Ferret News
Pet Ferret Care Tips
and Information.

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Ferret News #55: Brushing Your Ferret - Single Ferrets - Ferrets and the 'Flu
February 25, 2004

by Mary R. Shefferman and Eric Shefferman
along with Gabrielle (the lone ferret)

contact: marymodernferret.com

Hello Fuzzy Friends!

  If you're just joining us, we urge you to read Newsletter #54 for some very important information about the cost of keeping ferrets as pets. We've gotten a lot of feedback on this newsletter and expect to be publishing a follow-up soon.

  It's nearly March and ferrets are beginning to think about spring ... at least their bodies are thinking about it. If your ferret is starting to shed, we've got info just for you.

  We also have some tips on keeping an only ferret happy.

  Enjoy!

-- Mary, Eric, and Gabby

In this newsletter:

• Shedding: Brushing Your Ferret

• Did You Know That ... (Ferrets and the 'Flu)

• How Do You Keep a Single Ferret From Getting Bored?

Shedding: Brushing Your Ferret
By Mary R. Shefferman

  Without fail, twice a year, our ferrets dump out their old coats and sprout new ones. I use the word "dump" because that's literally what it seems like. Ferrets go through their shed fairly quickly. It can be all you can do to keep up with all that fur!

  In Newsletter #53 we talked briefly about giving hairball remedy, now we're going to talk about brushing.

  Forget about any of the old standard pet brushes. Ferrets don't really like them. The only "brush" we've found that a large percentage of our ferrets tolerated well is the Kong Zoom Groom. The Zoom Groom is made of rubber, so keep it out of ferret reach! The good thing about rubber is that the loose fur seems to stick to it, thus the Zoom Groom gets out more loose fur than other types of brushes.

Gabby getting brushed. Note that we give her a treat while brushing her.	We can build another ferret with the loose fur from Gabby!
Not only does the Zoom Groom remove a lot of loose fur, it's also easy to clean.

  As you can see from the pictures above, the easiest way to brush your ferret is to distract her with a "treat" -- anything your ferret can lick off your hand. Although products like 8 in 1 Ferretone Skin Coat Supplement or 8 in 1 FerretVite Vitamin Supplement are not "treats" (they're vitamin supplements), ferrets usually like them very much, so they will continue licking your palm for as long as it takes you to brush them.

  Brushing your ferret to remove loose fur during shedding seasons can help prevent your ferret from getting hairballs. Instead of your ferret grooming himself and swallowing the loose fur, you brush him to remove the loose fur. Hairballs can cause partial or complete intestinal blockage in a ferret (which often means surgery), so it's very important to get the loose fur off of them before it gets into them.

  This time of year we also like to make sure we bathe our ferret. Bathing helps remove loose fur -- again the idea being to remove the loose fur before they swallow it by grooming themselves.

  We also like to make sure that we give Marshall Ferret Lax Remedy for Ferrets once in a while to help make sure that any swallowed fur will pass through the ferret more easily.

KONG Cat Zoom Groom Brush (4"L X 3"W; Blue) KONG Cat Zoom Groom Brush - Available Online at PETCO.comGive your cat a relaxing massage while you groom and remove loose dead hair. The flexible bristles on the Zoom Groom pick up the loose hair and hold on like a magnet all the while massaging your pet and stimulating the skin. Regular grooming reduces hairballs and stimulates skin for a healthy coat. Easy to grip and hold onto even when wet.

8 in 1 Ferretone Skin Coat Supplement 8 OZ Provides essential fatty acids and vitamins necessary for maintaining a healthy skin and glossy coat.

Marshall Ferret Lax Remedy for Ferrets 4 oz Marshall Ferret Lax is specially formulated to treat and prevent the formation of hairballs in the intestines and stomach of ferrets. A specialized lubricant works safely and quickly to help remove hair and other unintentionally ingested items that may not pass through a ferret’s system. Ferret Lax is all natural, with a great taste ferrets love! 4 oz.

