Please note that I am always happy to reply to any queries or comments you send but if you’re writing to ask me a question about your ferret’s health, please remember that I live in Australia so if you’re in the States or the UK, I won’t get your email till I wake up. Then by the time I reply, it’ll be your night – that means we’ve wasted 24 hours due to time differences.
Ferrets can go downhill pretty rapidly so if you think that your ferret is unwell, PLEASE don’t write to me to ask what I think.
Take it to the vet asap and get it checked out so that you’re sure that there’s nothing wrong with it. Just a day or so can mean the difference between life and death for your ferret!
Thank you 😀
I have recently acquired ferret #4. This has been about two weeks since Rossi joined our family. Since then, I’ve noticed that the litterbox smells like a dead animal. I clean the litterbox everyday and make sure there’s clean food and water daily as well, but the smell is unmistakable. Rossi is due for his vaccinations in about a month and I will pass this onto the vet, but until then is there anything I can do? Everyone’s poop looks normal and they are acting like normal fuzzies, it’s just the smell. Any suggestions?
Thank you!!!!!
Hi Brandi – is Rossi eating the same food as he got from his previous owner? Just wondering if he might be having a slight stomach upset by the change in kibble? American owners have told me that Marshall Ferret Food can make a ferret’s poop smell really stinky. Also IBD can make a stressed ferret’s poop smelly so maybe Rossi has a mild case of that and having come to a new home, it’s triggered it?
It might be an idea to get a good probiotic and give it to him to see if that will settle his stomach and help to reduce the smell. It certainly wouldn’t hurt him 🙂
Good luck and I hope the cause of his smelly poop isn’t due to a medical problem! Hugs to your awesome foursome from their new buddies down under 😀
Cheers
~Nona
Hi, so glad I found your site. I’ve got 3 ferrets, 2 boys and a girl, Dolly. We dont know the ages of any of them. They live outside in a massive aviary but come inside every day to play. Since the new year Dolly has occasionally fallen over, maybe 2-3 times a month. At all other times she’s fine, eats, drinks, doesnt play so much, the boys play really rough, but she potters around the house. Today she’s eaten well, drunk and been up and down the stairs but i just checked on them now they’re all alseep in their pen and I noticed she’s dribbling and her eyes look watery. I searched the internet for ideas but nothing seems to match, any clue?
Many thanks : )
Hi Andrea
I fear that your Dolly has insulinoma 🙁 Take a look at the symptoms on this page and if you think that’s what she’s got, then please take her to a ferret vet for treatment. They can’t cure this awful disease but will put her on prednisolone and that should lessen the symptoms.
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/insulinoma-in-ferrets.html
If she only eats dry food, you might want to try and give her a more “raw” diet as I’ve heard that also helps. My guys totally refuse to eat raw, as such. If I give them chicken wings, they will stash them in my underwear drawer – very thoughtful of them but not something I appreciate! LOL! 😀 I give them a plate of turkey mince at night when we put them in our bathroom and they seem to like that. They are so picky as they won’t touch chicken mince, or chopped chicken thighs, nor do they like red meat. I don’t know if your babies will be as fussy as mine but keep trying and hopefully you’ll pick something they love 🙂 If you do try them on fresh meat, please make sure they don’t stash bits around their aviary as it could cause problems if they eat it when it goes off.
You might also want to think of giving Dolly some supplements to keep her immune system as strong as possible. I’ve written out my smoothie recipe on my Natural Remedies page as one of my girls has adrenal gland disease ATM and the smoothie keeps her going!
Hugs to Dolly and your boys from their new buddies down under 😀
Cheers
~Nona
Hello, from the USA. I have 2 ferrets My male is a albino I bought for a buddie for my female. She is the (racoon colors) she came with a large cage from a family that moved out the of house that I just bought poor thing was not taken care of properly. She was covered in fleas. Which I finally got her free of. My male was at the pet store for so long he was already an adult when I rescued him.The store said no one wanted him because they thought he was evil due to his red eyes. Lucky for me. right .I’m always rescuing animals of all types. Animals give unconditional love. I am a veteran of the USNavy. I was sexually assaulted while in the service by my on command. Because of it I am disabled. I become a prisoner of my own home. Because no matter where i work or go men can’t think with their big head once the little head takes over they get stuip. Anyway to make a long story short, I want to raise Ferrets I have so many friends wanting my Ferrets and knowing the joy and peace they give me I’d like to share this with other vets. My Male does the war dance with me all the time. He likes taking my bras and hiding them from me. My female likes to hide my phone chargers i put in baggies to keep them from tangleing. how can I find Ferrets that havn’t been fixed? Or at least a very young ferret just weaned. My ferrets do not like to snuggle just war dance with me. Please help, and if you ever need dry ferret food let me know we have plenty here. Thanks Kelly from Illinois.
Hi there Kelly! Great to hear from you 😀
I totally agree with you … animals do give us unconditional love and I don’t understand people who don’t feel that! No idea how people could let go of their dogs/cats/ferrets (and other animals) which have been living with them for maybe years like trash 🙁
Your dynamic duo were so lucky to have you to look after 🙂 They certainly landed on their feet with you giving them their forever home!
If you want to have whole ferrets then I would guess you should ask breeders in the US if you could get one. I honestly don’t know if breeders will allow you to get a whole ferret – they might insist that you sterilize your ferret once they become old enough – but, again, I don’t know what their rules would be. I made a list on this page …
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/ferret-breeders-in-the-us.html
but, to be honest, I don’t know how up-to-date the information is 😮 Hopefully it’s still current so I’d suggest you email the one closest to where you live and ask them all the questions you need to. I really hope you’ll get the right answers 😀
Thank you so much for your offer of dry ferret food – I do appreciate it but don’t think our customs people would, plus it’d cost an arm and a leg to get it mailed to Australia :/
Don’t forget, Kelly, we have a fun group of ferret lovers on my forum so if you feel like chatting more, please join us there!! Would love to be able to talk more with you and hear more about your dynamic duo! Hugs to your little guys from my gang down under 🙂
Cheers
~Nona
Need to know what can be used safely to kill fleas on my ferrets 5 vets in my town and none know anything about ferrets
Hi Ronnie
I used Revolution when I had a flea infestation and it worked like a charm.
I believe the Revolution Cat (5-15lbs) is recommended by US vets but our vet here in Oz told me to get a Large Dog (40-85lb) packet and to use 10 drops each for my boys, and 8 drops each for my girls. I put the drops in an old spoon, sucked it up with a clean syringe and then squirted it onto my guys.
Just one pipette worked for 6 ferrets so was cheaper than using one pipette of the Cat for each of my guys.
I have collars on all my ferrets so I put the drops under where the collar would lie rather than between the shoulder blades as I didn’t want another ferret to lick that spot.
If you put it between the shoulder blades, it would be best to keep the ferrets separated until their fur dried.
If your house needs a flea bomb, please make sure you vacuum your floors once you get back inside before letting your pets run around.
Whatever you do, do NOT put flea collars on your babies!! Too dangerous as if another ferret licks the collar, it could prove fatal 🙁
This article would be good for you to read …
flea control for ferrets written by Dr Susan Brown on the VIN website.
Cheers 🙂
Nona
Thank you will try the revolution just so much Miss information out there wanted to here from experience also have read the article. Again thanks for the info.
Always happy to help 😀
Hello!
First of all thanks for this amazing information on website! Well I`m from Brazil and here we have a very poor knowledge about ferrets and we also don`t have any veterinary specialized in Ferrets… so I really appreciate if you can give me special attention… I’m with 2 ferrets and they have a very different behaviors. The female is very sweetie and always come to be close to me but the male is getting even more unsociable with any “human”. He came after the female and when he came he was biting us a lot and I used the “no” method and he stopped biting but now I don’t know how to make him sweetie… I can only have him in my arms when he is waking up or very tired after so many hours playing… can you suggest any method to make him less “unsociable”? yesterday I notice a black spot in his teeth when he was yawning and I`m worried if this can be a “carie”. They only eat feed (Nutropica)… can he get carie? Another doubt is do you know what is the dosage of Omega 3 (EPA + DHA) recommended to ferrets?
thanks a lot once again!
Hi Cyntia – thank you so much for your comments about my site. I am so glad that you found it useful 🙂
YES! Ferrets can get tooth decay (caries) and the pain will make the poor ferret very unhappy, just like with humans.
I had three males with bad teeth and after the vet fixed the problem, they were much happier 🙂 Mind you, it’s expensive here in Australia – it seems that each tooth cost me about A$50 to pull out/clean, so when my rescue BEW, Spook, had 6 teeth removed, it was A$300 😮
Re the Omega 3 dose – I give my guys a few drops of krill oil in their smoothie, together with other supplements, and they seem to find it very beneficial so I’m sure that your ferrets will too 🙂
I only have one ferret vet on my page for Brazil…
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/ferret-vets-brazil.html
so if you have the names of other good vets, I would really appreciate you telling me so that I can add them 🙂
Big hugs to your ferrets from their new friends down under!
Cheers
~Nona
Hi, yesterday the keeper handed in a ferret because he knew that we had lost a couple the ferret wasn’t ours but it was unhealthy so we took it in,
It is very skinny and nervous and it couldn’t walk on it’s right front leg, also it is sleepy all of the time.
what should I do?
Oh Daisy, I would suggest you take it to a (ferret) vet to be checked out.
The poor little thing might have broken its front leg, or damaged it somehow, and it might also have been either lost or abandoned for quite a while and that’s why it’s skinny and nervous.
If the vet fixes it up and you decide to keep it, I feel sure that a lot of TLC will help to make it less nervous and, once it feels safe and relaxed with you, it’ll put on weight and be a happy member of your family.
Big hugs to all your babies but especially this poor little thing from their new friends down under 🙂
~Nona
Hi! I just got a 7 month old boy, he free runs whenever I or my boyfriend are home, and only goes in his cage when we’re sleeping or gone. Do you think it’ll be hard to potty train him? I spend almost 24/7 at home, and stay up till about 6am and wake up around 1pm so he isn’t in there terribly long. I put his food in there and I plan to put news paper on top of the tshirts away from his food and water.
Also I have out door cats that bring in fleas, do you think my best bet would be a vet for treatment or do you know anything I can order? Thank you!
Oooh Cheyenne – I honestly don’t know how good your boy will be re potty training. Some ferrets take to being taught without any problems while other ferrets are stubborn as anything and refuse to do what they know they should! 😮
I hope your boy is the former but only you will know if he’s open to your training or not 🙂
I’ve used one single use tube of Revolution for Cats 5-15lb on each ferret and the fleas disappeared, however it’s been suggested that the ferret should be tested for heartworm before getting the Revolution. Since we don’t live in a heartworm area, it didn’t worry me but you might want to think about that if you do live where heartworm is prevalent.
You might also find this article interesting – just scroll down to “Ferrets” …
http://www.drugs.com/vet/advantage-multi-imidacloprid-moxidectin-topical-solution-for-cats.html
Hope that’s been of some help 🙂
Hugs to your little guy from his new buddies down under!
Cheers
~Nona
I managed to potty train him after 2 out of cage accidents!:-)
But I’ve noticed he’s a biter, do you have any advice? The woman I got him from says hes 7 months old and I’ve tried scruffing but he doesn’t seem to comprehend that — also he’s deaf so he can’t hear my tone or even me say anything haha. I’m really patient with him and don’t strike or flick, so maybe he’s just stubborn?
Thank you so much! — your nebraska friends
Hi Cheyenne
I’ve never had a deaf ferret so I’m not sure what to suggest 🙁
If he could hear, I’d suggest putting something like Bitter Apple on your hand so that he could equate your saying “No Biting” with the unpleasant taste on your hand.
I’d suggest you check out this page written by an old timer ferret owner who’s had experience with deaf ferrets. She has a lot of advice about training with a laser, etc, so hopefully you’ll find something to help you with training your little guy 🙂
http://wolfysluv.com/deaf.html
Cheers 😀
Thanks for a brilliant site. My husband went for a walk with the dogs 2 nights ago and found a skinny little abandoned ferret in the woods in a box. The lid of the box had been left open but the little fella wouldn’t get out. My husband bought him home and I have been on a steep learning curve about ferrets ever since (a bit ocd about researching things!). Quite a change for me as I am a a bit of a reptile nut! Anyhoo, stuck a quick 4ft vivarium together for him as a stop gap and as soon as the shops opened on Sunday, went and got the necessary food ect, picking up his new house later on today. He has been named Clint and he has stolen our hearts, we are going to work really hard to settle him in with our lizards/dogs/cats, get his nuts chopped off and fatten him up. If all goes according to plan then we will be taking him to a ferret rescue place to choose a friend in a month or two. Fate has be very kind to us bringing this beautiful little boy into our lives. 🙂
I am so glad you found my site useful, Rebecca 😀
Clint is one very lucky ferret to have been found by your husband but how rotten of his previous owners to just abandon him in a box in the woods! Grrrr >:(
It seems like he’s already wrapped himself in your heartstrings and you’ll understand how wonderful and engaging these little guys are! They are so special and bring so much love and laughter into their owners’ lives 😀
Big hugs to Clint from his new friends down under and I am SO glad that he found such a great forever home! “Onya!” as we say in Oz (short for “good on ya”) 🙂
Cheers
~Nona
Hi
There is something funny happening with the forum.
When I try to log on the login page throws up errors messages.
After logging in, it tells me login has been successful, but then I can’t actually do anything as I’m apparently not really logged on.
Michael
Hi Michael
Yes, there’s something wrong with the forum. I can’t post anything if I’m in Chrome or Firefox but can when I use IE as my browser.
We don’t have any workmates who know phpBB so Philip has to find someone to do the work for us.
Will keep you up-to-date about what’s happening and I apologise for the glitch 🙁
Cheers
~Nona
PS Have you tried logging on with a different browser to see if it lets you?
Michael – the forum has been repaired and is working properly again. Please take a look and let us know how you and your gang are doing 🙂
Cheers
Nona
Hello! I’ve commented here before about my little man Charlie and it helped a lot so I’m back with another question. About a week after we got him we came to the conclusion he was deaf, he didn’t respond to any form of sound, only vibration. Now we’ve had him since about July and have been cleaning his ears every 3 weeks, since about a or so ago he’s been getting spooked and I turned on the hand held mini vacuum and he was the first one to get spooked and not Frank our other ferret that we know can hear (he was sleeping and continued to sleep). He was also very affectionate towards me and since I’ve noticed him being able to slightly hear (at least what it seems to me) he hides whenever I or anyone tries to interact with him.
Does any of this make sense? I’m very confused and we miss our sweet boy.
Hi Cheyenne
Your Charlie is absolutely GORGEOUS! Thanks so much for sharing his photo with me! ❤️ Eeek – I could squeeze him to pieces 😀
I don’t know why Charlie’s hiding now instead of being his old affectionate self- that doesn’t really make sense, does it?
I would suggest you make time to hold him so that you can stroke him and while doing so, just tell him he’s a lovely little guy and you love him, etc, etc. Hopefully hearing your soothing voice might just make him realise you’re the good guy and not to be frightened.
Perhaps when he was deaf he was happy in his silent cocoon but now that his hearing is better, he obviously is getting spooked by the sounds.
I honestly don’t know if that will work but I hope it will! Just make him feel secure and loved and I’m sure your little guy will turn back into his old affectionate self 🙂
Big hugs to Charlie and Frank!
Cheers
~Nona
Thank you so much! As I was posting that last night he gave me a big kiss on my hand, that’s the first kiss he’s given me since he’s been spooked. My momma kitty was killed the other day by a pitbull and she left behind 4 kittens, Frank tries rough housing them (probably because Charlies more dominant and he knows the kittens aren’t), but Charlie has been super affectionate towards them and it makes my heart melt. I’m so happy they’re getting love from our more dominant baby. My boyfriend also said thank you for being so responsive, he knows how hard it’s been for me since my momma cat died and we both really appreciate the advice, I was very scared after my momma cat died that first I lost her and now I was losing the love of my Charlie.
Thank you so much.
Oh Cheyenne – I’m so very sorry to hear about your momma cat :'( I can imagine how distressed you must have been but how lovely that Charlie is being the big brother! What a sweet, sweet boy!
It was lovely to hear that he gave you a kiss – he sounds like a real sweetheart and I’m really glad that he’s back to being his affectionate self again 😀
I put this link up on my Furquin’s Ferrets page on FB a couple of days ago. I don’t know if you’re on FB so have already seen it but I thought you’d find this a lovely article!
https://www.thedodo.com/rescue-kitten-adopted-ferrets-1405365021.html
I’m really glad that I could be of some help to you guys 🙂
Best wishes
~Nona
I saw that article a day or so before my poor baby was killed. I loved it so much and didn’t think it would be relevant until that happened. Thank you so much for all your help, I appreciate the reinsurance and advice.
Hi
I just tried accessing the forum and got a message saying the domain name has expired.
Just thought I’d let you know.
Thanks for the heads up, Michael! I tried getting onto the forum this morning but got a message to say there was difficulty accessing the page so I thought it was the (slow) internet’s fault.
Philip got his wallet pickpocketed last month and he forgot to give the hosting/domain companies his new card number! Silly billy 😛
He’s corrected the mistake so hopefully you’ll be able to get on soon 🙂
Cheers
~Nona
Hi I’m Daniel.
I wonder if mustela navilis is recommended for person (child) with low immunity.
Hi Daniel
I really don’t think a least weasel would be a good pet for a child – they’re very small, very fast and their teeth are very sharp!
Have you seen the video of someone’s pet weasel on YouTube? You can see Ozzy the weasel playing with his owner and while I’m sure he’s not biting hard on the guy’s finger, it wouldn’t be good for a child to have a weasel clamping down on their finger 😮
Cheers
~Nona
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy6oaDzy0-Q
Hello,
I am a veterinarian in Marietta, GA, USA that sees ferrets. Could you please add me to your list.
Marietta Vet Clinic
Julian Peckich DVM
3696 Largent Way Ste 200
Marietta, GA 30064 USA
404-919-5150
http://www.MariettaVetClinic.com
Hi Julian
Thank you so very much for letting me know you treat ferrets. I’ve added your name to the Ferret Vets Georgia page 🙂
Love your cartoon … that ferret looks a bit like me when my guys get a bit too boisterous! LOL! 😀
Cheers
~Nona
I’m ferret was drinking lots of water and had the runs I Tock him to the vet and 3 days later I had to get him put down the vet said he had dyabis
Oh Karen, I am so very sorry to hear that :'(
I do believe we’ll see our babies again at the Rainbow Bridge and when he sees you, he’ll do his best weasel wardance to greet you!
Hugs from across the seas
~Nona
hello, i recently acquired a ferret from a friend who thought she was pregnant but started to show signs that she is in heath, he would like to try and pair her up again with the male since he is a licensed ferret breeder but i am apprehensive due to her age.
Is it safe to breed them when they are 4 years of age?
Sara, you said that your friend is a licensed breeder so do you not trust his judgement about putting your girl with a full male?
With my last litter both my girls had their kits at the same time – Fidget was 2 years old at the time and she had 6 kits without any problems.
Friskie was a rescue so I didn’t know her true age but I think she would have been around 4 when I mated her. She had 12 kits … she only managed to give birth to 6 kits by herself so I had to rush her down to the vet. He put her on a drip to help her to expel the other kits but the other 6 she gave birth to were all stillborn 🙁
I don’t know what would have happened if I didn’t have Fidget to nurse Friskie’s newborn babies while she was at the vet!
Then about a week later she developed mastitis so I had to put her kits in with Fidget again while Friskie was put on antibiotics to clear up the problem.
So … I honestly don’t know if we had these problems because Friskie was older or it was just bad luck.
I personally think it would be better to either put your female with a vasectomised hob or give her a jill jab and, once she’s out of season, have her sterilised so that you don’t have to worry about her coming into heat again!
There are so many things which *could* go wrong with ferret pregnancies and/or their kits but if everything goes well, watching your kits growing is fabulous. But then there’s the worry of finding good homes for them ….!!!
So, long story short – I honestly don’t know if it’s safe to breed jills when they’re 4 years old. I suppose if your girl is in good health then it should be okay.
Hope that’s been on some help 🙂
Thanks for the time to create the page, it’s very informative.
Hi ,My ferret Wally has a scabby wart like thing growing under his chin it is not sore and doesn’t appear to be getting bigger that is diameter wise but is getting longer . I have had him to the vet and she said to monitor it and remove it if necessary .He is 5 years old now had just got over a bout of what we think was ECE which took ages to clear. I am concerned about surgery as an option . He is also shedding fur and as you are in AUS maybe you could tell me if your ferrets are doing the same?
Thanks for your advice Love Wally and his worrying dad Robert
G’day Robert 🙂
Sorry to hear about Wally’s wart.
Take a look at my page on mast cell tumours – it seems like that’s what Wally’s got.
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/mast-cell-tumors-in-ferrets.html
From what I’ve read, these tumours are mostly benign but I think your vet is right in saying keep an eye on it and remove it if necessary.
To be honest, I don’t know how Wally would go under anaesthetic … if he’s just got over a bad illness then I think it might be wise to not put him under but then if the mast cell tumour gets bigger ….
Is your vet a ferret vet? I do know that Dr David Vella, who’s based in Sydney, is very happy to help other vets out if they need advice or suggestions.
http://www.exoticsvet.com.au/
Yes – my boys are shedding like mad ATM. I guess it’s because it’s springtime, even though it’s still pretty cold in WOz 😀 I wouldn’t worry about the shedding unless you see Wally becoming bald up along his spine, as that would indicate adrenal problems 🙁
I hope that’s been of some help to you.
