Pet Shop Ferrets Need Love Too!

Question
Hi I now have two babys Gizmo and Gonzo. I got both from a pet store. There are  some people out  there who would rather get their babys from breeders but i feel that all ferrets need and deserve a loving happy home no matter where they came from. They are both males.and soooo sweet.  my question is on gonzo well I just got him today from a pet store he is big and chunky how do you know if your ferret is over weight and what can i do about it. They told me he is six months old and he has been there the longest. I felt bad for him being stuck in that cage and no time out of it  i want him to be happy   but healthy too. I will call a vet and make an appointment for a check up. but I also want your advice I have read some of the question people have asked you and you give great advice and you can tell that you really care about ferrets. Thank you    sincerely Jennifer

Answer
Hi Jennifer!

THANK YOU for rescuing that precious little guy from the pet store! YES!  RESCUING!  What a horrible life he must have been living, sitting there every week, day after day, month after month, watching all the "cute babies" being chosen while he grew bigger and bigger and nobody took him because everybody wanted the cute little babies! So, Jennifer, you absolutely rescued this ferret!  You and I have something in common in that way - I once did the exact same thing! :-)  There was the biggest, saddest, baldest, itchiest ferret that had been in the cage forever when I saw him!  I asked and they said he had been there for months!!  I told them he obviously had a very very advanced case of adrenal disease (he was bald from scratching all his fur out, so I didn't even know what color he was!!)  The owner said they 'are merchandisers, not nursemaids' and that they don't take their animals (merchandise) to the vet - "they either live or they die".  I was SO shocked!  I walked over to the cage the big itchy furless ferret was in, picked him up and walked out the door while announcing that "THIS ferret WILL LIVE!" and I took him immediately to the vet.  I spent $1,000 the first day on that silly little ferret!

He finally got well and was one of the most wonderful ferrets I've ever had!!  MORE people need to speak up, and to understand that these little ones can't talk for themselves; they depend upon us to take care of them. Mankind can be SO horribly cruel.  I commend you on finding a needy little one and choosing HIM, taking him home and loving him.  Bless you, Jennifer. I guarantee you that he KNOWS he has been rescued and he will treat you accordingly. He will shower you with love and affection and will be one of the sweetest ferrets you ever have - I betcha that! :-)

As far as your little guy being big and chunky, my *guess* is that maybe your pet store was feeding a food for baby ferrets? (call and ask if you don't know what they were feeding)  Only Totally Ferret has a baby formula that I'm aware of. This is higher in calories for the growing, active, calorie-burning ferret.  If you feed it to an older ferret, it can fatten them up pretty fast. So, first I'd look into what food he's been eating.

Next, he will need a thorough vet exam, especially after being in the pet store for so long. You're lucky he's fat, not skinny. The one I removed (uh-hum) was sooo skinny and I later found out he had a very highly contagious intestinal parasite "giarrdia" (imagine how many sick ferrets passed through there and how many died from it?). Get him on a good food like Totall Ferret for adults (change over slowly for easiest on his little tummy). Also, consider that he hasn't been out of the cage to run and play, romp, run, jump...omagosh, he needs sooo very much to PLAY long times and play hard.  As soon as he gets an 'okay' from your vet, I hope you'll let him play and roll around with your other ferrets; give him 'towel rides' by walking through the house and letting him chase the towel and every now and then, let him catch it and ride on it; then tickle him, get him all silly and take off running again, dragging the towel behind you and watch him chase!!  He needs some hard playing, even though you may  need to start slow in the beginning.  No doubt if you sat in a chair for six months, you'd be fat too :-(   Poor precious little one.  Thank you, Jennifer, once again - you were God's Angel today.  You literally SAVED A LIFE.  THANK YOU!!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers