My Poor Max

[motherof2]

My poor little Max is not feeling very good He hasn't got very much energy and normally when you go to his cage he is waiting at the door to come out but not anymore. You have to take him out and when you put him down, he just lays there. He is still eating and drinking but just doesn't want to bother with anything. If you try to get him to play, he will still play with you for a very short while but doesn't really move around. He can still walk but mostly just lays down. He has an appointment today with Dr. Drmac so hopefully he can find out what is wrong with my poor baby

[mindy]

oh no! i am so glad that you are taking him to the vet today. i hope that it is not bad news! sending lots of good vibes your way.

[Johnny and Demon]

Poor Max
Very wise decision you made by taking him to Dr.Drmac ASAP.
Hope its not bad news .. hope he is just bored or something ..

[motherof2]

Well Max is ok. He has a little bit of diarrhea but I have been weaning him onto Evo ferret food and that may have been the case. He is still eating and drinking and he is not dehydrated so we were told just to watch him over the next couple of days. When we took him out of his cage lastnight, he ran around the room playing. He is a bit overweight and he always has been sort of a lazy boy, not like our Annie but Dr Drmac said that everyone expects ferrets to be so hyper but that's not always the case. Max loves to cuddle with you more than playing but Annie would rather play and not cuddle. He is not losing any hair but if he changes in any way over the next couple of days we will bring him back. I only live 10 minutes away from the vet so that's a good thing for Max!

[Johnny and Demon]

I'm so glad Max is ok
I find that males are more potatocouch than females. Johnny has always been the hyper one of my 2 gibs but when he is calm, he is very calm and can fall asleep in our arms ! He's the one begging for cuddles
Demon has always been my lazy boy. More calm .. nothing really bother him .. but once he starts playing, he's unstoppable ! lol

Ferrets also become a bit less active as they get old. They are also a little bit more sleepy and less active during winter.

Sometimes, ferrets become bored so its really important to keep them entertained.
For example, Johnny was feeling a little bit depress this september. When they were out the ferret room to play, he was doing the exact same thing everyday : Hide my cat's toys, get the Super Thru-Way out of his box and go in his Octo-play to sleep. My boyfriend though he was sick. So I decide to let Johnny explore our backyard (whith his harness of course). Johnny started a war dance as soon as he was outside ! He was dooking and such .. The very next day, he was back to the normal. The poor thing was bored. Thats it.

We often talk about illness when our ferrets become weird because we want the best for them and we want them to live a long, healthy and happy life. However, we often forget that ferrets are incredibly smart critters who need daily stimulations because they can become bored and depressed quickly. That's why its so important to spend quality time with them and find new ways to keep them mind challenged

Here's what my boyfriend and I like to do with the furkids :

- Let the fuzzies chasing us aroung the house (oh yes, they LOVE this one ! lol)
- Play a game of peekaboo (Demon especialy loves this one just before bed time )
- Re-arrenge the furkids room (put the toys and bedding in different way. Johnny loves to replace his toys where he wants them to be, so it keeps him busy a bit .
- Let them explore our backyard
- Buy them a new toy or make them a new one
- Play with Bungee toy or Remote Control Micromouse

There's so many activities and things you can do with your ferrets. Don't forget they are interactive pets and need quality times with you

If Max doesn't get any better in the next days, maybe you can ask Dr.Drmac to check his blood glucose with a glucometer to make sure he doesn't have insulinoma.

[mindy]

i am so glad that you got good news!!

[motherof2]

I think maybe he was bored because I did buy them a new bed and some new toys yesterday and he was very happy with all of them He seems to be even more energetic this morning as he came to greet me when I went to his cage which is what he has always done.

[Tressie]

Did Dr. Drmac check his blood glucose level?? Early insulinoma does present as intermittent bouts of low energy.

If his normal temperament is low key then he'd always be low key.

He may have had a virus or been feeling unwell from the change in diet if done too quickly. Does sound like he may have been under the weather for a short period of time. Excellent that you didn't delay in taking him into Dr. Drmac, I would still check that BG to make sure he's within normal range i.e., 3.3 or more. Anything under 3.3, even with a no-fast test points to insulinoma.

Other thing that may have impacted on his behaviour is a change in your schedule/availability. As long as he has ongoing time out of his cage, he is not likely to get bored, although extra stimulation is always good for their little weasely brains ; )

However, some ferrets do pout and go into depressed states if deprived of time with their humans. Some ferrets need more one-on-one. If he's really cuddly (I have several who are) they get a real boost if I give them a big snuggle/cuddle when I see a pout coming on....Is he a super sensitive guy?

Tressie

[motherof2]

His blood glucose level was checked and it was fine. We have had the flu going around the house over the past couple weeks so he may have picked up a bit of it. This morning he seemed back to normal eating like crazy and greeting everyone. Max and Annie both are out of their cage when we are home. We put them in their cage only when we leave the house and go to bed.....otherwise they are always out. He is a sensitive guy and will come over to you when called for you to pick him up and cuddle with you. He will give you little kisses on your chin and just stay there for most of the time. Annie on the other hand will let you pet her for about 3 seconds and then she is off. We are still having quite a time with her biting us but she is coming around slowly. I was so relieved to see Max back to his old self. It is quite scary when you think there might be something wrong with them since they can go downhill so quickly.

[Tressie]

You acted promptly and got him to the vet. You are right in that they can deteriorate very quickly and typically they tend to get sick over a weekend or when the vet is away

They do get the flu and depending on the strain can get very ill or just depleted.

I wasn't suggesting that you weren't giving your fuzzbutts time out of their cage but this is a busy time of year with holiday visitors, shopping, etc. and the reality is that sometimes its just not possible to spend as much time as one would prefer with the beloved fuzzkids

Well whatever it was - glad to hear it has passed and all is back to normal ;D

Tressie