weight

Question
I have two ferrets that have always been close to the same weight. They are both Marshall ferrets....one bout 3 yrs. and 1 about 2. The youngest ferret is now much smaller than the other weight wise. I am not positive if he has lost weight or if the older one gained weight. I just wanted to know if that seems normal to you. Both are healthy boys.

Answer
Hi Claudia:

I'm glad to see that you watch your little guys closely - simple signs like this can lead to life and death situation overnight.

What you  need to do right now is weigh them both and use this as a 'starting' weight  ferrets. A baby scale or postal scale is perfect for this. Before you panic too much, know that older ferrets do often gain some weight because they eat less or play less.  Like us, they become  more lazy in their older years

Next - and VERY important - start watching their poops CLOSELY - young ferrets have nice big poops p maybe even the size pf your little finger. As they age and fur and other objects get stuck in their digestive system they will have small poops #in diameter# Even as skinny as angel hair pasta!!  This is an emergency!  If the poops are small kn diameter or has lots of tiny droplings, he could verposibly have an intestinal blockage.  Hopefully you treat your kids for hairballs at least twice a month - I do mine weekly -- and more if someone's poop seems smaller than usual.  

THIS CAM BE AN EMERGENCY and a a ferret can go from LOOKING FINE to BEING DEAD in a matter of hours. Ferrets alwahys hide it when they don't feel well #a vcarryover from their wild ancesteror - "if I'm sick or slow, I must NOT LOOK sick.  I actually take the 'suspicious' poops and spread them with a popsicle stick on a well covered table and then spread the contents very thin - you will knkow if anything other than just poop came out. (gross, sorry, but it's important).

I strongly advise you to give them both the Uncle Jim'"Duck Soup" mix with either 1/2 txp of metamucil OR 1/2 tsp warm "soup" (whatever you give them when.  My kids love the UncleAMD O tjoml ot
s a gppd odea tp they Jim's and the Hill's A/D Feline canned food - get it from your vet. Keep unuused portion in frfrigerator ] ot wo;; stau good. A can should last a couple of days. You can mix it, then let them lick it off your fingers as a 'treat' until they get used to it. If they throw a tangrumay want to get a large syringe (no needle) from your fer to feed him with.  About two [table Make something they really likeake it (this). If you know something else your kids will leatr - make that and put 1/2 - 2/3 tsp per metamucil   (separate the ferrets so you know who ate and who didn't)  If he doesn't poons FED WARM ALWAYS!! DO NOT STRUGGLE WITH THE FERRETwant to eat it after a few tries, and any tricks you can think of, just go ahead and give him the goopy hairball treatment for tree days in a row and continue to watch his poops very very closely. The only *bad thing about the goopy cat laxatives you get at the pet stores is that they have sugar and sugar in it and sugar is really bad for ferrets.

It possible nothing is wrong, but you will need to watch closely (BOTH of them SEPARATELY than usual; more eating than usual. Some older ferrets just tend to become lazy little'slugs' LOL.  if we let them. new to play with me times make a big difference.  Toss in a big paper bag; or one of those really crunchy plastic bags (but cut the handles so they can't get stuck and strangled in them.  Maybe it's a good time to get a big tub...HINT:  Some will say to use sand, but my kids thought the sand was a nice big literbox . There have been no "accidents" in the rice box - just fun, fun, fun!! about 40-lbs of UNcooked long grain rice -- my kids LOVE theirs!!  Toss in a couple little toys and watch tunnel in the rice and have a blast. My rubermaid tub is about 18"around;has two big holes in the sides big enough for them to get in and out and one hole in the top big enough for them to get out.  I think that's their toy and I'd s a of up wamt a mew tpu = tjat
wpi;d be ,u cjpo;ce/. The rice is not dirty like sand and cleans up easily.

Please don't hesitate to take the ferret for a varium enema - they are not that expensive, the ferret is sedated, so no bad memories for him, and then you KNOW for sure if there is a blockage in there and the vet can take it out right then if there's on in there. I've gotten many barium enemas just *because* it's a mommy's instinct...and I was right too!  One more sign - if your ferret's tummy is hard, especially after eating - is one way to notice a blockage; the tummy will get hartd and poops scant.

Your boys are in my thoughts and prayers. If they have any more symptoms, since intestinal obstructoin, I'd get him to a vet for a barium xray just to be sure. Ghey can fade SO fast.

Skncerely,

Jacquie Rodgers