From:
Shirley Hewett
Date: 2001-04-22 21:14:00 UTC
Subject: Hyperactivity in older ferret
Skittles is a 12 year old female ferret who is currently
boarding with me. She is showing a behaviour which I have not
seen in a ferret before and that is about 4 times per day she
has periods of hyperactivity. For about 15 minutes she runs
around for all the world as though she is searching for
something. She runs around checking every nook and cranny and
will not be distracted by food, water, treats, cuddles, best
buddy or anything. Sometimes she will run around in a couple
of circles before starting her "search mode" again and
occasionally she stops for half a minute or so as if to catch
her breath. She is deaf and her eyes are a little cloudy but
she can see. She is eating, drinking and toileting just fine.
She has the curved tail sometimes seen in older ferrets and
her muscularity, compared to younger ferrets, is somewhat
diminished. Her coat is normal and she sleeps well.
Her owner indicates that she behaves the same way at home
where she is free range, as she is here. This is the third
year that she has boarded with me and she seems not to be in
pain. (how can you tell with ferrets sometimes?)
Any ideas or suggested for treatments or tests would be
gratefully received.
Love & Dooks
Shirley