10-23-2017, 12:44 AM
After experiencing this again today, I thought it worth a mention and for those who have not encountered this in ferrets before.
Dead Ferret Sleep Syndrome (DFSS), also known as Dead Ferret Sleep Disorder (DFSD) is neither a disease/syndrome nor a "disorder".
It can take you, the human owner, by surprise and fill you with fear.
This is VERY common in domesticated ferrets but almost non-existent in feral (wild) ferrets.
What is it?
It is pretty much the same as "deep sleep".
With ferrets, when they go into a deep sleep, their breathing and heart-rate slows to a pace that is almost undetectable.
When they are in this "state" and picked up and handled, they are non-responsive and truly appear to be dead.
The only sign that the ferret is alive is that they are "floppy" but still warm to the touch (rigor mortis has not set in) - they will not respond to "wake up ferret" - in fact, it is such a severe deep sleep that one can do just about anything to them and they will not wake up.
One's first reaction is to rush them to the vet which is what I nearly did the first time I encountered it.
This is NORMAL believe it or not!
Hold them in a comfortable position (usually with us ferret owners is the same as cradling a baby
)
Stroke them gently, rub their paws, scratch their ears - they WILL wake up
Don't panic and don't try to aggressively wake them - they WILL wake up (eventually)
Again, it is nothing to be concerned about - what it means is that they are content with life, feel safe (unlike in the wild) and are trusting of the environment that they are in.
The next time this happens I promise to make a video to show you - it's actually quite funny - you can clean their ears, cut their nails, put them is funny positions and laugh at them
Dead Ferret Sleep Syndrome (DFSS), also known as Dead Ferret Sleep Disorder (DFSD) is neither a disease/syndrome nor a "disorder".
It can take you, the human owner, by surprise and fill you with fear.
This is VERY common in domesticated ferrets but almost non-existent in feral (wild) ferrets.
What is it?
It is pretty much the same as "deep sleep".
With ferrets, when they go into a deep sleep, their breathing and heart-rate slows to a pace that is almost undetectable.
When they are in this "state" and picked up and handled, they are non-responsive and truly appear to be dead.
The only sign that the ferret is alive is that they are "floppy" but still warm to the touch (rigor mortis has not set in) - they will not respond to "wake up ferret" - in fact, it is such a severe deep sleep that one can do just about anything to them and they will not wake up.
One's first reaction is to rush them to the vet which is what I nearly did the first time I encountered it.
This is NORMAL believe it or not!
Hold them in a comfortable position (usually with us ferret owners is the same as cradling a baby
)Stroke them gently, rub their paws, scratch their ears - they WILL wake up
Don't panic and don't try to aggressively wake them - they WILL wake up (eventually)
Again, it is nothing to be concerned about - what it means is that they are content with life, feel safe (unlike in the wild) and are trusting of the environment that they are in.
The next time this happens I promise to make a video to show you - it's actually quite funny - you can clean their ears, cut their nails, put them is funny positions and laugh at them