SUDDEN DEATH OF A FERRET

Question
WE HAVE 4 FERRETS. 2 MALES (1 AND 1 1/2), AND 2 FEMALES (1 AND 1 1/2).
WE HAVE 2 CAGES, 1 FOR EACH PAIR. THEY PLAY TOGETHER LOOSE ALL THE
TIME VERY WELL TOGETHER. SOMETIMES THEY STAY IN EACH OTHERS CAGES,
1 OR BOTH MAY GO. WE'VE HAD NO ILLNESSES, OR ACCIDENTS SINCE WE GOT
THEM 13 MO. AGO. TONIGHT EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE AND MOST LOVABLE,
CUDDLEY FRIEND EVER, WAS DEAD IN THE CAGE WHEN WE CAME HOME FROM
BASEBALL. WE WERE ALL DEVASTATED. AND I AM LEFT WTH NO ANSWER AS
TO WHY TO TELL MY 3 BOYS.  RICCOCHET WAS HEALTHY AND HAPPY, AND
THEN HE WAS GONE, HE WILL BE GREATLY MISSED. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD
BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Answer
Hi Terri:

I'm so sorry to hear about the death of your precious little Riccochet.

There are many things that *could* have happened.  Unless you immediately wrapped the body and placed it into the refrigerator, there is no way to do an necropsy at this time. Since most people wouldn't know to do that, I will *assume* you didn't, but *if* you did,please write back and let me  know because it would make a necropsy possible, which would determine the cause of death.

I am *assuming* that there were no signs of illness? No loss of appetite or of weight recently?  No diarrhea or vomiting in the past few days or week? If so, all these things *could* point to a possible intestinal obstruction.

Is the cage set up so that the ferret cannot fall more than 12" anywhere in the cage?  Unfortunately some cages are made SO tall and have only little shelves for the ferrets to sit on (if you can't tell,I HATE those cages and MUCH PREFER the cages that have full length floors so the ferrets can't fall).  If so, you may want to either change cages to something with a full floor (with an opening just big enough for a ferret to get thru to the top floor). Also, some cages with plastic ramps, especially, the ramps seem to go nearly straight up and down........that's crazy!  Most ferret owners end up over the years GREATLY modifying their cages so that their ferrets can't fall, are NOT walking on wire floors (horrible for their feet) and have lots of floor space for playing, rolling around, etc.  So, you might want to take a really good look at the cage you are using.  Just as with food and treats and toys, just because it says it is for a ferret, does NOT mean that it's SAFE for a ferret. It's always a good idea to do a lot of reading up on what are good foods, healthy snacks, safe cages (what modifications need to be made) and ferretproofing the area the ferrets play in. Here's a great website for ferretproofing:

http://www.mdferretpaws.org/brochures/ferretproofing_brochure.pdf

Any indication that ricochet was tiring out earlier when they were playing, or plopping down for rest breaks while running thru the house?  Any time it looked like he was more tired than the other ferrets when playing; was he the first one to bed at the end of playtime?  Any chance anyone noticed his little feet swollen?    These would all be indications of a possible heart condition, which can actually happen in ferrets of any age.

Did he ever have times when he would just kind of sit and stare, or look off into the distance and be very still? Maybe drool?  This would indicate low blood sugar, or insulinoma, which is mostly common in ferrets who eat foods other than meat - things like sugary treats, etc (Yogies, and many other treats that shouldn't be on the market, because ferrets should NOT have sugar).

There is always a possibility that he choked on a piece of kibble stuck in his throat while eating. One of mine did that once and I had to hold him upside down, just like a baby, and give a firm pat on his back, which dislodged the food.

If there was foam around his mouth when you found him; and/or if his body was in a contorted position, he may have had a seizure, not uncommon in ferrets either.

There are just SO many things it *could* be. I wish I could give you a definite answer, but the best I can do is give you a list of symptoms and/or conditions and see if possibly his activity in the days previous to his passing fit into the description.

I know your family is devastated. We just don't expect our babies to leave us at such an early age!  I would like to suggest my favorite website for the loss of a beloved pet - they even have a candle lighting ceremony where they name off each of the pets who have passed away the previous week; there is a place there where you can post a picture of Ricochet and write a few thoughts about him and it will ALWAYS be there for you to go back to. The site is at:

             http://www.petloss.com

For your children, there is a GREAT story of the "Rainbow Bridge" that tells how our pets go to the Bridge to wait for their masters and one they they are again reunited and cross the Bridge together......quite a wonderful website with lots of beautiful graphics - and don't forget to put Ricochet's name on the list for the Candle Lighting Ceremony.  It's just a really neat way to remember our precious little ones and to let the world know that they WERE here and they brought SUCH love with them and that our lives will never be quite the same without them.

I hope you can at least get a little bit of comfort from that. I'm not sure how old your children are, but it may be best to just tell them that God needed Richochet - maybe he had someone sad  who needed cheering up like only a little ferret could do (just a suggestion).  Sometimes knowing exactly how our ferrets died actually isn't the best. I had one of mine die quite violently in my arms and I wish I had never seen that, although I was glad I was with him, it took such an incredible toll on me emotionally that it changed me forever.  So, just know that everything happens the way it does for a reason....and maybe it's a blessing that the boys weren't there to see Ricochet leave.

My heart breaks for you.  I hope you will go to the petloss website and honor his life there. Maybe the boys could get together and write a little remembrance that you can type at the website, along with a picture of Ricochet - and they can go see it whenever they want to.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.  I'm sorry I don't have more answers than I do - at this point, I don't think anyone could actually answer your question at this time, unless you had preserved the body properly and gotten it to a vet for necropsy. The best any of us can do at this point is guess.   The best you can do in the future is watch all ferrets for the above symptoms; and also to be sure that your house is ferretproofed so they don't get ahold of anything that can cause an intestinal blockage (probably the most common cause of early death).

If there is anything at all I can do to help, please don't hesitate to write again. This is just a very very tragic situation and will be hard to accept because there are more questions than answers.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers