From:
Beverly Greene
Date: 2001-06-21 18:09:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Albino/itchy skin
>She has very itchy skin and scratches/licks/etc a lot. More so than my
other
>ferrets. I initially attributed this to her "normal" behavior. Now I'm
>wondering...
Hi. I'm sorry to hear that your lil fuzzy is causing you concern. I'm not
a vet nor an expert in any way, but I can tell you that when we adopted our
ferrets from their previous owner, they were both VERY itchy, more so than
they should have been. Their skin seemed very dry and the skin on both of
their tails looked horrific. However, since we adopted them, they have
been doing a lot better.
First and most importantly, we got them better food. Like all animals,
ferrets need good food in order to thrive. We also supplemented it
occassionally (such as pedicure time) with vitamins diluted with olive oil
(which is also good for the skin).
We also ditched the "ferret shampoo" that the previous owner had been using
and had given to us with them. It seemed to dry their skin out. Now, we
use a baby shampoo with honey in it. Not only does it make them smell like
honey (for about an hour anyway), but it also seems to help keep their skin
from becoming overly dry. Baby shampoo is very gentle and no-tear, so it's
great for ferrets. I know of several other ferret owners who also use baby
shampoo instead of commercial ferret shampoos for the same reason.
We also treated their itchy skin with a commerical ferret
moisturizering/deodorizering spray that you should be able to find in any
pet store. It can be a little on the pricey side (here, around $9 a
bottle) but it should last and you wouldn't need more than 2 or 3 a year.
It's also a great way to help keep a ferret cool (in addition to other
measures to control the temp of the house, of course) and get free
entertainment from the wet weazel dance during the warmer months.
Hope this helps in some way,
Beverly
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