Big hugs to Wally from his new buddies across the Nullarbor 😉
Cheers
~Nona
I have two beautiful ferrets who are now three years old. One one them has had diarrhea over the last two weeks, which has now become more liquid. They have been eating, drinking and playing as usual. Their appearance does not suggest illness or even dehydration. I’m heartbroken with the idea of loosing him. Anyone experienced anything similar?
Tanymara … have you changed their diet or given them anything different during those two weeks?
Some ferrets have very sensitive stomachs and eating different food could cause the diarrhea.
However, it might just be a stomach bug which the vet could fix with antibiotics.
Please find a good ferret vet and take your boy to him for a check up. At least then you’ll find out if it’s serious or not!
Hugs to your dynamic duo from their new friends down under 😀
Cheers
~Nona
I am going to USA for 4 weeks in August/September 2017 and I need someone to come over to my place in …… to feed and water my 4 ferrets and clean up after them. They run free (not caged). They all have had all their injections by a vet. Someone who can handle ferrets, likes them, honest and trustworthy. I will pay them a fee (cover time and petrol). Food will be left in fridge. Thankyou.
Is there a place to rehome them for 4 weeks or a boarding place for ferrets in ….. That would be a great help too. If you know somewhere. Please reply to my email listed below. Thankyou. Kind regards and merry xmas.
Hi Eileen
I’ll be replying to your query by email shortly 😀
I hope you and your fuzzies have a great Christmas and all the best for 2017 too!
Cheers
~Nona
I have a fantastic vet near me who I’d like you to put their details on your website please. Royston Vets on Newmarket Road, Royston Hertfordshire (on the Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire & Essex boarder)
http://www.roystonvets.com/
They specialise in a lot and also cover exotic animals. David is an amazing vet and the only person I would trust with my ferrets other than the Cambridge Vets you already have listed.
Many thanks.
Hi Carrie
Thank you SO much for telling me about Royston Vets.
I’ve added their clinic to the Hertfordshire page and mentioned that they were highly recommended by a ferret owner 🙂
I think it’s always much nicer to know that people are so happy with the treatment they get for their furbabies that they take the time to let me know so I can pass that information on to other ferret owners!
Hope you and your little ones have a very Merry Christmas and terrific 2017 😀
Hugs to your babies from their new friends down under!
Cheers
~Nona
Does anyone know of a ferret rescue/breeder in the West Yorkshire area? I need to get some poo to stop rats coming back into my shed.
Just realised you are in Australia, so don’t suppose you can help!
Hi Kathleen
I have a list of English ferret shelters so I hope you find someone close by so that you can get your ferret poop 😉
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/ferret-shelters-in-the-uk.html
Cheers
~Nona
Hello,
I recently had a tenant with a ferret move out after 4 years. There was poop everywhere. I threw away all the carpet and foam, had the concrete scrubbed and bleached, put down new luxury plank flooring, replaced all the baseboards and had the place painted. Still can not get of the bad (smells like urine to me) odor. It’s stronger in a few places but it’s in the whole 1300 sq. ft. apartment. I’m considering pulling up the new floor and having the concrete floor treated and sealed. Such a huge expense. Thought I’d check with you before proceeding?? Thanks
Hi Arie
To be honest, I have no idea what advice to give you about your floor 🙁
My first thought was for you to keep on renting your apartment to ferret lovers, then you wouldn’t have to pull up the plank flooring. And if you did allow ferret owners to rent your place, then perhaps have 3 monthly inspections to make sure that the renters don’t allow their ferret/s to poop and piddle everywhere?!
There are many things free-roam ferret owners can do to prevent their pets from soiling the floor – they could buy plastic carpet runners from a hardware store and put them down in corners, then put litter trays/newspapers on top to encourage their ferrets to use those corners, for instance. Maybe you should also charge a pet bond which you can use if there are damages?
However I’m sorry – I can’t advise you about whether you should pull up the new floor and seal the concrete beneath. Only you &/or your insurance company can answer that question 🙂
Hope what I’ve said has helped somehow!
Cheers
~Nona
My ferret recently started coughing/choking at night. Checked his airway, no blockage. His color is normal and he’s eating and drinking ok. But also notice that since this has started, he sleeps with his tongue out now. Please help
Hi Jennifer
I really would urge you to get your boy checked out by a ferret-savvy vet.
I honestly can’t imagine what the problem is but I don’t think him sleeping with his tongue out is a sign that something’s wrong 😮 I used to have a few ferrets who did that when they were sleeping and I thought it was the cutest thing ever <3
I have two sable brothers at the moment who were rescues and when they came to me, one of them used to have a terrible cough which really sounded worrying. I took him to my vet, she checked him over carefully and said his chest was fine, as were all other vitals so told me not to worry about his coughing!
I give my guys a daily smoothie which consists of ...
1 free range egg yolk
200ml no lactose milk
1 Astaxanthin capsule which I make a hole in and squeeze the liquid supplement into the jug
Whisk it all together and serve!
They absolutely love it and when they hear me using the electric beater they come running into the kitchen licking their lips 🙂
You can read about Astaxanthin here …
https://www.naturalnews.com/Files/Astaxanthin.pdf
It’s a very powerful antioxidant and I hope that by giving my wolverines a capsule a day in their smoothie, it will help to protect their bodies from any nasty things! I’ve also found that his cough only happens occasionally now, whereas he used to cough several times a day when I first got him!
So, Jennifer, I think if you get your boy checked over by the vet and he gets a clean bill of health, like mine did, then I’d suggest you give him the same smoothie as I make and I hope that will keep him in good health.
Do you have a ferret vet near to where you live? If you don’t, please take a look at the vets page and hopefully you’ll find a good vet in your area …
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/ferret-vets.html
I hope that’s been of some help!
Hugs to your little man from his new buddies down under 😀
Cheers
~Nona
nora how much do ferrets usualy cost
i would love to have a ferret but i dont know if they would go good with 2 dogs 1 cat and 1 snake.
~ aaliyah
Hi Aaliya
In Australia our ferrets cost between A$60-100 but then you have to factor in the cost of having them sterilised or getting an implant to neuter them when they are older. I’m afraid I have no idea how much ferrets cost in the USA 🙁
I think you shouldn’t get a ferret if you have a snake as a pet. Just MHO 😀
Cheers
~Nona
ok but what if i want to get a ferret could i just keep the snake in one room and the ferret in the other
great job makeing this wedsite its awsome
Hello Aaliyah! Great to see you here again 😀
Ferrets need a lot of time with their owners when they’re awake and it would be cruel to have a ferret and find you’re leaving it in its cage because you’re busy with another pet.
I honestly have no idea what attention snakes need – I personally find reptiles scary – but I do know that dogs and cats can get on with ferrets! Have you seen this page of mine …
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/ferrets-and-other-pets.html
As you can see – ferrets can be best friends with dogs and cats as long as you introduce them carefully but I have NO idea what it’s like to have a snake as a pet. That’s why I thought it would be best not to have a ferret in the house 🙁
I would hate it if you got a ferret and found he/she was a lot of work and so you just kept the poor animal in a cage the whole time and then handed it over to a shelter as you didn’t want it anymore :'(
Ferrets are very sociable animals and when they’re awake, they need human interaction and lots of love!!
Is that the same with snakes? Are they happy to be on their own or do they want human interaction? I seriously have no idea!
Aailyah … I just don’t want you to be torn between two pets which need a lot of attention and you find you ignore the ferret 🙁
Think about it 🙂
Cheers
~Nona
Thank you so much, Aaliyah!
I really appreciate your comment 🙂
I got my first ferret in 1994 and have been an absolutely ferret slave since then 😉 I love them to pieces and hope I will always have a ferret in the house!
This website is absolutely a work of love <3
Cheers
~Nona
i dont reall play with any of my other pets because i have 9 brothers and 4 sisters so they take care of them so i wont be busy so i do i convince my mom and dad to let me get one i got my first ferret when i was 7 and now im 14 and my ferret died 2 years ago but him and my snake got along just fine is was cool they would sleep with each other
Oh Aaliyah, I didn’t know you’ve had a ferret before!
Well if your parents are happy for you to have another one and they’ll help you with vet bills and getting good food for it, then sure thing! If you promise to keep your ferret busy and happy and shower it with lots of love, which I am sure you will do!! 😀
Ooooh, amazing to hear that your old ferret used to cuddle up to your snake! That really surprises me 😮
Do let me know if you do get a ferret as I’d love to know what you called it and what it looks like 😛
Cheers
~Nona
Hi my little boy wally has a large tumour in his abdomen and has insulinoma as well .He is on preds. I have started him on essiac tea but have read and been told that it will lower glucose levels . He had a bad cough probably from the tumour pushing and shoving his internals around hence the try with essiac tea.I get so much confusing data off the net but whether it be coincidence or not wally has not coughed since yesterday morning he would cough bad twice a day for about 5-10 secs then stop . The pred dose is 1.5mg twice a day and i give him 1ml twice a day of essiac . I only started the essiac yesterday .He is eating well grazes on quality biscuits , duck soup and quality tin food.My vet only gave him a short time so i will try anything Regards
Robert
my comment has been taken down is that normal? i am trying to find out about insulinoma and essiac tea
Hi Robert
No, your comment hasn’t been taken down! I only just approved both comments so you should see it displayed here 🙂
I will answer your comment in a little while as it’s early morning now in WOz and I need to get my husband off to work!!
Cheers
~Nona
Hi Robert
I am so sorry to hear about Wally – poor little man 🙁
Glad to hear the Essiac tea is helping. I read that Essiac Tonic is good to give to ferrets with tumours so you might want to change the tea to the tonic?!? Have you read this article about it? I found the part about “Our Personal Experience with Essiac” to be of great interest and I think you’ll find it interesting too …
w.newrainbowbridge.com/herbal/essiac.htm
I got Essiac Tonic for my silvermitt girl, Kimiko, as she had lymphoma and it really really helped her! I was quite amazed to see how she improved in a week but sadly when Mojo my albino girl, died — who was Kimiko’s great buddy — she just gave up and refused to take the Essiac any more 🙁
Another good supplement is Astaxanthin …
http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2013/4/Astaxanthin-Provides-Broad-Spectrum-Protection/Page-01
Then there is Turmeric …
Vets frequently recommend the addition of turmeric to your dog or cat’s diet if they have been diagnosed with cancer. Offer your pet up to a quarter of a teaspoon per day for every 10 pounds of your pet’s weight. Turmeric can also be good for reducing arthritis inflammation and pain in pets!
http://www.earthclinic.com/pets/turmeric.html
Information about a ferret on turmeric …
Her ferret, Sammy, had enlarged lymph glands and wasn’t well at all but, a month after being on his supplements, his vet was surprised to see an amazing improvement, saying that it was like he was checking out another ferret!
