Pain while Pooping

Question
my little lady is 5 months old and is quite healthy however, shes got some poo problems. she poops about 6 to 8 times a day (which i belive is normal) and the poo is very healthy looking, but when sho goes she kinda squeaks as if shes in pain. could she be a little blocked up?? if so what can i give her to help it? i know you cant give ferret lax until theyre 6 months old so what else is a good choice??

also, what can i put in her cage to combat boredom? she has 2 hammocks, a crackle tunnel, a tent, and dangly toys from the top of the cage yet she still gets bored. by the way, her cage is 3x3x4 foot an she gets 3 to 4 hours of play time a day. any tips on entertaining her??

thanks!!

Answer
Hi again..........

After I finished the first answer, I realized I didn't reply to your second question about games..so please go back and read the bottom of my answer to you?  Sorry about the mix-up, I'm exhausted tonight :-)  Hope you had a great day today!

Also, not sure if I put it in before, but it's VERY unusual for ferrets, by nature, to ever show they are in pain or ill, so something is really hurting bad for her to be doing this. Please do follow up with the vet just to be sure it's not some malformation, tumor, or something inside.

Hug that little one for me!
jacquie

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Hi Jemaine:

Sorry to hear your little one is apparently in pain when trying to poop.  I would *generally* recommend one of several kinds of either bulk laxatives we use with ferrets OR a lubricant that's save to use with them, HOWEVER, since she is only 5 months old and is actually making a squeaking noise when she defecates, that concerns me a lot. That is not at all normal and I'm concerned that if we tried any kind of lax, we could complicate the problem by forcing poop through an area of the lower intestine or rectum that could possibly be either malformed or even could have a little tumor inside there (but out of our view) that's causing her to whimper when she poops. That little whimper is NOT a normal thing.

The very best advice I can give you is to take this little girl to a vet who specializes in exotics, specifically ferrets. If you don't already have a ferret vet, you need to known that all dog and cat vets are NOT necessarily ferret vets. General vets are only required to have 4-6 hours of 'exotics' training in their whole four years of veterinary medicine specialty!! That's horrible!  However, vets DO have an opportunity, if they have the interest, to take classes that go much more in detail on how to care for various exotic animals. You will see these vets in the yellow pages where they have pictoral ads what say things like "we specialize in exotics" or "exotics welcome here", "we love ferrets!" or a variety of other wording. If vets are slim in your area, you CAN call each vet and ASK if they have any SPECIALIZED TRAINING IN FERRETS - DON'T make the mistake of asking "does Dr. Smith SEE FERRETS?" because the answer may be 'oh yes!'....he may 'see' them, but he may very well not know squat about them!

I have some lists of ferret vets that have been compiled from various online ferret groups over years; people who use vets and like them submit their names and  phone numbers so others will know 'this guy is good'.  I Will list those lists for you (there are many duplicates because they came from different places; on the other hand, the chances of finding one in your area, if it's remote, also increases because there are so many different lists!

The lists are below - please please get your little girl to a FERRET VET just as soon as you possible can? If everything checks out there, please DO write back again, update me on what you found out and let me help give you a very very safe 'bulk' laxative for ferrets that has been used only less than a  year and having incredibly wonderful results!! I send my love and best wishes with your precious little one - hang in there; it's always worst for the parents!

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/

VETS USA:
* http://www.quincyweb.net/quincy/vet.html
* http://ferrethealth.org/vets/
* http://www.ferret-universe.com/vets/vetlist.asp
* http://www.ferretsanctuary.com/vets.shtml
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html
* http://ferrethealth.org/vets/

VETS  UK & IRELAND:  
* http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ferreter/vetlist.htm

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT ENTERTAINING YOUR FUZZY:

Your ferrets favorite toy is YOU! Most ferrets will just sit and look at toys unless their parents are playing with them too. Some things they especiall enjoy tho are a big 'dig box' such as damp sand in a 3' wide 1' deep tub with a way for them to get in and out - they will just dig and dig and dig. Unless the sand is kept moist/wet, it makes a huge dust ball - not good for the house (dusty) and not good for little ferret noses...too much dust. Just keep it wet and you're fine. Also, change it often or it will get moldy and that's not healthy either. You may also use a couple 40-lb bags of long grain uncooked rice (NOT the instand kind) in a big tub as above, but these you don't have to keep water on, etc....it's no care required except vac up a little rice now and then. They love it. I like to put my ferret's tunnel where it goes underneath the sand and back up again and they just think that's wonderful! Get a small children's swimming pool and put in some lukewarm water in summertime and let them play with their toys floating on the water - water only about 2" deep is best so they don't get scared. Sometimes takes a little time for them to get used to it AND if the water is too cold they will hate it, so if they hate it from the beginning, first thing to try is making the water warmer and warmer (even to bath warmth) until they settle down. Clear dryer hose tubes that expand are a RIOT! You can even wrap them in different configurations,, when they are in the tubes, run your fingers along the outsides of the tube and it tickles them and they come running out all silly, then duck back in again quickly - "do that again mommy!!"  Get clean cardboard boxes, tape them together, make doors and window and build into all kinds of configurations; hide treats in certain rooms (only cut the doors and windows on three sides so you can open and close them); grab a blanket or beach towel and walk thru the house - put ferret on the towel and take the ferret for 'magic carpet rides' - just gently so they don;'t get hurt, but they just LOVE to get all around the house this way!

AND,, of course, the BEST playmate (other than mom and dad, who CANNOT NOT be involved - cuz even 10 ferrets won't play if you don't play with them - is get another ferret!  It is a blast to watch them chase each other thru the tubes, wrestle around, steal toys from each other, just fun fun fun - can't stress that enough. YOU Have fun and THEY will have fun - guaranteed.
Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers