I have a new baby, Toby he is 14 weeks old.  I also have another ferret,
Joey who is a little over a year old.  Toby is doing a couple of things that
have me a little concerned.  First is he seems to cough a lot.  At first
when he did it he was eating and I thought maybe he was just eating to fast
because sometimes Joey does that.  But I have noticed him coughing at other
times quite a bit.  His last visit to the vet about 2 1/2 weeks ago he got a
clean bill of health.  I hadn't noticed the coughing at that time so I
didn't ask the vet.  He eats good, drinks good and plays hard, and seems to
be healthly except for the cough.  Any ideas?  I was thinking maybe it was
an allergy to the laundry soap I use to clean his blankets.
 
My other questions is, is it normal for ferrets to pant?  Toby does this
when he is playing and excited.  He isn't hot or thirsty and he starts doing
it as soon as he starts playing.  Its not like he is tired out, because he
just started to play and he does it the whole time he is playing, unless of
course he has a mouth full of Joey.
 
Joey doesn't do either of these two things.  He has coughed a few times but
that is when he is eating and is eating to fast.  I got Joey when he was 6
mos. old so I am not used to babies and the things they do.  Joey is not your
typical ferret, I think he was very abused in the first 6 mos. of his life,
and he doesn't do the normal things that ferrets do.  Having Toby around is
a new experience for both Joey and me.
 
Any help anyone can give me about Toby's coughing and panting would be
greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks,
Joey & Toby's mom (Toby leave Joey alone he's trying to sleep)
Joey (mom, he's bugging me again)
Toby (come on Joey, let's play)
[Posted in FML issue 2007]