we moved from the east coast to the west coast about 5 weeks ago and his fur is changing ALOT. It went from a dark choclate brown to a golden blonde, his eyes used to be surrounded by a beautiful dark gray/ black and now its white. He's only about 15 months old. once we got here he also started losing alot of weight but hes gained it back. he still wont eat by himself though. he only eats when fedbthrough a bottle. What's that about?
2006-08-01 16:25:17 · 6 answers · asked by mixterious 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
It's normal for ferrets to change colors. Mine do that every time they shed. One started as a DEW(dark eyed white) and is not a silver, one silver mitt is now a sable mitt, the only ones that haven't changed that much are my females a sable Siamese and a silver mitt.
Are you sure he actually lost weight or could it be that blowing his coat just makes it look that way?
Weight fluctuations are normal in the summer time as well. Ferrets can lose up to 30% of their body weight in the summer, so I wouldn't be too concerned unless they were awfully skinny to begin with. I weigh mine once a month, because my females are a bit on the skinny side and one of my males is a youngster, the other is a senior. Drastic weight fluctuations outside the norm need to be watched.
I don't quite understand the bottle feeding thing. He might just be spoiled now, since it means that he has your full attention. Quit feeding him with the bottle, but sit with him as he eats regular ferret kibble or chicken or turkey baby food. You may have to hand him a few bites here and there, but he will eat eventually. Stop the bottle though.
2006-08-02 01:00:40 · answer #1 · answered by Huh? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i wouldn't be concerned about him changing color or even texture of his fur.My ferret used to have a white stripe down her head and over the years the stripe went away and her whole head is white now. I would be concerned about him not eating properly.You should take him to the vets for a checkup. I've overall been a hypochondriac with my ferrets and every little thing i notice, i bring them to the vets. It's expensive, but by doing this the vet found a cancerous tumor early on , my ferret had surgery and has been cancer free for 2 years now. Doesn't hurt to have a checkup every 6 months for the little guys.
2006-08-02 01:18:43 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I moved from Chicago to Texas... and my ferts colors changed too... they are definitely lighter... I would bring him to the vet about the eating... since he is being fed by bottle I would get some Duk soup and add that to the mix just to make sure that he is getting the good nutrients.
2006-08-02 16:12:49 · answer #3 · answered by A_Soldiers_Wife 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ferrets begin to change when introduced to a different climate just like a fox is white in winter and red in summer
my ferret did the same thing when i moved
2006-08-01 23:54:18 · answer #4 · answered by alice.adelaide 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well because he's young it's normal for it too change, and it could also be caused by the climate.
2006-08-01 23:32:03 · answer #5 · answered by the_gurl_in_ur_liquid_dreams 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take him to a vet. It might be just stress.
2006-08-01 23:32:28 · answer #6 · answered by phantom2921 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