Ferret Experience Needed Please!

Question

I've been wanting a ferret for 5 years now, and i've been doing a lot of research on them. i'm concerned about some diseases though..such as adrenal gland, cancers, and a lot of them. my biggest concern is the adrenal gland disease because i want a male, and i hear if they get that, they have to be rushed to a vet if there prostate swells up, and i don't live close enough to one if that does happen, and i might not make it in time. i don't want a female because there to tiny to me. so is it true that females get it more often than males? also, what disease's have you encountered, how old were they when they got it, and what kind of ferret are/were they? (marshall's, shelter, etc) thank you!

Answer 1

many many ferrets in the US are marshall's ferrets, regardless of if you're getting them from a shelter or pet store. they are the largest distributor of ferrets, so chances are, unless it comes from a private breeder, it's going to be a marshall's ferret. you can tell by the dots in the ears - one dot for it being descented & a second one for it being neutered. most private breeders don't tattoo the ears with two dots; they don't want to be confused with a marshall's farm ferret, with good reason.

i have seen all sorts of ferret diseases & disorders in my time, both professionally and personally. adrenal gland disease isn't the one i'd worry so much about as far as emergencies go. it usually shows itself with other symptoms before the prostate closes, so you have an idea its there by the signature hairloss already. not to say it's an easy disease to deal with...i'm just saying it's not usually going to sneak up on you until you realize your ferret's prostate has swollen up. most ferrets that get this get it after being a few yrs old, about the time most of the other big diseases hit too. the vets i work with have said that in their opinion, roughly 75% of the ferrets out there will come down with one of the big three (adrenal, insulinoma or cancer) in its lifetime...and from my own personal experience, i have to say i agree.

in my personal bunch of ferrets over the years, i have had one ferret with insulinoma (he was 2-1/2 when diagnosed and lived a year with aggressive medicinal therapy), one boy with adrenal (he was 4 when diagnosed and didn't make it thru surgery), one girl with cancer (she was about 3, and we didn't realize she had it until the day she died of it), one boy with liver disease brought on by gingivitis (he was 5 and died suddenly after crashing one weekend). my two current boys are so far (knock on wood) healthy as horses, but i know that the big diseases like adrenal, insulinoma & lymphoma could be lurking right around the corner.

the thing is, you need to be prepared for anything when it comes to these guys. there are bigger potential emergencies than adrenals...like obstructions when they eat something they weren't supposed to (which need emergency surgery), insulinoma (they seem fine until their blood sugar gets so off they crash from it) or ECE (the dehydration from the diarrhea can kill them pretty quickly if it's not hopped on quickly). you need to have things on hand (like corn syrup in cases of insulinoma), a ferret-knowledgeable vet in relatively close proximity (a half hour probably won't make a big difference in the grand scheme of things) and plenty of cash set aside for their care. treating them in the even of sickness or emergencies is not a cheap thing, and the chances of them developing something before they are 4 yrs old is pretty high with US ferrets. so good care goes hand in hand with having a plan worked out ahead of time. doing research so you know what signs to look out for when it comes to true emergencies will help a great deal.

and for the record, all my ferrets are marshall ferrets...and mine have come from rescues, pet stores and private owners. all the sicks ones developed some sort of illness by 5 yrs old, although the average age was 3-1/2. my female was smallest at 1 lb, although two of the males i've owned have been within a few ounces of her weight - so keep in mind that having a male doesn't guarantee it being a larger one. (one of my boys was the largest baby in the litter, yet grew to be the smallest male i've owned).

Answer 2

The most important thing for you to do at this point is get the facts!  It seems like you may have gotten confused based on misinformation you have received.

Here is a great ferret site that will make you a bit more prepared and knowledgeable when it comes to ferret illness:  http://www.ferretuniverse.com

Good luck!