Breath ?huffs? And a swallow like noise (kinda gulping)

[gremlinferrets]

This is a strange way to explain what Stripe has been doing but I can’t describe it well. This is something that he has been doing for a long time. He would do the huffy breathing (but it’s not actually any breathing issues or breathlessness or wheezing) and I would give him a some egg or a little tiny bit of Vaseline and then he would be fine. And then he wouldn’t do it again until a few weeks or so later and then I would give it to him again and he would be fine. (I do give him and his brother an egg once a week regularly) So I always thought it was just hair irritating him. He chews on himself more than my other ferret Gizmo, so I also just blamed it on the hair. There were a couple times that concerned me and I took him to a vet both times. Two different vets actually. Unfortunately both times he was not doing it once we got to the vet so they didn’t see him actually doing it. I had video and showed and one wrote it off as hair and the other said it could be reverse sneezing? And it was just a personality trait… okay..  They both said he sounded good, didn’t have any abnormalities or anything to worry about. 

Well recently last week he did it and I did my normal protocol. However it didn’t help. He kept doing the breathy huffy thing. I gave him some Olive oil and some pumpkin and some egg. All different times throughout the hour and nothing helped. He did it for the whole rest of the day so  I took him to the vet the following day (a different one from the first two because we moved) and he said it could be irritation in his throat because of the dust on the floor. The vet and I had talked about how when I moved I went from carpet to wood floor and that I noticed when I sweep the floor up real good that he seemed to do better and when I removed him from the home he seemed to do better. The vet did do X-rays to check his heart and something else~ idk what but I saw on my bill that they did two panels. The vet said that the X-rays look good and nothing else was concerning. Important to note, Stripe did recently have a Protozoa organism infection and he was on antibiotics for that. And when we went to the vet for the huffy breath thing, the vet said that the Protozoa organisms were gone. So that’s good. Anyway, I’ve been on this forum for days even months back and on and off the forum searching for answers and looking at other people’s experiences with “coughing” “huffing” etc. but have decided to finally make my own post because I am at a loss. Also how do I upload a video? So that I may show you? It’s the best way to really show what is happening. Explaining it doesn’t really make sense. Also I may add that he also does this weird swallowing thing when he gets like this. He will lay down and you can see his throat moving and hear a “gulping” “swallowing” noise.  
After the vet last week, he didn’t do it and I’ve swept and kept the floors clean and I thought that solved it, but no it has not. Today he started it again. This morning he was fine and at lunch when I came to let them out during my lunch break they were fine. But when I got home after work, Stripe was asleep at first and I pet him to wake him up and he was fine, but didn’t want to get up yet, so I came back later. He got up and wanted out but had started doing the huffy breath thing and has not stopped. I gave him a little Vaseline, olive oil, a little pumpkin, got him to drink some water, etc throughout the night and nothing has helped. He still ran around, he explored and his poop looks fine. So I really am at a loss. Especially because I’ve gone to the vet so many times for this and to three different vets. But when it happens to him he seems so miserable. 
p.s. idk how to attach the video
Thank you all in advance 

[gremlinferrets]

[eclipso]

If everything in his body is fine, it could be an allergy. Perhaps it makes his through dry and that's why the laxatives help. I'd keep giving eggs instead of pumpkin and vaseline. Try limiting his space and elevating the floor, or putting a blanket on it and see if he still makes the noise. If he doesn't, it's probably dust or the floor cleaner. It would really help to check when he does the sneezing: after he ate some food, drank the water, after some time on the floor, after the ac turned on....
Thanks

[Corvidophile]

I agree with it being an allergy. Ask one of the vets about a dosage of OTC children’s liquid Benadryl and see if that helps when he starts up bad. I wouldn’t give it as a regular allergy preventative though, it’s too sugary, just to see if it’s an allergy and then find a more appropriate animal allergy med that’s sugar free.

[abbeytheferret6]

Guessing with the rest of us here.

Could it be a winter thing ---dry air from central air? Also is his cage near an air duct?

Any heavily perfumed laundry cleaner you might be using?

My vet did take a pen flashlight and looked down my ferret's throat. Of course my ferret was doing little heaves. she had ulcers in throat from acid reflux. Don't know if you could spot anything with a flashlight.