I found this site which talks about turmeric being beneficial for ferrets with lymphoma, but it was written in 2007 ?
http://wanderweasel.blogspot.com.au/2007/10/lymphoma-turmeric-as-supportive-therapy.html
I have two ferrets at the moment – twins aged about 2.5 years old – and I noticed one of the boys’ tail was losing hair. Naturally the first thing that popped into my mind was adrenal but the loss of hair is not adrenal in its pattern. It’s just on the underside of the tail.
I give them a daily smoothie of no lactose milk, one egg yolk, one soft gel astaxanthin capsule (I make a hole in the capsule and squeeze the liquid into the milk), 10 drops of Turmeric (Whole Rhizome, Turmeric, 1 fl oz (30 ml)) and 5 drops of Adrenal Support. I blend it thoroughly with an electric mixer and then give it to my guys.
They go crazy for it, as did all my other ferrets in the past, and quite often the boys will come into the kitchen when they hear me mixing the smoothie and you can almost see them licking their lips in anticipation 😀
Have a look through the links and see what you think might be the best supplement/s for Wally. I would recommend you putting the supplement/s into a daily smoothie for him as I think he’d really enjoy licking it up.
If you’re unsure where to get those supplements from, I get mine from iHerb.com. They ship to Australia and I find their prices very reasonable.
I’ve also been told that Milk Thistle is good for a ferret on pred to help any strain on their liver so you might want to consider giving Wally that as well. I have all the information on my page about insulinoma …
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/insulinoma-in-ferrets.html
I hope that’s been some help to you, Robert, and that you manage to find something to give your little man which will improve his quality of life.
I don’t know if you read my story about Mojo (my albino girl) – she had an extended stomach so I took her to the vet who said her liver was very swollen and that I should go home and make her comfortable as she didn’t think she’d last a week.
I did some research and gathered the supplements to put in her smoothie and lo and behold, I kept Mojo going in pretty good health for another 18 months, much to my vet’s amazement! So please don’t lose hope!
Wishing you the very best of luck with your endeavours and please give Wally a big hug from his new buddies down under 😀
Cheers
~Nona
Hi Nona thank you for your reply .I do live in Australia as well but thanks anyway
Oh sorry about that, Robert! I thought you were in the UK as you spelled tumour the “correct” way 😉 I don’t get many Aussies writing to me!
This is the URL for the iHerb site …
https://au.iherb.com/
They are the only ones I’ve found with the supplements I need and as I said, their prices are very reasonable!
Many greetings from across the Nullarbor 😀
Cheers
~Nona
Hi again Nona,
I was wondering if you get your milk thistle in liquid form ? Would you able to give me some ideas on quantity for wally at 1.4kgs and any other of the supplements you have mentioned . I get confused with so many so i will go with what you tell me and the amounts needed. I look forward to your reply and i will go shopping tomorrow.The essiac tonic- it looks like i can only get it from the link you provided above. He is a real fussy bugger as well so anything i give him i have to hide but i will try the smoothie tomorrow as i have just woke him up to give him his meds a quick run in the back yard then he went back to bed. You mention astaxanthin capsule plus adrenal support where would i get them from. My vet is trying but is not ferret savvy so anywhere else other then local is a fair trip on everyone concerned .Thanks for being tolerant and understanding Wally and i appreciate your help.
Hi Robert
Yes, I do get liquid milk thistle. This is the brand …
https://au.iherb.com/pr/Nature-s-Answer-Milk-Thistle-Alcohol-Free-2-000-mg-1-fl-oz-30-ml/5159
and I used to put 5 drops into their smoothie.
And yes, the Essiac Tonic seems to be only available via iHerb. I got this brand …
https://au.iherb.com/pr/Herbs-Etc-Essiac-Tonic-2-fl-oz-59-ml/24569
When I gave it to Kimiko, I gave her 5 drops twice a day. I’d either mix it with a little bit of egg yolk or put it into a small dish of no lactose milk so that she’d take it. I am leery of giving anything to ferrets via a syringe in case I shoot the liquid down the wrong pipe! :/ However when Kimiko started to refuse to take the tonic in either the egg or milk, I did syringe it into the side of her mouth.
I get the Astaxanthin softgels from iHerb as well – as I said, I just prick a hole at the top of the softgel and squeeze the liquid into the smoothie. Don’t be alarmed if Wally’s poop has a reddish tint to it after he takes it as that’s just the Astaxanthin! I read that the best type to get is the Hawaiian Astaxanthin so if you look at the selection on iHerb, you’ll see there’s a brand called Nutrex Hawaii BioAstin. That’s the brand I get.
I don’t know if Wally would need the adrenal support tonic if he doesn’t have adrenal problems but again, it’s up to you and you can get it from iHerb in liquid form. I put 5 drops into my boys’ smoothie 🙂
If you’re keen to put Wally on turmeric, then this is the stuff I give my guys …
https://au.iherb.com/pr/Herb-Pharm-Whole-Rhizome-Turmeric-1-fl-oz-30-ml/15527
I put 10 drops of the turmeric into their daily smoothie and I hope it will help them as a preventative, as they aren’t ill at the moment and I’m hoping the turmeric will keep anything nasty at bay!
I have a ferret friend in Victoria who has a ferret with insulinoma and I told her about DMG …
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/dvms/dmg.html
I also told her about iHerb and she got a liquid form of DMG from iHerb and is giving it to her sick boy. I haven’t heard how he’s getting on so will ask her and let you know what she says. I think she’s had him on it for about a week now!
Hope that helps!
Please don’t hesitate to contact me again if you need any more information or help, as I’m more than happy to assist if I can!
Hugs to Wally 🙂
All the best
~Nona
Robert, this page tells you what the Essiac dose should be for ferrets with cancers …
http://www.newrainbowbridge.com/herbal/essiac_use.htm
8 drops x 4 times a day!
Hi Nona,
I have been mixing up the smoothie as you said without the adrenal support he lapped it up the first couple of times i tried this morning not interested i think it was a bit early for him. I was worried about the essiac tea is i had read it can impact insulin output so held it off for a dose .I had him on flusapex for fluid and every time with in an hour of getting it he would go into a coughing fit like he was choking.I stopped this now and have read that essiac has a natural diuretic so straight back on the essiac he went.Mum woke me at 3 am this morning saying that wally was coughing i went in his room not sure but he may have gagged on a biscuit still not good but better then the cough he has.He had a good run around the yard this morning in the rain jumped into my hand to be picked up and then promptly wanted back down again. I emailed the guy in the link above about essiac he suggested i take him off it because of the insulinoma. I think the tea has some benefit for him and am doing a juggling act to get it in the right balance.Anyway he has a pot belly possibly a combination of pred belly and the tumour but he ate well last night and as all ferrets should be he is spoiled rotten. A big thank you for your help so far and if it is okay i would like to contact you via here as things progress. I hope i can keep him going in comfort for as long as ethically possible.
Regards
Robert
Thank you for Wally’s update, Robert!
I have all fingers and toes crossed that the supplements will help your little guy and that he stays with you for longer than expected <3
Please do keep in touch.
All the best
~Nona
Hi Nona ,
Wally had a bad coughing fit today and he looks a bit sad. I go through terrible guilt trips about his illness like how did i miss it, could i have done more. I get so close to the euthanasia option when he coughs at it looks so hard on his little body. I owe my little man more then a needle but wonder if it is the best option then he goes a while with no cough then it starts again. I have tried all options it is fluid build up as he discharges a bit when coughing. A s much as i dislike flusapex i have put him back on it again and that will stay now until the end.
I dont know what to do now he is not well i know , my mum wants to keep trying and keep juggling the supplements as well as medication and go from there. I can deal with the insulinoma and the tumour but the cough sickens me .I feed him regular small meals he has plenty of fresh water and a nice soft bed. When he coughs bad he is laying on the floor which is hard for me to stop him doing.Sorry to be a pain with the replies but i am at wits end now .
Thanks again
Robert Kennedy
Hi Robert
I honestly can empathise with what you’re going through. Do you wait and see if the supplements work or do you take him to the vet for his final visit! Worst place to be and I truly feel for you 🙁
I honestly don’t know what to suggest! I’m afraid I’ve been the one who kept my girls and boys going for perhaps longer than was fair and it was just because I couldn’t bear to let them go.
I’ve found that ferrets will stop eating when they’ve had enough of life so maybe the fact that Wally is still eating, perhaps he’s not ready to let go?
Keep strong!
Nona
Hi Nona thank you for your reply and reassuring words.
Yes he is still eating and active to some extent but i am not sure if his hind legs are weakening or not,we have polished wooden floors and he struggles to get traction at times but outside he is fine so i need to step back from panic mode when he runs inside.
Wally is a real trooper has his good days and his bad today is a good one no coughing so far yesterday he was a bit off . It is warm here again so i try and keep him cool as i have noticed when he gets too hot he coughs so it is trial and error .
So for the time being he is still with me i said to a vet once i might not see him much but knowing he is there makes all the difference .
Thanks again Nona i will keep you updated on his progress
Robert
Wishing you all the best and hope you see an improvement in Wally with the supplements!
Hi Nona thank you for the lovely image.
I had my boy at the vets today he has put on a bit of weight she thinks it is more then likely the tumour grrrr. He had a bad cough this morning but has been quiet since i think he is exhausted from the vet visit.
Discussed with her the euthanasia question this morning and her reply was that i am the best judge for that as i see him at home in his natural and safe habitat and i can tell when he has had enough.He run around the vets like a kit the floor at the vets has more traction for him so it was good too see.I have the insulinoma in check as good as i can but this tumour is the big downfall at the moment.
I have tried so hard for him and take on board what you said about them stopping eating when the time is near so that is my guide for the future.
She did advise me to stop the milk thistle as it can be a bit strong on their liver.
Again thank you for your advice and help with my little man through his struggle it hasnt been in vain for i hope someone else out there reads out chats and it helps them with their little friends.
Warmest regards
Wally and Robert
Oh Robert – I hope it wasn’t the tumour which added to Wally’s weight gain 🙁 Does he look fuller to you?
I was thinking about Wally’s cough yesterday and I’d like to share something with you. When I got my two boys a couple of years ago, one of them had a terrible cough. I took them both to my vet for a check up and she couldn’t find anything wrong with either of them.
I squeezed the contents of 1 softgel Astaxanthin into their daily smoothie and kept it up since then until the other week when I thought I’d give them a rest from it. I noticed that one of the boys started coughing and wheezing again so I ordered more Astaxanthin and will be adding it to their smoothie again! Did you order any for Wally?
Hugs and a big kiss for your little man 😀
Cheers
~Nona
Hi Nona,
It is in red krill oil. I am going to use this as i spoke to the vet about it as well and she said it was a good thing as astaxanthin is in it .
It is so sad for them i wish he could talk to me. He does look a bit fuller and definitely has the pred belly happening. The vet said he was a bit tender today so that made me think it was the tumour. I am hoping it isnt he is eating okay not turning anything down so a day at a time.
He is sleeping now which is good .I have a bad habit of checking him all the time and disturbing while he recharges his battery.
