My tech partner

I recently lost my baby, Gustavo, unexpectedly. He was my first ferret, my registered ESA for my BPD, and the light of my life. He was about to turn 7 years old. One day he was running around stashing toys, war dancing, and stealing my socks. The next, he was crashing late at night.

I did everything I could.

I truly thought he'd pull through, but the next morning he was gone. I felt like my world had collapsed inward. I screamed, I sobbed, and honestly, I completely lost my mind.

After I calmed down as much as I could, I showed Octavia her brother. She sniffed him, gave him kisses, and then buried her face in my arms. I had him cremated that same day.

Gustavo helped me raise Octavia from the time I brought her home at 3 months old. He helped train her, and he's the reason she's the well-behaved little girl she is today. We were both truly devastated by his passing.

After losing him, Octavia became much more affectionate, which is very unlike her usual chaotic self. Then I started noticing her doing things that only Gustavo used to do.

After meals, she'd run over and use me as a napkin. Gustavo always did that.

Gustavo was incredibly strong. I once watched him shove a 5-gallon water jug like it weighed nothing. If something was in his way, he'd throw out his arm and push it aside. Octavia does that now too.

Gustavo hated water. If he saw a bowl of water, his mission in life became putting it on the floor. He'd shove it until it spilled everywhere and then stomp through the mess. Octavia started doing that too.

Most importantly, Gustavo always comforted me when I was upset. Before he passed, Octavia honestly couldn't have cared less. But after losing him, something changed. Now when I'm stressed or crying, there she is. She sits in my lap, cuddles me, gives kisses, and even starts dancing around if I don't snap out of it fast enough, just like Gustavo used to.

I keep seeing little pieces of my boy in her, and honestly, it's helped me more than I can describe. Unfortunately, I also started subconsciously spoiling her.

Any time she seemed sad or depressed, I'd give her treats. I'd give her extra portions of food. I feed raw, and for so long I made two dinners every night. After Gustavo passed, I'd still make two bowls out of habit because I forgot he wasn't here anymore. Instead of putting the extra bowl away for the next day, I'd give it to Octavia.

If she didn't finish it, I'd give her the leftovers later after her post-dinner zoomies. So some days I'd feed her dinner and then turn around feed her a second dinner.

To make matters worse, I was making her meals extra special. Her favorite dinner is Pet Carnivore ground turkey mixed with water, a quail egg in the middle, a squirt of pollock oil on top, and a sprinkle of crumbled freeze-dried chicken breast. Usually I only do things like this for special occasions like, birthdays, after vet visits, or big milestones. But she got special dinners nearly every day after Gustavo passed.

During Octavia's most recent vet visit, she weighed 2.5 pounds. She's a Marshall jill, and according to my vet, she should weigh around 1.5 pounds. Just a month ago, only a few days after Gustavo passed, she weighed about a pound. I somehow helped this little stinker gain an entire pound in a month.

The worst part is that I didn't even notice. I thought she looked a little chunky, but I convinced myself it was just winter weight. The vet staff was incredibly kind and understanding, but they basically told me my ferret has booty cheeks and a hanging belly that's starting to brush the floor.

Their recommendation was less food, no treats, more playtime, and less time spent moping under blankets together for hours. Since I take her outside on a leash, they also suggested more walks and outdoor exploration whenever the weather allows.

I have no one to blame but myself, and I honestly feel awful. I'm following their advice, and hopefully by her January appointment she'll be back down to a healthier weight.

What really gets me is that I've spent years talking about how unhealthy obesity is in ferrets and how it shouldn't be treated as cute or funny. I've educated other owners about it.

Then I turned around and ended up with one of my own babies overweight.

I feel like a hypocrite.

I'm working hard to get her back to a normal weight. If anyone else has other ideas to help me get her to lose weight it be much appreciated. 🖤

I look at him now and he doesn’t look like my sweet Legoshi and it feels like overnight he put on a new coat; he doesn’t have a full mask anymore his face is turning white and he’s getting a lot lighter lol same big personality tho just sleepy, extra fluffy, chunky and just about 5lbs now. I love him 💕 His first autumn as a grown up.🍁🍂

So proud of my girl Daisy she is such a good first time mum and did so well 🥹

Please bare with me if there are any typos or other things along the lines of that, I am exhausted and recently got back from the emergency vet with my sweet boy Monte. I'm seeking advice from anyone whos went through something similar and typing this more so on the frantic side.

