Eddie Barnes asked:
>If a ferret doesn't seem to like to be held, and prefers exploring
>and crawling under the dresser to being stroked does that mean he
>doesn't like me or what?
 
Nope, it just means he's a young ferret in a new place.  Try cuddling him
when he's tired, or pick him up when he's already asleep.  He'll calm down
once he gets a little older and more accustomed to you and your home.
 
>He also rolls over on his back so I'll scratch his chest and he grabs
>the finger and proceeds to gnaw on it is this play, affection of "hey
>big guy leave me alone".
 
Play.  We've taught ours just how hard they can reach for our fingers.
(Start early on this; he's only 6 weeks old now, but his gnawing will get
more painful in a couple of weeks.) Rusty will close his mouth around our
fingers, canines on one side, molars on the other, and we can pick him up by
the teeth.  (Disclaimer [I have to join the club]: This is not recommended,
surely bad for the ferret's teeth and jaw, but pretty amusing on a very
occasional basis.)
 
Holly S. DiMeglio wrote:
>Now she is entirely bald and I feel so bad.  [...] I'm almost sure that
>everything I've seen & read indicates that removal of the second adrenal
>gland gives them only about 3 months left of life.
 
Six weeks ago, we became the "foster parents" for Mookie, a 6-year-old who'd
just been turned over to the WNYFLFA shelter.  She was half-bald and very
bony, and her vulva was very swollen.  Mookie had her left adrenal gland
removed when she was only 14 months old, but it was clear that the right one
was acting up.
 
A month ago today, I took her in for adrenal (and insulinoma) surgery.
According to the vet, enough remnants of the right adrenal gland would be
left after the surgery, "stuck" to the vena cava and surrounding organs
despite his best efforts, to provide the necessary hormones.
 
The adrenal problem now seems much better.  She's growing all her fur back,
and her vulva is about half as big as it was.  She seems much happier, even
though the hypoglycemia is still plaguing her and causing low energy and
weakness in the rear legs.  She's gaining weight again, playing more and
shivering less, and getting less litter stuck to her vulva.  Her overall
quality of life seems to have much improved.  True, she might only make it
another two months, but right now the prognosis is good.  (Now if only we
could convince Rusty to accept her again, like he did before her surgery...)
 
Not all vets agree that enough residual adrenal gland will be left after a
bilateral adrenalectomy, and I'm sure it depends on the particular ferret's
case.  For more information, including a reference for a vet who's been
using replacement hormones in such a ferret, see the Adrenal FAQ section
titled "Options for ferrets with problems in both adrenals".
 
Doug Huttes asked:
>Also does anyone else have problims with your "kids" digging in the carpet
>in corrners or at doors.  How do you get them to stop?
 
It's pretty futile trying to get them to stop; digging is what ferrets are
built to do.  Put down carpet scraps, throw rugs, plastic carpet protector
or wire mesh, firmly attached.
 
--
- Pam Greene
Ferret Central <http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/>
            or send INDEX FERRET in email to <[log in to unmask]>
[Posted in FML issue 1634]