From:
"autumn whispers"
Date: 2008-08-23 16:01:35 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Re: Help! They Quit Pooping!!
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I completely agree with Sukie on this. I've recently had to get rid of many
items with that fake fleece because one of my little girls has been pooping
fake fleece DAILY. I actually was able to narrow down which cage and which
two ferrets were suspect of eating this fake fleece when I discovered
vomit... with fake fleece in it... inside the cage! It was one of the two
who sleep in that cage, but thankfully each one has their own place they
poop 100% of the time; Milo in the litter pan, Maui on paper towels outside
the litter pan. When I found all that fake fleece in her poop, I knew who
it was and knew who to begin giving lax to.
I've kept up with it with doses of ferret lax 3 X a day, but that's just
until I could find ALL the culprits. It wasn't easy as some weren't as
obvious as red or purple fake fleece, but I think I figured it out. After I
removed the bedding with the red and purple fake fleece she immediately
began pooping WHITE fleece. I was able to narrow down what that was, so all
those items have been removed and/or replaced with safer ones.
Coincidentally, the white fake fleece cover that goes on the pet 'steps'
leading to their cage... I CAUGHT her eating fuzz off that, and I did so
because I heard her chewing and skritching her teeth on it. When I picked
it up I found her behind it.. licking her chops. And I guarantee you.. she
wasn't eating kibble.
Thanksfully, she's still going, still eating, playing, but I have to be
extremely careful about that stuff now. We were just lucky that it didn't
completely block her, as she was eating a LOT of the stuff. Her poops are
healthy and normal now, but for a few days they were VERY small. It was
frightening to say the least.
I had another ferret, who passed away after her surgery to remove blockage
(she did not pass because of the blockage), who was 'scritching' her teeth
on those crocheted eggs, and we believe that along with fur (it was shedding
time) she also had injested some of the yarn fibers from skritching her
teeth between the yarn and egg. So even toys like that can pose a danger to
some ferrets.
In my humble opinion, as with our Maui, if you think, suspect or find that
one or more of your ferrets has a 'taste' for non-food items, then it's a
good idea to re-think absolutely everything they have access to, meaning...
should they have access at all. This is where I'm at with Maui, and it's
really taken some work to find things I can allow her to play with, sleep in
or on or around, and have access to. But it's necessary.
Hope your babies continue to improve, and I hope you have or can find
anything they may be eating that they shouldn't. These little critters give
us a run for our money, most times, and they are GOOD at outsmarting us. :)
Ella
On Sat, Aug 23, 2008 at 10:41 AM, Sukie Crandall <sukie@mac.com> wrote:
> Just a quick reminder: if your bedding has fake sheep fleece
> (not the polar fleece) and the ferret snack in that bedding then
> there is the risk of them ingesting those fibers and those can
> and have clumped like fur does and have caused blockages.
>
> We've had one ourselves whose "fur" ball (which required
> surgery) turned out to be mostly fake sheep fleece fibers, and
> sewed sheet material overall of the fake sheep fleece. I'm not
> a seamstress so it isn't pretty but it not only prevented a repeat
> but the beds clean much more easily and last for a good number
> of years instead of just months now.
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