Giving kits a chance!

[beany01 223]

Hello, I got 3 kits in August (thanks Samuria) and after a few weeks one of them went weak on the back end. Its back end kept falling over, and when it moved, it would hop like a rabbit, not walking its back legs. I spoke to a couple of blokes I know who have had ferrets for many years, and they all said I should knock it on the head. Well it didnt appear to be in any pain, and it still played around with the other two kits, albeit not as vigorously. The vets in the area dont really know ferrets that well, mine are the only ones on their books, so I did a little reading, and it could have been a few things. I firstly thought could it be a calcium deficiency, but the other two were ok, but just in case, I added a calcium supplement to the chicken wings, mince and offal, until I found a butcher that sold pet mince of chicken carcass, beef trimmings and liver for cheap as chips.  Now a couple of months later, the kit has made full recovery, I dont know if was the lack of calcium, or it had injured itself, but it was worth trying. It hasnt got quite so much muscle on its back end, but its building up now it has righted itself. So before you listen to people telling you to knock em on the head, give them chance first, it might be alright with time.

[rabbit demon 301]

The back end going on a ferret is never a good sign. Your lucky it did pull through because the majority of the time it can be a sign of something serious and they dont make it. They can take a variety of illnesses, conditions and flu's and when its serious the symptoms are nearly the same for them all. Back end going, rapid weight loss lethargy, where they struggle to walk. So it can be hard to tell what is actually wrong with a ferret when it literally deteriates in front of your eyes. Waste of money taking them to vets near me too. They dont give a shyte about ferrets. Its never easy to cull a animal that you have brought up from a kit, that you have spent time training and bonded to. I always give them a chance too but when their ribs start showing and they can barely get up or their walking in circles its time for me cull. Hope your ferret makes a full recovery.

[beany01 223]

When i looked at the symptoms I thought bloody hell, this doesnt look good. Luckily it kept eating and didnt lose much weight, just the bulk on the back end where it wasnt using the muscles properly. I will admit, I didnt want to cull something I had put endless amounts of hours in to. I had been handling them an hour or two each day, so they were all good to handle. Ok, they still mouth my fingers now and then when they get let out in the run in the morning, but thats when they are super excited and bouncing around like mad, but thats kits for you. Normally I just say no, and they pack it in immediately, but an odd scruff to keep them on their toes when they push it and mouth me again is sometimes needed when they have 10 mins of crazy. They are around 5 1/2 months old now, and I have never been bitten properly by them once, so the handling when young obviously paid off. The only time ive ever had a slight nip, is one caught its teeth on my ankle, as they are obsessed with socks and feet. If im sitting in the court with a cuppa in hand, they love sticking their heads up my trousers and biting my socks. If I ever felt that the kit was suffering, I would have put it out of its misery. Im not one to let something suffer for my own selfish reasons.

[Jerry71 269]

Vets round my way are waste of time, I lost a Jill that was nursing a litter, I was at work and partner didn't see her slip out her court, found her two days later curled up in ally not looking good at all, she couldn't walk or open her mouth, we cleaned her jaw and it was full of a gluey substance and got her to vet, told me she wouldn't see morning,I took her home and we fed her with a syringe and kept her inside and she's doing great now  she's been out a few times this season, 

[samuria 331]

well done mate.... glad you stuck at it and all came good 

[Jerry71 269]

On 17/11/2017 at 22:14, beany01 said:

When i looked at the symptoms I thought bloody hell, this doesnt look good. Luckily it kept eating and didnt lose much weight, just the bulk on the back end where it wasnt using the muscles properly. I will admit, I didnt want to cull something I had put endless amounts of hours in to. I had been handling them an hour or two each day, so they were all good to handle. Ok, they still mouth my fingers now and then when they get let out in the run in the morning, but thats when they are super excited and bouncing around like mad, but thats kits for you. Normally I just say no, and they pack it in immediately, but an odd scruff to keep them on their toes when they push it and mouth me again is sometimes needed when they have 10 mins of crazy. They are around 5 1/2 months old now, and I have never been bitten properly by them once, so the handling when young obviously paid off. The only time ive ever had a slight nip, is one caught its teeth on my ankle, as they are obsessed with socks and feet. If im sitting in the court with a cuppa in hand, they love sticking their heads up my trousers and biting my socks. If I ever felt that the kit was suffering, I would have put it out of its misery. Im not one to let something suffer for my own selfish reasons.

Well done mate,  do you put things for them to climb in there court. Could be the ferret had a fall and landed wrong. A lad lost a hob on this site as it climbed the mesh on front of court and fell and hit corner of sleeping box wich killed his hob., hope you have a good season. J

Edited November 22, 2017 by Jerry71