First aid

That is a great compliment to the owner. The ferret is thoroughly enjoying itself and is happy.

Keep a close eye on the mouth for a few days. If the wound around the root heals cleanly, a visit to the veterinarian is not necessary. A broken tooth will discolour brown/yellow over time. If you notice a red border on the gum, do visit the veterinarian.

Don't worry. At least 90% of ferrets in rescue shelters do this. A ferret cannot swallow a whole piece of kibble and eats with an open mouth — the leftover bits simply fall out. It then moves on to a new piece.

Sometimes a sleeping ferret seems reluctant to wake up. Gently massage it awake — it may take a few minutes. Usually this is harmless. Afterwards, watch for other symptoms: weight, liveliness, stools. If there are additional symptoms besides the deep sleep, have the ferret examined.

Some ferrets always have clean ears; others suffer from a lot of ear wax. Clean the ears with a cotton bud if excessive ear wax is present.

Treat the ferret preventively with Stronghold for kittens after a visit to a playdate or sleepover. Have the ears checked at least once a year at the annual vaccination. Ear mites can also be passed on by a dog or cat.

A ferret that feels cold is not well — it will also be very lethargic and apathetic. Warm the ferret up as quickly as possible using a heat mat or hot water bottle, then go to the veterinarian.

A ferret that occasionally has foam around its mouth is not well. Have the blood tested — insulinoma may be involved. See also: tinekededen.nl.

Older ferrets can suddenly develop a bald rump and bald shoulders. Adrenal tumours may be involved; these can only be detected by ultrasound. Treatment consists of an implant.

In an unsterilised female ferret with hair loss, prolonged oestrus can lead to bone marrow depression — this is life-threatening. Have her treated as soon as possible.

A bald tail is completely harmless and is experienced by some ferrets annually during moulting.

Ferrets can get hiccups too. There is nothing you can do about it and in most cases it passes on its own.

Clean the eye regularly with a moist gauze pad dampened with cooled boiled water. If it has not improved after two days, visit the veterinarian.

You can see this on the nose, the ears, on the back, and on the paw pads. Go to a veterinarian immediately and make an appointment for blood tests.

An older ferret gradually sleeping a little more is normal. But if a ferret goes back to sleep after just a short walk around, something is wrong. Ferrets do not easily show signs of illness. Have ferrets displaying this behaviour thoroughly examined, including blood tests.

Sometimes a paw gets accidentally trapped. Give the ferret cage rest and wait 24 hours. In most cases the ferret is walking normally again the next day. If not, visit the veterinarian. An uncomplicated fracture often heals with cage rest alone.

Always make sure the nails don't grow too long: a ferret can become entangled and injure its paw.

If you find your ferret limp or unconscious, act immediately. In many cases this involves a hypoglycaemic episode (blood sugar too low). Give some glucose dissolved in water straight away. If the ferret is so unconscious that it cannot swallow, rub some glucose on the inside of its mouth — keep doing this until it comes round. If it also has convulsions, epilepsy may be the cause.

Contact a veterinarian as soon as possible and have the blood tested. Insulinoma or epilepsy may be involved.

Ferrets that received an implant while they were in oestrus may show mounting behaviour with their cage mate 3–4 weeks later. The hormones have not yet settled. A course of Galastop can resolve this problem within 5 days.

This happens to everyone at some point. It is painful for the ferret and bleeds quite a bit. Dab the nail with a gauze pad — the bleeding stops quickly and the wound heals on its own. It is a myth that a ferret can bleed to death from a nail clipped too short.

A brief scuffle during a new introduction is not a problem — ferrets use this to establish who is in charge. If it happens regularly, the ferrets are not compatible and need to be housed separately. A ferret's neck is tough: a minor wound will heal on its own.

A ferret should have a nice pink nose. If the nose looks pale, the ferret is probably coming down with something. Observe the ferret carefully for a week: check its weight, whether it is sleeping more, and how its stools look. Then visit the veterinarian with a complete account.

Older ferrets tend to develop more tartar around the back molars. Inflamed gums need attention and the teeth need to be cleaned. The cause is in most cases poor and overly soft nutrition.

A ferret that has just woken up needs a moment to warm up and will always shiver for a few minutes. This is completely normal and harmless and will pass on its own.

A ferret can catch a virus from humans, including a cold or flu. Ferrets have sensitive lungs. If a ferret has a cold, visit the veterinarian after two to three days for a course of antibiotics.

Sneezing can also be caused by dust or poor-quality litter. Use a litter that does not produce dust.

A ferret that develops a swollen abdomen in a short period of time is not well. Sometimes an enlarged spleen is visible on the outside near the navel as a bluish glow under the skin. An enlarged spleen does not necessarily need to be treated, but it points to an underlying illness. Other causes of a swollen abdomen are possible. Have the blood tested by a veterinarian.

A tilted head indicates an ear infection in which ear mites have affected the vestibular organ. Do not waste time — go immediately to the veterinarian for a course of antibiotics and ear mite treatment. A ferret that is not treated quickly will suffer permanent damage and in most cases a permanently tilted head.

If a ferret catches its nail on something and the nail tears off, disinfect the wound with Betadine. The ferret will keep the wound clean itself. In most cases a new nail grows back over time.

Normal stools are firm and brown. Green or loose stools may indicate the ferret has eaten too little or is stressed (new cage, different food, holiday). Investigate these causes first.

Monitor fluid intake and weigh the ferret daily. If the ferret is at risk of dehydration or diarrhoea lasts longer than two days, visit the veterinarian. You can recognise a dehydrated ferret by sunken eyes and unsteady walking.

Ferrets are not susceptible to Giardia, but they are susceptible to Coccidiosis — a veterinarian can examine this under the microscope. Treatment is straightforward.

A ferret does not vomit easily. If it does happen, keep a close eye on it and prevent dehydration (check this by lifting a skin fold on the back — it should not remain raised). Weigh the ferret daily. If dehydration threatens, go to the veterinarian immediately.

The ferret is in oestrus. Have her sterilised or given an implant as soon as possible. Prolonged oestrus without treatment can lead to fatal bone marrow depression.

In a sterilised female ferret that still comes into oestrus, a remnant of ovarian tissue may have been left behind — re-operation is then necessary. Or an adrenal tumour may be the cause.

A ferret that collapses on its hind legs is not well. In most cases insulinoma is involved — have the blood tested. Note: a ferret may simply be struggling with a slippery surface, so check this first.

Ferrets are not susceptible to intestinal worms in their stools. A worming treatment that some veterinarians recommend is unnecessary in ferrets.