For the past few months I have been having some problems with one of my
ferrets.  I hope that someone out there can help shed some light on it...
 
A few months ago Shadrach (three year old male) began to put on some
significant extra weight.  So much, in fact, that he is having trouble
moving around.  It seems like his weight interferes with his ability to
curve his back when he's walking across the floor + his back legs can't get
much of a grip.  He also seems fairly lethargic to me -- often lying on his
back for a long time + wheezing until I flip him over.
 
I mentioned the weight gain to my vet when I took him in for his shots a
while ago + he couldn't feel/see anything that made him think that Shadrach
might have diabetes, etc.  I suppose those sorts of things can't be ruled
out, but almost everything I have read about the various ferret maladies
describe them as being accompanied by weight *loss* rather than weight gain.
 
He has also started to go to the bathroom almost exclusively outside the
litter box, even though I have restricted him (and his two brothers) to the
bottom level of their triple-decker cage.  This is a real problem because he
can't really hold himself up properly on the cage floor and inevitably winds
up falling down in his own "leavings" which get smeared all over his belly,
and consequently the cage floor.  I am sure that he has some trouble getting
into the litter box because of his weight, but I have seen him digging in
there many times, so I know he can do it if he has to.
 
Is there any suggestion/advice you-all could give me?  It seems to me that
he certainly needs to lose weight, but I'm not sure how to make that happen
other than housing him in a separate cage + putting him on a
calorie-restricted diet.  On the other hand, it the weight gain is a symptom
rather than a cause, putting him on a diet could be a bad thing.
 
This is becoming a real problem because I sense that he is unhappy + I'm
sure he doesn't like spending most of the day with urine, etc. dried to his
belly.  I know that his two brothers don't like being around him when he's
like that either (they're fine).  I want to give him more love and
attention, but I must admit that his condition (even with a daily rinsing in
the sink) makes me less inclined to cuddling.
 
Is he sick?  Just fat?  I'm at a bit of a loss here.  Even if someone can
simply tell me to "take him to a vet and have the following tests done" it
would help.
 
Thanks
 
Sam Kinsey
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[Posted in FML issue 2093]