Just a few questions...

[Ariel]

Hello.
For some reason, internet places hate me, and I'm unable to sign up for websites, it seems. It may be my computer, but whatever. I do have a few questions about ferrets and my own two fuzzies.

I got my first ferret in March, after YEARS of begging my mom to get me one. It was a good thing too, because if I would have gotten one any younger, the poor thing would've been not taken care of. Until I got my ferret, I was thinking they were like hamsters. But anyway, I got my baby Mariska for my birthday. I fell in love instantly. A few months later, after seeing her cage mate the only one left of the last litter of kits, I felt terrible. He'd been there nearly six months at this point, and all the little babies were jumping on him and using him as a ferret play toy. He took it well, but he was so much bigger and looked so sad. I know I can't prove it, but I'm convinced they're brother and sister... they look too much alike and act too much alike not to be.

Anyway, Topher (Christopher) joined my little group in May.

Now, question time. I'm not sure of his exact weight, but Topher is HUGE compared to Mariska. I'm aware that Mariska will be smaller because she's female, but he's just... huge. And he's lazy. Unbelievably so. To the point I was worried he was sick for a while because... he's just that bad. But he eats, poops, and drinks normally, is one nipper (we're working on it... my nose and it's poor bitten self ... I should've known better in his defense...), and when he is excited, is a match to be met!
Will he eventually slim down? I read somewhere about kits losing baby weight at some point... and he's almost seven months old now. I let them out about an hour before I go to work, and then they're out for about two hours when I get home. And he loves digging in the dirt in the backyard...

Second... is there a reason he's so lazy? He literally drags himself up the cage (I have the superpet cage currently... looking to get an FN very soon) meanwhile, Mariska is the best climber ever. Is it because he is heavier? I don't know how to make him less... fat. Lol. He isn't a good weight and I can tell so... he won't even stand on his hind legs. He's too fat. ;D
Mariska, who I believe is either a chocolate or a very light sable, constantly hisses when she plays. I know she's not deaf because she comes running for a ball that squeaks... but is there a reason for this? The first night, I thought she was scared, but I soon found, she starts the fights and will continue to "attack" and play after I pull them apart. It's harmless, but I don't understand the hissing.
I don't have the stomach for raw, but I would like to at least supplement their diet with some per week. (I know raw is best for them, but I have a guinea pig, rabbit, and have hamsters for pets... and I just can't stomach the idea of feeding my ferrets that. I know it's different... and I just can't get past it...) I have no problem with any other animal. But what is best then? I have many things available to me as I work at a grocery store and the meat section is varied. Also, I read you can give them fish, but not too much. Just how much is enough?

Anyway, I'm sorry this is so long, but I've been reading this forum and the ferret.com one for so long, and never thought to post here. You all have such gorgeous ferrets. I love my two... even Topher and his naughty self... hehe... and I'd love some advice...

Thank you!!

[Deleted]

Your poor little man is probably so fat because he spent the first 6-7 months of his life living in a little pet store tank, with no real room to run and play and being fed junky, awful Marshall's kibble which has a lot of filler junk in it and will often give ferrets a sort of pot belly. I'm lucky in that my first two sables were about 6 months old when I took them home from the store, but were quite small and in pretty good health/shape.

It's kind of hard to get a ferret to slim down because you can't really cut their food intake, they need to eat frequently. What you can do is feed them better quality food, and work on exercising them and letting them out to play more. Ferrets ideally need at least 4 hours of cage free play time, young kits are recommended to have as much as 6.

Males tend to be more laid back then the females, and in my experience when a ferret gets that large they get lazy because it becomes effort to do anything. He also may be bored with everything in life and need new stimulation to remind him how to war dance and bounce around, if he can. My biggest ferret is an 11 month old, 3.7 lb male.

His 2 favorite activities? Eating and sleeping. At his heaviest winter/kit weigh he was about 4 lbs. My vet says his current weight is healthy. (He has a large frame too.) I can let this guy out all day long in a room to play with the other ferrets, but he much prefers sleeping. He also likes to explore new spaces to run around. He gets bored very easily, so he needs constant, new stimulation to get him exited enough to run around and play. My other two males are nothing like him in behavior but, they also are a lot smaller and younger. Also, my guy was 6 months old at the pet shop when I brought him home.

Your big tubby guy may have issues walking because he is so fat, you could try seeing if he likes to swim. Swimming is a great, low impact exercise. I let mine swim regularly in our bath tub. I fill it with warm water (not cold, they hate it cold) several inches deep, enough so that they can swim without hitting the bottom but possibly just barely touch the bottom with their feet if they stand so they can take a break. Then just gently and slowly lower your guy into the water. If he's like my ferrets, his little feet will start to propeller him through the air long before he even gets to the water for the first time.

May I ask what food you are feeding them now?

