Overweight by itself has a number of bad aspects. Reduce food access and exercise, exercise, exercise. If he has problems from food restriction then more exercise... Build up gradually, but don't underestimate him and his abilities and sense of fun play. Muscle mass burns a lot of calories. In studies in other species improved muscle mass is connected to lower rates of multiple malignancies (especially hormonal/ endocrinological ones), better cardiovascular health, improved pulmonary health, and several other benefits. When a health problem doesn't prevent it exercise is one of the best things around for staying healthier (within one's own limitations). The mechanisms are still unknown for many of the results of these epidemiological results but the results keep being seen in studies. So, lots of active play time with you and others, and set up the cage when he is there to make him have to climb more and more over time. GET YOUR VET'S OKAY ON THE EXERCISE ROUTINES AND BUILD-UP PROGRAM. Don't assume that he gets enough exercise; if he is fat he needs to either spend more calories or take in and save fewer calories (pretty much the opposite of what needs doing for putting aside a monetary nest egg). If he likes to stash make him re-stash each day or even multiple times a day and make the stuff hard to get. Yes, there are things which can make weight loss harder. For instance, new work indicates that (in humans) those with asthma have more of a protein that increases appetite and can cause nasty hunger. There is also work like this PLoS paper (URL below) on a possible disease origin of difficulty losing weight, and certainly genetics matter. Yes, some things make it all harder, but even when fat can't be lost there are studies which show that having high levels of muscle help, in fact, there are overweight people who are also very muscular who are healthier that some fashion models who have almost no muscle (not a universal since there are definitely ones with muscle). It appears in one recent study that the first fat that exercise increases remove is the nastier stuff around and near internal organs. Not knowing which of these two URLs will work for those who aren't on the list for early announcements here are two PLoS URLs for disease toxins and things like weight gain: <http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0050193> <http://biology.plosjournals.org/archive/1545-7885/5/7/pdf/10.1371_journal.pbio.0050193-S.pdf> Check for adrenal disease, too. I know from Dr. Bruce Williams that fat in the thoracic cavity is a rare type of fat redistribution which can occur with that. More commonly the fat redistribution that occurs is to develop a pear shape (thin in thorax and fat at abdomen). (We had one whose symptoms could have all been adrenal disease with 2 rare symptoms being all that showed but that was not what he had. What he had in his chest and marrow was lymphoma. Anyway, that is how I learned about rare thoracic fat.) As you know, you and your vet did exactly the right thing checking his heart! BTW, this is also an exciting pancreatic beta cell article in the latest issue: <http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0050163> <http://biology.plosjournals.org/archive/1545-7885/5/7/pdf/10.1371_journal.pbio.0050163-S.pdf> I find it especially intriguing when taken in conjunction with the new pancreatic endocrinological and sensory neurons studies as a *possible* way to explain distribution of micro-tumors, perhaps missed by macrophages after perhaps an incorrect signaling event or repeated incorrect signaling. Of course, that also would need to be taken in conjunction with the P53 genetics work of Dr. Bob Wagner since that reduces the body's ability to fight and destroy early tumors, and the MEN (multiple endocrinological neoplasia) work of Dr. Michelle Hawkin's team (with more info to be announced this August in conference, as well as future genetics work. There are a number of pancreatic hypotheses in the world but only recently is enough data on the pancreas beginning to be known to actually make some sense of things and know better what the toss away. This bit of playing may be like most hypotheses and go right out the window. Like any hypothesis, no matter how elegant or how indicated by patterns it could be nothing more than something which looks interesting until the right things that knock it out of the water are noticed or known or presented in polite, formal challenge. That is the way of hypotheses. Steve's advisor used to say that in physics if most of a person's hypotheses panned out then the person wasn't trying hard enough; that a person should aim for a level of questioning where most of the individual's hypotheses don't work out because then the ones which do are more likely to really create interesting change. Honestly, if this idea does add up, it is just a baby step from looking at how a few studies could mesh, and nothing more that something which wide reading on the topic can give, and not a big intellectual leap. If it does add up on study, though, it is elegant and that is cool. The pancreatic sensory neuron work was late last year in two projects by: 1. Razavi R, Chan Y, Afifiyan FN, Liu XJ, Wan X, Yantha J, Tsui H, Tang L, Tsai S, Santamaria P, Driver JP, Serreze D, Salter MW, Dosch HM., and 2. Bour-Jordan H, Bluestone JA with at least one team now also having reported some promising Type II preliminary work. Check Cell Press. BTW, melatonin appears to play parts in the hormonal triggering of two opposing pancreatic aspects. How strange is that going to get? Only time with good studies will tell; some may be helped, some may be worsened, or it might be in the noise. Insulinoma is weird, anyway, and not everything thought to be insulinoma due to low blood glucose readings may even be insulinoma. So, back to original topic, and apologies for the detour: the bottom line is that he needs to exercise more with a program okayed by his treating vet and you also need to discuss with the vet how to most safely decrease his eating (both regular foods and treats) if possible. Do ask the vet if there might also be adrenal disease to tackle. Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html [Posted in FML 5674]