Sometimes a fat abdomen or some hanging from the abdomen is part of the signs of adrenal disease, sometimes of too little exercise, sometimes of advancing age like when 6 or older (even a very muscular 6 year old who regularly climbs 8' in the closet while carrying the TV remote can sometimes have some hanging) but your ferret is in the prime of life. It could pay to read up on these things and look for any related symptoms. If the large abdomen is or may be fluid then the most common cause for that in ferrets is cardiomyopathy. We always respond to such water-balloon bellies (ditto to coughing or trouble breathing) with a chest x-ray and usually with an ultrasound of the chest. BTW, it is not unusual to not be able to tell there is cardiomyopathy from listening to the chest and it can be hard to spot it on x-rays if it is early in the most common form (dilated) or if it is the less common form (hypertrophic), plus ultrasounds give the details needed to design the best approach for the individual. If nothing is found then an abdominal ultrasound is done, all while we are waiting for results from a CBC with Blood Chemistry. We never mess around with ascites; but try to find the cause ASAP. Other possible causes of ascites include (but are not limited to) kidney disease, lymphoma, and liver disease. Once the cause is known then the correct approach for the best giving of more quality and quantity of life can be designed for the given individual. (As usual -- repeated ad nauseum -- I am not a vet.) Sukie Health, behavior, and longevity first when adding ferrets who aren't adoptees; appearance is always less important for someone you love. When adopting go ahead and help that needy one if you and the resources available to you (vets, money, time, etc.) are up to it. (If not, no one should add more than he or she can care for properly or the situation may sink into a dangerous morass.) Health Resources: http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/ http://www.ferretcongress.org (Be sure to see the Critical References section when looking there.) Don't forget the FML Archives; the address is in the header of each issue. [Posted in FML issue 4080]