Hello,

I have 4 ferrets that I share with my boyfriend. When he is in town
(he's an out-of-city college student), the ferrets spend most of their
time with him. When he's out of town, they come home to me. This is
mainly because I am very busy and he, as a student, can spend a lot
more time with them. They transition very, very well between homes and
parenting styles. I give treats sparingly, and keep the house about 70
degrees. He gives treats all day long, stays up all night, and keeps
the house about 60 degrees. I also have 3 geriatric cats who forget
that the other cats, let alone the people, belong there and get into
little spats that are hardly dangerous, for them or for the people. But
they are terrified of and hostile to the ferrets. Plus, I'm terrified
of losing one of my little guys. So, I keep them in a roomy 4 and half
foot tall cage when I am not home to supervise them. They all seem
content with the cage, so that is not my concern, but it is a factor
in my question.

My oldest female, Tomo, (1 year, 5 months) is my skinniest ferret. She
is extremely active. She climbs up and down the cage bars, hangs there
like a little monkey when I first come home, begs non-stop for treats,
wrestles, explores, digs in dirt from the time I take her outside until
the time I bring her back in, is a skilled escape artist, cannot sit
still, likes to swim, and never, ever seems to sleep. I attribute her
skinniness to her high level of activity. My oldest male (1 year, 3
months) is less active, but does behave in most of the same ways, just
to a lesser extent. He also sleeps heavily (unless he hears a treat
bag). Our third ferret is a giant who no one wanted to purchase because
he wasn't a tiny, energetic baby. He's a big, chubby cuddler, who
sleeps like the dead and loves to be held. Our fourth was a scrawny
little girl who started life with a parasite who now has not only
dramatically changed color, but has also grown to almost the third
ferret's size (she's only 5 months, he's nearing a year old).

Are they normal or is Tomo? I thought ferrets were active for a few
hours, then slept like the dead. I almost feel like she is
hyper-active. Also, today when I got home, I took her out and put her
on my shoulder. She was running around, climbing up and down my upper
body while I cuddled mu chubby boy and daddy played with the other two.
Suddenly, Tomo starts making that all-too-familiar sound my cats make,
that gagging, spit-up sound. I hurridly put her back in the cage and
she spit-up a little brown liquid. Her kibble is brown, so I believe
that is what it was. I heard ferrets don't throw up, so I am worried
about her. She is still tearing around the cage like a maniac,
bright-eyed and active, while the other three are sleeping and I myself
am about to go to bed. Is this a sign of a hairball? I haven't noticed
any unusual shedding. Or could it be related to the fact that I feed
her fewer treats than my boyfriend does? She just had her yearly exam
and the vet had no concerns about her. (And no, I don't like that my
boyfriend gives so many treats.)

Thanks for any advice. I had a ferret before these guys but lost him
to a virus before he reached a year and I want to keep my "busyness"
intact and with me for many years to come.

~Jennie and her Texan fuzzies

[Posted in FML 5620]