Take care and i will hug him for you when he awakens
Robert
And please don’t forget the sloppy kiss on his nose 😉
Hi Nona,
Just a quick update- my little man is doing it hard he struggles to move at times eats heaps but poops just as much . I think it is getting close to the saddest day in my life . His little body is starting to show signs of wasting his coat looks great but his little bones are visible I am still trying so hard for him i have the vet looking at another medication to replace the preds as i think they are just about non effective.
I cry when i think of him and often wonder if i could have spotted the illnesses earlier.At times i know that what is coming is the best for him but then i think is there another thing i can do .
I am sorry that i get so emotional but as you know it is so hard to make the right decision . But he is still eating and is getting something from it all be it a small portion of what he needs.
Thanks again for all your help advice and encouragement Wally and i really appreciate it.
Regards
My little man Wally and Robert
Oh Robert – I do hope you find another drug to help Wally! I was talking to a FB friend whose ferret has been diagnosed with lymphoma and she was told to put her ferret on pred. She is not doing that because she reckons the pred hastened the death of her other two ferrets with insulinoma 😮
She’s getting Essiac tonic and astaxanthin to see how her girl goes with that!
I don’t know why your first vet said milk thistle was too strong for Wally’s liver – it’s to help the liver against the pred, which is the strong drug! Do you want to try him on that?
I am sending you both lots of positive vibes, Robert! Your little guy’s obviously a battler and doesn’t seem ready to let go :'(
Take care!
All the best
~Nona
Robert – another thought!
Have you read through my Natural Remedies page? If not, please look it over as you might get some ideas about perhaps giving Wally different supplements!
I also put the pdf about Astaxanthin up there for people to download and save – you could read the part about astaxanthin and animals!
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/natural-remedies-for-ferrets.html
The thing with astaxanthin is that it lowers the inflammation of a sick person which occurs inside the body (I know this from personal experience) but I don’t know if red krill oil will do the same thing. Wally’s CRP must be higher than it should be because of his tumour and insulinoma — giving him astaxanthin would help him to feel better within!
Please don’t think I’m nagging – am just trying to help <3
😀
Hi Nona my little man is still here but starting to slow down. The vet is getting me diazoxide it will be here Friday or earlier hopefully.
I took him outside when i got home and was walking back and forward getting him to follow me around hence getting exercise. He has got the pred belly big time causing him to struggle to walk so the vet is hoping the change of meds will help get a little bit of weight off easing his struggle to move. I have been giving him the milk thistle again as well as the smoothie .The vet wants me to keep him on the red krill she doesnt like milk thistle but too bad i have got to try it.
He is still eating but pooping heaps obviously the tumour in his belly is pushing a lot of his little stomach around. He had a bad cough today not a very loud hark as before but quiet and but longer , it distressed him heaps my mum nursed him until he calmed down . I know time is running out for him but i will be damned if i am going to go down without an effort.Hopefully the diazoxide will help him to be comfortable for the little bit he has left.
Thanks for allowing me to contact you i get easily upset when i talk about him to others .I tear up very easily at the moment he will not suffer when the time comes i will cuddle him and he will know we did our best for him.
Regards,
Wally and his friend Robert
Oh Robert – I’m hoping big time that the diazoxide will help Wally and he gets a new lease of life!
I can honestly empathise with your situation having been through that so many times with my guys 🙁 I have always loved animals and only found ferrets 24 years ago but each one of them grabbed my heart in a vice and they left big holes in my heart when they left!! I guess it’s because they give you love unconditionally, they make you laugh and yes, they make you cry at times, but mainly they are just wonderful little things. God’s little comedians, IMHO!
Sending many positive vibes to Wally and hope the new medicine works its magic.
Stay strong, Robert! Your little man needs you 🙂
Hi Nona,
The saddest day has arrived i had my little man put to sleep this morning, he went down hill very quickly had turned off food , was in pain all the time and was crying when he went to the toilet sleeping heaps and very lethargic as well as little or no leg movement in his back legs.
My mum took him in and stayed with him as i am totally devastated. I am going to miss him so much i have not stopped crying for two days.I tried everything to make him comfortable in his last time with me diazoxide came too late for him as the tumour in his belly was totally in control of his functions.
I wish i could have my time again with him as it was the best 6.5 years of my life. I will get another ferret one day but i want the memories of my little man to be with me always.
Thank you for all your help and support over the last few weeks the advice you gave me helped get him a bit more quality time but unfortunately that has run out.
All the best to you and all the ferret lovers out there look after your little ones they are well worth the effort.
Oh Robert
I am so very sorry to hear that :'(
Perhaps when the shock and heartache has subsided you might like to leave a little eulogy for Wally on my Rainbow Bridge page?
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/rainbow-bridge.html
When I lost my first ferret, a good friend gave me a flower plant to remember Scully. Perhaps you could put a special plant in your garden and every time it flowers, it will be as if Wally is sending you love!
Think of this Robert – your special little man is now free of pain and suffering and he’ll be waiting for you at the Bridge! When he sees you approach, he’ll do his happiest wardance to greet you <3
There's a new star in the sky tonight!
Sending you many {{{HUGS}}}
~Nona
i got my new ferret and we named him zed
Oh Aaliyah, I am so happy for you! That is absolutely great news ❤️
I hope he makes you laugh as much as my guys do me 😀
Congratulations!!
~Nona
Hello Nona. the other day my son and I had our little guy, Bandit out of his cage for the day playing and out of no where he started to fall over while trying to walk….then just laid still……almost as if he were drunk. this went on for hours and i kept him right next to me thru out the night. the next morning he was up and his usual spunky self. I had ask around to friends of mine who have or have had ferrets, and was told that any strong aromas…such as incense, or air freshener sprays, or perfumes can set off a ferrets equilibrium? Can you tell me if this is true or not?
Hi Renee
I’m afraid I haven’t heard about strong aromas setting off a ferret’s equilibrium so can’t give you a positive answer on that 🙁
When I first read your comment, I immediately thought of an insulinoma episode – I have had ferrets with insulinoma who’ve been unstable due to their back legs not working properly and then, the next day they act as if nothing was wrong! Same with them having an insulinoma coma! It can be very frightening at the time and then they seem fine ?
Please would you read my Insulinoma page and keep an eye on Bandit to make sure he doesn’t exhibit any other symptoms …
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/insulinoma-in-ferrets.html
It would be great if you could take him to a ferret vet to be checked over. Then at least you’ll know if there was anything which you need to be aware of or if it was just an odd occurrence.
I hope that has been of some help to you!
Hugs to Bandit from his new buddies down under 😀
Cheers
~Nona
Just wanted to ask if you would be interested in getting external help with graphic design? We do all design work like banners, advertisements, photo edits, logos, flyers, etc. for a fixed monthly fee.
We don’t charge for each task. What kind of work do you need on a regular basis? Let me know and I’ll share my portfolio with you.
Thanks, Richard, but I don’t need any graphic design work ?
Hi, my husband and I have three gorgeous fur babies named Gem (girl), Sahara (girl), and Cloud (boy). In that order. They’re all babies. Gem was extremely tiny when we got her from a pet store in December that I didn’t see her sleeping next to her siblings. They are on raw meat and raw eggs and are thriving and love it. Their coats are thick, shiny, and their skin is perfect, their mouths too. They are completely free roamed all day and all night. No cage at all. They sleep together and with us during the day and night. They follow us around the house and invite us to play. They have extremely high energy which we love. They sleep perfectly through the night. We take them to the park to run, explore, play, dig, chase leaves and each other, wrestle, they rough house together and with us and get along really well with our two female cats. They love to play in and with water, they have lots of toys and tunnels that they play with everyday and night before bed. I started to clicker train them tonight. It’s going great.
My worry and fear is about Gem. She is sleeping too much lately. She started to yesterday. She slept all day yesterday and today. She is still eating but not as much as before, still going potty normally and playing normally and being her spunky, goofy, sneaky ferret self. Sometimes it’s hard to wake her up to play and explore. She and her siblings LOVE being outside. She was like this before Cloud came along. Once he joined our family, Gem perked up again and has been extremely joyful to have another sibling. Maybe she got too tired from too much play. Is that even a thing that happens to ferrets?
Hi Ivana
Your ferrets all sound gorgeous and I’m so glad they’re a happy bunch, especially with the cats ❤
Gem sounds like a gem and she reminds me of my first ferret, Mash. She was a tiny little thing and – I know we mustn’t have favourites but … – she had a firm grip on my heart! Such a special little girl ?
I was thinking about how she was and she used to sleep quite a lot too, so I don’t think you should worry about Gem. Just keep an eye on her to make sure there’s nothing wrong and if you notice any changes, take her to the vet to be checked out.
I hope you, your loved ones and your furry family stay well and safe during these trying times ?
Hugs to your slinky babies from their new buddies down under ❤
Cheers
~Nona
Thank you for the response Nona. The thing is Gem used to be extremely active and energetic even when her sister joined us and now Cloud, her brother. She gets down when she isn’t able to go outside everyday. They all do actually. Especially Gem. She is like our cat Midnight, loves being outside and doing her thing. Ever since Cloud joined us Gem has been extremely happy and joyful, playful, etc. all the good stuff. She definitely thrives in a group of ferrets (all ferrets do). I have to wake her up sometimes and sometimes it’s hard to wake her up because she is her dead ferret sleep. So I hold her and cuddle her until she does and than she is ready to play and do her ferret thing. I’m going to call the vet today and ask if I can make an appointment.
Basically, Gem will play for an hour or sometimes 30 minutes and then go to sleep and sleep for a long time during the day. All of our fur babies sleep through the night so we don’t have problems with them staying up and playing etc., even though they’re completely free roamers all the time. I’ve heard and read from other ferrents that their ferrets or one or two of their ferrets do the same thing and that it is normal but I’m not convinced. Not yet.
Ivana – the first thing I thought of when you said she sleeps a lot was insulinoma but she is way too young, surely? ?
My two wolverines have been like that since I got them 3+ years ago!
All our ferrets have been free roam and my last two ferrets were the last of my group. My silvermitt, Kimiko, was fine but my albino girl, Mojo, had a swollen liver! When my husband took her to our vet, she told him to tell me I should make her comfortable as she might not last until the end of that week ?
As it happened, I ordered many supplements to help and she had 18 months of good quality life until it was time to help her cross to the Rainbow Bridge. I thought Kimiko would carry on without Mojo but when she realised her pal wasn’t there, she stopped eating, stopped having her smoothie and it was obvious she didn’t want to live without her!
Nothing I did helped and she just resolutely clamped her teeth firmly together when I tried to give her any supplements via a dropper. After 10 days of no eating we had to take her to the vet to be helped to join Mojo at the Bridge ?
The reason I told you this is to also tell you that those two girls used to mooch around the house – sleep for an hour or two, then come to see what I was doing, then play a bit, then maybe sleep a bit before coming back out again to check on me! Although she was ill, Mojo was very active, as was Kimiko!
