Really Itchy Ferret

[palecat5]

Pixie has been really itchy lately, more than normal. I don't bath her that often because she doesn't smell strong. (Has a sweet scent). She has no fleas and is shedding her coat. Also she 100% raw fed.

Is there anything I do to help with her itchiness? Thank you

[abbeytheferret6]

Here is a response from Heather to another member with the same problem.

Itching is a common ferret thing...excessive itching has a number of possibilities.....shedding, fleas, mites, MCT's, adrenal (if over 18 months of age)
Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/25069/excessive-itching#ixzz5geXooGAe

Also make sure you are giving fatty cuts of meats. When I was giving Wysong to my girl, she itched really bad. The vet said it could be an ingredient in the kibble or not enough fats in it. While I hardly give it, Salmon oil is suppose to help with coats. I bought the smallest bottle at Petco. It has tocopherol as the preservative(vit E). I keep in fridge to extend shelf life.

Use detergents that r not heavily perfumed when washing ferret bedding.

[crazylady]

Hi Abby has given you some good tips another thing you can do for her is scratch the itch! lol by this I mean comb her with a flea comb ( this collects shedding hairs ) then use a medium hard brush and give her a good brushing this will ease the skin and help her to have even distribution of oil along the hair shafts then finally using a dry chamois leather ( they type used to clean windows or cars ) cup it in your hand and run this all over her body going with the fur this collects any dust or tiny stray hairs it also produces a nice soft coat after a few weeks hope this helps
Bev

p.s and because you are doing the daily grooming she does not have too result NO hairballs ! lol

[palecat5]

Thank you. I'll change what I wash her bedding in as well as give her more fatty foods. I do brush her out everyday because she is shedding.

[peacexlovexpets]

What kind of comb have you been using with your daily brushings? I know with dogs, if you use the wrong type of comb and they have even remotely sensitive skin, it can lead to really bad dandruff as it scrapes up the skin at the surface (which is prone to being dry to begin with). With my noodles, and with my late guinea pig, I used baby combs during shedding season because the bristles are so dense that there is no way it can reach their skin to begin with, they are also nice and soft and typically have founded edges of the brush (like a toothbrush).

When you do bathe, it doesn't hurt to use a shampoo and a conditioner/cream rinse as opposed to just a shampoo. I use Dechra cream rinse for my boys when they get shampooed and it has helped a lot with adding some moisture/oil in their hair, so they don't get dry skin afterwards or overproduce oil to compensate. It also smells great.

I have one itchy boy (marked white Marshalls ferret about 2.5yrs old-has a really rough hair coat with coarse hair), my other two (Marshalls sable male 3yrs, Marshalls chocolate mitt male 6mo) have finer hair and a denser coat and don't seem to have any problems.

Also-the leather idea sounds very interesting, I might have to try it on my own boys

[abbeytheferret6]

I knew a girl on here who had an adrenal boy and she would put him in an Aveeno oatmeal soak occasionally. She felt like it helped some. Then a lot of people noticed their ferrets coat getting softer as they switched to raw. My girl who got a Des implant has a nice coat now. Will have to get a pic of her.

[peacexlovexpets]

Feb 26, 2019 20:45:58 GMT -5 abbeytheferret6 said:

I knew a girl on here who had an adrenal boy and she would put him in an Aveeno oatmeal soak occasionally. She felt like it helped some. Then a lot of people noticed their ferrets coat getting softer as they switched to raw. My girl who got a Des implant has a nice coat now. Will have to get a pic of her.

Other than his rough coat, my guy hasn't really shown anything to point me to adrenal (he is extremely active and a gentle soul w/out hairloss).  His original owners of 2yrs said he was like that when they got him as a kit (kind of skinny with a coarse haircoat).  Granted, his fragile build makes me worry that he is a medical case waiting to happen...poor guy.

[palecat5]

I use a soft rubber brush. She doesn't mind that as much as a slicker brush.