when can baby ferrets walk properly

Question
QUESTION: my boyfriend recently bough 2 baby ferrets, he was told they were six weeks old, they are very lively and are eating well but they cant walk, they drag their back legs when they move around. my boyfriend says its because they are young, but never seeing a baby ferret before i was wondering if this was normal and how old will they be when they can support themselves on their back legs.can you help me please?

ANSWER: P.S....be sure to get the book "FERRETS FOR DUMMIES" by Kim Schilling - it's a GREAT handbook and all ferret owners should have it; easy read and easy to look things up too!  I think new ferret owners AND old ferret owners should have this book and read it.


By the time ferrets are in a pet store to be sold, they should be strong enough to walk on all four legs.  Makes me wonder if they have been injured in some way.

I think you should take them to the vet right away for a comoplete exam and find out why they can't walk - something is wrong.

The vet can also give them their distemper booster shot (be sure he gives them a shot of benadryl first to help prevent allergic reactions to the shot) and then stay at the vet's office for about half an hour afterwards just to be sure they aren't going to have an allergic reaction.

The vet will also check them for ear mites (VERY common in pet store ferrets) and check their poops to be sure they don't have any parasites.

Weakness could also cause weak legs - do they have food and water available at all times day and night....and are they eating it?   Sometimes if you buy a kit from a store, then buy a different food than they have been eating, they won't eat the new food because they "imprint" on the old food and don;t even recognize the new food as food!  So, you may have to keep them on the old food for a while and/or mix it with some of the new food you want to change them over to - but it takes a while to change them over. Mix the two foods together, shake the container so the food smells blend together and that will help.

Best of luck with your new babies. They definitely need their vet check and shots anyway, so have him check for all this other stuff at the same time and your kids will be healthy and happy :-)

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers

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

QUESTION: hi
thankyou, just to let you know they are on the mend now, the breeder had not been feeding them correctly and they were sufering from malnutrtion, we have been feeding them as to our vets advice and they are getting much stronger and are now walking much better.
thankyou for your advice, i will make sure i ask the vet about benadryl when i take them today for their inkjections
thankyou
mandy

Answer
Hi Mandy:

I'm so happy you got them to the vet!  Also happy that it was *only* malnutrition as I suspected, but you must know that nutrition is so very important to them, especially when they are so very young and their little bodies are forming. Some people think that dog or cat food is sufficient for ferrets and it is not.  The ONLY cat food that is "just okay" for ferrets is IAMS KITTEN FORMULA in the purple bag - no other ones meet ferret's nutritional needs.  Totally Ferret, Path Valley Ferret Food, Marshalls Ferret Food, Mazuri, Sheppard & Greene, 8 in 1 "Ultimate" (ONLY the Ultimate is the best for ferrets)....hopefully you can get them on some really good food that they will accept (sometimes it is hard to get them to accept a new food).  If they don't want the new food, you can make some of the old food into crumbs and mix it in with the new food until they get used to the new food - just add less and less crumbs of the old food each time untl they will eat the new food without it.  

They should be old enough to eat dry food by now too, but again, they may be slower in developing since they were malnourished so early in their lives, so don't hesitate to moisten it for them if necessary (until they get some good sharp teeth)...just remember to change the foor at least 4 to 5 times a day if it is moist, wash the bowl before refilling, because old, wet food rots really quickly.

ALSO .....the benadryl is VERY IMPORTANT before EVERY shot. I had a ferret who had a reaction and even WITH the benadryl first, we almost lost her and she still suffers from irritable bowel disorder today because of it. She was a very healthy ferret before and I would never have guessed she would have a problem, but she died three times in a period of two hours when the vet was trying to revive her with shots into the heart, so PLEASE be SURE your vet gives them benadryl shots 15 mins before they get their shots and NEVER get distemper and rabies shots at the same time. Get the rabies shot two weeks after their last distemper shot and you will be fine (and don't forget the benadryl for ALL shots :-).

Best of luck to you and your new babies.  My thoughts and prayers are with you. Hopefully you will have a clear and healthy road ahead now that you understand how important good nutrition is to them.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers