FERRET-SEARCH@LISTSERV.FERRETMAILINGLIST.ORG
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Date: | Tue, 2 Oct 2001 12:51:48 -0400 |
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>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]
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