We would like to address several issues that come up about ferrets. One thing we run across often is ferrets suffering from the side effects of Adrenal disease. The most common is hair loss, especially on the tail. We go to Liverpool Village Animal Hospital, Liverpool NY. The office visit is around $70. An adrenal implant is around $300, but it works well and is worth the investment. The Cookie Monster had it done, and it brought back the hair on her tail. We also see females that are aggressive for no good reason. This is often due to when they are spayed, and they don’t take all the ovaries out. They are fixed too young at Marshall's Farms which brings this on. We have a female, Toothless, that had this happen to her. She was in a state of perpetual “heat”, bothering the males, getting mauled at her neck, very mean to those girls that are weaker. We got her a hormone shot, about $80 at this vet office, and her disposition totally changed. It’s been about a year, and her behavior is still good; it can be repeated every year as needed. She can still be a bully if she chooses to be, but it’s not due to any chemical imbalance! UPDATE: She just passed (8/24) and was having peeing issues; meds couldn't help her in the end. Toothless came to us at 5 years old, and made it to 7 years old, the average age of a ferret with poor food and health care.
Don't feed them cat food! It's loaded with pea products and brings on kidney stones and other health problems in ferrets. I had a call from someone recently who wanted to breed/own ferrets, but admitted to having cats and letting the ferrets get into their food. She said ferrets lived for her 5-7 years and was fine with it. The reality is they can live up to10 years or more with the proper nutrition. Her actions cut their lifespan in half, and she wanted to breed! Beware of places that are privately breeding ferrets; you will have to get them fixed and de-scented, and have no idea what future health problems they are growing due to poor knowledge from the breeder.
When they won't eat, we recommend a mash based on Uncle Jim's Original Duk Soup Mix. For a single ferret, it's a quarter cup of ferret kibble, a tsp of Duk Soup, and enough warm water to cover it. Let it sit for a few minutes and add water to keep it soupy as it gets absorbed.