>my 5 yr old ferret has started drinking his urine.  In 20 yrs I have
>never seen a ferret do this....what could cause him to start this
>abnormal behavior?
>
>He piddles on the newspaper and then turns around and starts to lick it
>up.  Anyone else experienced a ferret doing this?
 
We have a 3 year old diabetic ferret on insulin who drinks his own urine.
Apparently it contains excess glucose and is very sweet!  We've been
told by our vet that it may be gross but is not harmful to the ferret.
Personally, I don't care if it's harmful or not, I still discourage it!
His foster mom uses paper or wood pellets in his litter box to absorb
the urine and keep him from drinking it, then uses newspaper only when
she needs to test his urine for ketones.
 
Have you had a bg test on your ferret recently?
 
Terri
Little Dudes Ferret Ranch
www.littledudesferretranch.com
[Posted in FML issue 4756]