weight loss

[john]

have a one year old and a 6 mo old the one year old is half the weight of the other he sleeps alot but plays hard when awake he wants to eat nothing but dry cat food and ferret treats he would seem ok if he was 5 or6 mo we just can't get him to gain weight other wise healthy please help the little guy belongs to my son who is struggling with serious health issues if anything were to happen to the little guy my son couldn't handle it we are desperate thank you

[Deleted]

Hello

Do you think you can provide some more information on them? What cat food are they eating? How long has he ben losing weight? Do you know about how much he is eating, and how much he currently weighs?

The cat food might not have enough fat in it, so he may not be gaining on it. It's also summer, and ferrets are notorious for losing a lot of weight this time of the year.

[john]

I would say maybe 4 to 5 lbs the younger one probably 7 to 8 thats a guess most likely not a good one and the food is friskies he seems to be eating it constantly do you know of something that ferrets like we normally feed them marshalls the bigger one likes it the smaller one will take a bite every now and then thanks for your help and excuse my typing not real good at it

[crazylady]

those are fantastic weights! at 7-8 pounds at 6 month old ! wow that baby is way big 4-5 is a good weight my whole hobs normally way 6-7 pounds in WINTER thats when they are at there heaviest but in summer its any where from 4-5 so he is not underweight ! if anything your 6 month old is over weight ! friskies and marshalls is not the best food I am sorry to say its full of carbs which is what will be piling the fat on ( not muscle ) I would try and wean them onto a better food they will eat less and gain muscle not fat ( mix some new food in with the old so it smells the same others on here will be able to recommend a kibble I am a raw meat feeder) you can also give them a little kitten replacer milk or goats milk a couple of times per week this gives them extra calcium and vits hope this helps take care bye for now
Bev

[Sherry]

Those are awfully big ferrets Anyway, the reason he is eating so much and not gaining weight is because neither Friskies nor Marshall's have any real useable protein in them. Ferrets need a very high meat content food, and minimal grains, vegetable, or fruit.
To give you an idea, here are the first 5 ingredients of a top quality kibble, Wysong's Epigen 90:
Organic Chicken, Chicken Meal, Chicken Giblets, Vegetable Protein (consisting of one or more of the following: Potato Protein, Rice Protein, Corn Protein, Wheat Protein), Poultry Fat

Here is the Friskies:
Ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, soybean meal, beef tallow

Here is the Marshall's:
Chicken By-Products (organs only, including chicken liver), Herring Meal, Corn, Cod Fish, Dried Beet Pulp,

Keep in mind- ferrets can in NO way use anything NOT meat based.

[Deleted]

Where did you get the ferrets? Those weights sound really high.

Any chance you can weigh the ferrets with a food scale or fishing scale or something? I have a feeling those estimates might be on the high side.

[john]

my guess's are way off my son says there more like2 to3 for the older one and4 to 5 for the younger and the younger is big for his age length wise he the same as the older.

[Deleted]

Are you sure you dont have a boy and a girl not 2 boys?

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[Deleted]

I think you definitely need to switch their diet. Friskies is junk, marshall's is pretty bad too.

[Thérèse]

Also ferrets can come in different body types. I had a ferret Woozle who never gained weight much, summer or winter, he was a greyhound body type and while as long as any of my other ferrets he was always lean, whereas all my others weights changed dramatically from season to season.

You don't mention where you are. Being in Aus I know what's available to feed ferrets can be very different from what others can access but a better food would probably help with weight no matter the body type. Also maybe a vet check to ensure there are no issues causing the smaller size.

PS if you are unsure of sexes and have just been told he is a he, if he has a belly button, all good if not then you have a wee girly, cause it's not a belly button

[Deleted]

Very true - my Pixie weighs almost the same as Dixie (only 3 oz different), but Pixie looks anorexic and Dixie looks like she needs to go to Food anonymous ;D the difference is in their builds and the weigh just sits on them differently.

[Anna]

I had a ferret Goober one of my first fuzzies he lost a lot of weight really fast. He was always on the small size compared to his buddy Rolo. I did not notice the big weight loss till I went on vacation and had someone else take care of him. He was eating and acting normal but he turned into a skeleton. Took him to the vet once a week they could not figure out what was wrong with him ran test after test even took him to a specialist they took x-rays and ultra sounds and nothing showed on them just his kidneys where a little misshapen but they figured it was because he was five years old. He lasted three months after I noticed something was wrong and the vets could not tell me what happen. After talking with people I think he died from innsloma (sorry cannot spell it) it was all because I was stupid and did what the pet store told me to do was feed marshall farms food. The bad thing is the vet said it was a good food and this was the specialist haha. Now that i know what has caused his death I am trying to save my other fuzzies by switching their food to a more appropriate diet. Good luck and I hope by putting them on better food you can help them live a better life then my poor Goober.