baby ferret cries

Question
I recently acquired a new baby for my family. Olive is just 8 weeks old and had no problems with her new home. I play with her daily for about 4-6 hours, and i do handle her quite frequently during the time she is allowed to roam my couch or my bed-for the time being cause shes just so small. I feed her a diet of Evo Ferret that is 50% protien and has low carbs and fibre that contains no grain or bad preservatives-making it generally holistic. She has fresh water, in a bottle and i do soak her food with warm water which shes loves. I scoop her poop daily, and have a crate mat on the bottom of her cage and a fleece blanket on top. I have a second ferret as well: Chloe.  shes 8 months old however and is housed separately till my little one grows more. They play together fine and olive seems to enjoy her company. When chloe leaves my bed or couch, olive begins to whimper, and continues even while im holding her. Im not sure what she could be feeling to be crying so often. When i put her in her cage when i go to work she cries and when she wakes up at night she cries. I tried placing her in my older ferrets cage and she cried in there as well even with the other ferret. I'm hoping that this is something that she will grow out of just because shes so young.
When she goes to the bathroom she seems to struggle although the form isn't quite there yet. And when shes out playing or when myself or my boyfriend is holding her for long periods of time she sometimes leaks a drop or two of poop. I haven't had a ferret this young before but i was wondering if that was normal. Also her anus seems to be protruding a little bit, maybe from the strain of her defecating?
Another thing is that she has a small round marble-like lump under her left arm. She doesn't seem to mind when i touch it and its not growing, nor shrinking. It appears to be under her skin though. My mom suggested it might be from the IV when they get neutered? and since she still has her little scab from being neutered, its fresh enough that she still may have a little lump from it? I didn't take her to the vet for it only because normally adrenal disease/lymphoma normally happens when they're at least in their juvenile state, or later on when they become adults. I haven't found any cases of it in babies. Also wouldn't she not be acting normal? Eating, drinking, activity etc?
Also is there any proven way to prevent early cancer in ferrets? i know its relatively genetic but i brush my ferrets teeth, and i feed them a much higher quality food than regular commercial ferret foods. Also no raw fruits or veggies, knowing that ferrets are obligate carnivores. They do however get B.G merrick canned food which is basically meat and vitamins, and sometimes they get raw rabbit, turkey, salmon or chicken.

I hope i gave enough background information about my ferrets and that there isn't anything to worry about. Im just trying to get as many opinions as possible.
Thanks so much!

Answer
Hello Kiyoko,

I bet olive is so cute!  They are adorable at that age.  First, the best thing to do would be to bring her to your vet for a checkup to make sure nothing is wrong and causing the crying.  Also, it is a good idea since since she will need her vaccines and a through PE at this age anyway, and your vet may find something wrong that you have not noticed.   The protrusion from the anus and lump are also things that need to be addressed by a vet to make sure they will not cause any problems, and treat them accordingly.  

As long as there is not an underlying medical condition, it sounds like she is still getting used to her environment and still misses her momma.  Ferrets are taken away from their mothers at far too young of an age in most situations, spayed/neutered and shipped off to a pet store.  This can be very traumatic for a very young ferret.  The crying should cease on its own as she begins to get used to you and her new home over the next few weeks.  

It is important to check on her to make sure nothing is wrong, but at the same time she will need to learn that crying will not help.  Be careful when doting on her every time she cries.  Like a puppy, it only reinforces the behavior, and it could get worse.  The best plan of action is to check on her, make sure she is OK, and then leave her alone until it ceases.  I know it is heartbreaking, but it is better than the other behavioral problems that could result. Hopefully this is something she will grow out of.  

The problem with her rectum is something that should be looked at by a vet.  It sounds like she has a bit of a prolapse, and this has the potential to get serious.  A prolapse occurs when part of the rectum protrudes out of the anus to a various degree.  Small protrusions may not cause a problem, but large ones need to be fixed by a simple surgery by tacking it back inside with sutures or the tissue can die.  Ferrets normally will do ANYTHING to prevent defecating or urinating  on a person, so I would have this checked out right away just in case it turns into something more serious like a full rectal prolapse.

The lump under the arm pit is most likely  swollen axial lymph node.  Usually it is difficult to feel unless it is enlarged.  Is the other side enlarged as well?  Below is a link to a picture of where the other lymph nodes are located.  

http://www.marvistavet.com/assets/images/autogen/a_Lymphoma_Dog_3.gif

I realize this image is of a dog, but the location is the same regardless.  Try to see if any of the other lymph nodes are enlarged.  Yes, lymphoma is rare in the very young but it can happen.  A common symptom is swollen lymph nodes, but it is usually more than one.  Regardless, this is yet another reason to bring her to your vet for him to look at.  It may mean nothing, but it also may indicate something is not right.

Unfortunately cancer is VERY common in ferrets.  Some of it is genetic, but a large portion of it is related to early spaying and neutering.  Adrenal disease tumors are VERY common, and it has been proven that the early castration plays a large part in predisposing them to this condition.  It is because the gonads and adrenal glands develop in the same location, and when the testicles or uterus/ovaries are removed at a young, the adrenal gland still has the ability to take over some of the functions which causes symptoms of the disease.  Adrenal disease is NOT commonly seen in countries that do not practice the early spaying and neutering of ferrets.  It is unfortunately that the vast majority of pet store ferrets are castrated far too young and a high percentage will develop adrenal tumors.  The only way to stop this is either adopt (as not to support these large scale farms), or purchase your ferret from a reputable breeder and have the surgery done at 6-8 months of age.  Other types of common cancer includes lymphoma and insulinoma.  The risk of insulinoma can be decreased by feeding an appropriate diet and NEVER anything sugary.  NO fruit, vegetables, ice cream, or anything that contains sugar EVER!  Sugar causes the pancreas to work too hard to produce extra insulin and tumors can result.  These tumors actually secrete TOO MUCH insulin which causes the blood glucose to plummet.  Essentially it is the opposite of diabetes.  There is NO cure for Insulinoma, and even ferrets with adrenal disease do not live as long in most cases.  It is best to try to lessen the risk factors as much as possible, although cancer has MANY factors and any ferret has the potential to develop it.          

EVO is a very good diet, so congratulations for doing your research!  Another good brand is Wysong, although it can be a bit more difficult to find.  I like to find two brands I like and mix them, since it can be difficult to change foods suddenly if one is out of stock. Remember never feed anything sugary to your ferrets!

Thank you for your thorough background information.  It definately helped a lot!  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  I think it is a good idea to have her seen and ask your vet about the various things you have noticed with olive.  

-Cindy  P.