sick ferret

Question
We have a 14 month old hob ferret.  Until recently he has been lively and active.  For the last 2 days he has not come out of his bed, has not eaten/drunk and does not appear to have passed urine/faeces.  We have tried to tempt him with food to no avail and the only drink he has had is 2 laps of water from a bowl, after this he showed no interest.  He does not appear to have got up from his bed at all in this time. Can you help?

Answer
Hello Ruth,

These are all signs that your ferret is very sick and desperately needs medical attention.  It would be impossible for me to guess as to what may be the problem, but a ferret that has recently been active and lively that is showing extreme lethargy, anorexia and no feces or urine sends up a warning signal.  He needs to have medical attention ASAP at the nearest emergency facility that sees ferrets or School of Veterinary Medicine  NOW.  This is NOT something that can wait if you hope to save him.

-Cindy P.