My wolverines don’t do this at all. They are all full of beans when we wake up and they’ll play with each other or chase the dog around for an hour or two and then they disappear!
They don’t usually sleep in my chest of drawers (like my other ones did since I first got Mash 26 years ago!!) and it worries me because if I know they’re in the drawer zzzz-ing away, I check on them to make sure it is Deep Ferret Sleep and not an insulinoma coma. If they’re snoozing in the couch or any of the other chairs, I can’t check! ?♀️
I realise you are concerned about Gem as she doesn’t seem as energetic but if your ferret-mom’s antenna is twitching then do take her to the vet and have her checked over. I trust you have a ferret vet in your area?
I hope I haven’t waffled on for too long and I also hope you see where I am heading with the post. Trust your gut because if you do, you’ll be able to snip any diseases your ferrets might have early!
I would really appreciate you letting me know if there is a problem with Gem – I am sending many healthy vibes across the seas for your little girl ❤
Take care and stay healthy!
Cheers
~Nona
Hi Nona, thank you for your answer. Gem, Sahara and Cloud are babies. Not even close to being one year old. I read from ferret owners that this is normal behavior; for ferrets to sleep on and off throughout the day, play for an hour or two sometimes even more and than sleep again. But I’m still restless and on edge even though Gem is extremely energetic and active and does her normal ferret thing. My husband isn’t worried and says from what we’ve read from other ferrents is that it’s normal. He is willing to take Gem to the vet with me because he loves her and adores her (he is very protective of all three babies). We have several ferret vets near us. We found one we really like, I just have to call them again. I read that as the ferret gets older (even when he/she is under one year old) that they mellow out and sleep more. I’ll let you know how it goes with Gem. Thank you for being patient with me Nona.
And I’m sorry for the babies you no longer have. When I was in middle school and high school I had three ferrets. First one was Beauty; she was a gorgeous deep black sable with perfect black feet. She loved to cuddle with me too and everything else that our ferrets love doing with us and together and on their own. She slept with me every night. I didn’t keep her in the cage. I hated seeing her in it and she hated being in it. Then she started to get sick. She lost a bit of her luxurious fur and then all of it as time went on. My parents refused to take her to the vet saying she is fine even though they knew she wasn’t. She was suffering and I wanted to end her pain and misery.Then one day she died in my arms. I grieved for a long time. Beauty and I used to go to a nearby farm field filled with soft, green grass and chase each other and play tag and walk together and snuggle and snooze together. She always slept on my chest outside. Then few years later I got Snowy. She was also gorgeous. She had unbelievable white fur and red eyes. She had full hearing and sight. She got the same thing Beauty got when she got sick and the same thing happened with my parents. Snowy and I had a deep, unbreakable bond and relationship too. We did the same things Beauty and I did together. Than there was Digger who my brother got. Digger was named that for a reason lol. He was spunky, goofy and very cuddly too. One day my brother stopped caring for him and playing with him and just keeping Digger in his cage. A small cage. Horrible and cruel, selfish and inhumane. Digger got the same sickness that Beauty and Snowy got because our parents refused to take our ferrets to the vet. They coudld’ve been saved and healed if they were taken to the vet. My and my husband’s ferrets are extremely joyful, playful, cuddly, affectionate, snuggly, active and great eaters. They are the best ferrets. Each of our ferrets died when they got old. They lived for a very long time.
Ivana, it’s good to be paranoid with your ferrets! ❤
It’s true – ferrets sleep more when they start getting older but it’s always good to get a ferret checked out to make sure there’s nothing wrong with them! I am so sorry to hear about your first three ferrets – so sad that your parents didn’t want to take them to the vet ?
Talking about being paranoid – when I was just a ferret owner for a few months, I noticed that Mash seemed to be very lethargic and she wasn’t eating or playing much. It was a Saturday afternoon and I was watching her carefully. I was concerned she was not getting better so I called the only ferret vet we had at the time and asked if he’d check her out. He was at home and lived about 60-90 minutes away. He said he would look at her so I put her in a carrier and sent my son and husband to take her to the vet.
I swear I was pacing the floor during the time they were away, I was so worried! Seemed to take forever but finally I heard the car pull up in front of the house so ran out. My son was laughing as he took the carrier out of the car but my husband didn’t have a smile on his face.
“What did Don say was wrong with Mash?” I asked anxiously.
Walking into the house, I heard my husband say, “Flatulance!”
Did I hear right? I asked him what he’d said and he looked at me and said “FLATULANCE!” in quite a loud voice!
“Flatulance?” I repeated incredulously.
“Yes! Flatulance! Gas! Mash’s stomach was full of gas and when Don checked her out and pressed on her stomach, she made a few loud farts and immediately looked happier!”
???
Our son was laughing even more at my stunned expression!!
“Oh thank God that was all it was!” I said relieved and started to laugh.
“You won’t be laughing when you see how much Don charged us for seeing him at home!”
So there you go, Ivana! I was biting my nails worrying about Mash and all it was was gas! But how much better to know she had gas than fret the whole weekend, worried she might be dying!! ??
Look forward to hearing what the vet says, and I hope there is nothing wrong with Gem!! ❤
Hi, my boyfriend and I recently got two ferrets from a friend of ours who quickly discovered they weren’t ready for them as pets. They are a dream pet of mine and my boyfriend. HOWEVER…they are not legal in my state. I’m worried about finding a vet that won’t take them away. We love them very dearly, they are really happy here with us, I know you had some California vets listed on another comment but I wanted to be sure that it meant you didn’t have to worry about getting them taken away from you. We don’t have any license or permit, as far as I know California just simply won’t allow it. We both agreed that at the end of the day we will always take them in regardless of if they are taken but of course I want to avoid that entirely.
Hi Hannah
I’m pretty sure that the Californian vets listed are all happy to treat ferrets and I’m sure your ferrets would be safe with them. However I’m an Aussie and my knowledge isn’t first hand so I would suggest you speak to someone who lives in California to get all the information you need!
There is the Golden State Ferret Society so it’d be a good idea to speak to them and find out everything you need to know …
https://goldenstateferretsociety.com/
Hope that’s of help!
Hugs to your ferrets from their new buddies down under ??
Cheers
~Nona
Hi Nona, wonderful news about Gem! She is completely healthy and our new vet, she is very happy that all three of our babies eat raw meats and raw eggs! My husband and I are very relieved and very ecstatic that our baby girl is completely healthy. The vet did a full, detailed exam and tests on Gem and found nothing wrong with her. We are definitely switching to her with all of our animals. She asked me if the other vet, if he asked if we want any tests done, bloodwork, if we could bring a stool sample and I said no he did not. She said he was supposed to or suggest it. Gem did great there. She was very calm and just went along with the whole process.
Oh Ivana! I am THRILLED with your news ?
So glad Gem got a clean bill of health and I hope she’ll continue to be a healthy little girl for many, many years ?
Give her a great big hug from the old granny down under, please!
Have a fabulous Easter and I hope you, your loved ones and your pets all stay safe and well from that lousy virus ❤
With very best wishes
~Nona
Thank you 🙂 She WILL continue to be very healthy for a very long time along with her siblings. I’ll give Gem two big hugs from you 🙂 You and your family (including your beautiful animals) stay safe and joyful and at peace during this temporary time of limited interaction.
May the Lord God bless all of you.
Thank you so much, Ivana ???
Hi Nona, I am in the UK & we have 2 fur baby sisters who are just coming up to 1 year old. We have had them since babies & love them both to bits. Little baby Bonnie is much smaller than her sister Nancy & has a much calmer temperament & rarely nips us.
We got them both their jill jabs at the beginning of march as bonnie had come into season & displayed an enlarged vulva. This went down after 2 weeks but happened again approx 3 weeks ago so we took her to the vets again for another jab. She did bleed on the first jab so am thinking it didn’t all go in. No sign at all from her big sister Nancy – Is this common for them not to come into season or do they not all show an enlarged vulva? Should the jill jabs now keep them out of season for the rest of the year?
Anyway getting to my real question now lol – For the past few weeks Nancy has not left bonnie alone at all, she follows her everywhere, constantly sniffing & licking her (mainly her neck & vulva) & on occasions she is dragging her around by her neck & will not let go when we come near. This seems distressing for bonnie so we split them up when this happens sometimes overnight & into next day. When they are back together they seem very happy to see each other & always sleep together cuddled on top of each other. Is this happening as bonnie or maybe nancy aswell are in season? Will it stop soon? It seems nancy is protecting bonnie or she is treating her as if she was her own baby?
This has been going on for nearly a month now & we are getting concerned – Should we be? Other than this they are both in great condition & they are very spoilt babies.
Many thanks for your advice / help in advance
Oh Donna … it’s been many years since I’ve had jill jab done for one of my rescues so my memory is rather fuzzy ?
If a jill comes into season then her vulva does swell. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a jill come into season with no swelling ?
The jill jab should stop a jill from coming into season but, as always, things do go wrong. I’ve only taken one jill to get the jill jab, and that was a rescue who was so full in season the vet said that she probably would die if I took her to a vasectomised male. She came out of season and seemed to be fine after that and we found her a lovely forever home so I have no first hand experience on how she was when she came back into season!
I remember when I had jills I used to take them to a vasectomised male to get them to come out of season. There was one time when I had to take them about 3 times as my 3 girls just kept on coming into season, as did many other jill owners. That was the reason I had my girls sterilised as they really got bashed up a lot by having to visit that male so often. As you might know, the mating game is all rather horrendous and rough!
I honestly don’t know why Nancy is being so protective with Bonnie and would suggest that perhaps a ferret knowledgeable vet would be able to answer your questions. So you have one you go to regularly? I think they might be able to shed some light onto Nancy’s behaviour! At least I hope so, as her behaviour is very perplexing ?
I wish I could give you a definite answer but I really am clueless as to what to advise you about your two! ?
Big hugs to your little ladies from their friends down under!
Please stay safe and healthy from this wretched virus ❤
Cheers
~Nona
Thank you Nona for all your comments. We did have them booked in to be sterilised last year but the vet advised us it was a risky procedure so we didn’t proceed. We have now seen a better vet while in lockdown as our nearest one didn’t seem very confident or knowledgable about ferrets so we may ask them about it. So you have had a few sterilsed? You would advise this then? We have thought about using a vasectomised male next year or maybe even let them have a litter. They are still so much like babies so hopefully next year we will have more of an idea how they are.
Nancy hasn’t bitten her neck & dragged her for a few days now (still on her tail 24/7 licking) but seems to be getting better. Hopefully when Bonnie’s vulva has totally gone down we hope nancy will go back to normal. We will keep our eyes on them.
Plenty of time at the moment due to lockdown to spend time with the babies so that’s good!
You look after yourself too.
Hi Donna
I’m not sure why your old vet said that it was a risky procedure to sterilise your girls but I guess if he wasn’t familiar with ferrets, then it might have scared him to operate on them!
