Normally, I let the insulinoma ferret set his/her own pace. As he begins to feel better, his activity will increase. In my experience, different ferrets respond differently to a given dosage of pred. With a ferret whose glucose level was in the 50's (before beginning medication), you're mostly likely looking at a ferret who has had insulinomas affecting his glucose levels for at least 6 months, if not more. It seems that the longer a ferret has had insulinoma, the lower the glucose level he can tolerate without having seizures or exhibiting other symptoms (the hind quarter weakness, staring blankly, stumbling, excessive - more than 14 hours a day- sleeping, lack of exuberant play). Six year olds can be just as active as a three year old ---- but there are a lot of factors involved in an individual's activity level. Since this one is new arrival, you don't know if he used to be permanently hot-wired, or laid-back and mellow to begin with. Adjusting medication dosage: You can (and you should consult with your vet on this) try different dosages of pred until you find a 'sweet spot' where he is notably more active. With a ferret (diagnosed with insulinoma) for which I have no medical history, I normally start with the next to the lowest dosage, rather than the lowest. I maintain that dosage for at least one week. Bump the dosage down one step the next week (to the lowest dosage), and observe activity levels, check glucose on day 7 three hours after his last meal. If no improvement in activity is seen or glucose level is not above 70, return to second from the bottom dosage for one week (this will be week #3), observe activity, check glucose on day 7. If there's been no improvement, bump the dosage up one more step for the next week (this will be week 4). I don't really try to measure improvements for the first week of medication. I use the 2nd to lowest med dosage as a general rule of thumb, but it is not engraved in stone. I have started ferrets on a much higher initial dosage when advanced symptoms were present. The first week is more to give their system time to adjust to being medicated. This should be done in small changes in the medication for a consistent period of time. Ask your vet for a suitable minimum dosage change for this ferret. I am not a vet. This is simply the system I use to safely determine the most appropriate dosage for a ferret without a medical history. Debi Christy Ferrets First Foster Home www.ferrets1st.com [Posted in FML 5852]