Someone had asked how to get a urine specimen from a ferret.  Well, first
you give them a little cup... just teasing.  I don't think there really is
a good way to get a specimen from a ferret, but I will relate what we have
found that works fairly well for us.  One of my babies is prone to urinary
tract infections, so we have found it necessary to get specimens from him
from time to time.
 
First of all, I trained my 2 babies to use the litterbox before they are
allowed out of their cage.  I would advise everyone to do that.  It also
helped them to use the litterbox better when outside of the cage.  It just
makes them think about it more or something.  So when we tell them to "go
poopie", they know we are expecting them to use the litterbox.  I think
someone else posted they say "go potty", which is probably better, but
it's not what we do at our house.
 
We have a "sick cage" that we keep for ferrets that have just had surgery.
So what we do is take the litterbox from the "sick cage" and clean it
thoroughly and put it back into the cage empty.  Then the morning I am
taking him to the vet, I wake him up and take him out of the cage before
he gets a chance to go - like people they usually have to go when they
first wake up.  Then I put him in the "sick cage".  Then I tell him to "go
poopie".  He knows the litterbox is supposed to have litter in it, so he
usually does not want to use it immediately; but eventually (usually 30
minutes or less), he can't stand it any more and goes in the empty
litterbox.  Then I take a syringe (needle removed) and pull up the urine
into the syringe.  I put the cap back on it and put it into a ziplock bag
and bring it along with us to the appointment.  Since Pooh is prone to
these infections, I always take a specimen when he goes in for shots, etc.
 
If you don't have a syringe, you can get one from your vet's office.  If
you don't have a separate "sick cage".  You can use a pet carrier (like a
small cat carrier).  That is what we used to do, but he really resisted
going in there, because it meant he would have to stand in it (can't
really blame him).  Although eventually the call of nature would become
too much for him and he would have to go.
 
I hope some of these ideas help.  If anyone else knows a better way,
please share it with us.
 
Holly
Tigger & Pooh
[Posted in FML issue 3601]