Older Ferret Behavior

Question
My Ferret is about 8 years old and just recently she started becoming very fearful and aggresive. Sometimes she just freaks out in her cage for no reason and starts snapping at me when i check to see whats wrong. Is this normal behavior for older ferrets?

Answer
Hello, thank you for your question. While I don't have personal experience with much older ferrets, what I have read is that what you're describing is NOT normal elder ferret behavior. Older ferrets actually start winding down a little, they're still playful and inquisitive, but have much less energy than their kit counterparts. Usually old ferrets sleep more and cuddle more, becoming beloved lap ferrets. I'm glad to see that your girl has reached a ripe old age of 8, when their life expectancy is anywhere from 6-10 years.

Unfortunately I think what is happening to her is from one of three things: She has become completely (or almost completely) blind, I don't know the specifics about what causes loss of sight in ferrets, but if she is startled by you and tries to even bite you that could be it. Or she might have developed adrenal disease which causes aggression due to raging hormones, even though she is past the usual onset ages of 2-4, it really can happen anytime. Or thirdly, she could have some other medical disorder, anything from an infection to a brain tumor, that is causing her bizarre behavior. My advice would be to get her checked out by a vet because ferrets don't act this way for no reason, it's most likely a physical one. The three things I mentioned are not all the possibilities, just the ones that came to mind first. I hope I didn't scare you too much, I just hope you know the way she acting is not normal and she does need help fast, especially if she doesn't return to normal soon. Even if she starts acting like herself within a couple days I would still get her checked out just to be sure. Good luck, hope I've helped, please don't hesitate to ask me anything else.

~sheila