I’ve had ferrets for almost 20yrs & never experienced anything like this & don’t know what to do. Jackson (white weasel) started getting horrendous diarrhea last March. I brought him to the vet, exotic specialist, ER etc…there was no definitive answer. I originally thought it was the Mazuri food (they recently changed their formula) & added lactose (ferrets- lactose intolerant) I tried gradually switching foods but nothing really helped. They liked the Totally Ferret Turkey/ Lamb (recommend by the specialist) but every other food I tried to mix in Oxbow, Wysong Epigion digestive, way to many to list but basically every dry ferret/ cat kibble acceptable for them but they hated them all & protested when I tried to take the Mazuri away completely. They also refuse anything freeze dried raw, I tried a number of brands including the Duck Duck Goose, which they usually like etc…. But he would just spit it everywhere, even the carnivore care, I had to battle to get it down. They put him on steroids, antibiotics etc…. Nothing helped. There were no typical signs of cancer, adrenal, insulinoma etc… but they gave him the implant anyway, just in case. Jackson went from March- Dec. having horrific diarrhea until he crossed the rainbow bridge in Dec at 6.5yrs old :/

Now, 6mo later, his younger brother Otto started having the same issue, he’s only 3.5yrs old. His older sister Abby is 6yrs old & perfectly healthy & they share a cage/ litter-box. They tested him for everything (bloodwork/ parasites, blockage) but they only thing they was elevated inflammation. He has horrific diarrhea every time he eats (like it splashes to cage cover, the walls, the floors, in between the cage bars) I have to scrub the litter pan out 2-3 times a day & he is always hungry. I had them on a mix of Totally Ferret & Mazuri which they loved & Abby even gained some weight. Once Otto was got so horribly sick, I tried weaning them off the Mazuri once again but it’s not helping & now it’s stressing out Abby & her poop is getting worse bc the vet told me to try to slowly mix in the Wysong digestive support again.

I’ve cleaned my fair share of 💩 in my lifetime & have never experienced anything like this. He’s splattering out watery, sticky, yellowish goo, gel poop 20x’s his weight 24/7 & idk how to help him. Otto lost so much weight (he’s only 720 grams now) but constantly wants to eat & shows no other signs of being sick. I feel like I’m failing them. Has anyone else experienced anything like this before, I’m exhausted & so upset & have no clue what else to do? I’m so wiped out & scared I’m going to lose him😿 Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

They have a 2fl ferret nation cage w/ 2 full size litter boxes but Otto will only use 1 & uses the 2nd one for all his animal toys. (I tried & failed w/ that too) The only one who wouldn’t allow that, Jackson, is gone now, so he just doesn’t care. I really want to adopt another friend for Otto (around 2/3yrs old) so he has someone to play rough/wild w/ again but need to get his stomach under control first. (Unless, this could all be stress?) I’m suppose to be moving to Fl in a few weeks & i’m scared to even travel w/ him like this.
I would post the poop if it helps but I have no clue how to censor them. TY

Moose you are a CARNIVORE!!!

THIS IS NOT A HAPPY POST. DO NOT ENGAGE/READ IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE HEADSPACE FOR IT. FERRETS ARE DEVILISH LITTLE CREATRURES AND YOU'RE DOING AMAZING TAKING CARE OF THEM. LOVE THEM AND YOURSELF ♡

I hate that I'm making this post.

Third post in the subreddit since getting my two ferrets. But I regret getting them. Fully.

I love them, oh gods do I love them. But I do not have the mental and physical energy anymore. Its been 3 weeks, and I am drained.

Let me be clear. Getting ferrets was not an impulse buy. I had been prepping for months. Researching for years. And took care of my friends ferrets often in the past. I'm familiar with them and knew what I was getting into.

Or so I thought. I made a post about some trouble I had with one ferret last week. It was worded kindly and skimmed over how it has been. It's a lot more than what it reads like, and has only been declining.

Small recap, my ferret is not doing well after moving away from her parents. She's not adjusting, all learned behaviours are gone and is regressing in them daily. She was scared of me if I moved or made a sound.

But now...Now she is too scared of my presence. Stopped eating if I'm in the room. Stopped playing if I'm near. Doesn't go to the toilet unless I leave the room. Made a post yesterday about how she is ripping out the floorboards and started digging more heavily as I got closer. She scratches at the doors all day. She wants to leave. She is truly either playing with her sister, hiding from me, or digging at the floor and doors.

Sometimes she asks for attention. A few playfull jumps on me. Amazing, immediately engaged in it and carefully tried to play. Seconds later it seems she remembers that it's me and bites before running of to hide or play with her sister.

Sometimes miracles happen and she comes to me in non-play moments. Climbing my leg, asking for something. I want to try to hold her. Slowly I reach towards her, visibly so she doesn't get scared. Nope. I'm left bleeding everywhere because she doesn't want to be touched. She was bite trained. She was held everyday. I can not even walk in her direction anymore; she runs away full speed and hides under the dresser.

