Hi everybody, I'm quite new to the FML but must say it's the best thing
since sliced bread and I want to thank the people behind the FML for all the
good work they do and the effort they put into the FML and want to thank the
readers for their help with other ferret keeper's problems, reading the
FML's I feel like the FML is a big family and you get used to hearing from
people like you get used to the characters in your favourite soap.
 
Right, I've got 3 ferrets, I rescued Jilly April'95 and bred from her in
June and kept her daughter Angel and son Jack.  All get on very well, share
one cage, none are descented but I must say they don't smell at all, I can
only pick up a slight musky smell when I hold them right in front of my
nose.  Nor is Jack aggressive though he's in season all year round but he's
just a gentle giant...
 
Well, Jilly started putting on weight last October/November and got more
and more quiet, she hardly ever runs or plays now whereas Angel is such a
bundle of energy and brother Jack is pretty active as well.
 
I took Jilly to the vet's yesterday because I just find it so unnatural for
a ferret to show so little interest in running+playing and spending most of
the time with the head in her feeding bowl.  Also she is swollen down below
but the vet felt it and said he couldn't feel any enlarged organs and said
that it's probably just fat deposits as Jilly is fat all over and nothing to
worry about.  But I do worry, last Summer Jilly happily went for walks on a
leash but now she's the total opposite.  I must say that she's been in
season for about 2 1/2 months.  Jack's been vasectomised and he got Angel
out of season twice so far but he wouldn't touch Jilly and when he did show
an interest then she just bit him and would do anything to get out of
mating.  So in the end I had to take Jilly to the vet's where she had a
(hormone?) injection to get her out of heat.
 
That's another thing.  Here in Britain we don't have many books on ferrets
nor do the vets know an awful lot about them as hardly anybody keeps them as
pets and especially not indoors.  But I did manage to get my hands on a
good(ish) book written by a British ferret keeper.  He said any serious
ferret keeper should own his own vasectomised hob to get jills out of
season.  Yet I got an article from the vet's and it says that this method
increases the risk of pyometra 2-3 weeks after mating (whatever this is) and
the writer also said that he favours giving 0.5ml proligestone to
non-breeding jills and it's been shown to be a very safe method.  So here
I've got 2 different views but which one is right?
 
Also, why are ferrets so expensive in the US?  Are they being sold
spayed/neutered (and descented)?  Over here they cost between 2-5 pounds
on average.
 
Also I'm shocked how many illnesses ferrets suffer from, all those cancers
and heart problems, I thought ferrets were quite robust animals.
 
I better end here before another thousend things come into my head.  I hope
somebody can help me with Jilly, please feel free to email me with comments.
Take care evrybody.
 
Best wishes
Ulrike
--
Ulrike Hassold
[Posted in FML issue 1536]