Stuffy the Ferret
by Todd Leuthold
This is a short story about my last "old man" ferret, Stuffy. Stuffy is a rescue from the city of Bethlehem, PA. He, along with his brother, Smokey, were left with a “friend” to watch, but the original owner never returned. The friend’s girlfriend demanded that he find another home for them, despite the fact that the guy wanted to keep them. Through the FML, I was able to provide them with a forever home.
When Stuffy first came to live with us (meaning myself and a bunch of other ferrets, as well as a cat), his name was Sebastian. I’ve never felt that the name suited him, so I watched his temperament and activities and decided that he acted like a “stuffed shirt” type of person—nothing was really good enough for him and everyone else (except for Smokey) was just too far beneath him to play with. He reminded me of a butler in a house full of people that he feels he is much smarter than.
Anyway, some of that has changed over time. I picked up Stuffy about three years ago. When I had gotten them (Stuffy and Smokey), I was told that they were about five years old (from my vet). That would make him about eight now, but most of the time you can’t tell. When he gets out for free play, he romps around, sniffing everything just like a kit. He also plays in the playground, chases Add-A-Kiss (the only girl in his play group) like a randy teenager and harasses the cat whenever possible.
He is still picky about his snacks, though. I give Bandits Ferret Treats for snacks, as well as Toob Snax. For all intents and purposes, he won’t eat the Bandits Ferret Treats EXCEPT when he decides to try one. Then he grabs it, runs across the room, puts it down and starts munching like he’s starved! There is no prior hint that he even liked the things—he just decides he wants one and that’s it! He is much more interested in the Toob Snax, though. He will eat most of what I put on my hand, just about every time I offer it to him.
As you are probably aware, Smokey, his buddy, passed away on December 30, 2001. One of Smokey’s symptoms was very bad breath and it seemed that he was always burping up something from his stomach, chewing it, then swallowing it again. I associated the bad breath with whatever it was that was coming back up during these episodes. When Stuffy started exhibiting the same symptoms, I was very aggressive in treating him. I had just lost Smokey and didn’t want to lose Stuffy as well.
I’ve been treating him since mid-January of 2002. The current treatment consists of .2 cc of Clavamox, .25 cc of Carafate and .25 cc of Pepto-Bismol, all given in the same syringe dose. He hates the stuff. What I do to help him get it all down, is to scruff him and put the syringe at the very back corner of his jaw, then just push the plunger a little bit, so about one or two drops make it into his mouth. He then thrashes and wiggles, but swallows the dose. I do it again and again, until it is all gone. If I give him the entire dose all at once, he throws his head back and forth and spits most of the medications back out (usually all over me, as well!). The little-by-little method ensures that he keeps it all down and that is does him some good.
I also feed him chicken baby food (Heinz, Nature’s Goodness), mixed as follows:
- 2 jars baby food (2.5 ounces each)
- 3 cc (approx.) of Ferretone (for fatty acids, oils and minerals)
- 2 cc (approx.) of FerretVite (for energy and vitamins)
I blend it all together, then put this all in a plastic bowl with a sealable lid and microwave the mixture for about 30-40 seconds. I then feed him with a dropper (I got the dropper from a bottle of Amoxicillin that had been prescribed some time back—it has a 1.5 cc, which makes it easy to determine how much he is getting).
At first, he was reluctant to eat at all. His little stomach was not agreeing with anything. However, I’ve learned that the ferret isn’t always the one that knows what’s best for the ferret! Over time, he’s gotten used to the feedings, even looking forward to them most of the time!
I always make sure that he gets at least 10 cc in him at each feeding and he gets fed from four to six times per day (depending on how hungry he is). I’ve actually had him eat over 80 cc of food in one feeding! However, he has only done this a few times. Most of the time, he eats about 25 to 35 cc per feeding.
Of course, as he is being fed, all of the other ferrets want to know what is going on and what this food is that he is eating. As a result, I’ve gotten most of them to try some of the mixture and they’ve all liked it! They eat it just like it’s a treat for them, which means if any of them ever get sick, they’ll most-likely be willing to eat it, so I can keep their nutrition levels up! ?
Stuffy still chases Add-A-Kiss around, still terrorizes the cat and still sniffs the entire house when he gets out to play, as well as spending time in the playground every night. He also comes up and gets a snack from time to time.
The vet feels that he is doing well under the current regimen, but that I’m lucky that he has lived as long as he has, because of his age. I’m hoping to get many more years out of him, but I know that this might not be the case. I take the loss pretty had, when one of my ferrets goes on to the Rainbow Bridge. However, I also know that we’ll be together again in the future and look forward to that time.
Hug your ferrets and show them you care!
Todd and the Fuzzbutt Rodeo Clowns!