fat ferret

[StephOC 6]

I've got three ferrets in the summer, never kept them before, so I'm a novice. They are jills, get on well and live in the same cage. Two polecats, mother and daughter, one (unrelated) albino. The three of them are lovely! playful, bright, never bite. They don't work very well, but so long as they bolt a few rabbits, I'm happy. I give them a little bit of ferretone in the morning when I check them, ad.lib. complete dry food (forgotten who its made by - Jame Well - something?) and when I've got rabbits, road kill, or pigeon, they get that too. I try to get them out hunting every week, and have a big, secure metal tank filled with pipes/hay and stuff where I put them in the evening to play for a bit.

 

The albino was thin after being in season too long through the summer...I read about jill jabs, but the guy I was ferretting with said she'd be ok...and she was in season for about 5 weeks, before I realised how thin she was getting took her to the vet. Now albino and 'daughter' look great, but the 'mother' polecat is fat. The other two can easily walk up the sides of the cage, to the top level, but she struggles a bit. I feed up top, so at least she has to work before she can feed, but she's not getting thinner.

 

If they were dogs, obviously I'd give them different rations, but how often do ferrets need to feed? I could separate them out for feeding, but I'm guessing ferrets need to be fed more than once a day? I also don't want to upset things for the other two who are looking good. What should I do about my fat ferret? - does it even matter or am I just fussing?

 

Sorry this is a bit long, thought I'd give a bit of background.

Thanks for reading,

steph

[doddsy1970 9]

I've got three ferrets in the summer, never kept them before, so I'm a novice. They are jills, get on well and live in the same cage. Two polecats, mother and daughter, one (unrelated) albino. The three of them are lovely! playful, bright, never bite. They don't work very well, but so long as they bolt a few rabbits, I'm happy. I give them a little bit of ferretone in the morning when I check them, ad.lib. complete dry food (forgotten who its made by - Jame Well - something?) and when I've got rabbits, road kill, or pigeon, they get that too. I try to get them out hunting every week, and have a big, secure metal tank filled with pipes/hay and stuff where I put them in the evening to play for a bit.

 

The albino was thin after being in season too long through the summer...I read about jill jabs, but the guy I was ferretting with said she'd be ok...and she was in season for about 5 weeks, before I realised how thin she was getting took her to the vet. Now albino and 'daughter' look great, but the 'mother' polecat is fat. The other two can easily walk up the sides of the cage, to the top level, but she struggles a bit. I feed up top, so at least she has to work before she can feed, but she's not getting thinner.

 

If they were dogs, obviously I'd give them different rations, but how often do ferrets need to feed? I could separate them out for feeding, but I'm guessing ferrets need to be fed more than once a day? I also don't want to upset things for the other two who are looking good. What should I do about my fat ferret? - does it even matter or am I just fussing?

 

Sorry this is a bit long, thought I'd give a bit of background.

Thanks for reading,

steph

 

Ferrets do bulk out a little bit in the winter, but unless she is so obese she cant move i would not worry too much about it.

[Kay 3,709]

Stick a pic up of the fat one as it may be wintercoat or are you talking baby seal fat

[StephOC 6]

Thanks for replies, don't have a camera, will try to borrow one off my friend this evening and get some snaps on here tomorrow morning.

[The Ferret Tamer 1]

I've got three ferrets in the summer, never kept them before, so I'm a novice. They are jills, get on well and live in the same cage. Two polecats, mother and daughter, one (unrelated) albino. The three of them are lovely! playful, bright, never bite. They don't work very well, but so long as they bolt a few rabbits, I'm happy. I give them a little bit of ferretone in the morning when I check them, ad.lib. complete dry food (forgotten who its made by - Jame Well - something?) and when I've got rabbits, road kill, or pigeon, they get that too. I try to get them out hunting every week, and have a big, secure metal tank filled with pipes/hay and stuff where I put them in the evening to play for a bit.

 

The albino was thin after being in season too long through the summer...I read about jill jabs, but the guy I was ferretting with said she'd be ok...and she was in season for about 5 weeks, before I realised how thin she was getting took her to the vet. Now albino and 'daughter' look great, but the 'mother' polecat is fat. The other two can easily walk up the sides of the cage, to the top level, but she struggles a bit. I feed up top, so at least she has to work before she can feed, but she's not getting thinner.

 

If they were dogs, obviously I'd give them different rations, but how often do ferrets need to feed? I could separate them out for feeding, but I'm guessing ferrets need to be fed more than once a day? I also don't want to upset things for the other two who are looking good. What should I do about my fat ferret? - does it even matter or am I just fussing?

