Minnie

I started my mustelid (trivia - fancy word for the family to which ferrets belong, along with otters, skunks, badgers and weasels) adventures by adopting three fuzzbutts at once. My initial ferret family comprised of Paco, Frank and Minnie. Let me introduce you to Minnie Mouse, also know as Cinna-Mini-Bun.

Minnie is a light sable girl with dark brown eyes. She has incredibly soft fur and always smells like a basket of warm tortilla chips. In her youth, she loved to run and play, nipping elbows and climbing both humans and furniture with equal verve. Now she has become a doddering little lady, as she is well past five years of age and has lived with advanced adrenal disease for the last two years. One thing that has never changed is her propensity to giving hundreds of kisses, preferably on the lips of her favored humans. I think they're the sweetest kisses in the world, but I'm biased.

Minnie Mouse has had two separate surgeries for her adrenal disease, the first time removing all of her left adrenal gland and the second time removing 90% of her right adrenal gland. Her vet recommended oral prednisone for her every other day after removing the second gland. We did that for a while, but I've found she has enough hormones being produced by the remaining gland that she doesn't need it to remain active and vibrant for her advanced age.

Adrenal disease is very common in ferrets. If you're going to become a fuzzy parent, it pays to study a good ferret book and find a vet you trust who specializes in exotics. I recommend Ferrets for Dummies as the best resource I've found in print. I welcome any inquiries, too. My e-mail address is at the top of the blog and I'll answer any question I can.

I've been asked about the breeding habits of ferrets. Almost all domestic ferrets in the U.S.A. are sold after having been spayed or neutered, so it isn't an issue for me. I've yet to run across a sexually intact fuzzy. This is largely due to the fact that female ferrets will bleed to death once in heat if not bred, and the standard practice of removing ferrets' scent glands at the same time they are sterilized. This leaves them with their musky odor intact but removes their ability to "poof" their stronger scent like a skunk would.