male biting our female

Question
Hi
We have a 4 year old fixed male and a 3 year old fixed female.  We have had them about 8 months now.

Lately the male will get on the top of the female and bite her neck hard enough to make her squeal.  It possibly could be a mating behavior but both are fixed.  We separate them when he does this.  

This behavior started about 2 months ago has been more frequent, probably every day now.

Is there anything that we can do to stop this?
Thanks
Kari  

Answer
Hi Kari:

Thanks for your question.  There are only a few reasons that a ferret will become aggressive towards a cagemate.  The most common of that being adrenal disease, especially at ages 3 to 4 years old.  Other changes you may be seeing in him would be scratching more than usual, thinning of fur - especially above the tail area, and a general aggressiveness.  In male ferrets, one symptom you may observe that's really important is if he is standing in the litterbox and appears to be straining to pee, or is going to the box multiple times and giving up, dribbling, etc.  The adrenal gland can become swollen and press on the prostate, which eventually will block the urethra (where the urine empties from the bladder) and can actually rupture the ferrets bladder and kill them if the adrenal gland is not removed.

If you notice any of the additional symptoms above, a vet visit is certainly in order - the sooner the better.  Now is a  good time to be sure you have a good 'exotics' vet who does a lot of ferrets because the surgery to remove the adrenal gland is fairly simple to a vet who does it all the time, but easily botched for one who doesn't do it a lot because the ferrets circulatory system is tiny, it's important to keep them hydrated constantly, and it's also important to take certain precautions with anesthetics that a vet wouldn't necessarily do with a cat or dog - so be sure you have a good ferret vet.  If you are unsure of yours, one place to check is here:  http://www.ferretcentral.org and click on "resources", then click on "U.S. Vets" and then find your state, then city (or one close to you.  If you don't find one close to you, write me again with your city and state - I do have other resources I can check if necessary.

There are some other things that *can* make ferrets become aggressive.  The rule of thumb in ferrets is 'any significant change in behavior that continues more than a day or two needs to be checked by a vet'.  It could be as simple as a tooth bothering him and he's taking out his frustration on her; maybe he has an earache, or some silly simple thing that is just driving him nutz and he can't tell you about it, so he's taking it out on his sister :-)

If you get confirmation from a vet that it IS adrenal disease (which I highly suspect it is), if you don't want to put him thru surgery for some reason (otherwise poor health usually), there are also other treatments that will lessen the *symptoms* of adrenal disease, but they do NOT stop the disease process itself. There is some great information on adrenal disease and surgery here:  

http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/    

(I know, your ferret probably isn't as bald as the one on that site yet.... and some never get that bald - hopefully they get surgery before they get that bad) Some folks get  Lupron injections and/or Melatonin injections for their ferrets (some do it just while they are waiting for surgery also, or while locating a reputable vet to do the surgery). This would be an option for you - it would help him leave his sister alone and it would also give you some time to fine a good vet (if you don't have one) and not have to worry constantly about whether his urinary tract is being  blocked by a swollen prostate gland (the shots lessen ALL the symptoms of the disease).  Some people who have ferrets that are 9 or 10 years old and develop adrenal disease just opt to keep their ferrets on Lupron and/or Melatonin injections rather than putting them thru surgery, but in a four year old ferret, he should come thru surgery just fine as long as he is otherwise healthy.

Adrenal surgery will only have him down for a few days post-surgically, then he'll be back to his sweet old self. He will need and want extra attention, lots of holding and reassuring, etc, during his recovery time.  You will want to prepare a 'hospital cage' for him to be in and to keep close to you for a week or so after surgery (basically placed by himself in a one-level cage with nothing he can climb up on - no hammock, no ramps, newspapers (frequently changed) in the corner instead of a litterbox that will rub that stitched-up tummy each time he goes in and out of it; and lots of soft blankies (flannel shirts, fleece or sweatshirts, etc) to snuggle down into because they need to be kept a bit warmer than usual when sick or recovering. He will also need additional fluids during this time, and probably some encouragement in eating. Most ferret moms find that either chicken baby food watered down a bit and warmed in the microwave and/or some "Hill's canned Feline A/D" or "Carnivore Care" from the vet) warmed in the micro and watered down (be sure to check for hot spots - stir thoroughtly) will help him recover faster; as will short visits from his sister after about the first day or so :-)  

You may want to start him on some "soup" (either A/D or chicken or turkey baby food) occasionally now so he becomes familiar with them before he actually needs them. Make sure they are nice and warm to the touch, which makes them more inviting (same as it would for us :-)  Touch your finger in the mixture, then on his lips several times and *make* him taste it. At first he may not take to it, but in time he will - that's why it's a good idea to get them used to it far before he needs it...some ferrets take to it right away; others fight you all the way and it would be good to at least try various things till you can find one he will eat before he needs it, as he will need to be fed whichever warm "soup" about 5 times a day for a few days after surgery.  Keeping food and fluids in him post-surgically is the most important thing you can do to make the difference between an easy recovery and a difficult one.  

Best of luck to you and your kids.  Hope you will get a vet appointment soon. If you don't already have a ferret specific vet (who specializes in "exotics"), and can't find one on the link I gave you, just send me your city and state and I can research further and locate someone for you.

sincerely,
jacquie rodgers