Hi Bill--
>Pinky, appears to have lost his appetite and is moping around.... This is
>a change in behavior for him.  My question is could he be mourning (in his
>way) the loss of Slinky?
 
Yes, absolutely!  Many people on the FML (myself included) have seen
mourning behavior from their ferrets when another died.  When you think
how closely they bond with another, it makes sense that they would miss
each other greatly.
 
Don't rule out a medical problem, of course, but ferrets definitely mourn.
You might want to try paying extra attention to Pinky, and you also might
want to try taking him to your local shelter to see if he is interested in
picking out a new friend.
 
When my ferret Norman died, Ralph became very depressed.  At the time,
Norman had been quite sick.  Back then my vet was making house calls, and
I can still remember Ralph watching as she took Norman with her.  He knew
something I didn't--that Norman wouldn't be returning.  It still brings
tears to think of how Ralph watched Norman going away.  Soon after, I
adopted Harry and then Prince Charming for Ralph.  He liked them both,
but it took him a while to come out of it.
 
Good luck, please keep us posted.
 
Ronnie
[Posted in FML issue 3225]