From:
nzweezul
Date: 2002-03-23 00:41:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Licking urine
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Sirron" <sirron@e...> wrote:
8 year old neutered ferret that licks his urine after
Hi there,
I have two elderly (8yrs+) male castrated ferrets. One of them very
frequently licks up his urine, the other one never does. They have
been together all their life and have the same diet, exercise,
activity etc. They are both in excellent health apart from some tooth
and gum disease which is under veterinary care and control. My vet
tells me not to worry about it as long as the ferret is healthy; and
reminded me that there are some people who believe that urine
drinking is a form of therapy. He suggested that if I was very upset
by it, I could try having a salt lick available for him. They are
both toilet trained to newspaper, not litter, which of course only
soaks up the urine slowly. When I remember to put paper towels on top
of the newspaper, the urine is soaked up quickly and he doesn't
bother to have more than a brief lick.
Clearly the vets here can advise you, but as the owner of a ferret
who does the same, I'd say that as long as he is healthy and well-
hydrated ( I make sure my boy drinks extra liquid by putting a splash
of Kitty Milk in his water) it might be a bit ugghh, but it's not
dangerous.
Best wishes!