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Post by FireFox79 on Sept 14, 2021 12:00:06 GMT -5
Hello guys.. I have a year old male, super healthy, and very playful. I noticed a few days ago he had some wax running out of his left ear. I cleaned it and there was a bit more the next day. It has no oder and he's free of ear mites. The next few days no wax and today he's got some crust. Is it the change in the season? Is it an ear infection?
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Post by Corvidophile on Sept 14, 2021 17:34:52 GMT -5
Is he intact? I heard intact ferrets just ooze ear wax (and other sebums) when they’re coming into season. Other than that, I don’t know. What colour is it?
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Post by firefox on Sept 14, 2021 19:04:17 GMT -5
Yes. He's a Marshall's boy. It's a dark brown to dark amber color. I'm totally fine taking him to the vet, but didn't know if I'm just a worrying Momma.
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Post by Corvidophile on Sept 15, 2021 5:09:14 GMT -5
If he’s a Marshall’s he can’t be intact, they neuter their ferrets before they hit the sales floor. Colour sounds normal, though, and if there’s no scent to it I wouldn’t be too worried. Does he shake his head or tilt it to one side?
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Post by firefox on Sept 15, 2021 8:29:47 GMT -5
Not that I've seen. He does seem to squint his eye some on that side at times. He doesn't seem to be in any pain. He's eating, drinking, and playing normal.
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Post by unclejoe on Sept 15, 2021 15:28:37 GMT -5
His ears need cleaning. if you don't want to do it yourself, ask the vet to show you how. Jaffa was a BIG private bred ferret and we had to clean his ears several times a week. yuck If it was a bad ear mite problem, the gunk would be black and grainy. We use a tissue or cotton ball, not a swab, with a little alcohol.
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Post by eclipso on Sept 16, 2021 11:15:08 GMT -5
If you're using cotton swabs, that could be the problem. When used, cotton swabs can get some wax out, but they actually compress the rest of the wax, so you end up with a darker, more compact wax that is harder for the body to get rid of. This can make it stay in the ear long enough to dry and crust. A great alternative to cotton swabs is a microfiber cloth, because it doesn't leave tiny cotton pieces in the ear that can irritate him.
To clean the ear, just gently pat the outside of the ear with the cloth and water, or olive oil.
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on Sept 17, 2021 20:50:41 GMT -5
I did have a ferret that my vet did not think had mites because wax was not dark looking and lo and behold---mites. The infestation must have just started.
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Post by unclejoe on Sept 18, 2021 16:27:25 GMT -5
I did have a ferret that my vet did not think had mites because wax was not dark looking and lo and behold---mites. The infestation must have just started. Probably so. The only way to know for sure is to have a vet look under a scope. That said, it does no harm to use a mite treatment to clean the ears. with. We used BioGroom that we get at Tractor Supply monthly. |
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