From:
ferretfrenzy@yahoo.com
Date: 2003-05-08 14:23:42 UTC
Subject: RE: Monet- stress from move? and also gross ears, ferret FLEAS?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <7288080.1052403822257.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Kim =
I'm coming late to the discussion, but I would like to suggest that you con=
sider getting Monet a friend. =
Ferrets are extremely social animals who do best with companionship. It sou=
nds to me like Monet is bored and lonely. The ankle biting is simply him be=
ing a ferret with the only friend he has - you... =
If you decided to get him a buddy I would suggest going to a shelter first =
before you consider a pet store. If he has had his shots you can take him t=
here where he can interact with and choose his own buddy. =
If you wait too long he could become afraid of other animals, including fer=
rets, and never be able to accept another. The only problem is his age. He =
is right at the cut-off age that I use to separate ferrets because of the p=
ossibility of ECE transmission.
I usually group over 8 months together and under 8 months together. So far =
this has worked well for me and I've had no "sharing" of ECE virus. At his =
age I would wait a couple of weeks then move to the over 8 month old group =
- besides there's usually a bigger selection in this age group. =
Also his ear problem sounds like ear mites even though you say he's been de=
clared free of them. It might be worth it to have another look. And as sugg=
ested it could be a fungus -- maybe set up from water having gotten in his =
ears after a bath?
ALL MAMMALS are prone to getting fleas. Some species are more "tasty" to fl=
eas than others, but yes ferrets can get them. To rid your ferret of fleas =
you can try organic remedies such as orange peel, but frankly I can't put m=
y guys through that much torture. Flea Bites Hurt! that's the bottom line. =
You can use Advantage (3-4 drops on back of neck) - either the cat or dog v=
ariety - I've used both. You can also use revolution which also get ticks, =
ear mites and heartworms, but you'll have to consult some else about dosage=
s. DO NOT USE ADVANTIX. Good luck Kim and I hope I've helped.
Vicki Montgomery
Tricks and Treats Rescue
Pasadena, TX 77506
Author wrote:
> =
> Thanks everyone for the tips and info.
> I will get monets ears tested again. With the cage behavior in the morn=
ing- He gets plenty of exploring time. Whenever I'm home and able to keep =
an eye on him, he is out of the cage getting free run of the house. Him an=
d the dog have their moments so if im not going to be around, I have to cag=
e him up. I've tried giving him free roam of my room while I'm gone, but h=
e goes to the bathroom on the carpet right in front of the door as if he's =
mad I left him in there. I'm in the process of building a cage with multi-=
levels for him. I hope he will be able to entertain himself a little more =
so he wont mess up his cage. For the ankle biting, I do try hugging him un=
til he wants to get away, but it doesnt work. He goes right back down and =
licks my ankles and toes and then chomps down. He will only bite a bare fo=
ot in the morning, otherwise it has to have a sock on it of course. I cove=
r his cage up at night, do you think if i left it uncovered he would be les=
s compelled to try to get out in the morning? as long as he can see whats g=
oing on in the room maybe he would go back to sleep. Maybe I will try that=
. =
> One more question everyone, are ferrets prone to fleas? I've been taking=
him outside since the weather is nice, and I want to know if I should give=
him some sort of flea and tick drops just to be safe. let me know!!!thank=
s!!
> ~KIM and MONET~
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