Loss is tough

My wife and I are ferret lovers. We had three that lived for six years. We then took on another two. After four years, we have just lost the little girlie, Taz. He brother, Dori, has always been a bit autistic. She took the lead on most things. He has been lost for the last two weeks without her. He keeps looking for her in sleeping cubbyholes. It is heartbreaking. He sleeps 22 hours now, many of them on my chest. Poor boy, eh.

Yeah, it is sad.  We had a couple I rescued as a pair, Rocky and Moe.  I didn't know for sure how old they were, at least 5-6, but MOe passed in his sleep one night.  After that, Rocky, who didn't play with anyone else (Hmm, autistic kind of fits him) started declining in activity and use of the litter box, and he passed less than 2 months later.  Moe had gone blind from cataracts, and patrolled the perimeter of the house most of the time he was awake.  When he went, Rocky started doing the same thing, like he was looking for MOe.  We had 4 other ferrets at the time and some of them would pick on poor old Rocky just because he was weak and lost.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

I'm sorry. That is always really hard. We've had that happen with our dogs as well. We got two brothers and a year later got two more brothers that the first pair raised like their sons. When we lost one of the first two, Arby, all the dogs felt it, particularly his adopted son, Cedar. Cedar had literal panic attacks afterwards to the point where we thought he was having seizures (he would tremble so hard and curl up in a ball) and took him to the vet. It took him months to get over his anxiety, but he has gotten much better now. Animal bonds truly are something very special.