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 Delayed Mourning of Cage Mate?
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Allinia

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Delayed Mourning of Cage Mate? - Saturday, August 30, 2014 8:44 AM
My oldest ferret, Fats, passed away suddenly around two months ago.  Up until now, my other two ferrets (Aria and Lyra) hadn't had any reaction to losing him.  Fats died while we were at a friend's house, where there are seven ferrets total, and we stayed there for around a month after his death (mostly since I was too upset to go home), so they didn't seem to notice he was gone.  Aria is a bit of a "special needs" loner ferret, she only liked to play with Fats and we suspect she was abused in her past household (she is a shelter rescue), but she seemed totally fine after his death.  Lyra is very young and had only been around Fats for a few months -- once we moved back home I got another baby ferret for her to play with, and they have been great for each other.  

I've had all seven ferrets over at my house for the past three weeks or so while my friend is on vacation, and Aria has been acting normally, not playing much with the other ferrets and preferring to hang around me.   Today I noticed she was a little more lethargic than usual (doing the "pancake" lots, if you know what I mean...) so I mixed up some soup in case she was getting ill and bought her downstairs with me alone to give her some space from the other ferrets.  

She started acting really strangely, running almost frantically and then plopping down and staring off into space.  I would bring her back into her bed but she would just run and plop again.  I noticed that she was only going into the same three places over and over -- three of Fats' favorite places to sleep.  She's been doing this for several hours now and refuses to go anywhere but those places.  

She's been drinking the soup and using the bathroom just fine, but her behavior has been so alarming that I'm very concerned.  The only thing I can think of is that she's just realizing now Fats is gone -- even though it's been almost two months, she hasn't spent much time since his death on this floor of the house where he was most often, and I don't think it's just a coincidence that she keeps plopping down and curling up in "his" spots. (And call me crazy, or maybe I'm just personifying her, but she actually looks sad and depressed).  


Does this sort of behavior line up with ferret mourning, and is there anything I can do for her?  They had been together for over two years before he passed away, and she's not interested in any other ferrets :(  And in case it's not mourning and she's plopping & staring because she's ill, is there anything in particular I should be looking out for?  I've been making sure she's eating lots of soup and will run out to get some honey/karo syrup in case it's a blood sugar problem, but I won't be able to get to a vet until tomorrow morning.  
Snapper13

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Re:Delayed Mourning of Cage Mate? - Tuesday, September 02, 2014 7:28 AM
It could be that Aria is starting to miss Fats.  Can you give her extra hugs and kisses when she starts looking for him?
Allinia

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Re:Delayed Mourning of Cage Mate? - Tuesday, September 02, 2014 11:53 PM
Update: I took her to the vet the next morning after starting this thread, she seemed barely functioning and on the brink of death, but of course she perked up at the vet and they couldn't find anything physically wrong with her.  The vet gave me some nutritional supplements to give her twice a day to make sure she is staying healthy while she is not eating normally.  Looking back, I should have insisted on a blood test but I was so panicked and sleep deprived, and not communicating in my first language, that I was just so relieved to discover she wasn't dying.

I haven't let her out of my sight and have been giving her lots of cuddles.  She acts normal most of the day and is still responsive to her favorite toys and treats, but still has no interest in food or water and every now and then will curl up and stare into space with teary eyes and heavy breathing.  Definitely less often than the first day but still often enough to make me want to rush her back to the vet.  I want to get her bloodwork done anyway considering that she's four and a half and hasn't ever gotten it done, and hopefully we can either rule out that these episodes aren't insulinoma or start treating it if it is.  


I'm just can't help but jump to the worst conclusions since Fats died so suddenly, he just stopped eating one day and then slipped away.  I'm still not handling my own grief over him very well and seeing Aria like this is killing me.  I can't bear to lose her suddenly too.    

Snapper13

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Re:Delayed Mourning of Cage Mate? - Wednesday, September 03, 2014 7:31 AM
Remember that if your ferret isn't eating, then the BG level results will be low.  We have to figure out why she isn't eating.  It could be insulinoma, but it might be something else like an upset stomach, depression, blockage, etc.

Since she perked up at the vets, I wonder if she is bored at home?  

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