Health and training

Question
HI, I have 2 ferrets.  We recently discovered they had dug under our new couch!!! i have purchased a playpen for then.  I feel guilty since they can not run free.  Will this get them enough exercises.  I do try to take then out and play with them also but they seem to want to go right to the couch!!

ALSO my older ferret (a little over a year) has weird poop.  Sometimes it is solid and then goes to liquid.  Sometimes it seems to have mucus in it?? My younger ferret seems to not be gaining any weight?? He is very small.  I got him in February and he was gaining weight when I took him for his 3 shots we charted the growth, but now he looks thin.  I clean the cage daily, fresh water and Marshall food.  I change the litter box daily and wash the cloth things weekly and the cage every other week.  They are both very active, the older ferret sometimes acts like his back end is slow?? The younger one sometimes will bit at himself but I have not noticed ANY fleas.  Should I be worried??? Or am I being a crazy mommie ferret?

Answer
OK....well, as a ferret owner, it is your job to make sure your home is ferret-proof. This means you need to find a way to make it so that they cannot get into your couch, you need to either modify it or get a new couch, or have a special room just for them. A ferret needs more exercise than what a little play pen allows.

As for the poop, it sounds like he has diarrhea...this in itself is not too serious unless it continues for more than a day or two. If it does, he needs to see a vet. Some ferrets are just a little smaller than others, as long as they are eating a quality food it's fine, Marshall's is acceptable food.

Ferrets are sometimes very itchy animals, it doesn't mean they have fleas. Avoid excessive bathing, this will dry out their skin and cause them to itch more. Don't give them bathes more than 2 or 3 times a year.