Swollen Vulva in Kit

Question
Hello, we just bought a Ferret at petland on Wednesday.  the paper they gave us says she was born 8-5-07 which I don't think is correct because she is so small.  He just pulled a pamphlet out of the drawer two days after after we got her because the girl couldn't print out the receipt at the time of purchase.  But my question is - She is playing, eating, and drinking fine.  But I noticed this evening that her girlie part is swollen (Vulva?).  I have read on the Internet that this could be adrenal disease?  She has no symptoms other than the swollen girlie part.  Does this happen/show up like within hours if this is adrenal disease? if she was born on 8-5-07 could she have this at this age?  She was fine earlier this evening. Thanks for any ifo you can provide.

Answer
Hi Missey:

Congratulations on your new baby!  It must be fun at your house :-)  There is  just nothing as fun as a new ferret kit in the house!  

Those 'birth certificates' that pet stores have from Marshalls Farms are delivered in bulk with the ferrets. It's pretty certain that the date is pretty close if she arrived with the last set of paperwork. Since many folks don't even ask for the papers, I think occasionally the pet store has more papers than kits (or vice versa) and they can get mixed, but for the most part, they should be somewhat close to the actual birthdate.

It is common for female ferrets to be approximately half the size of male ferrets, so the fact that she is tiny is *normal* since she is a female. Sometimes females don't even weigh one pound at full adult size!  Male ferrets are usually 2 to 4 lbs at full size. Females are usually 1 to 2 lbs.

The swollen vulva that females *can* get later in life would indicate adrenal disease.  HOWEVER (take a big deep breath :-) it's just unheard of to have such quick onset and not for kits.  Adrenal disease usually happens most commonly after age 18 months and also usually by the time they are 3 years old IF they are going to get it.  Your little girl certainly does not have adrenal disease, so you can rest assured of that.

If you are familiar with human babies, you have seen little boys and girls with swollen private parts as babies. This is not unusual.  In ferrets who are shipped from a breeder, the ferrets are neutered prior to leaving the breeder, so she is *freshly* spayed. This in itself could cause her vulva to be slightly swollen until she is completely healed. Maybe she was playing really hard and the extra blood flow made her vulva swell slightly. It's nothing to worry about - enjoy the young, healthy years of new ferret ownership. The only thing you really need to worry about at this age is making sure she doesn't eat anything that could cause an intestinal blockage, climb something too high and fall, or get stepped on or squished in a rocking chair or recliner (definite NO-NO's with ferrets!) or even a hide-a-bed...very dangerous!  If your home is well ferretproofed and you supervise your ferret's playtime, she should be just fine.

Here's a great website with lots of information for new owners.

http://www.wuzzles.com/ferrets/documents/ferretmedicalinformationf.htm

The more you learn about ferrets (and if you feed premium quality food, stay ferretproofed and let her have lots of supervised playtimes), the longer your ferret will live and the less vet bills you will have.  Never hesitate to ask questions - that's how everyone learns. I am available to help whenever possible, so don't hesitate to write anytime. The only *dumb* questions are the ones NOT ASKED! :-)

In the very very slight possibility that your little girl could develop an infection in or around her vulva, do keep an eye on it and get her to the vet IF it continues to be red, has any discharge or appears to bother her (if she bites at it like it's painful to her).  The chances of that are pretty slim, but it's worth mentioning. She *could* have an infection from the recent spay, so it's worth keeping an eye on.  IF that happens, I'm sure that Marshalls will reimburse any vet bills incurred, so be sure to contact them IF that should be the case. I have found them (first hand experience with Marshalls) to be really good with their kits welfare. Keep all receipts and reports if you do have to get vet help for her.

Otherwise, just ENJOY - play and let her be crazy :-)  Have fun....having a kit in the house is sooo much fun!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers