|
Post by MiloandMillie on Feb 27, 2019 16:18:50 GMT -5
Hello, I adopted a bonded pair this past September. This is my first time owning ferrets. I have noticed they will scratch themselves very intensely at times. One will be sleeping and then suddenly jump up and scratch vigorously. I have checked them for cuts, red skin, swelling, bites, and loss of fur but have not been able to find anything out of the ordinary. Is it common for ferrets to scratch themselves so much? I change their blankets weekly and their litter every 3 days. I am no longer in contact with their previous owner so I can't ask if this behavior is normal for them. Does anyone recommend any products that may soothe their scratching? Or any ferret friendly shampoos? I appreciate any feedback. Thank you
|
|
|
Post by caitmonster on Feb 27, 2019 19:03:57 GMT -5
They do tend to be itchy creatures and have a habit of bolting up out of dead sleep to madly scratch themselves. That said, fleas, shedding (it is that time of year), or adrenal disease are the biggest causes of itchiness. Over-bathing can dry their skin out easily too, which is why it's recommended to bathe them as little as possible, if ever--rinsing with warm water is enough to remove anything yucky they might have gotten on themselves. For shedding, you can try brushing or combing them on a regular basis; some people use baby brushes, I use a cat flea comb with fine teeth that I like because it's gentle but helps remove the undercoat. Adrenal has a variety of symptoms which do NOT always show: itchiness being one, also lethargy, lack of appetite, sudden increase in aggression towards other ferrets and swollen vulva in females, with the most obvious sign being hair loss at the base of the tail, moving down, or on the back. All altered ferrets are at risk of developing it--the probability goes up as they age. Make sure any sort of cleaning product you're using around them or on their bedding is as non-toxic as possible, too--no fragrance, residue, etc. You can give them fish/salmon oil as a treat (about a teaspoon over the course of week; too much causes runny poo) which has good fats for their skin and coats.
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Feb 27, 2019 23:31:40 GMT -5
Are they kibble fed or raw? Kibble fed are itchier (being constantly on the verge of dehydration, does nothing for skin). Another suggestion is that adrenal is always a possibility ciao
|
|
|
Post by MiloandMillie on Feb 28, 2019 23:01:50 GMT -5
Thank you for getting back to me!
They are kibble fed but I can definitely try giving them the occasional fish oil as a treat. You have put my mind at ease though I will keep an eye out for symptoms of adrenal disease.
|
|
|
Post by peacexlovexpets on Mar 1, 2019 16:25:01 GMT -5
What kind of kibble are they on? I know a lot of people think they can feed kitten food (and yes, it will meet the ferret's needs to the point that it won't immediately keel over), but it is not recommended at all.
While cats are obligate carnivores, ferrets are classified as supercarnivores, which means that they need more muscle meat than cats to meet their needs and have very poor metabolic processes to process sugars in their diets (as in, unlike cats, they don't often eat the contents of their prey's stomachs and intestines-so they don't need to process or ingest those fibers). It's best to get them on an actual ferret food, as "grain free" kitten typically just means that they replaced corn with potatoes, which hasn't been proven to be any easier to digest (is kind of a croc that they charge so much more for it, grain free tends to have the same amount of filler as the regular diets).
Ferrets also tend to need higher fat in their diets than cats, which will help with their coat. Zinc is also a great supplement for coat health (commonly used for skin/coat health in working dogs to prevent cracked feet, and in show dogs to make their coats really shine). If they have rough coats and are scratching a lot, maybe try to train them to eat egg yolks (you can feed the yolk w/ the white only if they eat the yolk as well-don't just feed egg whites as they will bind biotin -the yellow pigment in the yolk- and can lead to biotin deficiencies when the egg white is fed solo), you could then work on getting them to eat egg yolk mixed with some ground up Zinc present (I use a B vitamin/Zinc cocktail for my boys and it has helped their itchy skin like none other).
Best of luck with your noodles!
|
|
|
Post by abbeytheferret6 on Mar 4, 2019 7:58:42 GMT -5
The bad thing about giving vitamins is that people are not animal nutritonists and do not know what are reasonable doses to give to animals---and just making up something can be really dangerous. I did not know that fat soluble vitamins would be stored in ferrets liver(toxicity) if they consumed too much until I joined the forum. Here is an article on zinc toxicity in ferretswww.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0021997580900031Some reasons ferrets can itch because they have an allergy to a protein in kibble or an ingredient---like a grain, which are binders in kibble. Maybe there is not enough fat in kibble. It can be adrenal disease ---with or without showing hair loss, environmental allergies, and just the regular itching you see in ferrets as mentioned above.
|
|
|
Post by peacexlovexpets on Mar 8, 2019 10:01:24 GMT -5
Here is an article on zinc toxicity in ferretswww.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0021997580900031Some reasons ferrets can itch because they have an allergy to a protein in kibble or an ingredient---like a grain, which are binders in kibble. Maybe there is not enough fat in kibble. It can be adrenal disease ---with or without showing hair loss, environmental allergies, and just the regular itching you see in ferrets as mentioned above. I completely agree (toxicity). I used minimum requirements for cats and compared it to natural concentrations of zinc and B vitamins in different meats to formulate my supplements for my guys. I have a degree in animal science and have had my fair amount of animal nutrition courses, so I'm pretty confident in my numbers. Since I make a homemade kibble diet, I need to supplement B vitamins as they will get baked out.
|
|