For the past few months I have been having some problems with one of my ferrets. I hope that someone out there can help shed some light on it... A few months ago Shadrach (three year old male) began to put on some significant extra weight. So much, in fact, that he is having trouble moving around. It seems like his weight interferes with his ability to curve his back when he's walking across the floor + his back legs can't get much of a grip. He also seems fairly lethargic to me -- often lying on his back for a long time + wheezing until I flip him over. I mentioned the weight gain to my vet when I took him in for his shots a while ago + he couldn't feel/see anything that made him think that Shadrach might have diabetes, etc. I suppose those sorts of things can't be ruled out, but almost everything I have read about the various ferret maladies describe them as being accompanied by weight *loss* rather than weight gain. He has also started to go to the bathroom almost exclusively outside the litter box, even though I have restricted him (and his two brothers) to the bottom level of their triple-decker cage. This is a real problem because he can't really hold himself up properly on the cage floor and inevitably winds up falling down in his own "leavings" which get smeared all over his belly, and consequently the cage floor. I am sure that he has some trouble getting into the litter box because of his weight, but I have seen him digging in there many times, so I know he can do it if he has to. Is there any suggestion/advice you-all could give me? It seems to me that he certainly needs to lose weight, but I'm not sure how to make that happen other than housing him in a separate cage + putting him on a calorie-restricted diet. On the other hand, it the weight gain is a symptom rather than a cause, putting him on a diet could be a bad thing. This is becoming a real problem because I sense that he is unhappy + I'm sure he doesn't like spending most of the day with urine, etc. dried to his belly. I know that his two brothers don't like being around him when he's like that either (they're fine). I want to give him more love and attention, but I must admit that his condition (even with a daily rinsing in the sink) makes me less inclined to cuddling. Is he sick? Just fat? I'm at a bit of a loss here. Even if someone can simply tell me to "take him to a vet and have the following tests done" it would help. Thanks Sam Kinsey [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 2093]