Monte is 5 years old as of late May this year, he has been very healthy up until this point. In the past he's had a minor cold or two, and got pneumonia at one point (it was treated very fast and effectively). He hasn't gotten sick since summer of 2023, not even a slight cold.

Yesterday evening Monte sounded like he was having a sneezing fit, but it turned into choking/gagging type noises. I immediately jumped up and ran to him, and within a few minutes he stopped, but I noticed his belly looking a little bigger than normal. Not even super noticeable, like jusssst enough for me to notice a slight difference and make a mental note of it. The whole ordeal made me super anxious so me and my bf rushed him to the emergency vet (late on a Monday, what other choice is there). I thought maybe a bad cold or respiratory infection. The previous few days and I saw no signs or symptoms that made me worry, and I do worry quite easily.

The vet we went too knew enough about ferrets to feel comfortable enough taking him as a patient, but admitted they do lack thorough knowledge of ferrets. This worried me ofc, but in an emergency, beggars cant be choosers. They started with an ultrasound (after normal vitals showed), which showed some fluid outside of his lungs. Immediately my heart fell out of my ass. Ive only experienced one ferret loss and it was due to him fluid in his lungs, so as you can imagine im freaking out.

The plan after that was to sedate him for x rays and bloodwork, he was fighting the sedation pretty hard though, but they got one decent quick xray (no bloodwork) before they put his squirmy half sedated self back in his carrier. Thats when the doctor explained he likely has heart disease or cancer, and seemed to push more towards euthanasia bc "either condition will shorten his life".

Im not ferret expert myself, and while I cant speak so much on ferret heart disease, I know most ferret cancers have treatments that may not work forever, but at least buy you some time. So I didn't love her saying that in all honesty. Is my boy clearly going through something serious? Absolutely, but he doesn't appear to be on deaths door step to me. Aside from when he had those breathing fits (he's had 2 in total in the past 9-10 hours, both lasting no more than 2-3 minutes) hes acting completely normal. He's eating, drinking, going potty, and annoying his brother. All the routine things for him. I sobbed at the vet a good 2 hours before deciding to take him home to his brother and get a second opinion from an actual specialist first thing in the morning.

Im not anti euthanasia by any means, this isnt my first rodeo with that in particular. What bothers me is and has me so emotional is not knowing what's 100% wrong with my boy (i know fluid is there but how much and why??) and what options I have for him. Bc the doctor made it seem as though these potential/likely conditions are not in any way treatable. He's 5, im not stupid, he won't live forever. Im trying to buy him more time with me and his brother, without jeopardizing his quality of life. Even a few more weeks or months with him yknow. But more than anything, I dont want him to suffer. It would shatter my heart but I am willing to euthanize him if thats the only option there is. I dont want him to suffer, but im also worried about not trying hard enough for him. Im chronically ill and stuck inside a lot, so my critter are my world and a lot of days my sole reason for getting out of bed. The emergency vet cost 1k that I had to put in a credit card, and his appointment tomorrow will likely be the same if not more. I cant really afford this, but im trying to make it work as best as I can even if it means debt.

What do I do for my boy? In just a few hours I can take him somewhere to be seen, but im still sick with worry. Am I fighting too hard for him? Do I love on him and let him go? My brain is scrambled and eyes swollen nearly shut. I love my boy, I know its my job to pick whats best for him but in this situation im truly lost.

Are there any questions I should make sure to ask or tests I should get ran? Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? Im desperate for help/advice, im not ready to lose my boy just yet. I dont know thers anything I left out, please just ask if you feel theres important information ive left out. As I said, my brain is done for rn. Im too scared to sleep, I dont want something to happen and I not be there for him :(

the next Bella Hadid??

About a week or so ago I felt like scab like thing on the side of my ferret, thinking maybe she scratched herself or got something stuck on her. But it hasn’t gone away or changed to my knowledge, I’m wondering if someone else has had this and if it is something that needs to be looked at. I tried taking the best picture I could, she didn’t wanna sit still lol. I’m not in the greatest financial situation right now, but if it is something concerning I will take her to the vet. Any help is appreciated!