 

Sorry this is a bit long, thought I'd give a bit of background.

Thanks for reading,

steph

 

 

If they were this years kits I would say that they would need a bit extra but as they are adults then they only need to be fed once a day, either meat or biscuits try to alternate these as ferts need to have some kind of meat on the bone to keep teeth clean, you say you are giving them "Tone" in the morning so really they are getting enough.

 

You dont say how much dry food you are giving them, normally ferrets will only eat what they need but some ferrets will pig out, sounds to me you have one of these so you should monotor what she is eating.

 

I find a handfull of biscuits will be enough for one ferret in the winter, this is just a rough guide.

 

The Ferret Tamer.

[Cornio 0]

I use James Wellbeloved and here are their guidelines;

 

From 3 weeks:

Offer small amounts of food soaked until soft with warm water or broth, gradually decreasing the amount of liquid used. Replace any uneaten damp food with fresh after a few hours. From 4 weeks, offer only dry food.

 

Up to 16 weeks:

Free feed, allowing animals to clean out the bowls every 2 or 3 days to maintain food freshness. At this age, daily food consumption will be approx 7% of body weight (e.g. approx. 35g of food for 500g ferret).

 

Adult ferrets:

Free feed, but restrict diet to approx 5% of body weight if animals get too heavy (e.g. approx 75g of food for 1500g ferret).

 

Lactation or final 2 weeks of gestation:

Free feed without restriction.

 

The above guidelines can only be approximate as requirements vary from animal to animal.

 

Supply plenty of clean fresh drinking water at all times. When switching from other foods allow 7 days for digestion to settle.

 

Obviously, this only applies to this particular product. Other products may vary.

[stubby 175]

how much are you feeding daily,

as an example to determin if your feeding too much, when mine get dry, and nothing else, they get 13 small palm fulls of dry, for 13 ferrets, all together in the court, fed once nightly, or one whole rabbit nightly between all of them

[StephOC 6]

Ok, so I've been feeding them freely, they have a bowl which they empty every 3 days and probably holds about 10-12 handfulls, it doesn't seem like an unreasonably large amount of food, but I guess big ferret must get through more than her fair share!

 

I'm suprised that they are ok to be fed once a day, - Sure I'd read somewhere that they had to feed several times a day, but if its ok, I might change to doing that. I quite like the idea of taking them out to be fed, and so being able to monitor how much they each eat. cheers for this, steph

[Kay 3,709]

I dont know a ferret that dosent pig out on the dry stuff , they seem to get fat quickly on it as well , most tend to loose the weight come the spring & i do think a lot of it is coat as well that makes a big difference to the over all appearence

[stubby 175]

depends where you read it, a pet ferret book, or one from usa may give that sort of advice, but Ive only every fed once a day, since I was a nipper, and way back when, I used to only feed 6 out of 7 days

[Malt 379]

I sometimes feed 6 or even 5 days out of 7.

 

It doesn't do them any harm in the slightest, none of my 5 ferrets are underweight, and they look as healthy and in as good as condition as the next persons.

[Brimmer 220]

You might find if you are working them fat, then they will show less of an intrest in food! (I.e live rabbit).

Out of season don't worry about a fat ferret, it will do it no harm.

Think the biscuit stuff packs the weight on. (look at the Atkins diet, no carbs. What's in the biscuit?)

The odd day missed from feeding will do no harm, i'm sure in the wild they will miss the odd day from time to time.

I split mine into cages to control the weight, and put like for like animals together, some are big eaters, and others lose condition when caged with these animals, due to the food hogging, and split them up accordingly.

It's all about getting to know each individual, and making that work easiest for you!

[stealthy1 3,964]

I've got a fat hob, does'nt seem to bother him, he's happpy enough, I just put him down with the jill wether he's needed or not, by the time he's walked a warren I've netted up another, no rabbits get past him, there's no room in the tunnel to squeeze past.

[Rhodey 96]

I was feeding mine James Wellbeloved and they got fat, not stupidly obese but a bit chunky now there on meat only but don't seem to be loosing any weight, there fed once a day and I split a rabbit into three meals between two jills is this to much?

[Brimmer 220]

I've got a fat hob, does'nt seem to bother him, he's happpy enough, I just put him down with the jill wether he's needed or not, by the time he's walked a warren I've netted up another, no rabbits get past him, there's no room in the tunnel to squeeze past.

Must be shaped like me then!