WHEN SHOULD YOU FEED A SICK FERRET?: If your ferret is so ill that you have to place it in a hospital cage, when should you start thinking about feeding them? Assuming you have already discussed the situation with your vet and the ferret has been cleared to eat, then you have two different things to consider: hydration and nutrition. Hydration is nothing more than maintaining a proper fluid balance within your ferret, and it is vital to health and recovery--even life. In some situations, the importance of hydration has to be balanced with the need to watch water intake due to cardiopulmonary, kidney, or other problems. If your ferret has been cleared for unlimited drinking, or has no health problems that would preclude limiting fluids, you should encourage drinking as much as possible. I have found I can increase the water intake of a sick ferret--even double it--simply by offering it water on a frequent basis. Not a single ferret in my home will refuse cool fresh water directly from a bowl (I use a bowl so I can measure input), and most slurp longer when *I* pick them up and directly offer the drink. If a ferret is properly hydrated, doesn't suffer from bouts of low blood sugar, and hasn't depleted their body fat reserves, they can go a surprising long period of time without food without serious medical problems. One myth about ferrets that has more lives than a medusa has heads is that ferrets have to eat every 4 or 5 hours or it will cause some sort of health problem. Not only is there a singular lack of evidence to support this myth, but it also lies outside the realm of biological and physiological reality. Besides, the practical experience of hundreds of years of recorded ferret care and thousands of European ferret owners, workers and breeders prove otherwise. Myth number two is that because ferrets have elongated bodies, they have higher metabolic rates than other animals of comparable size. This myth has recently been shown in black-footed ferrets, polecats, and ferrets to be absolutely wrong. This excerpt from the abstract of a recent paper illustrates the findings, "We measured basal metabolic rates (BMR) for both species. In contrast with the commonly stated belief that mustelids have relatively high mass-specific BMR, neither the BMR of ferrets nor that of polecats in winter was greater than standard allometric predictions for all mammals. As suggested by previous authors, we believe that our relatively lower measurements for BMR are due to our efforts to minimize stress during the experimental procedure. These results support the contention that BMR in mustelids is no different from what is expected of mammals of this body mass." In other words, the hypothesis that ferrets have to eat every 4 to 5 hours because of their metabolism has been FALSIFIED. In short, as our friends across the big pond can testify, ferrets easily adapt to a twice-a-day feeding regime, and while it ISN'T recommended by any means, they can even adjust to a single feeding per day. Observations that ferrets might want to eat every 4 to 5 hours are evidence of dietary adaptation to a captive environment, NOT physiological requirements. This is important to realize, because it allows ferret owners a bit of freedom when nursing ferrets back to health. I have found that if a ferret remains properly hydrated, they generally do ok deciding how much to eat on their own and if they don't eat much for a few days, I may note it, but I don't worry much about it until their weight loss becomes significant (greater than 10% in 3 days). Still, there comes a time when you realize the ferret is losing weight, or has such a low food intake that it could impact recovery. You have noted this because you have carefully monitored the ferret's food intake and fluid intake, and have noted a small but significant weight loss. At this point, I try other fare, including offering extra helping of favored foods, to see if that doesn't simulate the ferret to eat more. If that doesn't work, I schedule an appointment with my vet and have them help evaluate the situation. It may be that a set of fresh eyes might recognize a situation I am missing. Even if not, I want my vet to be aware of the situation, and to be part of the solution. I specifically ask if it is ok to start hand-feeding the ferret; in effect, a mild form of force-feeding. With the vet's implicit agreement, I set up a feeding program that usually adheres to the following schedule: 0800: Baby chicken diluted 50% with water 1100: Water offered 1200: Bob's Chicken Gravy 1500: Water offered 1600: Baby turkey mixed with 1/2 in. Nutrical and diluted 25% with Water 1900: Water offered 2000: Bob's Chicken Gravy mixed 50% with Baby Beef/Veal 2300: Water offered 2400: Baby chicken diluted 50% with water Bob C [Posted in FML issue 4409]