I want to say first that my ferrets are perfectly healthy, I don't think
this is a medical problem, but something my roommate and I observed that
breeders in particular might know about.
 
I have 6 ferrets and my roommate has 3.  After I got my 2nd or 3rd ferret,
I bought a scale, the idea being if they are sick, they'll loose weight,
and with such a crowd, it might be easiest to confirm if they are sick this
way.  I started weighing them every week (now it is closer to every month).
So what we observe was that before 6 months (based on about 7 ferrets),
they gain weight pretty rapidly, then a couple of the boys has a growth
spurt somewhere around 7 or 8 months (Sand gained 4 oz in about a week?).
Then, we are not sure exactly when, maybe about 8-10 months, they shrink.
Sand and Sabre were at 3 lb 10 oz and 3 lb 8 oz respectively, now they are
about 3 lb 4 oz.  Storm and Sprite were 2 lb 4 oz and 2 lb 1 oz, now they
are both 1 lb 12 oz.  I guess my males are pretty small, Dief and Bear are
both under 3 lbs.  It's just kind of weird they shrunk, especially since it
is winter, but we do keep our place on the warm side.
 
So if anybody who weighs their fuzzies on a regular basis have any input,
I'll love to hear them.  Also, how much do ferret weights fluctuate between
winter & summer?
 
On a different note, if anybody had any "pee" coloured ferret.  Sand is a
cinnamon, his fur was on the yellow side.  This is a ferret that drinks his
own pee, pees on the floor and occasionally wets himself after he pees :).
Recently, I got some whitening shampoo, and found that he's not pee colour,
but a lovely sand colour.  And of course, my DEW Bear and albino Sprite got
a shade lighter, too.
 
// ***********************************************
// Selina, Birch, Dief, Sprite, Storm, Sand & Bear
// http://www.cgl.uwaterloo.ca/~ssiu
[Posted in FML issue 2946]