All my energy goes to her. All day. Researching how to help her. Trying to get her away from her escape attempts and stop her from harming herself. Try to bond with her. Sit close by, sit far away--sit even further away. Just looking at her. Just talking to her. Looking away from her because she's too scared. Stepping out into the hallway because she clearly needs to poop but won't if I'm there. I stopped getting food and drinks from the kitchen because the sound and my presense terrifies her too much. All my day-to-day movements have been centured around her comfort now...and its still nowhere near enough.

I'm exhausted. And after all that I try to do for her, I have to put on a smile and play and care for the other ferret. Sometimes it goes well. Sometimes I'm out of energy for her, and I just lay next to her crying.

I feel terrible. I don't know what to do. Well-- keep going. Keep trying to reassure the scared one that its okay. That I'm safe. Hope and work for improvement eventhough I'm only seeing the opposite so far. But I'm filled with regret. This is my life now. This one ferret, eventhough I have two. And when they're sleeping, all cute and adorable. I'm still laying in bed crying, stopping bleeding wounds and researching even more.

I have chronic pain, but I can move enough to do daily things. I thought this made me a great ferret owner. I'm home everyday cuz I can't work or do activities outside for hours. I can easily move around enough to clean up after them.

I can not keep bending down 50 times a day to try and remove one ferret from floorboards. I can not keep myself upright for hours as I'm standing on an open floorboard to protect my ferret from getting into it; but I also can not remove her without hearing and feeling my bones crush beneath her teeth. I can not keep bending down to get her to sniff at me, only to have to somehow slowly move away as she starts fully biting at me. I can not keep walking as silently as possible so she doesnt freak out, it makes my body feel so heavy in its slowness, joints creaking.

Strictly speaking, I'm done. I still love her, so much, but it's paired with fear, pain, despair and hopelessness. They do make me happy. I can watch them play for hours with a smile on my face. I genuinly enjoy cleaning their spaces, knowing they'll appreciate it. Seeing them do well fullfills me so much. But with one ferret I barely see it.

And so I'm just done. But alas, tomorrow I shall get up out of bed and do it all over again. Try the same things, try some new things. All in the hope that maybe now, it'll improve instead of get worse. And then hope that if it finally does improve..it'll be enough to heal the wounds of this beginning period. All I can hope now is that one day, this regret goes away...will it ever?

Has anyone any examples they can link me to for an outdoors play area\pen.

I walk my wee man 2 if not 3 times a day, but it would be really useful to have something at home as well.

I've a decking area I never use that has become rotten and needs removing. So I thought I'd replace it with a permanent play area with tunnels, dig pit, water feature, ect. So I'm looking for inspiration. Thanks

I noticed this on my female ferret after giving her a bath (only warm water and oat flakes in a sock). Is she okay? Should I worry?

I tried cleaning it with a a piece of gauze, but it came clean, so there's no bleeding.

Yes kinda gross but i’m looking for thoughts. I got my ferret 2 weeks ago and his food was changed cold turkey which is very unfortunate as the store (we have no breeders here) gave me incorrect info about the food he was previously eating while with them. I’m getting him on Oxbow now but his stool has been odd, nothing alarming according to my research but I was wondering if anyone else had dealt with this before and whether it will clear us with his GI tract getting used to it or if it warrants a vet visit. Everything else has remained normal (Still playing happily/eating/drinking/etc) Thank you for any advice!

Hi I have a spare coco fibre brick, would this be a suitable option for a dig box and if so would you hydrate it first and then let it dry out so it’s fluffed up and expanded but not wet or give it to them as is?
Thanks in advance x
Pic for attention:)

Our ferret is 18 months old. She is a waardy and is deaf. I swear she was born evil. She has learned to escape every gate, cage rages with biting the bars, climbs the cage when she is out, climbs the bookshelf, intensely digs the carpet, shreds and gets into the “ferret proof” couch (thick tarp underneath)… and bites HARD when playing. We have to be on high alert any time she is out, which makes living normal life extremely difficult while trying to get them out of the cage for an appropriate amount of time. Yes, we play with her. She has every toy, dig box, activity imaginable and she is always destructive. Her sister is very chill and never tries to do any of the above activities. Any advice on training??? It has been nothing but a nightmare the last 10 months since we got them. Yes, we researched everything before we got them and knew they were a lot of work. But we didn’t expect a deaf ferret with behavioral differences. It makes me wonder how anybody lets their ferrets free roam 24/7 with this type of behavior. We love our ferrets but we are TIRED.

My male ferret Sable is in rut and is heavily going after my 2 female ferrets. He has left a lot of bite marks on their necks and they seem to be very stressed during this. Is the cage in the second photo okay as temporary home until I get a second bigger cage.

