# Ferret Neutering



## shiro_ookami (Jun 10, 2008)

Hey,

I'm hoping to get my ferret neutered at some point in the next couple of weeks. I'm going to go to a vets in Hull, now it's 40 odd miles each way for me to get there, so i'm just going to stick around for a while while they neuter my boy.

I have a few questions:

1. How long does the neuter take? Will I be waiting around for more than a few hours? (If so it doesn't matter)
2. Is the operation safe for my boy? He's about 1year4month
3. What do I have to do the night before for him? Do I need to take away his food or anything
4. How long will it be before he recovers and I can get him a friend?
5. Lastly do I need to send any food with him or any of his toys etc?

Thank you, sorry for the amount of questions. : victory::blush:


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## Shadowz (Aug 6, 2008)

Hello there - I have had 100's neutered ( i run a rescue ) so will do my best to answer.

Yes you will be waiting around more then a few hrs.
the way it normally work it ferrets need to be at the vets between 8.30-9am 
however vets dont start operating until after morning consultations around 11am
Then there is no way of knowing if he is first or last on the list of operations.
Normally you can collect sometime between 3.30-4.30pm 
So a long day to hang around. 

Castrations are normally very safe.
Its a very very quick operation only taking a matter of 5-10 mins in total.
Rest is waiting and him waking up ect.
I have had 100's done and never once had a problem with a castration and never once lost a ferret to neutering.

Nothing to do the night before.
As a general rule remove food early the morning of the op.
Cause ferrets have such a short digestive track they only need to be
starved for around 4hrs.
I normally remove food at 6am ( knowing they dont start the ops til 11am ) 

Recovery - often they come back home from a castration acting like nothing has happend - might be a bit of swelling and bruising but he will prolly be back to normal the next day.
it will take 2-3 weeks for him hormones to calm down , for the smell to go and for him to be ready to find a friend. 

No need to send anything with him - some send a bit of food/water and as u have a journey back after it might be worth u doing that.
I would put a fav blanket or similar in his cat carrier for him to snuggle down in.

Hope that is of some help


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## miss_ferret (Feb 4, 2010)

ok will attempt to answer the questions in order but bare with me if there not:

1. the operation itself is not a long one but vets like to keep them in to check there suffering no ill afects of anistetic (sp?) when i had one of my boys done i dropped him off at 8.30am and picked him up at 4.30pm (if your hanging around i hope theres good shops and cafes :2thumb

2. there shouldnt be a problem with the op, its a very safe procedure (again sp?) especialy at that age, only tend to get probs in v young ferrets

3. iv always been told you dont have to take food off them but i always do just to be on the safe side

4. he should be his normal self the next day, hel just feel a bit tender for a while. it can take a while for the hormones to go down though. personaly id give him a week or so before you introduce him to a new one, just to give him time to heal and the hormones to settle

5. you dont need to send anything with him (some vets have strict rules about this) but if theres a toy or something he really loves then you could send it with him for when he comes round


hope this has helped


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## shiro_ookami (Jun 10, 2008)

That's great advice thank you =) We'll go to the deep for the day or something to pass time =)

It's put my mind at rest about his well being etc, I can't wait until he recovers and he can pick a friend. :flrt:


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## Catherine896 (Jul 27, 2007)

When my girls were spayed I had to remove food at midnight and have them to the vets for 8.30ish. I was also told to take some of their normal food as they need to eat as soon as they wake up. I took one of their blankets in so that when they woke they had familiar smells with them.

Goodluck, Im sure he will be fine


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## Ruddy (Oct 4, 2009)

Gut transit time is really short in ferrets and they can actually become hypoglycaemic (low glucose) if they are starved for too long. 2-4 hours is fine. As far as neutering is concerned, there are other options nowadays. Suprelorin implants are an alternative to surgical neutering and are thought to reduce the risk of adrenal disease (hyperadrenocorticism). They do need to be replaced every 2-4 years depending on the strength of the implant which requires a very short anaesthetic (literally 2 minutes).

Don't mean to rock the boat, I realise you're already booked in. Best to be informed of these things before you go ahead.. Once they're gone, they're gone!!


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