Baby ferrets bottom

Question
Hi,
Yesterday I bought a 1 month old ferret from PetCo to accompany the 2 that I already have and last night we noticed something weird with his bottom.  It looks like it's actually pooching out a little bit.  

He is a Canadian ferret (same as our other two) and acts very healthy.  We feed them a combination of Zupreem and Ultimate 8 in 1.  His poop is completely normal so there is no sign of illness.  

I'm calling the vet tomorrow for him to get an exam and booster shots, but was just wondering if you know what this might be.  It looks very unusual!

Thanks,
Cassie

Answer
Hello Cassie,

This sounds like a simple case of prolapsed rectum. This happens with new baby ferrets. It happens because kits are turned onto hard food too quickly. Don't worry, this happens quite often and its an easy fix. My last baby that I had had this problem. You just want to wet down his food with warm water, making it a bit of a mush. Drain the water and make sure to change the food every few hours to make sure it doesn't get rancid.

I'm sure the vet has already addressed this, but just in case, you should try doing that for a week or two and if you don't see any improvements, you might want to try dabbing a little bit of Preparation H on his heinie for a few days, three times a day, making sure he doesn't lick it. That should take care of the problem. If not, please let me know, or check with your vet.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews