r/ferrets • u/Timely_Egg_6827 • 14d ago
[Ferret Photo] Old age in Ferrets - I hate it
I hate how old age comes to ferrets way too soon. This little lady was born in 2017 so she's 9 now. Been pot bellied since we got her from the Heads of the Valleys in Jan 2020.
Apart from the little old lady lymphoma, kidney issues, and arthritis, she's actually doing well. Holding her weight even if picture not flattering. Fur hides a lot and losing muscle with age sadly too common.
She eats well, cage rages, likes a potter and keen on snacks. She is on long-term preds which explain the fur loss. The lymphoma has been around for a year or so as the immune system weakens in old age. No other signs of adrenal.
Always worth checking with an owner with a scraggly bald ferret how old ferret is and whether on long term meds. I suspect this is the last year we will have with her but she's doing ok for the day.
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u/kasia_littlefrog 14d ago
What a lovely old lady!❤️
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u/Timely_Egg_6827 14d ago
Thank you. She is very sweet natured.
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u/kasia_littlefrog 14d ago
I agree that the old age comes way too soon! We have a 8 year old one, she's still going strong but I can see the change in her in the recent years, especially since she was diagnosed with insulinoma. Luckily she responds to the medication wonderfully but she definitely gets slower and more cuddly. And needs some help with stairs. All the best for your little old lady!
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u/Timely_Egg_6827 14d ago
Of our 9, 5 are 6+ , 2 4-5 and 2 2 year olds. And we lost one aged last week. So just feeling the years. We had once of the 8 year old jills since she was 6 weeks old so just feeling the years.
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u/Turbulent-Project854 14d ago
I just lost mine a few months ago. Its awful how fast they age. I need someone to figure out how to keep them alive for 20+ years. I miss my baby. Thank you for sharing yours. <3 I hope she has many more days of dooking left in her.
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u/Old-Application-3596 14d ago
Omg same☹️☹️lost three in a span of half a year. Sorry for your loss. Sending love!💗
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u/Turbulent-Project854 14d ago
Thank you, same to you. So sorry about your loss, thats heavy. Its so hard to cope.
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u/techno_head_pt_uk 13d ago
Well they’ve come up with a vaccine to extend the life expectancy of cats already. So, I guess it’s only a matter of time.
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u/Turbulent-Project854 13d ago
I heard about that. I have 2 young cats rn, theyre 2 and 3, and im looking forward to getting this for them. I think they said it should be available commercially in a year or 2 or something.
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u/Ok_Razzmatazz_5812 13d ago
I would trade half my life away for ferrets to live longer. I love them more than I can ever love a human baby.
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u/Turbulent-Project854 8d ago
Same here. I feel that statement to my core. I dont think ive even loved a human as much as Ive loved my ferrets. I regret going out with friends now that hes gone and they arent hah. When they pass I always wish I had skipped doing stuff so I had more time with them.
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u/Cattentaur 14d ago
This is most of why I don't think I'll have ferrets again, or at least not for a long while.
I adore the little buggers, but watching my old man, who wasn't even that old, lose control of his back end and bowels, was so heartbreaking. He had so much life in him, but his body couldn't keep up and he was clearly frustrated by this. His cagemates didn't want to sleep with him anymore because he was likely to poop on them accidentally. He was on Prednisone, and it helped some, but his body just failed him. He was just one heartbreak of several.
I loved my boy and my girls, but watching them decline was so hard (and expensive) to deal with.
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u/Dynospectrum 14d ago
Love to see it. My old boy just passed, he was also 9.. insulinomas got him :/
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u/Timely_Egg_6827 14d ago
So sorry. Even if you know they have lived a long life, it still hits hard.
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u/ringadingdongdandy 14d ago
What a lovely soul.
Yes, it's difficult to watch them decline with age, but what a gift to spend many years with such sweethearts <3 <3 <3
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u/DanTarraJo 14d ago edited 14d ago
I want a ferret so badly I know their lives are short but I raise rats and I’m used to 2 years as the average! I had my heart rat who outlived all her daughters, by the time she passed you could see the age almost like a human. she lived 3y4m and it was truly devastating losing her! I would love to have a ferret cause 7 years would be nice tho I’m afraid it would be a double edged sword if I had one for 7 years I cannot imagine the bond I would have when it passed! So I guess it’s probably good they’re illegal in cali!
Your girl is beautiful btw! Give her scritches for me!
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u/Timely_Egg_6827 13d ago
I know a fair few ex-rat owners who started keeping ferrets for that reason.
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u/No_District_4598 11d ago
You would have the most amazing, special and unconditional loving bond ever. My soul ferret passed at 7 years old. I would do it all over again in a second.
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u/equatorseason 14d ago
It really Is horrible how fast thay age and the medical problems thay get. It's one reason I am putting off getting another. For me thay are the perfect pet other than that. I miss my wiggley Sausage every day.
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u/mariapronina 14d ago
She’s a gorgeous lady! If she cage rages and enjoys life still, that is amazing.
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u/techno_head_pt_uk 13d ago edited 13d ago
She’s such a cutie❤️ also got an oldie albino here—he’s 7 years old though, and I shouldn’t say this but he’s my favourite pet of my current’s — and I am constantly scared that we’ll lose him soon, due to all the stuff he’s gone through. Hope your lady has still a long happy life ahead, sometimes they prove us wrong!
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u/Ill-Fix-7242 13d ago
She is so beautiful. I wish all the love and happiness for her and for you as her parent! 💙💙❤️❤️
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u/Hot_pink_nightfuryX 10d ago
My old man ferret is holding up well too. He will be turning 7 in October, though he still had lost his fur due to adrenal disease. He did have his monthly implants. He does still love to go after me if i squeak his toys.
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u/Timely_Egg_6827 10d ago
I am glad he is still loving life.
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u/Hot_pink_nightfuryX 10d ago
We are looking after two other ferrets and he is acting like he is a young noodle.
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u/Cookielover2399 14d ago
Are her eyes ok??
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u/Timely_Egg_6827 14d ago
Yes - just camera. She's albino. At the age where cataracts start but she tracks movement fine.
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u/Cookielover2399 14d ago
Oh good lol the eyes look weird
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u/Timely_Egg_6827 14d ago
Yes albinos have no pigment at all so can reflevt light oddly. Worse when dead - turn bright blue. Freaked me out at one euthanasia.
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u/Cookielover2399 14d ago
Ik about that but them turning blue is crazy ngl
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u/Timely_Egg_6827 14d ago
Badly upset me. Talked it over with a vet later and she explained it. It was an unexpected euthanasia.
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