Post by nicemarmot on Sept 9, 2021 19:27:23 GMT -5
Hello! This is my first time posting here, but I've been visiting these forums for years to learn. I wanted to see if any of you might be able to offer some suggestions/advice for a strange problem I'm having with one of my ferrets
She's a blaze, recently turned 3 years old. Though she doesn't appear to be deaf, I strongly suspect she may have Waardenburg syndrome. She's always been a bit ....off, in certain regards. Recently, however, she's developed a strange new habit that has me both perplexed and a little concerned. I don't know if it's something that warrants a vet visit or not. She still plays, eats, poops, etc.
Lately, though, she's started digging in her litter box before going to the bathroom. She isn't cage raging; she'll wake from a deep sleep, rush to the litter box, and dig in it for a while before actually pooping. She seems almost frantic. I'm concerned because this behavior is similar to what she does when she vomits.. I replaced her litter (unscented Yesterday's News) with paper towels today as an experiment and she still frantically digs in them before pooping. I could understand crawling underneath the paper towels, but she stands there and digs in them.
I haven't seen her retching or gagging (YET), but I'm baffled. There must be a reason for the digging. The only thing I can think is that she might be experiencing nausea/stomach pain? She doesn't grind her teeth, but she does chew on her water bowl a lot.
In case it helps: I feed my ferrets a 50/50 mixture of Wysong Epigen 90 with digestive support and Instinct grain-free chicken. They have a dig box with rice so I don't think that's the problem... And I'm 100% certain she isn't cage raging. It only happens when she goes to the bathroom
I always get nervous when stuff like this pops up because if I took her to a vet right now I'm afraid they'd brush me off since they aren't familiar with my ferret's normal behavior... but I also don't want to ignore it if it might be something serious! I'd really appreciate any input. Thank you so much!
She's a blaze, recently turned 3 years old. Though she doesn't appear to be deaf, I strongly suspect she may have Waardenburg syndrome. She's always been a bit ....off, in certain regards. Recently, however, she's developed a strange new habit that has me both perplexed and a little concerned. I don't know if it's something that warrants a vet visit or not. She still plays, eats, poops, etc.
Lately, though, she's started digging in her litter box before going to the bathroom. She isn't cage raging; she'll wake from a deep sleep, rush to the litter box, and dig in it for a while before actually pooping. She seems almost frantic. I'm concerned because this behavior is similar to what she does when she vomits.. I replaced her litter (unscented Yesterday's News) with paper towels today as an experiment and she still frantically digs in them before pooping. I could understand crawling underneath the paper towels, but she stands there and digs in them.
I haven't seen her retching or gagging (YET), but I'm baffled. There must be a reason for the digging. The only thing I can think is that she might be experiencing nausea/stomach pain? She doesn't grind her teeth, but she does chew on her water bowl a lot.
In case it helps: I feed my ferrets a 50/50 mixture of Wysong Epigen 90 with digestive support and Instinct grain-free chicken. They have a dig box with rice so I don't think that's the problem... And I'm 100% certain she isn't cage raging. It only happens when she goes to the bathroom
I always get nervous when stuff like this pops up because if I took her to a vet right now I'm afraid they'd brush me off since they aren't familiar with my ferret's normal behavior... but I also don't want to ignore it if it might be something serious! I'd really appreciate any input. Thank you so much!
