tired ferret

[Deleted]

My baby Linkin hasn't been acting completely normal since two days ago. At first I thought she had a blockage so I gave her some pumpkin and olive oil to see if there was anything in there. When I first gave it to her she had short abnormal dark green poop but today its back to normal. She still gets out of her cage and plays a little but not for very long. She has been really like sleepy/tired and I have been giving her kibbles mixed with water so that she doesn't go hungry or become to dehydrated. She doesn't seem to want to eat by herself unless I mix it with water and its soft. She also doesn't drink unless I give it to her through a syringe (w/o needle). I don't know whats wrong I ear she may be getting a little dehydrated so I'm trying to keep up on the fluids. I would take her to the vet if I absolutely have to because money is short and the closest ferret vet is an hour away.
Does anyone have any ideas what this could be or is it just a cold? 
Also I found fleas on her so what should I use to get rid of them?

thanks

[Deleted]

Hi and Welcome to the HFF

I'm sorry that Linkin isn't feeling well. How warm is your home right now. It's summertime (for most of us) and that can make them sleepy and they eat less. Ferrets do better in cool temperatures.

Look at her nose, paws and ears, are they a nice healthy pink?
Has she lost any weight?
Aside from that one dark green poop, are the others normal looking?
How old is she?
Have you noticed any signs of her staring into space or hind leg weakness?
How about her fur, is she losing any fur? Have you seen any bald spots?
It's hard to tell over the computer, so after you answer those questions, maybe we can help a little more.

Has Linkin been around any new ferrets lately?

You can give her a bath and wash away those fleas. You can use a little dawn dish detergent.
However to be safe, you want a flea medicine from the vet. The over the counter flea meds can be dangerous. There have been reactions to them.
You also want to wash all her bedding and vacuum your carpets well.
A few fleas can quickly turn into alot of fleas and Linkin will suffer from them.

Ferrets don't catch our colds. They can catch the flu.
I think it's best to trust your instincts. We know when something is wrong with our little ones.
It could be that it's simply too warm for her and she is sleeping thru her summer. That is normal.
The fleas can take their toll on her and make her anemic.
I would take her to the vet. It's just better to be safe than sorry.

[Heather]

Truthfully...any ferret that will not eat and drink on it's own needs to be seen by a vet ASAP. If your little one is a kibble ferret you don't have very long before they dehydrate. Once dehydration sets in subq fluids is all you can do to swing it around. A ferret who is dehydrated will not eat or drink and is lethargic. Fleas are another problem and can cause serious issues (anemia). It only takes a few to put a ferret in serious condition.
Unfortunately, I think that vetting is something that needs to be done.
ciao

[Sherry]

Definitely vet asap.