>While reading through some ferret FAQ's I heard that one sign of adrenal
>disease is a ferret who is "overly-agressive and tries to mate despite his
>lack of testicles".  I observed my ferret on several occasions trying to
>"make ferrets" with one of his toys.  He is definitely displaying a
>mating intent.  He grabs the ferrets toy by the neck, wraps his little
>arms tightly around it, and hangs on, sometimes until it appears that he
>is sleeping.  If I grab the ferret toy and wake him up he dooks like he's
>having quite the good time.  He does not harass the other ferret in any
>way, and does not appear aggressive.  I had assumed that he is just going
>through puberty or something since he is only 9 months old... Please let
>me know what to do.  How could my baby have adrenal so young??
 
Dear X:
 
9 months is very young for adrenal - although we can't totally rule it
out, I am hesitant to recommend aggressive pursuit of an adrenal
diagnosis.  Another remote possibility would be a retained testicle.
 
However, with a young non-dominant male ferret, I think you really have
to consider simple domination behavior.  Mounting behavior in neutered
animals is generally domination, rather than sexual gratification.  This
is a ferret who is unconsciously honing his skills - he may never use
them, but he's practicing nonetheless.
 
In this case, I think a wait-and-see approach will be appropriate for a
while.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3559]