Recently I've noticed one of our ferret's behavior has changed. Its
hard to put into words. He is more interested in what what we are
doing. When he is in the cage (and awake) and we are around he is
actively going back and forth in the cage wanting to get out. During
playtime he bounces and dances and plays on his own but he spends a
lot of time at the gate to the rest of the house. Our ferrets have 1
and 1/2 rooms plus the hall between them for a play area. He lays down
at the gate to the rest of the house. Even if I am in the ferret room
sitting and playing with the rest of our 8 ferrets. He'll come into
the room and loop around the room go through a tunnel and back to the
doorway.

His history is he was purchased from a breeder at 3 years of age
(mis-treated at that breeder for all of those 3 years). He was fixed
and not desented. He was a bad bitter and it took 7 months of love
and patients and lots of bandaids but now he is the sweetest ferret
you could ever have. We have had him for 2 years and 9 months. He had
adrenal disease and surgery to remove his left adrenal gland, then it
came right back. He now has a deslorin implant (2 months ago). He is
about 6 years old. He would still dance and bounce when during
playtime. There was a period of about 2 - 3 months where he didn't
bounce and he seemed to sleep more. We were planning to have his
glucose tested soon but then he changed his behavior, not he bounces
and dances and looks happy and energenic he seems to have lost 3 ounces
of weight (we have ECE in one or two of our ferrets so we don't know
if he now has it or not, we're watching that as well) His fur is still
kind of thin and a little course.

I know it's odd to worry about increased activity or interest in us but
to go from bouncy and a some interest in us (play) to less active and
sleeping more to the point where insulinoma is suspected then back to
bouncy and a lot of interest in us, makes me wonder if something is
going on.

I also know that some ferrets go through stages as they learn that they
are in a forever home and not a temporary home and maybe he has just
crossed one of those stages. He is deaf or mostly deaf (we think he
can hear some things).

Am just worring too much? I sit at my computer which is about 25 - 30
feet away from his cage and sometime I can see him just sitting there
watching me.

Thank you

Mike

[Posted in FML 6683]