Glad to hear you found a ferret knowledgeable vet – I’m sure he’d be happy to oblige if you ask him to sterilise them!
Yes, I have had all my girls and boys fixed once they reached 6 months old. When I first got Mash (my female albino), Fidget (my female silveritt) and Frisky (female sable) back in 1994, I used to take them to a vasectomised hob to be brought out of heat. However they used to get bashed around by him and there was always a worry that the bites on the back of their necks *could* become infected, so it was stressful both to my girls and to me ?
As I said earlier, it was after the girls came into heat several times one year that I took them to our vet to be sterilised, and it was great!
Breeding ferrets can be difficult and things can go wrong, with the mother and even the kits.
Friskie and Fidget got pregnant the same time and while Fidget had 6 kits and all went well, poor old Friskie had a lousy time of it. She had 12 kits but she only popped out 10, the other two were stuck inside so she had to see the vet to get them expelled. Fortunately Fidget was happy to look after Friskie’s 6 living kits (the others sadly died) while she was in hospital. God know what I would have done if Fidget didn’t want to help out!
Then Friskie got mastitis so there was another visit to the doctor and Fidget had to help out again so that those kits would survive.
Never mind the worry that caused but it also was hard on the purse strings with operations and medications for poor old Friskie!
So please think long and hard about getting them pregnant!! Have you read my page on breeding? If you haven’t then I would suggest you do ?
It’s a shame that you’re in lockdown but great that you have time to spend with your babies ?
Hugs to your dynamic duo from my big boofy wolverines and me ???
Cheers
~Nona
Hi Andrea.
I just found your site. Have bookmarked it!
We have two adorable ferrets that are now reaching their geriatric years: Marshmallow and S”More.
Marshmallow has had some health issues and ended up needing vet care for a few days because of a bad infection …
Marshmallow has had constipation issues and in our search for answers we came across the idea of pumpkin.
Worked like a charm and he loves the stuff. He is something of a diva and wants some every day. So it is a ritual that he gets about a teaspoon or so 1x daily.
As you know, the stuff goes bad quickly and I have been guilty of giving him some that is just starting to get icky because he is begging and I don’t have time to run to the store …
Lightbulb!
I am feeling bad about this now as I have read about this poisoning dogs and I am afraid I could have caused him to get ill!
Am I right? And do you have any ideas about how to freeze or preserve the pumpkin?
Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Gwen
That story about the pumpkin was written by a reader of my site years ago but I personally haven’t used it on my guys as I couldn’t find a can of pure pumpkin where I live down under ?
I suppose the best thing would be to pour the pumpkin into an ice cube container and freeze it like that so that if you needed more pumpkin, you could just get an ice cubed sized portion to defrost and to give to your little guy!
Hope that’s been of some help ?♀️
Hugs to your little ones from their new fuzzy friends down under ??
Cheers
~Nona
my mom said if i get a ferret it will have to live at my dads house and i barely visit and my dad is very nice but he is still mad at me because i called my little sister a loser and she is very very very sensitive my mom never tries to get youst to animals bad thing is that i live in california it’s like the end of the world to me my life is pointless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i only have four dogs that cant be inside and don’t know how to play and can’t be trained and are lazy my mom had exodic pets wen she was litte and i can’t have any!!!
my dad says till im twenty or 30 i can have a ferret and my mom has problems with any things that look like rodents!!!
hello what about me?
i hate my life i
My young friend … I am worried about you saying that you hate life.
Life is GOOD! Enjoy it to the full at your age because I can guarantee it that when you hit my age (73 years old), it really does suck as I have so many physical problems that I feel rotten most days!!
Should you tell your parents how you feel? Maybe go and talk to a doctor who could change your point of view?
Stay well and PLEASE stay HAPPY!!!!!!
— OK i wish i dont live in califonia
— i wish i could have a ferret but my dreams are crushed but still i cant have a ferret and wen i grow up ill need mony but my parents think i wont make it to fith grade
— they will never ever let me get a ferret EVER 🙁
— if they see this me say they mean
l really am so sorry to hear of your frustration at not being allowed a ferret but do you know what … when I was young (I’m 73 years old now ?) … when I was broken hearted about some guy I was crazy about ditching me, or I didn’t get a job I wanted … my very wise mama used to tell me that “Everything happens for the best!” And while I couldn’t see that at the moment, after a year or three, it was glaringly obvious that if I’d gone down that track, it would have been a disaster!
Also – perhaps your parents know that if you lose interest in the ferret, they’d be stuck with it, or have to put it in a shelter because they didn’t want to keep it. Imagine how horrible that would have been for that poor innocent ferret?!! ?♀️
I fell in love with ferrets when I was in my late 40s – I didn’t know anything about ferrets before then – so you still have lots of years ahead of you!! ??
Try not to get upset with your family and just go with the flow and keep happy!!
Cheers
~Nona
— Its bin my dream to have a ferret but now i cant because i cant convince my dad again and whatever i like my family hates i did a whole puppet show about ferrets i proved that i was responsible but they dont care they just think i waisted there time and that i at least did all the chores in and out of the house my dad and mom ignore me all the time they are always screaming at me but no they don’t care they just like me doing there work for them and there is no point in doing it 🙁 and my mom acts all miss nice girl and she is smaking me with her shoe like a horse she expects me to live with her wen i grow up she just wants me to do things her way so i cant do anything my way and every one in my family is disappointed in me for just wanting a ferret and i dont get it im smartest in class that is the reson why no one wants me to have a ferret.
— my mom hates the pound she cries wen she is there thats why we got so many dogs but she treats them rilly bad. Like on walks my dog was so afraid!
Hey! I plan on getting a ferret soon and have done tons of research, but i’m struggling to find good toys.I plan on getting some chew treats and balls but are there any good toys you recommend that I could leave in her cage during the day that she could chew on without causing blockages? I don’t want her to get bored while i’m at work!
— i wish for a ferret 🙁
— this is her mom ferrets are just some dum rodent memes! -Not my sister! that is wat my mom would say. 🙁
— wold my mom ever let me have a ferret? i don’t think she ever would 🙁 i wold be really good if i did 🙁
Hi Layla
I don’t get my boys any toys – they seem to enjoy having a crinkly plastic bag to play in and the sound always seems to make them happy ?
The best thing is to get something like a ferret Kong, which is made of thick rubber which ferrets can’t chew and swallow.
Hope that helps!
Cheers
~Nona
i am righting ten paragraphs about ferrets.
Hi, I just need a little bit of information for my assignment for my school that’s it.
Alexis – I’ve pretty much covered everything I could think of about ferrets on this site so if you go through the pages, I’m sure you’ll find whatever information you need for your assignment ?
Cheers
~Nona
my mom sais instead to get a geco 🙁
Hello, so I have a female ferret (dobby) who is about a year old she is my absolute baby so I am constantly doing research on health conditions etc. and just like if we humans get sick I can sometimes read something and get freaked out and over think things. When I first got dobby she was pretty chunky for her age everybody at the store called her pudgy, as she got older she didn’t necessarily get skinnier but she didn’t stay pudgy at all she actually looks like a “whippet” ferret, she looks to be healthy (no rips sticking out) and I have her on a high protein diet (wysong epigin 90) and I always have food out for her I’m very careful to make sure theirs always food and water available. I saw other ferrets who were so chunky and I wondered why she was so much skinnier, while looking this up I saw it said glaucoma can be a cause of this, I looked up signs of it and it said it’s very hard to tell if a ferret has glaucoma unless it has progressed significantly to the point where they become blind, she does not have any grey cloudiness in her eye but when I look closely at her eye one eye does seem to be very slightly bigger and when I look at it from the side it does look to be maybe a little bit further protruding, I don’t have much money so if I could avoid going to the vet that would be great but I’m willing to do whatever I would need to. I read most vets can’t even diagnose early glaucoma in ferrets bc it’s very difficult, I was just wondering if 1. It is normal for a ferrets eyes to be slightlyyy bigger then the other (not by much or I would have noticed it earlier without closely examining it) and 2. If their is an at home remedy that I could use that would be safe as just purely a pro cautionary Incase she doesn’t have it, I don’t want to do more harm then good incase she doesn’t have it but if she does I don’t want it to be too late! Thank you and I understand if you don’t know the answer to these questions as I could not find anything relevant through google, any recommendations or advice is helpful!!
Hi Manning – I’m afraid I haven’t got any suggestions about what supplements – if any – would be good to give a ferret with eye problems ?
Your Dobby seems awfully young to have glaucoma so I would suggest you just keep monitoring her situation and if you think the problem in her eye is getting worse, then you’ll have to take her to the vet to be checked over.
I suppose you’ve already seen this article about eye problems in ferrets which was posted in the VPN?
«However, it can be difficult to diagnose glaucoma in ferrets.
“We don’t see the normal signs in ferrets that we do in dogs and cats,” Dr. Williams said. “Ferrets often do not have any corneal edema. They also tend not to exhibit the pain that we see in dogs and cats, [which] will hold their eyes closed.”
Williams said most cases of glaucoma in ferrets are diagnosed fairly late in the progression of the disease, typically when the globe becomes swollen and the eye no longer shuts properly.
“By the time the owner picks up on it and takes the ferret to the veterinarian, the pressures are often exceeding 70 or 80 millimeters of mercury and the animal is either blind at that time already or will surely be blind soon,” Williams said. At that stage, most ferrets do not respond very well to therapy.
“The most common procedure we perform on ferrets with glaucoma is enucleation,” Williams said. “For all practical purposes, the animal is blind anyway. The swollen glaucomatous eye is only a source of discomfort, so we’ll remove the eye for pain control.”»
veterinarypracticenews.com/trauma-and-disease-threaten-ferret-eyes-and-lives/#:~:text=Another%20common%20eye%20disease%20in,eye%2C%20and%20pressure%20builds%20up.
And although this site talks about Cataracts in Ferrets, there are a few photos of what the eyes look like if a ferret is suffering from that, so it might help you decide if Dobby’s eye really is cause for concern or not …
https://www.vetstream.com/treat/exotis/ferrets/diseases/cataracts
And this site, by an Aussie eye vet, shows a photo of a ferret with entropion …
https://www.melbourneeyevet.com.au/exotics.html
And this post from an old forum about ferrets with eye problems …
«My one ferret was just diaganosed with glacoma – one eye is larger than the other one . I have drops because his eye had an ulcer on it (probably from digging at the gate). It started to get cloudy so it could be infected. The cloudiness cleared up with drops and antibotics. He may have to have the eye removed if it keeps causing problems, but for now he is ok.»
I hope what I’ve posted will help you decide if Dobby really has an problem with her eye or not.
Take care and give Dobby a big hug from her new fuzzy friends down under ?
