Ferret owners only please...?

Question

Well I bought a pair of baby ferrets about a week ago and they have been doing great. Today my brother comes to me crying his eyes out saying that one of my ferrets is dead in her hammock. I went and looked and put my hand in her cage, she was laying on her back with her head flopped over to the side, breathing but completely unresponsive to ANYTHING. We were yelling, moving her, picking her head up (would just go right back flopped into place), saying her name etc to wake her and she wouldnt budge. It was about 3 minutes and we picked her up and literally shook her lightly and she finally opened her eyes some and then slowly woke up, since then she has been doing great, playing, eating and drinking as normal. Has anyone else experienced this? It really scared the c**p out of me.

Answer 1

Ferrets are very deep sleepers, she was probably just deep in sleep.

Answer 2

That is called sleeping near death. completely normal. also your ferret may be deaf what coloration does it have?

EDIT: Your poor ferrets aren't getting enough out of cage time. 2 hours in not nearly enough. They need AT LEAST 4 hours of play EACH DAY.  And it is also highly unlikely that your ferrets are littermates (sisters) when pet stores order ferrets they order specific colors that are most likely from different moms.

Answer 3

if you are really worried get her checked by the vet.

she could of been cold, if your house isnt to warm she could of gotten to cold.

is she spayed? I have herd about if female ferrets do not breed before there 1 or 2 (i cant remember) they can have a disease or something that can kill them (if there not spayed)

you should take her to the vet but she could also be a heavy sleeper lol

Answer 4

Haha!  This scared the c**p out of me when my first ferret did it too!  My Mom and I were both in tears, sobbing, screaming his name and shaking him gently (maybe not so gently?!)... after about 10 minutes, we were getting ready to put him in a box to bury him... he opens his little eyes and looks at us like "Hi!  What'cha doin'?  Wanna play?"

I about died.

This is COMPLETELY NORMAL!  LOL

I learned that it happens to young ferrets, likely as a growing and developmental thing.  They usually outgrow it by around 2 years, although they can have "episodes" once in a great while as they get older.  I have had ferrets for 15 years, and a total of 5 of them.  They have ALL done this at some point.  I have one that's 5... she does the ferret sleep thing once a year or so.

So don't panic, don't rush her to the vet... she's fine.  You've said that she's eating and playing as normal... it was just a ferret sleep.

Have fun with your weasels! :)

EDIT: Being spayed doesn't have anything to do with it (it's good they're fixed though- if a female goes into heat and isn't bred, she has like a 98% chance she'll die... THAT's why them being fixed is important).  

Anyways, I would try to increase their time out of the cage a little bit... ferrets NEED AT LEAST 3-4 hours of good hard playtime... they need room to run and romp.  They actually ARE NOT cage animals.  Try to take them out 45 minutes each time instead of 30... more fun for you, more fun for them, and it's healthier for them too! :)

Answer 5

Ferrets are VERY deep sleepers, they seem like they're dead, but they actually aren't. You can pretty much do anything to them/with them when they're sleeping and they won't wake up. If it happens again don't worry she's sleeping, and do not go screaming and shaking her that's kind of cruel, she's trying to sleep!

Answer 6

Sorry if I have to join in the laughter here, but yes, ferrets do that. Especially young ferrets. I can't tell you how many times I practically had a heart attack thinking one of my ferrets was dead, when they were only in a very, very deep sleep. Think of this as your ferret's way of saying, "Welcome to the wonderful, hectic, playful, panic-filled world of ferret ownership!" Oh, and you just might want to read the Ferret FAQ at Ferret Central. http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/ It has a LOT of useful information for you.

Answer 7

Haha yea i don't have them anymore but i had one that did that, it might be retarted lol. Scared my stepmom cause she swore he was dead and he did it a few times everytime she thought he was dead. Not sure why he did it or why yours does it like i said maybe they are mentally ill and just dont pay attention, she will be fine, make sure she gets lots of excercise, ferrets are so much fun.