rapid weight GAIN

Question
Hi Jacquie,
About 2 months ago we received 2 ferrets from a friend who bought them from a PetCo for her young daughters. She gave them to us after about 3 weeks when she realized her little girls could not care for the pets. They told us both were male, descented, and nuetered. However, about 2 and a half weeks ago one began gaining weight relatively quickly. I had some concern and called the vet. A family emergency came up and we had to leave them in someone elses care for about a week and cancel the vet appointment. Upon arriving home today, Fleck seems to have gotten even bigger. They both eat out of the same bowl, which we usually fill in the morning. They are eating ZuPreem Premium Ferret Diet, which we slowly switched them to after we could not find the food they were eating when we got them. They've been eating that for a few weeks, so that's not terribly new. Fleck was sensitive to having his belly touched when we first got him, but even more so now. I will be making another appointment with the vet but as a long-time owner I wanted your opinion on what you think could be going on. Could they be wrong and Fleck is really a she... and maybe she is pregnant? Or could it be something really serious? Before we left he seemed to be a little slower and more lethargic than when we took him. But now he seems very energetic. It really seems like he is at least one and a half times bigger, if not two times bigger than he was. And he is much larger than his playmate now, when initially they were the same size. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks so much in advance!
Emily

Answer
Hi Emily:

I suspect that the chubby one is a male - IF he is just bigger all over. That would mean that the other ferret is PROBABLY a female.  Check the leg length, size of the head, shoulders and hips - are those all larger also?  Males are typically about twice the size of females when full grown (at about age 7 months) so they do a LOT of growing as kits.

If it's ONLY the BELLY that is huge, get this ferret to a vet immediately.  All pet store ferrets are supposed to be neutered and descented, however, there is a possibility that an incomplete spay was done and is infected; were these little kits when your friend purchased them, or full grown?

If it's the whole body that's larger, it's probably just a male; if it's just the belly that is that large, get the ferret to a vet because something very serious is going on in there...Usually a blockage or incomplete spay, as I've never heard of just the belly swelling in that young of a kit before.

Is "she" pooping and eating fine?  If not, "she" could have an intestinal blockage, which is life and death serious that she have immediate vet help.

You can be sure whether they are male or female by doing one of two things:

1.  If it looks like the ferret has a bellybutton - it's a male and that is his penis area.

2.  A male ferret will urinate a  few inches in front of his poops - a female will pee almost directly on her poops, as her urethral opening is just forward of her anal opening....and she won't have a "bellybutton".

It sounds like you need to get a good ferret book and get well-read on these little guys/girls. Raising ferrets is just not at all like raising cats and dogs. A great book called FERRETS FOR DUMMIES by Kim Schilling can be purchased at http://www.half.com really reasonably and is a GREAT "get to know your ferret" book and also a good referene book.

There is also a website:  http://www.ferretcentral.org  has all kinds of information on it!!  Cut and paste the link into your address area, then when it comes up, click on FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) and just start reading - if you study this website thru and thru, your ferrets will live longer and happier, healthier lives! It is absolutely necessary that you get really smart about ferrets as soon as possible. There are dangers you need to know about, things about their cage and them needing soft cloth bedding, things that cause intestinal blockages and can kill them; danger signs that mean they need to see the vet - or not.  ALso, they should have been getting their distemper boosters and their rabies shots by now. These are diseases so contagious that you can bring the virus into your home on your shoes completely unknowingly! So, even if your ferrets are inside all the time, they really need these shots - AND they need to be "pre-treated" with a benadryl shot before they receive ANY immunizations. They should NEVER get rabies and distemper shots at the same time.......I think you get the message.  It's just really really important that these guys get some well-informed parents ASAP - just a few hours of reading, maybe joining an online ferret group - all these are good for your ferrets!  I hope you will follow thru and learn as much as you can so your ferrets live long, healthy lives.

If you don't already have an 'exotics' vet for your ferrets, you can find one on one of these websites:


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/

These are vets who have been recommended by other ferret owners. It's always a good idea to use an exotics vet, especially when you are unsure what is wrong with your ferret - they see ferrets more often and have both more experience AND more training to help your ferret.

Best of luck - please let me know what you find out?

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers
"God bless the little ones who cannot speak for themselves"