Ferret News
Pet Ferret Care Tips
and Information
By Mary R. Shefferman & Eric Shefferman - along with Gabby, the ferret
www.ferretnews.com

contact: marymodernferret.com

  The other day I noticed a fair amount of ferret fur on my pillow, which means Gabby has decided it's time to shed. In this newsletter we'll give you some tips on keeping your ferret from getting hairballs during shedding season, as well as giving you some interesting and important facts about ferret fur.

  Also this time around, another excellent coupon for FerretDesigns, AmysDesigns, and PowerDesigns! If you've been thinking about getting a ferret t-shirt to wear this summer or if you've been wanting a ferret clock or a ferret mug, look all the way down at the bottom of this newsletter for the coupon code to save $10 on any order of $30 or more from our Cafepress stores! [Please note the expiration date of the coupon code. Look for current coupon codes at Ferret Designs.

  Important Notice: We will be switching over to a PayPal shopping cart for all of our commerce sites in the near future. You will still be able to pay with your credit card through PayPal, even if you don't have (or want) a PayPal account. We hope to make the transition as seamless as possible. This will apply mainly to our Ferret Trading Post store.

 New Way To Make Online Payments: There's a new service launching this summer called GreenZap. Their goal is to be even bigger and better than PayPal. Right now they have a very cool promotion going - you get $25 in your account for FREE right away! You can pre-register for a GreenZap account. Check it out at:

www.greenzap.com/ferretnews

Or go to http://www.greenzap.com/ and use the promo code: ferretnews

This is just like the promo Paypal did way back when -- giving people $5 to join up -- except they're giving people $25! Don't miss out on this! Use the link above and sign up now (it's free to sign up).

--Mary

In this newsletter:

• Preventing Hairballs In Your Shedding Ferret
   
• Incredible Savings On T-Shirts and Other Cool Ferrety Stuff!

Adorable stuffed ferrets make great Holiday & Christmas gifts!

Preventing Hairballs In Your Shedding Ferret

By Mary R. Shefferman

  Gabby has finally decided to shed her winter coat and fat. Some ferrets may have already gone through their spring shed; others might not be ready just yet. But this seems as good a time as any to remind everyone that ferrets can benefit from a little help when they shed.

  Our ferrets' ancestors had a different diet than our little pets have today. What they ate helped them to pass any fur they happened to swallow while cleaning themselves. Because most ferret owners don't feed whole carcass animals to their pets, they need to give them hairball remedy during shedding .

  Other ways to help your ferret get rid of loose fur safely is to brush or bathe her. The more loose fur you can remove, the less fur your ferret is likely to swallow. The less fur your ferret swallows, the lower the chances of her getting a hairball.

Zoom Groom for Cats This is the best tool we've found to brush ferrets. It really gets the fur out and the ferrets seem to tolerate it better than other types of brushes we've tried.

  Unlike cats, ferrets do not cough up hairballs. They pass them through their digestive tract -- or they don't. To help your ferret pass any fur she's swallowed, give her hairball remedy once a day during the several days she's actively shedding. The biggest problem with ferrets getting hairballs is that the hairball can cause a partial or total intestinal obstruction. Both of these conditions require veterinary attention, and possibly emergency surgery. Prevention is the best plan.

  We get letters from people who are concerned because their ferret has changed color. This is a normal part of the aging process  for many ferrets, especially those with silver fur. As we were brushing Gabby, we could see her change color before our eyes. Her new coat has fewer dark guard hairs, so she's whiter than before. What we're seeing in Gabby is called roaning. Brown ferrets (sables, chocolates, and even cinnamons) sometimes show changes in the darkness or shape of their masks from season to season. Albino ferrets tend to take on a yellowish tint as they get older.

  Another aspect of coat changing that can cause new ferret owners some concern is weight gain and loss. Ferrets tend to lose a bit of fat for the summer. This, too, is normal. Our Ralph used to gain or lose a whole pound going from one season to the next. Most of our ferrets never went through as dramatic a weight change as Ralph did, but they did slim down for summer and plump up for winter.
 

Find all kinds of information about ferret shedding, disease prevention, and interesting facts about ferrets in the back issues of Modern Ferret Magazine:

Incredible Savings On T-Shirts and Other Cool Ferrety Stuff!

  Save $10.00 when you spend $30.00 or more at FerretDesigns, AmysDesigns, and PowerDesigns. Use the coupon code:

GRDAD05

  All kinds of items: t-shirts, tote bags, mugs, mouse pads, sweatshirts and other stuff! All the stores use the same shopping cart, so you can combine items from all the stores!

  Coupon expires June 14, 2005.

  Thanks for reading! Watch for the next newsletter in a few days!

--Mary, Eric & Gabby (the lone ferret)

  Stay tuned for more. You can always get updates by reading Mary's blog (a blog is an online journal). She keeps it sporadically and it usually runs to the more personal stuff. But you might like it. It's at: