Sneezing, coughing and congestion?

[Deleted]

Olivia woke me up last night coughing/sneezing in her sleep. It was the same kind of gagging/hairball/hacking cough I have heard her make a few times. I did mention it to the vet last thursday but she was not concerned as they are so young and she doesn't think it could be an indication of anything serious.

Ferrets for Dummies even says Sneezing, Coughing (including the sound that something is stuck in their throats - which is what this sound is) and hiccuping really aren't things to worry about too much in ferrets.

However besides that random hacking (she only does it maybe 10 times in a day and mostly when she's sleeping at night) and some sneezing (the sneezes sound really wet), Olivia also sounds snuffly or almost congested today. It's kind of that snuffling sound that they make when they are eating, except she does it all the time.

Sophie is sneezing a bit too, but no coughing or snuffly/congestion sounds from her.

Both girls are eating, drinking, sleeping, playing, pooping and peeing completely normal and there's no discharge coming from either of them. They are full of energy, no pawing at the mouths, nothing like that. Although they do seem to both like to slide their whole bodies, faces included along the carpet once in a while, but I think they are just doing it cause it feels good.

Could this be the flu? No one in my house is sick and I'm the only one who handles them and I'm not sick at all.

Or just random coughing and sneezing?

I read that coughing can be a symptom of juvenile lymphoma, but Olivia's lymp nodes dont feel swollen and she's only just over 2 months old and all the articles I read said 4 months was usually the youngest they could get it.

Is a vet visit in order do you think? Or will it pass on its own?

[Deleted]

Could be a flu. If they are acting normal and showing no signs of sickness I would probably wait it out and see if it improved. If it doesn't clear up, I'd take them in for x rays of the chest to see if there is any fluid in the lungs.

[miamiferret2]

alot of these ferrets come with respiratory infections when they are kits at the pet stores. i know sonny had one. he was fine during the day but at night he would have those little cough/hacking/sneezing fits. the vet said that he told the petco people not to put the ferrets near the bird cages because he is seeing this happen more often now. I don't know if that means anything. he also said that it was a problem before because they used to use wood shavings in the ferret cages. but they have since stopped using the pine wood shavings.
anyway, i didn't want to put sonny on antibiotics that young. so i got some of that marshalls liquid for the upper respiratory infections. i put it in a humidifier. its basically like liquid vicks. i only did that a few times though. you can also sit in a steamy hot bathroom with them (let the shower run). i would not worry as usually these clear up on their own. as long as they are eating, drinking and breathing normally don't worry.

[Deleted]

Thank you both They were in one of those glass enclosures at the Petland, no shavings, but now that I think about it, they might have had the birds in the enclosure on top of them. I am thinking they did come home with a bit of a resp infection and it sounds like exactly what you are describing Sonny had miami. I think I will give the shower steam in the bathroom a try and see if that helps.

Olivia isn't gasping for air or wheezing or anything scary like that, so I think I'll just keep an eye on both of them and if it doesn't clear up on its own in a week or two or they show any other symptoms I'll take them to the vet and get xrays to rule out liquid in the lungs, like you suggested Jackie.