Ferrets are popular animals as they offer their owners much entertainment with their playful personalities. Care must be taken to keep ferrets healthy so they can be their normal playful selves. There are many precautions that can be done to keep ferrets from getting sick.
Ferret owners should make sure they vaccinate their ferrets against various disease, especially rabies. Neutering or spaying ferrets is also recommended as well as the removal of the sacs that cause a musky ferret smell. This is known as descenting and is often done during the process of spaying or neutering the pet. It is also a good idea to regularly trim the ferret’s claws as the ferret can hurt itself with its claws or get and infection at the site of the nail.
There are a few medical conditions that ferrets are susceptible to, so it’s important to watch for warning signs of these. Canine distemper is something to avoid in ferrets as it has a 100% mortality rate, so proper precautions in avoiding this illness should be taken. A condition known as poly estrus occurs in female ferrets that have not been spayed. This is also known as being “in heat.” This occurs multiples times in the ferret breeding season that ranges from March to August. If the ferret owner does not want the ferret to have babies, it’s a good idea to keep the female ferret away from male ferrets that have not been neutered. It is a good idea to spay female ferrets not only to avoid it from breeding, but also because poly estrus can also be painful at times for the ferret.
It is important to take the ferret to the veterinarian immediately if it is in obvious pain, is having difficulty breathing, is bleeding excessively, is unresponsive, it cannot urinate or defecate, or it has had a seizure. These are signs of serious problems and they need to be addressed quickly so the ferret has the best chance at survival. It is unlikely that these things happen as they aren’t common in younger ferrets, but are things to watch out for when taking care of any animal. If good care is taken of the ferret, it is unlikely that any of these things will happen in its younger years.
i have 2 ferrets and they smell alot i have triedto wash and clean to my best but the smell just wont go away what couldi do about this ?
Hi Michelle
Well you will have to first determine what is causing your ferret’s smell as there are a variety of reason why your ferrets could be having the smell. I am sure you are aware that ferrets naturally have a smell. The reason behind the smell could be breeding season, earwax.
You can deal with your ferret smell once you know how cause it might be as simple you having to clean his ears each week if earwax is the cause.
my ferret had a fit the other day out of the blue. it was not excessively hot does anyone know a reason for this?