Protecting Your Pet Ferret

When caring for ferrets, you’ll notice they are fur balls of boundless energy and hours of mischievous fun. Burning through that energy can leave the little guys tuckered out, resulting in long bouts of sleeping. While this is normal, there are other signs that could be a warning that your ferret is ill and needs attention. When caring for ferrets, there are several signs to look for and plenty of hazards for your mischief makers to come across. Below is a list of common hazards, health concerns, and ailments that all ferret owners should be aware of.

Before I go into things to worry about when carry for ferrets, let me list some things that should not usually be a reason for concern. Shivering, yawning, excessive sleeping, scratching, and sneezing or coughing are regular parts of ferret behavior. Unless a rash or fleas are visible, scratching is a normal ferret antic. They just get itchy!

Sneezing and coughing are also normal. Ferrets don’t see very well, so they seek things about by smell. As they sniff along the floors and such, they’re sure to sniff up a lot of dust. They may also be coughing up a bit of food that was stuck in their throat. If they are hacking as if something is stuck in their throat, you can give your ferret laxatone, which works as a hairball remedy. If the coughing is persistent, you should take them to a vet. Ferrets also occasionally and randomly get hiccups just like us, but give them ferretone or nutrical if you’d like to shorten their duration.

Excessive sleeping in ferrets causes alarm for some owners because they can seem like they are in a coma. Sometimes, to bring your ferret out of this deep sleep, a dab of his favorite treat on his nose or scratching between his ears should do it. As a last resort, you can put a small amount of nutrical or karo syrup on his gums. These deep sleeps are referred to as SND, “sleeping not dead”. If they are frequent or you notice a change in your ferret’s sleeping patterns , it may be a good idea to take your fuzzy friend to the vet.