QUESTION:
I think my ferret may have ADRENAL DISEASE, he had some difficulties peeing, he had to go to the "pooper" several times to try before he'd actually pee. it was going on for a while, then it went away then it came back, and now he's urinating involuntarily, almost like an accident, on the floor in a small drips (when i let him run around the room freely). He has pretty good bathroom habits, almost always he'd go to the "pooper" to do his business, this urination pattern is out of character for him. Also, he bites my other male ferret's neck and mounts him like he wants to mate. He bites him pretty hard almost to the blood. They are in the same cage together for at least 3 years, they get along great. This biting thing and mounting happened once before, about 1 year ago, but he stopped doing it after a couple of weeks, so i thought may be he just had a "spring fever" or something. And now he at it again. So, i'm not sure what to make out of it. He was scratchy for a while and shed and lost weight but he never went bald, and usually it happens in the spring or autumn (both of them shed and lose weight, but gain it right back) and grow fur back and become fluffy again.

ANSWER:
From your description your ferret has ADRENAL DISEASE. Last year he must have started with it and then the tumor went into remission that is why you saw no other signs! Since he is having difficulties urinating that is a sign that his prostate could be swollen which happens in males with adrenal disease. You either have to take him to surgery, or get him MELATONIN IMPLANTS, or if severe LUPRON. You can research this for yourself and your vet at: www.miamiferret.org. Click on Healthcare and then ADRENAL DISEASE.

You must take action asap as he could end up with a blockage which could be life threatening. You also will want your vet to check his urine incase of an infection, which may have happened because of the mounting of your other ferret, he could have obtained debris from the ferret's fur, causing an irritation and infection. Just the fact that he is showing mating behavior is indicative of adrenal disease.

QUESTION:
I have read many of the articles on your site but I am still unsure about my own situation. I have a rescued sandy hob (approx 2-3 years old). For the last two years he has been living with a silver jill (approx 5-7 years). Sadly Fifi our jill had to be put to sleep due to cancer. Archie our hob went through a stage of being extremely docile, rarely eating and sleeping a lot. I have visited the vet and since treated him for ear mites and antibiotics for a possible thyroid problem. These have been given the all clear and he has perked up a bit. We have also been told that his depressed state could be caused by the fact that he is missing Fifi.

We have since been looking for a good match friend for Archie as he is a bit lonely and needs someone to play with. We have visited every rescue in our area. Our initial find was two jill's (same age) but he showed no interest in them what so ever. When they approached him he ran away extremely scared. For a period after this he seemed a little shy. Once he returned back to his usual self we adopted Lily (2-3 year old polecat ferret). When we visited her at the R.S.P.C.A. she seemed very similar in her habits to Archie. She is quiet, cuddly and quite laid back.

We now have them in two separate cages side by side. They seem very interested in one another often looking through the bars at one another. We have tried letting them out together and Archie (who previously was scared and would not approach another ferret) keeps pinning her down and trying to mount her. He has made her neck area very sore and drawn blood. We separated them and tried it again the following day. The same thing happened and Lily was so scared that she peed and poo'd on the floor.

Archie has been castrated and even though he used to drag Fifi around by her neck, he never tried mounting her. I believe we need to try things more slowly. But do you have any advice that can help us?

ANSWER:
Did you have a blood test done on Archie? What was his blood glucose reading? It sounds as if, from his behavior, he may have two things going on, his depression could be due to INSULINOMA which causes low blood sugar(hypoglycemia) and could be nothing at all to do with being lonely. The mounting behavior is indicative of a ferret with ADRENAL DISEASE. The fact that you mentioned thyroid problems, this is often misdiagnosed, when the ferret does indeed have adrenal disease.

It would be best for you to read up on both of these illnesses at: www.miamiferret.org Go to HEALTHCARE and then to INSULINOMA and ADRENAL DISEASE. Print out the info for your vet, as both things can be treated. I much prefer to treat the hypoglycemia with meds and supplemental feedings of meat protein. You can also treat his adrenal symptoms with either LUPRON or a MELATONIN IMPLANT, if that is available in England. Until you treat Archie you will need to keep him away from the jill, or put some "bitter apple" on her back to deter him. If you do this they may be able to play together, but definitely do not leave in the same cage. Let me know what you find out? If you should need more help locally, I do have friends in England who may direct you to the right sources of help.

