Ferrets are beautiful and have a creative mind too. That’s why we all love them. Their hyperactivity is always fun for children and new ferret owners who may have wanted a change in their life with a new cute pet running around. But this hyper personality often does not protect against health-related issues, and can sometimes make things worse. Due to this personality and physical structure of their bodies, they attract a lot of diseases too.
Wilds ferrets have built a strong immune system by living in the wild and eating raw food. So, compared to domestic ferrets, the bodies of wild ferrets fight the diseases in a better way. The main reason why the wild ferrets die is that they get hunted by predators.
But a domesticated ferret is used to living indoors and getting spoiled with care. They become a victim of many diseases that include Salmonella, Insulinoma, Ringworms, and Cheyletiella.
These diseases have gradually increased in the number of ferrets. They were almost not present before, but when we tried to make these animals domestic, they became vulnerable. These diseases attack them more and cause deaths as well.
If you truly love ferrets, there are a few common diseases you should be aware of. They are quite common in pet ferrets and affect their health a lot.
Salmonella
Salmonella is a bacteria that spreads infections in ferrets. It is quite common in ferrets but if your pet catches it, there are chances you will catch this disease as well.
Yes, humans get contaminated by it. That is why you need to keep your pet safe from it first.
This disease particularly attacks people with weaker immune systems. That means either children younger than age 5 or elderly people have a high chance of getting it.
Symptoms:
Symptoms of salmonella in ferrets are red eyes, anemia, diarrhea, or sometimes bloody diarrhea. While in humans the symptoms are fever, diarrhea, and cramps, but these symptoms last for at least a week.
How To Avoid:
Ferrets get salmonella when they eat too much raw meat or enjoy expired or bad milk. Domesticated ferrets are not used to eating raw meat so their chances of getting salmonella disease are higher. Now, obviously, ferret owners don’t feed their pets raw meat, but if you want to avoid it, make sure you don’t give them raw meat at all.
On the other hand, humans can avoid salmonella by not coming directly in contact with the pet’s poop. This disease basically transfers through DNA so you can’t completely dodge it but at least don’t connect with your pet physically in any way if your pet is unhealthy. We know it is tough, but this is the only way to keep yourself safe.
Insulinoma
Insulinoma is basically a tumor of the pancreas. As you can probably guess, any kind of tumor can be a death sentence for pet ferrets. Insulinoma increases the production of insulin inside the body and causes very low blood sugar.
It is commonly found in middle-aged ferrets that are 3 or 4 years old.
Ferrets have been known to survive for less than 2 years after Insulinoma is found in their body. It rapidly attacks the immune system which leads to severe health issues.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of Insulinoma are dangerous. It causes weakness, weight loss, depression, collapsing, and unnatural behaviors like appearing to be lazy all day. If it progresses, the symptoms get worse, which leads to seizures as well.
According to a study, more than 50% of ferrets that have reached the age of 3 become the victim of Insulinoma.
How To Avoid:
You can avoid Insulinoma by lessening the number of high sugar sweets and treats. Just a normal amount is okay. Ferrets are the type of animals that like to eat from time to time. So make sure your pet does not go for a long time without any food even if they have symptoms of this disease. Otherwise, their symptoms will become riskier. In addition, do your best to keep up with your ferret’s health and sugar intake if you feel that there may be any risk of a high sugar level.
Ringworms
Ringworm is a highly contagious disease. It is a type of skin fungal disease that can be lethal in the long term.
Ringworm builds up when a ferret lives in wet and dirty places most of the time. A hygienic atmosphere is important for ferrets, because without it the ferret will develop many diseases, with a fungal infection like Ringworm being one of the most common.
Your pet has a risk of getting ringworm from other animals too who are affected by it. Even a hospital or a veterinary office where many animals are present can put your ferret at risk.
Symptoms:
Just like the name, when a ferret develops ringworm, there is a red ring that shows up on their skin. Due to the fungus, the ferret will start losing hair in that area.
Since it’s an infection, the area affected by ringworm will get itchy and your ferret will keep biting and scratching it until it bleeds. The skin will become hard and crusty where the ring is formed.
You have to take your ferret to the vet as soon as you notice the ring on its skin.
It appears mostly on the nose, feet, face, legs, and tail.
How To Avoid:
A very simple way to avoid this disease is to keep your pet away from the mess. Make sure you wash their beddings and keep the cage clean at all times.
Cheyletiella
Cheyletiella is actually a mite that is larger than regular mites and can be seen sometimes from the naked eye. The disease spreads the skin infection by feeding on the skin cells of a ferret.
They are not as common as the regular mites but they are just as worse. It does not necessarily cause a life-threatening situation, but if a ferret catches this mite, they will start itching themselves aggressively and build up dandruff.
The best way to get rid of Cheyletiella is by giving your pet a specialized insecticide treatment by the vet. This will take time because the more mites are present, the harder it is to get rid of them.
Symptoms:
These mites cause extreme skin irritation, hair loss, and dandruff. You will find your ferret often scratching and biting the affected area.
How To Avoid:
The best way to avoid Cheyletiella is by keeping your ferret clean. They don’t love baths but whenever you do wash them, make sure you wash them properly and use a brush.
Also, keep brushing their fur a few times a week. If pieces of junk are stuck in their fur then they will also attract more insects and mites.
Conclusion
These diseases are widely found in ferrets. Luckily, you can avoid them by properly taking care of your ferret. After all, a healthy ferret can live for at least 10 years, and you can make sure that this