Thin Ferret

[Gramas 0]

Hi all just hoping uyou can help... i have couple of ferrets 1 is very healthy but the other which was the same has lost so much weight that it feels so fragile & just skin & bones no meat on it????? they get an array of good food just baffles me why bits gone like this in space of few weeks?

[Kay 3,709]

Have you watched them eating, is there a chance the thin ones not getting its share, or it maybe has a bad tooth making it hard to eat, a whole host of reasons, if you think its scoffing enough and appears to not be in any discomfort then perhaps a vet check is in order , could be anything

[Gramas 0]

Have you watched them eating, is there a chance the thin ones not getting its share, or it maybe has a bad tooth making it hard to eat, a whole host of reasons, if you think its scoffing enough and appears to not be in any discomfort then perhaps a vet check is in order , could be anything

 

have split them up to make sure its getting share of food ... just the night i put saucer of warm water down for it & it drank a fair amount

[Kay 3,709]

Have you watched them eating, is there a chance the thin ones not getting its share, or it maybe has a bad tooth making it hard to eat, a whole host of reasons, if you think its scoffing enough and appears to not be in any discomfort then perhaps a vet check is in order , could be anything

 

have split them up to make sure its getting share of food ... just the night i put saucer of warm water down for it & it drank a fair amount

 

 

well if you have seperated them you will tell in a few days just by picking up the ferret if its gained weight, but i would still have a look in its mouth, could be a bad tooth or a bit of stuck bone worth looking just incase

[Brimmer 220]

Like Kay says a bit of bone can get stuck in the teeth quite often, or even somewhere in the system.

How old is the ferret?

[will.f11 24]

I have one like this. I must admit I was quite worried in the summer and even got vet at one point. But he turned out fine even though he is skinny

[craftycarper 0]

as Kay said check teeth, could be absys and check for any other abnormalities lumps etc. I had this a few months back, hob was hogging all the food, split them up, stopped feeding the meat temporarily and just fed dried and also whiskas cat milk. Soon put the weight back on in no time and back on the meat now as well as the dry, just make sure theres plenty of water.....good luck, otherwise it's down the vets. Don't leave too long though as they turn their toes up pretty quickly once on the downhill slide.

Edited January 30, 2009 by craftycarper

[Kay 3,709]

as Kay said check teeth, could be absys and check for any other abnormalities lumps etc. I had this a few months back, hob was hogging all the food, split them up, stopped feeding the meat temporarily and just fed dried and also whiskas cat milk. Soon put the weight back on in no time and back on the meat now as well as the dry, just make sure theres plenty of water.....good luck, otherwise it's down the vets. Don't leave too long though as they turn their toes up pretty quickly once on the downhill slide.

 

Totally agree with your for a change they do pick up as quick as they go down , amazing what a couple of days solid feeding can do for a skinny ferret

[The one 8,479]

It is usually there teeth if there not eating right but some times you just get a thin ferret ,How thin is it no skin and bones ????

[Tiggypud 0]

Try worming your ferret, I worm mine every 6 months or so. You would be suprised how this helps.

 

Is it pooing and peeing alright?

 

There has been a bug going around, pet ferrets people are calling it the green poo bug, the ferret have green smelly runny poo and go down hill quickly, over night i fact, just make sure there is plenty of water keep them hydrated, if in doubt get to the vets.

 

Tiggypud

[fox hunter 53]

it needs a worm dose if you buy a cats worm dose it will do

 

fox hunter

[AndyL 0]

Don't worm it on the off chance it's worms, it could be one of the other many reasons already given, you could do more harm than good if you worm it, the ferret is obviously struggling to get any nutrients from whatever it is eating (if it is eating), dosing it without knowing what's wrong could tip it over the edge.

 

If it has lost the weight very quickly take it to the vet just to be on the safe side, I lost a cracking wee ferret over a couple of days by thinking that it would pick up again, it had lost weight very quickly and died curled up and amaciated in my hands, two hours before it was running around it's hutch, thin, but active.

 

As already stated ferrets go downhill very quickly if they catch a serious illness (distemper etc), I for one wouldn't take the chance again, you will know better than anyone else just how much weight it has lost, if it feels seriously thin, get it checked.

Edited February 1, 2009 by AndyL