stressed & angry

[mishellyshel]

i posted a thread in another section(health?) yesterday but no one answered, i think it was a bit long.
anyway....i have a chin that is periodically stopping eating. i think she is stressed. she is extremely angry and aggitated. kacks wildly at me all the time. does not like to be held or touched. strangely she is sorta okay with being syringe fed?
anyway.....every once in a while she stops eating her food. she will take some treats but when she stops eating the pellets/hay then she stops pooping and needs to be handfed. i think she is very stressed. i am fostering her and have been looking for a home for her since about the spring but i can not find anyone to take her. i dont know how to make her life less stressful. does anyone have any suggesstions. she is in a 2 level feisty ferret and i have a cover over the cage because my boys are kinda stalking her. she gets pellets and beaphar plus and alfalfa and an herbal mix all my boys get. i just cant figure out why she randomly stops eating and why she is so angry all the time. help!

 

[obcsed]

Can you find a way to move her to a different room for awhile? I have one guy that gets really aggressive and angry if I put a new chin in "his" room. As soon as I move the interloper out he returns to his sweet lovable self. It might be that covering the cage isn't enough and she needs to be someplace where she can't hear the boys.

 

[Brittany]

Can you find a way to move her to a different room for awhile?

That's what I was thinking too, do you have an office, or room that doesn't get a lot of human traffic either? Also, did she come with the cage? If not she may be stressing because it is too large? If this isn't her original cage trying cutting her down to one level with lots of hidey houses/tubes/etc... Also, don't know what's in your supplement but catnip and chamomile can help with digestive upset from stress.

I've had a lot of luck with Linden Flowers for digestive issues. Even on her new diet Lady would get bloaty every once in awhile. Tanya sent me a Linden Flower sample, she gets it 2-3 times a week, and hasn't gotten bloaty once since we started it.

From Tanya's website, "Linden flowers and leaves provide a light calming effect. They are recommended for animals who suffer from digestive system problems (linden flowers reduce gas and inflammation), seizures, have dark, scanty urine."

Obviously this girls issues stem from stress, but it might be worth a try. Please keep us posted on this poor little girl.

 

[mishellyshel]

here is the thing.......she has been here since March! she has been with my boys since June......its not like i just got her or she was just moved. its all of a sudden. the only difference in the time frame of her more evilness is Christmas. Perhaps the lights on the tree annoyed her?? maybe Santa scared her. She has always been kinda nasty. i have posted various threads on "mean chin" etc...

there is not much traffic where she is either. i mean we have 3 kids all boys but they are only in the chin area, which is my basement from the hours of say 4 - 8 every night and mostly just playing xbox or watching tv.

as far as my herbal supplement, it is all herbs that have been researched and acceptable for chins in moderation. but she doesnt get much of that and i started that more recently. but i do include chamomile.....so i will make a special mix for her with a bit larger pinch. Will have to check LInden flowers and Tanya also mentioned another product.
she is eating again....with voracity and no problems. all the beaphar plus pellets are gone as well as some of the other pellets. plus she is eating the hay. and shredding her sticks.
but i went to give her a treat (beaphar) and she pretty much lunged and grabbed it. she gets SO aggitated when i just clean her cage. she sits in her hammock and just kacks and kacks. I guess all my other chins are so acclimated to me and such sweeties, i just have a hard time accepting that after 9 months, she still doesnt trust me.

will keep you guys up to date if there are any changes.
she does wait for me in the morning on the ledge by the front of the cage. she will nicely take a treat at that time. but most of the time she is evil.

 

[Riven]

Where did she come from? Sometimes chins that live a portion of their life on a large ranch don't do well with big cages and handling. She may need a small, more enclosed cage to be happy, or she might just be a cranky chin.

 

[mishellyshel]

i think she is just a cranky chin! i rescued her and am fostering her until i can find a suitable home. i am just afraid to give her to anyone unless they have extensive experience.
i believe back in the spring the previous owner told me she was in a ferret nation. she is now in a feisty ferret. she was initially in a smaller cage and was just as nasty.
when i first brought her home she was extremely matted and obviously was neglected, here is the thread with some very sad pictures

http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23690&highlight=chinchilly

there are other threads with her looking much better and even still she has gained a large amount of weight, all her mats are gone and her coat looks very nice. she is just not a happy girl. i talk sweetly to her every single day more than once and she looks at me and kacks!! the strangest thing is when i went to syringe feed her, she actually kinda calm and just let me feed her, even grabbed the syringe. strange.

 

[Riven]

Some chins are just that way, especially if they've been mistreated for some time. Chances are it's just her and she'll always be like that.

 

[Brittany]

Forgive me if you've already mentioned it. But have you tried soothing music or television?

 

[mishellyshel]

i keep a radio on in the chin area all night and day while no one is home. but i am going to try those herbs mentioned and see if i can get her to chill out!

 

[EMSChins]

Xanax work wonders!

Just kiddding...just kidding!!! I really feel for you! I hope she comes around eventually!

 

[mishellyshel]

yes, i am going to start taking it before dealing with her!

 

[EMSChins]

Now there's an idea!