From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2003-05-30 21:25:46 UTC
Subject: Re: Demon ferret
To: rmiller@akalliance.org, ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-id: <a06001205bafd78cd009b@[10.0.1.4]>
> >Hi. I'm new to this group. I have three ferrets. Luci, Toby,
>and Trigger. Luci appears to have >insulinoma, but is doing well so
>long as I give her a sugary treat in the morning.
Has her blood glucose been run? If the problem is insulinoma rather
than something else with similar symptoms then she should have
surgery or should be on the medications used for this condition such
as Prednisolone or Prednisone and perhaps Diazoxide.
> >He is six years old and just wants to sleep. His hind feet are
>also not functioning most of the time. >He has a hard time walking
>on slick surfaces.
Six years old is like being 60 so his would be an early death and
perhaps an unnecessary one. You need to have a vet check his blood
sugar and if that is fine then check for other common causes of
exhaustion like cardiomyopathy and treat accordingly.
Ferrets aren't cheap in medical costs, but whenever a living being
becomes part of a family the costs involved have to be expected.
That is just part of taking on the responsibilities which go with the
commitment.
>
>Now, back to the subject of the "demon ferret." Trigger is the
>youngest at 3 years old. This ferret >has been a living terror from
>the day we brought him home at 6 weeks old.
He sounds very insecure. The best ways to handle that are to ignore
him when he behaves badly but absolutely lavish him with loving
attention when he behaves well. Have you considered that he may have
a medical need which sometimes plays into this such as something
causing discomfort or deafness?
If he simply is too much of a handful for you there often are people
and ferret shelters who may be able to help by adopting him. You
sound so frustrated that you may find this to be a viable option.
People have been known to post such needs in the Ferret Mailing List
(Write to ferret-request@cunyvm.cuny.edu to join if you are not a
member.) and there is always the SOS Shelter List. One copy of this
can be found at
http://www.smartgroups.com/vault/ferrethealth/ReferenceShelf/shelter.txt