From:
sukieferret
Date: 2002-06-27 11:14:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Re Very Nippy Boy
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "donnabooras" <dbooras@a...> wrote:
>
>
> Just out of curiosity, does he have the bulldog body build?
There are robust ferrets, but there also are ones out there who have forms of
dwarfism: short limbs, normal size body, often marvelous coat, often
shortened face. In its worst situations this is painful due to possible
malformation of the skeleton and due to cartilage problems and the ferrets do
bite then from pain frustration. They are prone to being more easily injured.
Careful muscle massage a few tiems a day can help reduce pain (Do NOT
press on the bones or cartilage.), but the big thing is that breeders need to
stop breeding dwarves to avoid producing little ones who live in pain. We've
had one and she suffered greatly, partly from her dwarfism and partly from
other developmental problems and some deformities she also had; needed
as much care an any other two or three ferrets here and that is saying
something since we almost always have ones with problems. I've had human
friends with dwarfism on and off through the years; some suffer physically and
some don't depending on the type of dwarfism and luck. Ruffle's suffering
throughout her life leaves me worried when i hear of folks breeding ferrets
with dwarfism. I don't know if your ferret is a dwarf, but hearing of one with a
normal body and shortened limbs who is biting says to me that he MIGHT be
frustrated by pain or trying to to get help for pain.