Hissing while playing is pretty normal. My two baby girls hiss constantly when they play, at each other, at the older ferrets or even at me. They seem to prefer that over dooking honestly.

[Sherry]

Hi and welcome

Jun 24, 2012 2:12:50 GMT -5 @undefined said:

Will he eventually slim down?

He's still a baby, so yes. Most likely next spring time you'll notice a MAJOR weight loss. They can lose up to 40% of their body weight at that time

Jun 24, 2012 2:12:50 GMT -5 @undefined said:

Second... is there a reason he's so lazy?

He's so lazy because he has been confined for the first 8 months of his life. He would have no muscle tone to speak of. Work at getting him to play with you. Find a cat teaser toy that he can't resist. Start him playing for a minute or two at a time, or as long as he will tolerate and build up from there.

Jun 24, 2012 2:12:50 GMT -5 @undefined said:

constantly hisses when she plays.

Ferrets have many different vocalizations. I've got a couple who prefer to hiss than anything else. It's just who they are.

Jun 24, 2012 2:12:50 GMT -5 @undefined said:

(I know raw is best for them, but I have a guinea pig, rabbit, and have hamsters for pets... and I just can't stomach the idea of feeding my ferrets that. I know it's different... and I just can't get past it...)

No reason at all you have to feed whole prey Chicken, beef, pork, turkey, cornish hen, lamb, goat, duck are all good meats for them Check through the nutritional board and the switching threads as well as the diet archives of successful switches. You'll find the majority only feed "frankenprey". That's meat/bone/organ made up to mimic whole prey
As for starting an account, when you sign up you'll receive an activation code that you'll need to click on to complete registration. Empty your junk file prior to signing up, and afterwards check it just in case it went there.

[Ariel]

Jun 24, 2012 6:00:00 GMT -5 @yureiavalon said:

Your big tubby guy may have issues walking because he is so fat, you could try seeing if he likes to swim. Swimming is a great, low impact exercise. I let mine swim regularly in our bath tub. I fill it with warm water (not cold, they hate it cold) several inches deep, enough so that they can swim without hitting the bottom but possibly just barely touch the bottom with their feet if they stand so they can take a break. Then just gently and slowly lower your guy into the water. If he's like my ferrets, his little feet will start to propeller him through the air long before he even gets to the water for the first time.

May I ask what food you are feeding them now?

Hissing while playing is pretty normal. My two baby girls hiss constantly when they play, at each other, at the older ferrets or even at me. They seem to prefer that over dooking honestly.

He's terrified of the bath tub, currently, haha. I'm also working on getting both of them in there and actually liking it. With my girl, she might just never like it. I've never seen an animal so freaked out. But he also loves outside and I've been taking him out at dusk so he can run around... will that help then? And I guess that would make sense. Because it's so hot right now, he also is more prone to just laying in front of the fan and not moving, lol. They run in an AC area most of the time, but I also have a playpen for when I'm cleaning, etc, so they can still be out and run but more so safe. And that isn't AC, but there are two fans on them there... but he finds it important to just lay in front of one of them and get trampled on by Mariska who is saying, "Get up, lazy butt and play with me!" Lol... he's still the ferret play toy, I guess.

And I feed currently zupreem grain free and 8 and 1 ultimate. I'm looking to change to a grain free cat food when the ultimate runs out, and if I'm able to order EVO from a local pet store, that too. I've been trying for months now to get EVO ferret. The girl at the local place won't sell me EVO cat (she insists that it isn't the same and thinks she's doing something wrong by selling it to me.

She does both, dooking and hissing... I am honestly starting to think I have a little attention ... uh... you know... haha... she'll hiss really loud and I'll come running in, and he's pinned down on the ground like, "Help, mom! Mariska is nuts!" Lol.

[Ariel]

Jun 24, 2012 10:02:31 GMT -5 Sherry said:

No reason at all you have to feed whole prey Chicken, beef, pork, turkey, cornish hen, lamb, goat, duck are all good meats for them Check through the nutritional board and the switching threads as well as the diet archives of successful switches. You'll find the majority only feed "frankenprey". That's meat/bone/organ made up to mimic whole prey
As for starting an account, when you sign up you'll receive an activation code that you'll need to click on to complete registration. Empty your junk file prior to signing up, and afterwards check it just in case it went there.

It's not even the signing up part, haha. I've signed up on other websites (some ferret related, some not) and gotten my accounts activated and then I'll try to post something, and nothing works... I'm thinking its my computer though... it needs to be updated.

And I'll definitely look more into it.
I can definitely see Topher eating anything I put in front of him ... seriously, anything, haha... but Mariska is a little priss and puts her nose up a lot... she'll be harder to realize it's food.

[Deleted]

The mentoring program is great, and we've been able to switch some of the toughest fuzzies