Micro/grey Ferret Problem!!!!!

[kanigra 110]

Hi,had a problem with my micro/grey albino ferret jill the other evening.She's nearly 3 years old & had a litter of 5 kits 4 weeks ago.Everything has been going fine when the other evening she looked like she was playing in the saw dust like she does when I could see her rolling in distress when I got closer I could see she couldn't stand up & had lost the use totally of her front legs & her rear legs were weak.She had her front lip curled & was breathing really heavily.I bought her into my conservatory where the wife put her on a towel & I put warm water on the back of her neck & to drink thinking she might have heat stroke.She didn't improve & we were really getting more & more worried thinking I might loose her & the kits weren't weaned yet & needed her still. The misses started looking in the medical book & online for the symptoms then she asked me too get some food for her so I did & the misses started spoon feeding her the meat which to my surprise she ate. Things still weren't improving & I was thinking the worst when the misses called me & said 'look!' she was back to her feet walking around very wobbly but walking we bought the kits in in a cat box & put her back with her babies so not to cause them both any more distress. She was very tired let the kits feed & went to sleep.Expecting the worst in the morning I went into the conservatory to see her bouncing round the box like zeebedee on speed(back to usual). Just wondered if anyone has experienced this? I've put it down to a 1 off fit as she is fine now.Any thoughts anyone? Thanks

[The one 8,463]

What are you feeding here on ?.

[Hot Meat 3,109]

Them kitts more than old enuff to be weaned pal. Get them weaned and get the jill some rest and good grub

[kanigra 110]

She has minced chicken & fish.Kits are just starting to weaned but with micro/grey's its too early for them to be fully weaned & my ferrets eat really good grub!

[johnny boy68 11,726]

She has minced chicken & fish.Kits are just starting to weaned but with micro/grey's its too early for them to be fully weaned & my ferrets eat really good grub!

Isn't a grey ferret a silver?

 

Why are your ferrets any different to others to be weaned longer?

[kanigra 110]

Not silver! Greyhound is the type.They do take a little longer to wean I don't no exactly why maybe there size as there small.

[The one 8,463]

I wouldn't mince anything as they have teeth and as you still have her feeding kits i'd go for calcium deficiency after a rest and a feed shes recovered

[johnny boy68 11,726]

Not silver! Greyhound is the type.They do take a little longer to wean I don't no exactly why maybe there size as there small.

They're just ferrets mate, they maybe smaller but they still develop at the same speed, any pics of these greyhound ferts then?

[The one 8,463]

Maybe with all that exotic breeding there's something missing in its diet like Friday night caviar .Mate there all the same a ferret and since you think yours is so wee you should of been pumping meat into them from three weeks to give them the best start in life . Ive got a litter here that are on a full rabbit in the morning and a full one at night and theres no much coming out ,second year in the trot that jills had twelve and theres never been a problem with jill or kits

[socks 32,253]

Surely this is a wind up ??? Thought she had heat stroke so put WARM water on her neck and to drink ... Micro greys taking langer to wean .... C'mon ..............

[stealthy1 3,964]

Dump the chicken and fish, replace it with red meat like fresh rabbit, chicken and fish is for dieting

[Hot Meat 3,109]

as a rule the smaller the animal the quicker they wean.... dont they?? lol like i said if this aint a wind up get the poor jill some rest an good grub ffs

[Ideation 8,216]

Aye, minced chicken and fish is ok. . . . . but I wouldn't feed it alone. Seen kits end up with bone problems etc, as well, with that kind of diet. I'd be looking at getting a good bit of flesh and bone into both the kits and the mother. Even without taken the kits off the jill now, they will quite happily pile into some fresh meat, and this will both give them a good start and also take some pressure off the jill. Sounds like she is struggling to support the litter,. . . . . possibly due to her size. Rearing a litter takes a fair bit out of a ferret.

 

As has been said - if it was sun stroke, you want to be cooling down the ferret, not warming it, so a cold, damp towel would have been better.

 

Also - no matter the size or strain of the ferret, the earlier they can be eating (of their own volition) flesh, the better a start they will have. It doesn't mean that the jill will stop feeding them. . . .

 

And finally - traditionally, the 'type' known or referred to as a greyhound ferret. . . . . . were not 'micro' or small, it was more to do with the long, lean body shape, with roached back, and quick hutning action. . . . . hence 'greyhound'.

 

Good luck with her

[Whiskey 28]

Wtf there's more to ferrets than runing dogs I am thick before any one says lol but what's a greyhound ferret ?

[AirgunGuy 362]

Greyhound sire...micro albino x angora x EU dam ;-) The 1's that throw more to the greyhound that's micro greys ;-)

Edited June 24, 2013 by AirgunGuy