QUESTION:
Due to a very small area of the tip of his tail loosing hair i immediately thought Adrenal disease. The vet has said that he does have adrenal disease in the very earliest stages. The procedure that she now recommends is the removal of the adrenal glands which is as you most certainly know is a very serious operation. The vet suggested that until he becomes a lot worse we should just monitor him. We were also told that it will probably be in the region of about 3 years before it gets to this stage. We should then re-evaluate him and consider the operation. We were told about other treatments but this sounded/and was recommended as the most effective.

This however is not helpful to me know in the current situation and it would have been helpful if she had mentioned the problems we are now experiencing with Lily. Also he did not have a blood test done. This vet is now away on a two week holiday so i have to wait for her to come back before I can discuss our options further.

I am now really worrying. Does this mean they can never live together? I will try and get some bitter apple (where is the best place to purchase this?) but I have to wait for the grazes on Lilly's neck to heal as i do not want to cause her any pain. In your opinion do you think Archie can ever have a friend. If it is kinder to Lilly i will return her to the R.S.P.C.A. so that she can be rehomed with a friend as she is as far as we know so far perfectly healthy.

ANSWER: Not sure if you have had a chance to read the info on ADRENAL DISEASE yet, but if you want Archie to live a relatively normal life, MELATONIN can be given with no side effects and will help him tremendously. We give a 4 month depot(implant) that lasts for 6 months, all his mating symptoms will disappear. The reason he is exhibiting the signs now, is because his hormones are telling him it is breeding season and when the actual breeding season ends, he most likely will stop.

Each season(in the early stages of the disease), the tumor will go into remission and he will act as if nothing is wrong. However if the next season starts with the same pattern, then you may want to consider surgery at that time, not wait until the tumor becomes so aggressive and metastasizes and then causes other bodily harm. If you are concerned about surgery then you should do the research on the other alternatives, such as the MELATONIN and the LUPRON (more expensive). Both alleviate the symptoms, as he must be feeling pretty miserable and it is not fair to leave untreated.

You can buy the MELATONIN at any good HEALTHFOOD store, you can give him a 1mg tablet, crushed in something he likes, at 8-9 hours after sunrise each day. It is not as effective as the implant, but will take away the behavioral problems and then he will be able to spend time with Lilly! Since this was your goal initially, it would be good to give the MELATONIN tablets a try, until you are able to speak to your vet and it will give you time to do the research on Archie's options. Please put an antibiotic ointment on Lilly's neck to speed up healing.

QUESTION:
I have a three year old neutered male, but it looks like he's acting sexually towards the other females, including a seven week old kit. He grabs them by the scruff, and just holds them down under him. Is this sexual? He is no longer kept with my other ferrets, but I need to know if there is something wrong with him.

ANSWER:
His behavior is that of a ferret with ADRENAL DISEASE, the hormones go wild and mimic breeding signs. If you go to: www.miamiferret.org and go to HEALTH CARE then click on ADRENAL DISEASE you can learn all about it and what to expect, PLUS the different methods of treatment. It is a very common disease in ferrets, since you have 3 other ferrets you will need to know all about it and what to look for, plus knowing your avenues of treatment it will prepare you to speak to your vet. You will need to find a ferret Knowledgeable vet if you don't already have one.

QUESTION:
Approximately one year ago I adopted two male ferrets who have flourished with my two females. My vet confirmed that both had been neutered and descented. Neither have tattoos on the ears. Over the course of this year, one has progressively become very aggressive and often drags the other male around. He has exhibited a return to male sexual behavior which has taken a toll on all the ferrets. I recently took him back to my vet who performed a sonogram, drew blood for tests, etc., to determine if he had adrenal gland disease. All tests results were negative.

Is it possible that my poor ferret's neutering had been botch? If so, wouldn't the blood tests have shown elevated levels of testosterone (or whatever it is called in ferrets)? What else could it be? Is there a medication that can help him feel less aggressive, etc. so he can get along with the others?

ANSWER:
Although your vet has done an ultrasound, I have never heard of adrenal disease showing up on this test and the blood test would not necessarily be conclusive either.

It sounds to me as if he has adrenal disease and you might want to consider giving him MELATONIN (can be bought at WAL-MART). You can give him a 1mg tablet every day about 8-9 hours after sunrise, it needs to be given at the same time each day. You can crush it in something he likes (babyfood/chicken, ferretone).

If he does indeed have adrenal disease this will help abate the symptoms, it takes a few days, it will however not cure the disease. If you want a definite answer, then you might want to do a Tennessee Blood Panel. You may go to: www.miamiferret.org. Go to the section on adrenal/insulinoma and you should find it there. Until them give the ferret the MELATONIN and put some BITTER APPLE on the backs of the other three, hope this helps.