ive seen her a few times drag the others by scruff of neck into sleeping area.your post does make sense though and ill give it a try,but at the moment the spare hutch is being used,so thats a small problem.cheers

 

edit again: theres 9 here but not altogether,what i ment in first post was out the 3 hutchs of ferrets she seems to hide away more when all the others are out and about soon as they hear something

[Jamie m 668]

shes a fair bit older than the 2 kits but the size difference already is unreal.from what ive seen i wouldnt say shes getting pushed about,ive seen her a few times drag the others by scruff of neck into sleeping area.your post does make sense though and ill give it a try,but at the moment the spare hutch is being used,so thats a small problem.cheers

 

edit again: theres 9 here but not altogether,what i ment in first post was out the 3 hutchs of ferrets she seems to hide away more when all the others are out and about soon as they hear something

How old is the ferret?

[Joe67 239]

dont know for sure,i got her in may from the sspca.she was listed as a young adult and was given the jill jab.she has adult teeth

 

 

edit again : just found papers,says she was in season and was jill jabed with delvosteron 15/apr/11

[Ideation 8,216]

Alright mate, try feeding her something like wood pigeon, it has a much higher fat content than rabbit, see if that makes a difference? I have a jill here and she is really skinny as well, i think it's just her body type.

[Joe67 239]

worth a try,need to find a way of getting some first,cant see the ferrets catching any cheers

[The one 8,457]

I think it ferrets are all different in a litter no two would be exactly the same .As long as theres nothing wrong i wouldn't worry

[isa hunt 3]

Have you tried minced chicken? you can get it from pet shops. It usually what people feed there dogs. You buy it frozen. If you look in the freezers at pet shopd its usually in there. My uncle always uses it. Especially when he has an ill ferret or kits. Failing that there's stuff you can get from vets, either a powder form that makes a milky substance or tinned stuff a bit like cat meat. Its designed for cats to help them put on weight. cant remember what its called ill find out and let you know.

 

ATB mate.