Lisa wrote: >I have a male about 3-4 years old. Very healthy and normal...but, He >licks his own pee! It has gotten so bad that after he urinates, he'll >lick that area of his belly, thus leaving his belly furless...bald! >Crazy little guy. He did this all last summer, and had stopped for a >while, now I am seeing this pattern again! Why?, is my first question. >Secondly, How do I prevent it? This can't be healthy! Hi Lisa-- I replied to this question the last time you asked it. You must have missed it. See what your vet says. ------Original Message------ No, it probably isn't. Please take him to a ferret-knowledgeable vet. Licking the opening of the urethra can be a sign of an obstruction, such as a bladder stone. This is discussed in Purcell's book _Ferrets, A Guide for Practioners_ on page 147 (in my copy) under "Urolithiasis." In Chuckles' case, it was not a stone, but some other obstruction. Since I'd been told that some ferrets just like to lick their urine, I thought he was just extra goofy. He also licked his belly bald. Within a few weeks, it got to the point he couldn't pee at all. If you catch it early, it may be simple to fix. Because some urinary obstructions can be adrenal-related, I'd have your vet check that, too. I hope he is just crazy. Good luck! ---- The Beach Boyz* surf on over to http://Beach_boyz.go.cc Californians for Ferret Legalization: http://www.ferretnews.org Get & use the CFL Wanted poster: http://ferrets.go.cc [Posted in FML issue 3376]