I was wondering if anyone else here has a ferret. Late last year I adopted a ferret who I named Pabu. I was told he was two years old and perfectly healthy. Lies on both counts. We've been to the vet four times in the last three months. He has adrenal disease and heart disease. I got him a deslorelin implant on January 2nd. Last month, he came down with an illness and stopped eating and drinking. I was syringe feeding him food, water, and medicine the vet prescribed. He perked up and all was well for a while. Now, he is on a round of antibiotics because he has an inflamed bronchial and he is having trouble breathing. I have been super worried about him. This is the second time he has been sick. The vet says he is susceptible to illnesses because of his age and heart disease.

Even though it's been a rocky road since I adopted him, I really do love him and I am glad he is home with me so I can take care of him. I think the person I got him from knew he was getting older and unwell, so they wanted to get rid of him. I'm glad I got him instead of someone who would give up.

I don't own any, but my sister ran an impromptu rescue for quite a while, and had a few foster fails that she kept for herself. Unfortunately, the biggest US breeder of ferrets does not track breedings or bother with health records for their animals, and adrenal disease is almost guaranteed in their ferrets. It's how every ferret I've ever known has passed.

I'm very sorry to hear that you're having such a tough time with your little guy, but he's very lucky to have you. <3

I'm so sorry to hear about his health issues, he's super lucky you adopted him. Did you ever call out the guy that sold him to you?

VERY experienced ferret owner here. Me and my mom, , have two right now (technically she owns them, but I picked one of them out and named it) We used to take in unwanted ferrets and give them new homes, which is why I can say we've owned at least 20 ferrets over the years.

I've only had one ever have adrenal gland disease. Most of the ferrets I've had succumbed to lymphoma.

Since reducing Pabu, I've learned A LOT about Marshall's and I cannot believe the stuff they do is legal.

I did! I actually grew up with the previous owner. He's always been on and off a rough path and he recently hit rock bottom after his mom died. Pabu, previously named Norman, was his ex's and she ended up having to serve time, but he couldn't keep him. When I told him what was going on, he gave a little money to help with vet bills. I wasn't expecting anything from him and I thought it was a nice gesture from someone who is struggling so much.

That's amazing! How did your mom get started with rescuing ferrets?

Very similar practices to the puppy mill trade, unfortunately. Many people just view pets as commodities, rather than actual living things, and just don't care. A shorter lifespan just means a higher turnover rate, which equates to more profit.

I'm not really sure. I remember we bought the first ferret (Mittens), but I'm not really sure how we went down that path. Of course I was six when we got her.

The most we ever had at once was five. Two cages, one on top of the other. Fubar, Shadow, and Weeone in the bottom, TOTs in the top (AKA Venice and Hollywood).

I remember my mom letting the ferrets loose to wake me and my brother up for school every morning. She would open the bedroom doors, and the ferrets would race in - they learned to go to my brother's room first, then mine. My room was up the flight of stairs and it usually took me longer to get up/get out of bed.

I've noticed that many people don't do research and it drives me crazy. Being responsible for another life is not something to be taken lightly. I had a hedgehog who passed away late last year from old age. He was five. I ended up giving away all of his supplies to someone who had no idea that a hedgehog could die from attempting hibernation. This girl thought hedgehogs were cute and bought one just for that reason. She had no idea what she was doing.

That's such a fun way to wake up! I have one of those double ferret nation cages. I'd love to get two of them side by side, so they could have tons of room. Unfortunately, they have to be in our bedroom and we're so tight on space. Our room is supposed to be a den/office, so it's tiny.

My high school best friend was like that. She couldn't go to a pet store without walking out with whatever animal caught her eye, and most of them died early deaths because she never bothered with any research beyond asking whichever clueless employee was on duty what she should get. It's frustrating. Heck, I researched chickens for over half a decade before I took the leap and got any, haha.

Hollywood and Bear both died from it, didn't they? We are unusual that lymphoma has taken more of our babies than the the other two big killers, but I'm pretty sure that we've lost more than one...

(LOVE your UN, btw) We got started rescuing ferrets because I can't say "no" to anyone. FWIW, that is also how I got superferretlover and her brother. ;)

We used to trade baby hamsters and fish for pet supplies at a local store, so I knew most of the staff pretty well. They had a ferret abandoned there, and they also had a lost and found board -- so the unwanteds started ending up at our place. The lost ones got reunited with their owners and we kept the unwanteds until I could find a home for them; or if they were too sick/traumatized to place, we simply kept them. There was never a fuzzy thief that didn't steal my heart. Except for maybe the one has now... (Seriously, I can't find those missing bottles -- HELP!)

