I have a two year old male ferret (L'il Bear) and a one and a half year old
Female (Sasha) that live together in a Ferret-condo I built. They're
outdoor ferrets (well, the condo's in my barn which isn't heated) and both
have done very well in cold weather. Recently, however, I noticed Sasha
getting quite thin.
 
Some background: I put her in with Bear when she first came into heat a
while back (to avoid the anemia that is inevitable in female ferrets if you
don't either breed or fix them) and she *seemed* to get pregnant. She never
delivered, though, at least *I* never saw the babies. I have since been
told that I should have taken her out of the cage with the male as her
pregnancy became obvious, and that the babies may have been victims of the
father, but I saw absolutely no sign that they ever were born.
 
Anyway, one day she was just `not pregnant' (it became obvious that she was
not as fat as she had appeared earlier) and gradually, her belly went away.
Unfortunately, that weight loss has continued gradually and now she's quite
thin and getting listless. I took her in the house a few nights ago to tend
to her more on a 24-hour-a-day basis, but she just doesn't seem interested
in food. The only thing I can get her to consume is milk with some sugar in
it for energy. She is still drinking water, but there are no outward signs
of any disease or cold. Is it possible that being in with the male all the
time has worn her out ? Her eyes are clear, there is no discharge around
her nose and I can't find any growths when I check her with my hands.
 
The question is, are there any foods that ferrets *just* *can't* *resist*
that are nutritious and good for them ? I will be picking up that
concentrated paste for dogs, Cana-vite (they cal it metracal for cats I
think) and I will try to force that into her because she seems to need
something. She comes out of her cage and crawls around on me when I pick
her up, but there is really very little energy.
 
Any ideas ?
 
Thanks.
 
Stephen Dennison
 
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[Posted in FML issue 0393]