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Post by Fer on Nov 10, 2013 19:24:13 GMT -5
Is there a good remedy for a ferret's itchy skin? Internally or externally? My ferret is a very itchy boy. He is a white ferret so it is easy to see if fleas are the culprit and they are not.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 10, 2013 19:43:30 GMT -5
To start with ferrets are very itchy animals to begin with, literally waking out of a sound sleep, or stopping in the middle of a play session to start scratching as thought their lives depended on it!
That said, sometimes the itching IS excessive. How old is your guy, and what is his diet? Adrenal can cause severe itching, as can dry skin which is exacerbated by a dry food diet like kibble.
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Post by Fer on Nov 10, 2013 21:14:02 GMT -5
I forget the exact age. Still young. I think like five. I feed him Zupreem.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 11, 2013 0:50:08 GMT -5
Five years? I'm sorry but that is considered a senior with ferrets  Pick him up and blow gently backwards against the fur on his shoulder area and hips. You should not be able to see skin at all. Check his throat, belly, and feet. Again you should not see skin. |
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Post by Heather on Nov 11, 2013 13:29:34 GMT -5
Kibble fed ferrets are much itchier than raw fed....they don't get enough moisture in their diet
ciao
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Post by Fer on Nov 11, 2013 17:11:27 GMT -5
In our family our pets live well past the lifespan restrictions. I had a ferret live to 12. A cat to 22 as well as other cats hitting the 20 mark. I am used to surpassing those restrictions always.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 11, 2013 19:49:29 GMT -5
That's great, and I really do hope that happens, but please don't assume every one is going to do that. Ferrets used to live much longer even 10 years ago than they do today, unfortunately. Normal life span for todays North American ferret is 6-7  All I'm saying is keep an eye out for adrenal. It's more common now to develop it much younger. Our guys are fed a species appropriate diet, along with restricted lighting etc and I've only had one out of 5 make it to 8. |
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Post by Fer on Nov 11, 2013 21:38:29 GMT -5
I know about adrenal. A female ferret I had with a girlfriend had that. Also, I am pretty sure my 22 year old had that as she did lose all her hair in the end. I think it is more common in females, at least from my experience.
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Post by mjbez on Nov 11, 2013 23:23:31 GMT -5
It may be more common in females but is still prevalent in males. My male was diagnosed with adrenal at age 4.
For itching: I use a 100% colloidal oatmeal soak and let my ferret soak in it for 10 mins or so. My one adrenal female actually quite likes her warm soaks. It does help mine with their itching.
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Post by Fer on Nov 12, 2013 11:53:38 GMT -5
Cool. Mine personally hates the bath. I wish he did not, I wish he was like some I see in pictures that love to be in it. What exactly is 100% colloidal oatmeal? Does it mean straight bought oatmeal, blended dry in a blender to get into powder as you were going to do a regular oatmeal bath and just like that?
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Post by mjbez on Nov 12, 2013 13:25:09 GMT -5
Ya is just a fine powdered oatmeal. I found mine didn't like baths either but I never used to get the water warm enough. Now with warm water and oats in the bathtub I had all 5 of mine enjoying. Some of mine need some extra pets etc to stay satisfied but a couple of mine liked it so much they didn't want out! (Mika refused to come to me when she was soaking where as a couple of mine were more than ready after about 5 mins.)
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Post by mjbez on Nov 12, 2013 13:26:11 GMT -5
I got my colloidal oatmeal at Walmart. In the itchy skin section of the pharmacy.
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