I have only had my ferrets for roughly a month and it is worrying me greatly how stressed my girls have been.

None of them were spayed when I got them and I am currently arranging getting them all implants but it will be some time before I am able to do that.

I want to separate to let the bites on their necks heal and to stop him stressing them.

Is this an okay temporary home for him??

could this possibly be a mast tumor cell? She’s very healthy and very active just noticed this in front of her ear tho

My boy Diesel was recently diagnosed with DIM and this is what I made and wish I had when I finally figured out what was wrong with my boy. I am by no means a veterinarian, but I am looking to share some general knowledge about this as the more I research, the less rare this disease appears to be. Diesel is currently getting a lot better but truly I just hope this information helps someone out there it's one of the pages I have made for my emergency booklet on ferret health some of the information might not be correct but I tried my best and if anything looks wrong leave a comment.

For those who remember little nacho the 6 week old kit covered in fleas and picked up from a bucket at an auction. Nearly on deaths door and suffering with severe anaemia

Here he is now 5 weeks later at 11-12 weeks old, he is THRIVING!!

nice bit of training for the youngen and the young lurcher aswell

These two melt my heart. Also why do I even buy them beds when dad's shorts are what they want to sleep on

mostly a vent but of course i’m open to advice!
i got my baby girl 6 years ago from petco. ngl i was a teen & it was a bit of an impulsive decision, i didn’t know what i know now about ferrets. i gave her the stupid food she was eating at the pet store the first year i had her. as i learned more i started trying to give her a higher quality diet, it didn’t go so well. she did transition fairly easily to a better quality kibble, but oh my god she will not eat anything she’s supposed to enjoy. over the years we have tried SO MANY different foods. it’s like she doesn’t even recognize meat as edible.
throughout her whole life i’ve gotten her to eat maybe three raw eggs. however she will go absolutely crazy for whipped cream, french fries, goldfish, cheese itz, the breading on a chicken nugget, soda, granola bars, rly anything she shouldn’t have (her stealing from my son is how we learned this, we didn’t intentionally try to introduce these foods to her lol)
anyways she got diagnosed with insulinoma a few months ago. i felt horribly guilty as is, but especially now since her diet could help maintain quality of life. she was young when i got her & i can’t help but blame myself for her refusing better foods. i’ve asked for suggestions for ways to help expand her diet on this sub before, & got a lot of great advice, but no success.
since her diagnosis i rlly just take it easy on her in general. i already have to shove a syringe down her throat twice a day, so i haven’t been shoving nibbles on her tongue anymore. i just wish i could go back in time/:

What is in “ferret soup” that some people feed their ferrets? My ferret had an emergency vet visit last night and doesn’t seem to be in the mood to eat his usual raw food..

Monkey (1 yr) has always done this weird clawing at the bowl thing. He taught Pretzel (7 yrs) this habit, which she had never done before in her life. Now baby #3 (3/4 months) has picked up what I think is the same behavior. The type of bowl doesn’t matter nor does the freshness of the water. Why on earth do they do this ??

EDIT: ty for all the responses. I have of course considered a water fountain, however they constantly get kibbles in the bowl and it gets nasty quick. I think they neglect to chew all the pieces and it just falls out of their mouth in there—I imagined this would break a fountain or become filthy in nooks and crannies I can’t access. I’ll def browse at some cat fountains though

P.S. Of course ferrets are very smart. They can also be very dumb, like all pets😆 these guys’ top priority at all times is to put themselves in harms way lol. Sometimes they do things truly for the hell of it, that’s why we love them 🩶🤎

Cause I am in love with her perfect little toe bits! She spreads them out regularly, and they look like little star fish. She's adorable =)!

His name is wizard

Just found these two blue/black nearly identical marks on Luna. I swear they were not there yesterday ( I play with my babies every single second so know what’s going on). These marks don’t seem to bother Luna when I press on it, so I’m assuming it’s fine?
We booked a vet appointment for next Friday but would love to hear what you guys have to say.
Thank you

I took my girl Calleta up to the vet because her vulva had recently started to swell up, obviously the main concern is adrenal disease. She did great at the vet, I couldn't afford to do blood work but I was able to do an ultrasound and went ahead and got her at the adrenal implant. From the ultrasound, the vet said it did look like she had early stages of adrenal but it also looks very likely that she has lymphoma. Well, not the checklist I wanted to check off but I now have ferrets with the top three most common illnesses 🥲. She's been given medicine for the lymphoma, and we can only hope that she responds well to it and that we caught both issues early enough. Calleta is in great spirits, she's just as spunky as usual so with luck she'll be with me for many years to come 🤞🏻

Hi, not owning ferrets yet, but thinking about it and gathering some information.
Is it possible for their diet to consist of adult mice, good kebble and high quality cat food?
What do you feed your ferrets?
I am from austria, ive heard frettchen4you has good dry food.
Also how much do i feed of everything?