My ferret escaped, lost weight. How can I help it regain energy?

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is unclear how long Bandit has been back home now after his 30 hours missing. It definitely is pretty typical for a pet to be extra tired for a few days after going missing, from the stress/excitement, and potentially increased activity of being out. If Bandit is eating and drinking well, that's certainly a good sign. You should be seeing him become progressively more of his normal self. If he continues to seem "off" or overly tired beyond the first couple days, or if you feel his appetite is decreased, then I'd definitely have a vet take a look. There are many hazards that our pets can encounter when they get outside, such as injury, toxic exposure, bites from other animals, etc so if Bandit isn't bouncing back it's worth having him seen by a vet. Hope this helps - glad he's home safe!

That’s a great news! Casper probably managed to find food and a safe place to hide. Hopefully he will stay the same as now, playful and happy. Just monitor him for few days. I suggest to have him checked by the vet if you observe any of this sign: lethargy, diarrhoea, vomiting, reduces energy level, lumping, lack of appetite or anything different compared to his normal self before he got lost. Please post again on the forum if you would like to discuss it further. I hope this answer was helpful.

He should be examined by your veterinarian to rule out any medical causes for his weight loss. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. Feed a good quality ferret diet (not cat food, dog food, etc). Feed him frequently until he is at an appropriate weight, then cut back if necessary.

Since she was missing for so long, an exam with your veterinarian would be recommended. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites. If she gets a clean bill of health, continue feeding a high quality canned diet until she is back to her normal weight.

I'm so sorry to hear that, thank you for reaching out to us. You can offer him soft food, canned cat food, boiled chicken, etc, you can try to add warmed broth to make it more aromatic. Beyond that, its hard to advise you without seeing him and having more info. Your vet may accept payments through Care Credit or another 3rd party financing option, generally these give you 6 months of no interest. https://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/ If he starts to seem very lethargic and dumpy, rub some corn syrup or honey on his gums. Please get him in to see your vet as soon as you can. Thank you for asking PetCoach.

Hello. Thank you for using PetCoach. Sorry that Buzz is not feeling well. He really needs to see a vet for this issue. My guess is that he has an upper respiratory infection and this is not likely something that is going to resolve without antibiotic therapy since he has not gotten any better in the last 4 days. If you have pet insurance with 24PetWatch they should cover this issue. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=11+2071&aid=565 In the meantime I suggest you force feed him some Carnivore Care to get some nutrition into him and get him a vitamin: http://www.petsupplies4less.com/Carnivore-Care_p_1496.html https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/8-in-1-ferretvite-vita-sol-liquid-multi-vitamin-for-ferrets I strongly recommend you get him to your vet ASAP before this gets worse. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I would be concerned that your ferret is either constipated, having diarrhea, or perhaps has a foreign body/blockage going on. If she does not eat within a 24 hour period then yes, I would recommend taking her into the vet. Your veterinarian will need to palpate her abdomen, possibly do a fecal exam, and may recommend abdominal x-rays and an ultrasound. Because ferrets are so small they can become dehydrated and weak very quickly if not eating and drinking. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Please let us know if you have any other questions or if anything changes with Zelda. Best of luck!