My ferret has started to lose weight.?

Question

My ferret has started to lose weight.He is still active and seems 2 be eating ok.Is there anything i can feed him to get his weight back up.

Answer 1

Duck soup is a great thing to feed a ferret when trying to get his/her weight up. You might want to have him checked out by a vet, especially if he's lost a significant amount of weight. Their weight does fluctuate when going through seasonal coat changes, but they usually GAIN weight at this time of the year. They'll usually gain weight in the winter and then lose it in the spring. I'd keep an eye on him for now, if he continues to lose more weight, you'll definitely want to get him to a vet, weight loss is one of the first sign of several illnesses. Just because he's active now, doesn't mean he's ok, they're tough little buggers and don't usually slow down until it's too late. Other possibillities - he could have parasites and stress can also lead to weight loss.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

How much weight is he losing? What does he weigh now? How old is your ferret?
Ferrets weights fluctuate by up to 30% seasonally.
A grown male ferret will weigh anywhere from 2-6pounds.

Have you changed its activity level lately? All of mine lost weight for a while after I moved them into their own room and they were allowed to freeroam for most of the day.

Then of course there are health problems that will cause a ferret to lose weight. My oldest female had a hairball that was causing her stomach to always feel full thus she didn't eat what she should've. It finallyy started causing the beginnings of a bowel obstruction and she got really sick. She's fine now after having it removed.
What I'm saying is that you really should have him seen by a vet to rule out any health problems. And if everything is okay you can also discuss with your vet what you can do to fatten him up a bit. Ferrets are not supposed to be fat though, some of them just get a bit chunky.
Good luck with your fert.

PS: Find a vet that knows a lot about ferrets. Most don't.

Answer 4

If he's still active and eating all the time and it's just weight loss by itself with no other symptoms it shouldn't be too alarming. Weight loss can sometimes be a sign of stress. Has there been anything going on, any changes made? Or have you switched foods at all? If you're really concerned about his weight try feeding him duck soup (pureed chicken babyfood) and try taking him to a vet so they can rule out possible intestinal parasites.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some ferrets, particularly females, will gain a lot of weight during the cold months and then drop it when it gets warm. I don't know if you are located in the Southern hemisphere anywhere where it's about to get into summer but that could also be an explanation.

Answer 5

This time of year ferrets should be putting weight on and not taking it off. Keep an eye out for other symptoms of illness, such as: poops that don't look right, abnormal hair loss, and lethargy.

You may want to try a 'high calorie supplement' such as 8in1 brand FerriVite or Duck Soup.

Keep an eye on that fuzzer!

Answer 6

Okay first of all I have to ask - what do you feed her? Good quality food or? I suspect teeth at first. Are they all nice and white or just a little yellow? Check for any tooth impactions or infections. Are her gums pale or pink? Ferrets are expensive for this very reason. Vets are typically more expensive for these "exotics". I have a 6yr whose teeth are rotting out of his head because of the wrong food. His diet was dry kibble but the so hard it stripped the enamal off his teeth. He too is not gaining like he should. He had an infected tooth just 3 months ago and now has a clean bill of health but is not eating much. He has now a diet of Marshalls Duk Soup and moist kibble.

Answer 7

You should have a check up with the vet. Ferrets are so prone to many cancers, and weight loss is often the first sign. It is better to be safe than sorry!

Answer 8

go 20 mph on your bike for 6 1 2 minutes

Answer 9

ferrets are evil, we have 2 twin brothers and crazy as owt, erm unless your ferret is really loosing weight id say there aint nothing to worry about shoot a rabbit or something or chuck in a chicken carcas let him eat that

Answer 10

Participate in sex atleast 3 times in a week