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Pet Ferret Care Tips
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In this newsletter:

• Ollie's Escape
   
• Flea-Bite Induced Anemia

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Ollie's Escape

By Mary R. Drews*

A couple of weeks ago here on Long Island a ferret named Ollie made the news. Ollie was at the center of a sort of custody battle.

Ollie’s mom had left him with a friend while she was away. The friend is also a ferret parent. So far, so good. It can be difficult to find someone to watch your ferrets while you’re away. When we were in the thick of magazine production and had nine of the little critters we stayed at home for the most part. No vacations for us.

Back to Ollie. Ollie’s sitter was checking on the ferrets when she discovered Ollie had gone AWOL. This was during that last huge snow storm we had here in the Northeast. Much of Long Island got upwards of 12 inches of snow. It was a mess. Still, Ollie’s sitter called all the animal shelters in the area and she got out and canvassed the neighborhood. No sign of Ollie.

Ollie’s mom showed up and she and the sitter hit the streets again. Signs and door-knocking and phone calls. This time they discovered that Ollie had been taken to a local shelter. Good news! But he had already been adopted out to one of the part-time employees at the shelter. What?

Because of the snow storm, five days had passed between the time Ollie was brought into the shelter and the time Ollie’s mom finally contacted the shelter. After five days, the shelter is free to adopt out any animal that hasn't been claimed. The shelter adopted out Ollie and the new mom refused to return him to his original home.

This sounds like a horrific ferret nightmare to me. I could not imagine having one of my little guys go missing and, to make matters worse, having a complete stranger tell me that I couldn’t have my baby back. But that’s what happened to Ollie and to Ollie’s mom. To be fair, the new mom was concerned that Ollie had gone missing in the first place. Fair enough. I’d be concerned that the original owner wasn’t terribly concerned about the ferret if the ferret escaped. On the other hand, ferrets do that sometimes, despite our most intense vigilance.

The amount of effort the original mom put into finding Ollie is key. As soon as she knew Ollie was missing, she came to Long Island (she lives in Connecticut) and was out canvassing the neighborhood in the snow. When she found out that Ollie had already been adopted out to someone, she contacted the media and made every effort to get him back home. This is not the hallmark of a careless (in every sense of the word) ferret parent.

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. The new ferret mom reconsidered. She decided she would return Ollie after she met with the original ferret mom. She wanted to be sure that Ollie’s escape was truly an accident and not an indication of an overall pattern of ferret neglect. She was satisfied and Ollie went home to Connecticut.

There are several morals to this story. First, if a ferret goes missing -- if it's your ferret or any ferret in your care -- get on the phone to every shelter in your area, including wildlife rehabilitators and Animal Control (unless, of course, ferrets are illegal where you are). Don't just ask if they got in a ferret; let them know that your ferret is missing, what he or she looks like and how you can be reached in case a ferret shows up at the shelter. Ask that whomever you speak with at the shelter make a note of your information for other employees.

Another moral to this story is to remember that accidents do happen. If you find a ferret, don't assume that the ferret's parents are unfit. Sometimes we have our own emergencies and our ferrets will take advantage of a moment's lowered guard. We all feel the need to protect ferrets, but we need to be fair in our assessments of other ferret parents.

Further Reading:

Finding a Lost Ferret - Newsletter #70
Ferret Sitter - Newsletter #109

* Formerly known as Mary R. Shefferman.

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Flea-Bite Induced Anemia

By Mary R. Drews

It's now officially spring again. A time when our thoughts turn to sunshine, picnics and ... fleas. We all know that fleas can be a nuisance, but what you may not know is that fleas can seriously harm your ferret.

A flea infestation can easily overwhelm a ferret. The numerous bites the fleas inflict can, over time, cause enough blood loss to cause anemia.

Signs of Anemia

If your ferret is anemic, you will notice that she seems less playful and more tired than usual. You may also notice rapid breathing. Perhaps one of the clearest signs of anemia is pale gums and paw pads. If you have or have had a flea issue and you notice any of these signs in your ferret, it's time for a prompt vet visit.

Prevention

Talk with your veterinarian about the safest way to keep fleas out of your home and off your ferret. If you choose to take matters into your own hands, remember that ferrets should not wear flea collars and should never be put into a flea dip. There are some ferret-specific products, like shampoo and spray, that you can use on your ferret. in addition, many products that are safe for kittens will likely be all right for a ferret.

Further Reading:

Fleas in ferrets - 4/12/02 article,  Newsletter #91

Thanks for reading the FerretNews Newsletter!

-- Mary

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