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Post by marvel on May 18, 2021 18:45:38 GMT -5
Hey all! I haven't been around much, but am hoping to be more as I adventure deeper into the world of ferret ownership!
Current I have one fuzzy named Noodle, and I've been actively searching for a friend for him for a while now. I work from home, so he is spoiled rotten with tons of attention, so it hasn't been a huge issue...but I would love for him to have a friend and I'd love another fuzzy as well! However, I live in a small town and finding another is really quite difficult!
Well, recently I found someone looking to rehome two, so I figured why not! They are both young and I have the time, energy, and funds to do it. But I found out today (which I see the person's openness as a great thing) that one developed some eye crusties over night. This one is the youngest (3 months) and was pretty small when the person got him. The two are bonded, so obviously I do not want to split them, especially if this guy is a bit of a runt.
Aside from the eye crusties, he is apparently eating and drinking fine. I called Noodle's vet and she said she could get the new guy in Monday afternoon. She didn't seem concerned about Noodle catching whatever this may be, so long as they were housed in separate rooms until she saw the new guy.
So now I can't decide what I should do. I guess my biggest concerns are that this winds up a more serious issue than just a cold or mild infection, or that somehow Noodle does end up with it. I would feel absolutely awful getting my perfectly healthy guy sick in an attempt to get him a friend more quickly, when I know the local pet store that gets their ferrets from a good breeder will have a few within a month or two. But I also want to make sure this little potential new guy gets to the vet and finds himself (and his bonded friend) a good home!
So anyway, guess I'm curious what you all would do if you were in my shoes? I know ultimately I have to make the choice, but I would love advice. Noodle is my first ferret, and I've never dealt with any major medical issues with him, so I also honestly don't know how serious a crusted eye is or could be.
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on May 19, 2021 13:50:16 GMT -5
I would do some internet research on crusty eye in ferret. I have always gotten ferrets from craigslist and had as as many as 5 at one time ----not good at all --because I had to separate them in groups because of fighting. They were not raised with each other. Now some ferrets will take to other ferrets without any problem whatsoever. I just had a female and and male that would not accept newbies.
Yes, see vet and if you decide to get them, have them checked for ear mites and parasites(fecal check) too. Some people do a 2-4 week quarantine to see if anything develops before introducing new ferrets to theirs .
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Post by Charlie on May 19, 2021 18:50:28 GMT -5
What I did when I got my ferret was ask the person if I could take the ferret to the vet and if it didn't check out well if I could return it. The person agreed. So the ferret went for a vet check and was fine. Your vet will be able to give you more info on the eye once they see the tiny one.
If I had the opportunity, I would take the bonded pair and definitely keep them separate from Noodle for a good month given that the one ferret has a crusty eye. Since the bonded pair are together, and the other one doesn't have a crusty eye (or does it?) it may not be contagious. Give the bonded pair time to adapt to their new environment and settle in. Also I'd make sure that the bonded pair doesn't roam around where Noodle roams around in case whatever the one ferret has is contagious.
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Post by unclejoe on May 20, 2021 9:39:28 GMT -5
It's likely that if the eye problem persists more than a couple days that it may be an infection which could have been caused by a scratch, etc. It may just need some antibiotics, but of course your vet will have to decide. I have had 30 ferrets, as many as 9 at a time, and I've only had problems with 2 of them getting along. 1 was a loner, and 1 was a bully, and not to all of the others, just 1 or 2. I hope it works out for all of you.
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Post by Sparrow on May 20, 2021 21:33:19 GMT -5
I usually see eye crust on guinea pigs and mostly its caused by stress, but there can be other health reasons. I'd take them to the vet like Charlie mentioned and if the ferret isn't healthy that it can be returned. An unhealthy ferret can be very costly so if the ferret is healthy, the current owner should not have an issue with this. Also, what ever agreement you make, be sure to get it in writing!
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