From:
"Diane Wall"
Date: 2003-11-20 18:46:37 UTC
Subject: Odd behavior-Biting at Cage and Night Time Bathroom Habits
To: <erynn@32k.com>
Cc: "Ferret Digest" <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <!~!UENERkVCMDkAAQACAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgAAAAAAAAAS+0b9wJ+T0an1kr7NkkWw8KAAAAQAAAA9LNm6aCdt0GsMkJgJKsVAwEAAAAA@harbormortgage.com>
I have a rescued ferret (sable girl aprox 2-3 years old), who has the
same behavior. Although I have not pin pointed the cause, I have my
suspicions. I suspect that she has developed (or always had) an
intestinal or bowel problem. At the time she needs to eliminate she
becomes uncomfortable (like us when we have intestinal gas or bloating),
then works herself up into a little tizzy and demands to get out of the
cage, biting at the bars/door, tearing up the contents of the cage. When
I let her out of the cage, she walks around to the paper. I suspect that
by that time she really needs to go and likely has "cramping" as she
eliminates on the paper I have in the corner for such instances. To
handle this, when I come home from work, or sometime in the evening, I
have taken to giving her a small bowl of warm water, with a squeeze of
ferretone and if she acts hungry (or I notice that not much kibble has
been eaten from her food dish) I add a little bit of her food and allow
it to get soupy. She eats it up quite well I let her walk around for
another 30 minutes or until I see her look for a hidey spot to snooze
and put her back into her cage. Of course this is all suspicion, she
may very well have gotten quite spoiled since we rescued her and have
trained me, (her maid, and cook), to adhere to her behavioral problem.
Good Luck with your little cage terror.
Diane & the now ferret five