That's so sad. Employees really are clueless. I've given speeches to many of the employees at my local shops. I don't mean to get preachy with them, but it amazes me the stuff they are taught by corporate.

That's amazing of you guys! I adopted a second ferret a couple months after I adopted Pabu. His name is Malfoy. The people I adopted him from never named him and he smelled so strongly of cigarette smoke I had to bathe him as soon as we got home. I asked what kind of food he was on and they couldn't tell me. I think they got him from someone so they could turn around and sell him for profit.

You knew it was a day when you heard ferrets boinging and dooking from under your bed.

Also, TOT stood for Twin Of Terror. Yes, those two were almost identical twin sisters. And evil.

Mom always said Venice was the brains and Hollywood was the brawn. Me and my brother didn't believe her until Venice died first (stomach cancer). Hollywood got into a lot less trouble after that.

I always have mixed emotions when I hear stories like that. On one hand, I am so sad that the animals are abused... but on the other I rejoice that they have been saved.

What's the point of talking about them without pics?

Here are our current floofs. In both pics my angel, Teddy Bear, is on the left and 's DEMON SPAWN, Mako, is on the right.

Oh my goodness, they sounded like they were a handful! My boy, Malfoy, gets into a lot of trouble. He's younger than Pabu and much more energetic. They can be such little stinkers, but you can't help but love them.

They are so cute! I love their little faces.

Here are my boys

Malfoy is on the left and Pabu is on the right

This is Pabu, my original rescue. The vet estimates he's about 4-5 years old. His hair is starting to grow back and the vet says the fluid in his abdomen has gone down since he received his implant! I named him after Pabu the fire ferret from Legend of Korra. He loves snuggling and squeaky toys.

This is Malfoy. I named him Malfoy because he's white, but the name totally works because he is kind of a jerk. This picture was taken after I was freaking out because I hadn't seen him in an hour. He was sleeping in my yoga pants cubby. His favorite activities include shredding puppy pads and play fighting with Pabu. He is around 1-1 1/2 years old.

OMG! I LOVE THEM! They are just too CUTE! ❤ Malfoy reminds me of my all-time fav floof -- Costello. (Great pic too! it's so hard to get them to hold still.) The only one who I ever let sleep with me in my bed. Here he is supervising me making supper.

He was giving me that "na na na na" look and I couldn't help but snap a photo before he scurried off. Costello looks so handsome and loving! I fall asleep with Pabu on the couch quite often, but my husband always puts him back in his cage when he notices. My Yorkie is a little too intense with them, so we don't feel comfortable with them together without supervision.

I'm glad you pay attention to pet interaction! Great way to avoid accidental injuries. So many people don't think about that until something bad happens.

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, but I had to grab the floofs out of the kitchen cabinets. So much for child-proofing. My daughter's evil pet has figured out how to beat the locks.

I have to nap now since I STILL can't find the meds she swiped from me. AAAARGH!

I am a helicopter mom. I notice behavior changes and realize something is wrong before anyone else has even noticed. I take care of my father who is 97 and has dementia, so I'm very observant and aware. A few years ago, my husband's family dog was acting differently and I rushed him to the vet. It was three back-to-back days at the vet with no answers and my in-laws made a point of telling me that I was overreacting. They were sure I was making it all up and their poodle was fine. I was so mad because I spent so much time with him and I could feel that something was wrong. I had to carry him out into the yard to get him to go potty and his breathing was different. His primary vet said I needed to take him elsewhere because they couldn't figure out what was wrong and I ended up rushing him to the ER at the nearest veterinary specialist in the middle of the night after he started pooping blood. Turns out he had a hemorrhaging tumor on his spleen and he needed emergency surgery that night. And my in-laws thought I was overreacting. I'm still kind of salty about it.

Good for you for sticking to your guns! I don't blame you for having your nose out of joint. I would too. I hope they were grateful you saved their dog.

They don't doubt me anymore, but no one apologized. Unfortunately, the tumor was malignant and the cancer spread. After the surgery, we did get another four months with him, which we are forever grateful for.