Don't fret too much. I'm sure the baby is okay. A ferret's weight
fluctuates a lot. Especially seasonally. They typically loose weight
for the summer and gain it for the winter. However, many of our
neutered, pet store ferrets have their seasons mixed up. So that's not
always the case and its hard to predict these weight changes in them.
Also note that in the last two weeks, the time of sunset has changed
drastically. It was daylight here until 9pm in July here. But now its
daylight only until 8pm, if that. Birds and small animals sense this
change right away and experience hormonal changes. Possibly something
was triggered in your furry one.

A ferret's weight can also fluctuate very quickly. Ferrets can loose
weight in a matter of a couple of days believe it or not. They can
"crash" and become skin and bones in what seems like over night. So
it's very important to handle your ferret, monitor him, look inside his
mouth, and examine him (by running your hands over him while playing
with him) every day. That way these things don't sneak up on you.
However, you don't seem to be at risk for this! You seem to be very
in tune with your baby. Very cool.

We'd need to know where/how your ferret is gaining size. Is your
ferret picking up "weight" or changing size in a specific area? That's
an important thing to note. Increase in general body size is usually
normal. Even if it seems like only the bulk of the body (rib cage down)
increases and nothing else, its usually normal. What wouldn't be normal
is if the ferret "changes shape". Such as only the bottom part of the
stomach gets puffy (so it has a major pear shape to the body) or if the
area seems asymmetrical.

Bottom line is you know your ferret better than anyone. So do listen
to your gut. If it alarms you and it would help you sleep at night,
sure, take him to the vet. If you are new to ferrets, this can be a
very difficult thing to decide. I wish I could help more, but without
knowing any details about your pet, pictures, etc, I can't tell you
much more. Also know that I'm just a ferret lover, not an expert.

[Posted in FML 7164]