Cheers
~Nona
Thank you! Yea on the first website her eye looks sort of similar to the top right picture of the white ferret which is why I’m concerned, it’s nothing I would’ve noticed without looking something up first but knowing that it’s hard to catch early and if you don’t act fast will result in removing the eye worries me, if sucks I don’t have a ferret expert veterinarian in my area, just a general exotics, I’ll definitely be monitoring it thank you for the help!!
?
im getting two kittens!!! 🙂
Hi! I got 2 ferrets a few weeks ago. A male and female. I thought I was taking care of them well and knew how to take care of them but now I’m second guessing as I’ve seen so many different ways other people are taking care of them and feeding them, etc. do you have any tips for me? Feeding, free roam time, bathing, what they like, etc?
Hi Savannah
I would suggest you read all the pages you want tips about and I’m sure you’ll find the answers! ?
I put down as much as I could to help newbies with their ferrets – what they should eat, etc, but – as all my ferrets are free roam – I don’t have anything about free roam time! Sorry ?
Happy New Year! I hope it’ll be a much better year than 2020 was ✌
Hugs to your little ones from their new buddies down under ?
Cheers
~Nona
i got two kittens
Hey! That’s great news!! Well I’m sure they will keep you busy ?
Make sure you give them lots of cuddles and kisses so that they know you love them to pieces, yes? ❤️
they are soo cute
???
I am so happy for you ??
Hi
Just want to let you know about another ferret-savvy vet….Fraser & Fraser Vets, Church Street, Dingwall, Highland, Scotland
Took my fur-babies, Fern (8months) and Sage (7months), for their jill jabs a couple of weeks ago because Fern had come into season and the vet told me she has kept ferrets herself for many years. Also, when I called for advice about vaccinations and spaying when I first got the girls, she told me not to worry about either: the jill jab is perfectly sufficient (and affordable at £11 a pop), and vaccinations are unnecessary for ferrets kept indoors without any dogs – I appreciate being told to not spend money!
Thank you SO MUCH for telling me about Fraser & Fraser, Margaret! I have listed them on the Highland vets page and said that they were “recommended by a ferret owner” ?
Again, many thanks for letting me know – I really appreciated it!
Hugs to your girls from the big boofy brothers down under ❤
Cheers
~Nona
Hi! I’m girlfriend has 5 ferrets and I’m trying to help her out with an issue. One of her ferrets seems to be heading towards obesity, and I was wondering if you had any idea how to help him lose weight. I understand that ferrets naturally change weight through the months, but this guy was really skinny when we got him in November, and now he’s huge! I thought of reducing his food, but he shares a cage with the four others and I thought that might affect them too. They are let outside the cage most of the day. He seems to be a lot slower than he used to be. Also, we took him to the vet a few weeks ago and they said that nothing was too wrong with him, so it doesn’t seem that he’s sick, I just think he’s overweight. Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you so much! His name is Gideon.
I think my first post was deleted. I’m checking to see if this one goes up. I also emailed you. Thanks!
Hey there I’m Jordan (girl) who has 4 ferrets Jet jill black mitt Priscilla jill sable hybrid Max hob albino and Billy-Bear hob albino we moved to Croydon Surrey recently from East Sussex, the boys came from Gravesend Kent, looking at getting my ferrets microchip as lot of stolen ferrets daily like dogs an other pets going missing and something got be done about it, where is there a mobile service to help me in Croydon or near by can do this ? At reasonable price plus my girls expecting mothers to be so can I still chip them at all ? How much is it if any mobile services in the area could help me please and a pregnancy scan on my girls be lovely, am also a pregnant ferret owner at 14 weeks due in October 22nd 2021
want people advice on keeping ferrets during pregnancy etc and being a single mum to be how I can keep my ferrets really cannot rehome them they have been through so much especially my girls mainly before the boys came along, as I was in a abusive relationship and nearly lost my ferrets in the brighton and hove Rspca lucky they kept them in 2 weeks someone sneaky tried sign them over and then got put into boarding service in Crowborough called pet hotel by lovely kind lady name Claire she done me favour helped look after my girls, I am very happy to get them back
Hi Jordan
As I live in Australia, I’m afraid I cannot answer your questions about microchipping your ferrets or giving your jills a scan ?
I would suggest you get in touch with Ferret Rescue Surrey and see if they can help you with your questions about microchipping, xrays for your jills and advice about having ferrets around during pregnancy. They have a Facebook page …
https://www.facebook.com/FerretRescueSurrey/
Hope that helps!
Hugs to all your babies from their new fuzzy friends down under ❤
Cheers
~Nona
Hey!!! I’m new to this and I don’t have a ferret yet but I’m planning on buying one. I have a few questions for u: 1. Do I have to descent it like with a surgery? 2. Wysong is one of the best dry food but there isn’t any in my country ( Italy), do u have any suggestions on what I should buy? 3. Do I just give it dry food 24/7 and then give him some raw meat? But like leave the dry food there and add 20 grams of meat and egg or just no? Like do I have to take the dry food away and give it that or no? 4. How much raw meat should I give it if I give him high quality dry food 24/7?
5. Do they need a really big cage? Bc I’m just gonna go to school for 5 hours and that’s it. But I will play with it before and after so it will be happy.
6. Since bathing makes the scent worse, can I just put it in water sometimes (only water) and just wash it like that. Then bath him every 3 months.
7. How do I bond with it? Like What if I buy an aggressive one?
8. What raw meats does it eat?
9. Can I use any kinds of “ perfume” (for ferrets) to make their odore better? If so then do u have any suggestions? ( I said perfume bc idk what to call it)
Hi Ginevra
Thank you for writing down your concerns!
1) In America ferrets are sold after they have been sterilised (at much too young an age) but I don’t know if that is the same in Italy? If you buy a ferret from a breeder, I would imagine it is like in Australia – it will be up to you to have it sterilised when it’s older. If you get a boy ferret, they become EXTREMELY smelly when they go into rut – usually around 6 months old. The smell is awful, so you will need to take him to the vet for his operation. If you get a girl ferret, they don’t smell bad but they need to have an injection or meet with a vasectomised hob to get them out of heat. This is usually around 6 months. You must take a female out of heat otherwise she will develop aplastic anemia, which could kill her!
https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/aplastic-anemia-in-female-ferrets.html
2) I’m sorry but I have no idea what good food is available in Italy. This is a site which talks about food and treats for ferrets so it might be helpful!
https://ferretedu.weebly.com/ferret-food-charts.html
3) A lot of ferret owners want their ferrets to have a raw diet, which means no dry food at all. I haven’t been able to turn my ferrets into having a raw diet so I give them Ziwi-Peak airdried chicken kibble, available 24/7, and 2 or 3 times a week I cut up pieces of chicken for them. It has been said that chicken wing tips are excellent for ferrets to eat as it cleans their teeth but mine have either stashed the wing tips in my underwear drawer or left them on the plate ?
Be very careful if you decide to give your ferret raw meat and make sure you check everywhere in his cage to see if the meat has been stashed anywhere. I have a ferret owner friend who thought she had checked carefully that there was nothing stashed but she missed the day-old chick she’d given to her ferret. A few days later the ferret ate that, it gave her salmonella and she died ?
4) I don’t really know how much raw meat to give. I usually have a chicken drumstick, I cut off enough meat (with a bit of skin) to put on a small plate and then I give the rest of the meat from the drumstick to our dog. Sometimes the ferrets eat it all, other times they leave most of it so that is extra for the dog ?
5) I’m sorry – I have never kept my ferrets in a cage so am not experienced to give advice about them! ?
6) I suppose some ferret owners would say it’d be okay to bathe a ferret every 3 months but if you could wait and have longer intervals between each bath, it would be better. If you give your ferret good food, and clean the litter box/cage/bedding regularly, there shouldn’t be a strong odour coming from your ferret! Also you can use either ferret shampoo or a shampoo for kittens – nothing stronger.
7) If you get your ferret from a breeder, then they will know each kit’s personality so it would be easier to get a ferret to suit you.
8) I would say raw chicken but I guess turkey or beef would also be okay.
9) Ginevra – I would suggest you join the forum of this site …
https://www.furettomania.it/
and ask the people there where you can purchase ferret products in Italy! And it would also be good to ask them all the questions you asked me, as answers from Italian ferret owners would be far better than answers from an Australian ?
Still, I hope what I’ve written will be helpful to you!
Cheers
~Nona
Hi there. I am in New Jersey. I called to schedule a vet appt with Freehold Animal Hospital in Freehold NJ and they do NOT treat ferrets. Please remove them from your list. Thank you.
Thank you so much for letting me know, Marcy! I’ve removed Freehold from the list.
I’m afraid the last time the NJ Vets page was updated was in 2018 so there are probably a lot more clinics which have changed since then!
I just googled the question and found this vet for you to check out …
https://www.raintreevet.com/
This is a vet in Morris County, so not sure how far away they are from you ?
https://www.communityanimalhosp.com/veterinary-services/exotic-pet-care.html
and there are these vet hospitals in NJ
https://www.redbankvet.com/service/avian-exotics/
Hope this helps you to find a great ferret vet ?
Hugs to your ferret/s from their new buddy down under ❤
Cheers
~Nona
Hello, I am looking to buy Astaxanthin I was wondering if you had a brand that you would suggest buying?
Hi Bridget
I’ve heard that BioAstin is the best brand to buy so that’s the brand I get for my babies. Apparently one should buy Hawaiian astaxanthin so I guess you could buy any brand as long as you know it’s a reputable brand and the supplement comes from Hawaii ?♀️
I find iHerb.com a great supplement supplier and I use their Australian branch to get all the supplements which I can’t find here. They’re very reliable, the quality of their supplements is excellent and their customer service is great! I don’t know how their US company compares but again, I’ve heard that one shouldn’t buy supplements from stores like Walmart as they don’t stock the good supplements being so cheap!
If you give your ferret astaxanthin, please don’t be shocked to see its poop turn bright reddish-orange the next day! It’s not blood – just the colour of the astaxanthin ?
As you know, what goes into a ferret comes almost straight out of a ferret – almost without touching the sides ?
Hope that’s been of some help to you! ❤
Cheers
~Nona
Hello,
I guess I’m looking for a positive answer before calling my ferret’s vet but I know I might not get one.
My ferret will be 9 years old in November (my little old man), 2 years ago we found out he had gland cancer I believe it’s called. He got operated, did a bunch of test and we walked out paying $1000 at the vet, since then I had a baby, now pregnant again and cannot afford high vet bills, so we didn’t bring him back this year to get operated again to insert the new medication. Recently I’ve noticed every week he will go 3 days without peeing, I know that puts a lot of pressure on his bladder. All he does is sleep and never plays, he also seems like he’s starting to forget his surroundings and will never make it to his litter box … my questions would be, is it time to put him down? 🙁
I’m sorry, Emma, but only you as the ferret’s owner can decide if your ferret’s quality of life is non-existent and whether you should put your ferret down. You and/or your vet, if you trust their judgement!
I wrote you an email about ferrets
Hi Junior
I replied to your email ?
Cheers
~Nona