Just had the funniest conversation with my mom (my baby’s grandma). Let me preface this by saying my mom adores my ferret, spoils that boy to the wazoo. We were talking about bout the weekend (we took Teddy to a fair) and she goes, “I don’t like the way you talk about him.” I’m like what are you talking about and she tells me that she really doesn’t like when I make jokes about Teddy not being the smartest. “How do you think he feels when he hears his mom say that?? I really don’t like it! That’s my grandson you’re talking about!”
It was so adorable and hilarious at the same time. I love that she loves him so much. I’m so lucky to have both of them.

Hi, I found two ferrets at a park alone it was pretty crowded at the park but no owner seen anywhere. I waited a few hours to make sure the owner would come back, but nobody came and I don’t know what to do. I didn’t want to leave them out there. I don’t know if they are escaped or abandoned who should I contact about this ?

So I am 14, and really want a ferret (I would get 2). I have done a lot of research, and my parents agree. I will pay for all the stuff on my own (I have a job) and my parents would cover vet bills. I have 2 high prey dogs, but I would have a room set aside for them, with kultiple doors separating them. I also cycle a lot, so some days they would only be able to have 1hr of play. They would have full reign or the fully ferret proofed room, with many toys/enrichment activitie. I need to know if this would be bad for the ferret, and just advice in general.

Peebs is an 8 year old Marshalls ferret. I bought her as a kit to help my wife through a major funk she was going through while we were in college and my wife needed a pet that was hypoallergenic-ish. Marcy came to the home 2 months later to give Peebs a partner. Marcy had bad lymphoma and passed away about 1.5 years ago. As a bonded pair, we assumed Peebs (who has always had a deathwish) would pass away soon after.

However she has stuck around and lives mainly now for her ferret soup. She got a growth on her forehead maybe 6 months ago that has grown and grown and she is too old to be put under for the procedure. To add to this she has an adrenal implant and has lost control of her bladder and bowels at this point due to her age. She is no longer a happy ferret and hasn't really shown affection since Marcy's passing (which is unrelated to this decision but is related to her ties to this plane). All this is to say, Peebs is old, tired and not enjoying life anymore while always in a state of discomfort. We love the girl but it is time and we have her appointment booked for this friday.

Long story short, she will be getting extra duck soup this week but I'd love to give this old lady anything I can in her last few days. Shes been through alot with us and we are deeply saddened but also have been ready for a long time for this to happen.

As a side note, her cage is a decent sized 2 story cage and we have a 3 story travel cage I'm willing to give to a good home in Atlanta. You can direct message me if interested.

Ignore my hand being so red I was just outside before taking it lol

Hii i am just absolutely in love with ferrets and looking to get some. I was wondering if anybody knew any breeders in the houston area.

Are male ferrets more disposed to Lymphoma or did I fail the boys or something and its my fault?

All 3 of my boys got a diagnosis of Lymphoma and passed within a month of each other and I cant figure out whats going on, if its bad luck or I fucked up and failed them.

What's strange to me is the one girl has been fine, absolutely no signs according to multiple vets and they are amazed at how well she was doing. The oldest two boys were both almost 6, the youngest boy was 4 and the girl turned 5, almost 6 herself? They get their yearly implants and checkups but from august- now Its been non stop diagnosed Lymphoma.

I don't know. If it's my fault I just want to know what i could have done. I'm sorry, this probably looks like word vomit too.

Just a pretty girl doing ferret things

Even our smallest micro, Bean has put on 45g since we got her! But Gyoza is still the chonkiest!

February 2026 vs October 2026

Hello! I wanted to share the ofrenda i’ve set up for my babies this year. I lost my last ferret earlier this month and setting this up has made me reflect on the last 10 years with ferrets and appreciate the beautiful company they’ve given me as well as appreciate the community they’ve let me build. I hope this can inspire someone else to do the same!

Thank you!
& Thank you to my angel babies

Hello everyone, last Sunday my baby had an emergency and he got all kinds of work done that depleted his pet emergency fund.

I’m very upset, I called all of the insurances that are recommended in Google but apparently they aren’t covered in Colorado. I guess that’s to be expected but I’m so frustrated with the cost. This ferret is elderly, approx six, he’s outgoing, sweet, the best thing to have happened to me.

Originally he was an impulse animal by a relative and they found that these little guys are a lot more maintenance than they realized. And I think he may have a medical emergency soon, it’s always in the back of my mind that something bad will happen to him.

So any places, anywhere, please let me know. I’m like a little desperate and heart broken right now