Ferret News
Pet Ferret Care Tips
and Information
By Mary R. Shefferman & Eric Shefferman - along with Gabby, the ferret
www.ferretnews.com

Ferret News #74: Grieving Ferrets
August 3, 2004

by Mary R. Shefferman and Eric Shefferman
along with Gabrielle (the lone ferret)

contact: marymodernferret.com

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  When a ferret dies, the humans aren’t the only ones who feel a sense of loss. Other pets in the household -- even dogs and cats -- may also notice and feel the absence of the ferret. Long-time cage-mates can become deeply depressed, becoming lethargic and refusing to eat. It is important that we, as ferret owners, find a way to help our pets through their grief.

  We received two letters recently that talked about how the other pets in the home were affected by the death of a ferret. Judy Williams of Manchester, New Hampshire, writes:

  “My own first ferret Anastasia died the 7th of December, one month shy of her sixth birthday. We have all felt her loss, especially Misha, our cat. He slept with her and carried her around. She always stayed with him rather than our other ferrets. The day Anastasia died, Misha and I stayed with her, he laying right next to her and lapping her face. Late that afternoon we had her put to sleep and she quietly went to sleep in my arms. Misha has been very stressed but I had just adopted two more ferrets (bringing our total to nine). As soon as they came in the house, Misha appointed himself their guardian.”

  Other ferret owners have also noticed that keeping the grieving pet involved in things seems to help him with the loss of a companion. Michael and Laura Aulito of Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania, write:

  “Nothing is better for survivors than for the people to have staggered-aged pets, so we always have more babies to shower love on. Even a ferret that has lost his soul mate, and might want to be alone and join his lost one, can’t escape from several other varying age ferrets. Somebody is going to be sleeping with the depressed
one(s) and that helps keep them involved in life’s routine of eating and play.”

  Our experience with Ralph’s death taught us the same lesson: Having other ferrets in the house helps keep the sad ferrets (and humans) going. We brought Koosh home only shortly before Ralph died. Having Koosh around after Ralph’s death seemed to keep all the other ferrets from moping. It also kept us busy, running after him; we had no choice but to focus on the ferrets who remained. No ferret -- or human -- was safe from Koosh’s bottomless desire to play. Even if we hadn’t gotten Koosh, I think the younger ferrets (Trixie, Bosco da Gama, and Balthazar) would have piled on top of the older ones (who were closer to Ralph) and kept them busy.

  Yet, despite a pile of ferrets and the irrepressible Koosh, Knuks took Ralph’s death very hard. Knuks was a very sensitive ferret: If another ferret was sick, Knuks knew and she would take on the task of “mothering” the sick ferret. After Ralph’s surgery, she would always go back to his cage when she was finished playing so she could curl up on top of him. (One of our indicators that a ferret is sick was Knuks sitting on top of him or her.) After Ralph died, Knuks kept going over to where Ralph’s cage had been (we had to house him separately because Trixie picked on him after his surgery -- even though they had gotten along great beforehand). Knuks would stare at the empty space and then look at Eric or me. A few times she was almost frantic, looking for Ralph’s cage -- and Ralph. I would hold her and try to convey to her that Ralph was gone. This went on for almost two months. Finally, she abandoned her search and began playing more normally.

  Marshmallow was also sad after Ralph died. He looked around for Ralph, too. The other ferrets weren’t as good buddies with Ralph, and so weren’t as profoundly affected. We had rotated cage-mates every day for Ralph so no single ferret would be overwhelmed by his loss. Sabrina, Marshmallow, and Knuks took turns spending time with Ralph. We expected Marshmallow and Sabrina to be upset by Ralph’s death, and were a little surprised that the one who was most affected was Knuks.

  Not all ferret owners want or are able to get a new ferret (either a kit or an adoptee) when one of their ferrets dies. Instead, those ferret owners can focus their attention on the remaining ferrets (or other pets). Extra attention is especially important if there is only one remaining ferret, because he will likely be lonely and become depressed. Many ferrets take comfort from their humans, and often ferrets offer comfort to their humans as well.

  When one of your ferrets dies, remember that you are not the only one who feels the loss. Your other ferrets and pets will miss their friend too. Allow yourself and your ferrets time to mourn the loss, and set aside some extra playtime with your ferrets. This is a time when you and your ferrets need each other’s companionship the most.

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  Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check out the savings coupons in this newsletter!

--Mary, Eric & Gabby (the lone Modern Ferret)

  Stay tuned for more. You can always get updates by reading my blog (a blog is an online journal). I keep it sporadically and it usually runs to the more personal stuff. But you might like it. It's at

http://www.modernferretblog.com/mary

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