Ferret licking pee

Question
QUESTION: Hello!

My Ferret Vince, 2.5 years old, has recently decided that licking up his pee
tastes yummy?! Why and what can I do?

He is Currently in a process of figuring out why he is loosing fur, adrenal
treatment is beginning in the next week its just been a very complicated journey. The test was taken and came back half and half so yep! complicated.

He eats Zu-preem. But we are planning on changing it not sure to what
though maybe if you have a suggestion that would be great. We live in
london ontario(just incase the food is different here)

He lives in a large cage, hammocks for sleeping, blankets, is able to roam
around the house when we are home/sleeps where he pleases. And yes we
have ferret proofed the house/keep doors closed where he's not allowed.

=)
Monica

ANSWER: Hi Monica and Vince,

I'm so sorry that he's got adrenal disease, but it is great that he is getting the treatment he needs. I'm so glad.

You should feed Vince a food that has about 36% protein, 20-22% fat and no more than 3% fiber. Also, taurine should be in there somewhere. Here is a chart listing and ranking from 1-10 some of the foods that people feed their ferrets:

http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html

I would stay above a nine in the ranking if I were you. Another thing you want to look for in the food is that at least 3 of the first 5 ingredients are from meat products (and not fish). Also, stay away from foods with corn or corn products listed in the first three to five ingredients.

If you are feeding a food that doesn't quite go up to par as far as quality, you should switch her food . You need to make the change gradually because ferrets imprint on their food at a young age and they don't recognize anything else as food. Also, you're going to want to do it gradually to be easier on his tummy. You will probably see looser stool than normal for a few days. Just keep an eye on that and make sure he is staying hydrated. If it lasts for more than a week or if he gets dehydrated or stops eating, you should have him checked out by a qualified ferret vet. You should start out with about 85% old food and 15% new food. Keep that ratio for a few days and then put 75% old food and 25% new food and continue that for a few days and so on. You could even mix a couple high quality foods if you wanted to, just in case your normal food changes formula and Vince won't eat it!

I hope you can find a high quality food that is available in Ontario! If you can't, just let me know and I'll do some more research for you!

As for the licking urine, I have good news! That is a normal ferret-centric behavior. You are the first parent that has ever asked me about it! Ha ha! It usually isn't anything to worry about. I would make sure that he still has water readily available all the time, even when he isn't in his cage! In fact, especially when he is out of his cage and playing because water is essential for that little playing body! Ha ha. Our big male will use the bathroom, then lick up the excess left over on his "belly button" and it grosses me out, but I really think that it is just a gross habit more than anything else. If you are worried about it, you could always call your local ferret vet to confirm that it isn't a problem, but I don't really think it is a problem! Also, if he has an accident outside the litter box, make sure that you clean up the urine as soon as possible to keep him from getting at it!

I hope this answers your questions and if you need anything clarified or you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Awesome we will definitely be changing his food just because he's been on
the same one for a while. Even tho Zu-preem ranked a 10 on that site.

Just to make sure Im clear, he is in fact licking from the puddle he leaves on
the floor because he tends to not wanna go downstairs or is too lazy to hop
back in his house to go to the bathroom. When we see him do this we clean it
right away but sometimes we don't notice...is him doing this going to hurt his
tummy at all?

I just realized now, I've never been sure exactly what ferret stool is supposed
to look like. Ive tried searching for pictures, but no luck, he's always had
pretty consistent looking stool so I assumed that thats what its supposed to
look like....I know this might be gross but if you have a picture or a excellent
way of describing it that would be great! haha

He's also had 2 stool sample tests and they've never said anything about it
sooooo. yeah! Just to make sure I know for sure!

Thanks so much!

ANSWER: Hello again Monica and Vince,

If you don't mind me asking, if Zupreem is ranked a ten on the list, then why change it? I mean you don't have to change it entirely. You could add another high quality food to the mix to make things more interesting for him.

Yes, I've heard of ferrets doing that, and no one is absolutely sure why. Experts think that maybe it could be a sign of a ferret just wanting to get a little something to drink, so make sure that water is always available to him when you he is out playing! That might help him break the habit, but if he still does it, I wouldn't worry about it because urine is sterile, so he shouldn't be taking in a bunch of bacteria. It really just seems to be a gross habit, but if you would like, you can always give your ferret vet a call and ask he or she about it. It seems that it is a harmless habit, however.

Also, just in case you don't have a ferret vet yet, here are some links:

VETS CANADA:   
* http://www.ferretrescue.ca/start.php
* http://tinylink.com/?TlVyYKa6e0
* http://www.ferrets.org/Veterinarian_Listings.htm   (British Columbia)
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html
* http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/sask_ferrets/


You know, I wondered the same thing (about poop pictures) and one day I set about on a purposeful journey through google, sifting through numerous pictures and finally, I found this:

http://www.hugawoozel.com/medical.html#poop

It is a pretty good little chart! I hope it helps you!

If you have further questions or anything else you need, please don't hesitate to ask!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I suppose the reason we'd like to change his food is because while he was
going through the journey of figuring out what was going on with him. Me
and my boyfriend had an idea that changing his food would help because
maybe he was reacting to it differently, or they changed something about it
that doesn't agree with him.

At this point the hair loss is showing clinical signs, which it was not before, so
treatment seems like the best idea at this point. But we would still feel
comfortable changing his food as well.

I have a new question!

My ferret sleeps in this hammock, which is one of those tube like ones with
the hole in the middle to poke his head out, folded in HALF. and the past few
days I've kind of...flipped him so he's lying on his tummy or, on his back. But
he just ends up back in that folded position.

Im wondering if this is going to affect him.
He absolutely LOVES that hammock. He sleeps in it like 93% of the time. We
took it out for a while because it was giving him sores on his bum but we discovered the aloe plant helps heal that well and he can still sleep in there.
So just wondering if you think he'll be fine or if we should find him maybe a
wider one so he's not as squished in there.

Thanks so much for your help and time!

Monica

Answer
Hello again Monica,

I hope everything comes out okay with your little guy! Keep me updated!

Ferrets can get themselves into some pretty tight spaces and they are usually fine. The fact that he's getting sores worries me a little. Maybe, if you lined it with more snuggly stuff, it wouldn't do that. Otherwise, I would suggest finding him something different. Our hammocks are homemade! They are fleece with straps and hooks sewn to them to suspend from the cage. They love them!

I hope this helps. Like I said, maybe if you lined it with more snuggly stuff, then it won't be bad, but otherwise, maybe you should try to find another hammock.

If you have any other questions, as always, don't hesitate to ask!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews