What to do after the rainbow bridge (UK – East Midlands)

[ginkfinn]

We have two ferrets (brothers) coming on 6 years old, who have been together for their entire lives.

One of our ferrets (Finn) has sadly developed liver cancer (cyst-adeno-carcinoma). It was an incidental finding; he is still in reasonable health and is eating and drinking like nothing is wrong, which we are so grateful for. We are making the most of the time we have with him and making sure he is happy and comfortable.


We are concerned that when Finn eventually passes, his brother (Ginko) will be devastated. We were hoping to get any advice on:


1. How best to handle that transition when it comes? Does anyone have tips on how to make sure Ginko is as supported as possible when he loses his brother?


2. Does anyone have experience with playdates with other ferrets? As Ginko has never been without a ferret companion we hoped to explore finding other ferrets for him to interact with (small groups, with full vaccines and no contagious health conditions of course). We are based in the East Midlands (UK) if anyone knows any groups.


3. Does anyone have experiences on boarding one ferret? At some point we might be expected to travel for work, and it’s so sad to think of Ginko by himself in boarding. Any tips on ways/places to ensure he gets interaction and isn’t as lonely?


We know this is a bit much for one post, but we are worried ferret parents. Thank you so much for reading our post – any advice on any of the above would be so welcome as we go through this heart-breaking transition.


Best,

GinkoFinn

[Charlie]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

When Finn passes to Rainbow Bridge, you will want to let Gingko smell him so he knows he has moved on. If you just take Finn away without allowing Gingko to know that he is gone, he will be looking for him, which makes it harder for Gingko. Give him some time with him. Spend as much time with Gingko as you can and keep him engaged.

As for groups, I'm not able to help there as I'm not in that area. You may want to check out the facebook group Holistic Ferret Forum and inquire there. It's possible you may find someone there who may live near you. You never know, they may also be able to baby sit your ferret too if you are traveling for work.

[lumboo]

Hi GinkoFinn,

Really sorry to hear about your situation.

Three Shires Ferret Rescue is in Rushden and I think within distance of where you're based. Chrissy, who owns it, is absolutely fantastic and has over 35 years experience.

We board our ferrets with her and she has a great set up, and loads of ferrets. As well as the boarding houses, she has garden space so the ferrets get free roaming time each day. When boarding with her, she spends time with each ferret, regardless of whether they are single or with a buddy. Ferrets are her passion, not just an income - very accurate as she hardly charges anything to board them (we always give extra)

If you contact her she'd definitely be able to help you. Her rescue ferrets are all vet checked, healthy and neutered (when old enough)

Hope that helps
Xx

[alvar]

Sorry to hear about Finn. Know that there may be medical intervention that may help him keep his quality of life, possibly prolong it while he's still here, may even send it in remission ~ it will depend on the type of cancer. . It is recommended to help the other buddies understand, that you bring the body home for them to say their good-byes. At home as you don't want them to associate the vet office with his passing. At home so they're in a familiar comfortable place. At home so there's no rushing the process. Allow Ginko as much time as she wants. Sometimes they'll want to spend a good amount of time with them. As for after Ginko has said good bye, spent time with her. Take her places, share your grief with her, keep her occupied as much as you can. Know that some ferrets don't want another buddy after their buddy has passed. It will depend on personality & the bond they shared.

[ginkfinn]

Hi all, thanks for welcoming us to the forum and for the great advice.

We will definitely take your advice Charlie and Alvar, we want Ginko to be as supported as he can be when he is going through the worst of it, but we are happy that he is getting some quality time with his brother while they are still dooking about.

Thanks so much Lumboo- we will definitely get in touch with Three Shires! We are happy to travel as far as we need to to make sure Ginko is comfortable if we need to travel for any reason. It's great that she spends some time with them, and even better if he gets the opportunity to socialise with other ferrets (if he wants to)!

Really appreciate your responses, will keep the forum posted on our boys.

GinkFinn