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About Cassie
Expertise
I have owned ferrets for a little under 11 years. I am not a vet and cannot diagnose an illness. I am knowledgeable enough to answer most questions dealing with care of ill and elderly, general well-being, adoption process , training, safety(ferret proofing), housing requirements, engaging and mind enhancing games, grooming, vaccination, behavior, nipping,nutrition, and common symptoms of diseases. I can direct anyone to a ferret friendly veterinarian. I will, however, do my very best to answer any questions to the best of my ability. I have personally dealt with most ferret illnesses.

Experience
I have been and am currently a ferret owner for a little under 11 years. I volunteer at a ferret shelter along with a general shelter who gets ferrets in regularly. I don't work there but I observe a ferret vet on a regular basis and study everything possible. I also take in poorly kept ferrets and ferrets that have been abused to nurse them back to health so they can go to qualified homes.

Organizations
American Ferret Association

Education/Credentials
I am currently enrolled to receive my Bachelor's degree before taking my entrance exam for my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and on my way to become a veterinarian. I also teach a class at my local shelter on proper care, behavior, common illnesses and nutrition when someone comes in to adopt a ferret.

Awards and Honors
I have received quite a few "best answers" on yahoo answers.

Past/Present Clients
Although I am not a "professional" I have worked with many many ferrets and their owners. I have taught owners how to nip train their ferrets, potty train. I have pointed people in the direction of the closest ferret friendly vet when the need arises. I have taken in abused and abandoned ferrets to nurse them back to health both physically and emotionally.

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Exotic Pets > Ferrets > Skinny Ferret

Ferrets - Skinny Ferret

Expert: Cassie - 11/4/2009

Question
I own two ferrets that I adopted from PetsMart. One is a girl and is in good health and eats fine and is normal size. The other is a boy and when first adopted,was normal size. However now,I see him eat often but he just is really skinny now. He lost so much weight. They are both fed "Authority Kitten Chow" and given ferret treats (ex. "Chicken & Turkey bites" and "Chicken Sticks") often. What can I do to enhance my boy ferret's weight? Do ferret Vitamins help?

Answer
I would suggest switching them to a higher quality ferret kibble. Most do not recommend cat food alone for ferrets since they metabolize their food quickly and it takes cat food longer to break down so they do not absorb all of the nutrients needed. The first few ingredients in the food you are feeding isn't bad but there is much better http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html

But if you are set with that food I would add a high quality ferret food to it and watch the skinny ferret to see if he is eating. If not I would first take him to the vet to see if there is something medically wrong.

A good way for ferrets to gain weight or to help a sick ferret eat is "duck soup" which is essentially a mixture of different things.

Here are a few recipes for duck soup:

http://forum.ferret.com/tt.aspx?forumid=22

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