Marshall Ferret Shampoo 8 oz Aloe Vera/No Tears Marshall Ferret Shampoo is available in a Brightening and a No Tears Formula. The Brightening Formula contains optical brighteners that will enhance any coat color. The No Tears Formula is “baby safe,” with aloe vera to cleanse without stripping coat oils. 8oz.

Did You Know That ...

  Your ferret can get the 'flu from you? Ferrets can't get your cold (cold viruses are specific to their species), but they can catch the influenza virus from you.

  In humans, the 'flu usually starts with a high temperature, widespread body aches, and very little sneezing; a cold causes only slightly elevated temperature (if any) and causes a lot of sneezing, sniffling, congestion, and coughing. If you're sick and you're not sure if it's a cold or the 'flu or if you know that you definitely have the 'flu, keep away from your ferrets.

  If your ferret does get the 'flu, keep an eye on her. Make sure she continues to eat and drink. If your ferret seems to be getting worse, take her to the vet. Most healthy ferrets can handle fighting off the 'flu with supportive care from you (that is, feeding, warmth, rest, and monitoring of fluids and level of hydration). Test your ferret's hydration by pinching her scruff: if the skin snaps back quickly, she's hydrated; if the skin stays "peaked" in the pinched shape, she's dehydrated and may need subcutaneous fluids. Contact your vet.

  Both Eric and I get the 'flu shot for various reasons, so we're pretty certain we won't bring the 'flu home to Gabby. Although it's late in the season to be getting 'flu shots this year, if you usually get a bout of the 'flu every year, you might consider getting the 'flu shot in the future -- for your fuzzies' sake. -- Mary

The Super Monster Pack
of Modern Ferret Back Issues.
 

How Do You Keep a Single Ferret From Getting Bored?
By Mary R. Shefferman

  As we’ve mentioned in the last two newsletters, it’s been a decade since we had only one ferret in our home. Back then, Sabrina engaged us in many ways. Everything she did was amazing to us. When she hid our shoes, we were gleeful. We’d take our shoes out of Sabrina’s hiding place just to watch her put them back again. It was the neatest trick in the world.

  Now we are again a single-ferret household. Gabby grew up with ferrets all around her. She’s been through most of our ferret losses with us. They were her losses, too. But Gabby is a resilient and tolerant little ferret -- very little seems to ruin her day. She even seems to be taking in stride losing the little bit of vision she had at birth. She’s still not completely blind, but she will be soon enough. Her hearing is also limited. This combination may be a factor in why Gabby just doesn’t seem to get very attached to other living things (ferrets or people).

  How do you keep a ferret from getting bored out of her mind when she’s really not interested in playing with you and there are no other ferrets for her to play with? That’s what Eric and I have been working at figuring out since Trixie died a couple of weeks ago. Even if your ferret isn’t visually or hearing impaired, an only ferret needs much more attention than a pair or a group of ferrets needs.

Games

  Every ferret likes to play some kind of game. It’s the human’s job to figure out what that game is and to play it with the ferret as often as the ferret wants. For Gabby, we have a special challenge because the game she used to enjoy -- hopping at the dangling toy -- is no longer interesting to her because she can barely see the toy. Balthazar used to love to go through the plastic (dryer-hose-type) tubes while I ran my hand along the top of them, making a "zooop!" noise. Gabby doesn't much care for that game.

  The old standby of taking an object out of the ferret’s hiding place so she has to hide it again has become one of our staple games with Gabby. She has two Gumabones (like Nylabones, but a little softer -- they're now called Nylabone Flexibles). We take the bones out of their hiding place (under a small throw rug) and hand them to Gabby. She grabs them -- one at a time, of course! -- and hides them wherever she feels they’ll be safe. Usually that’s back under the throw  rug or under one of her little beds.

Gabby with her Gumabone. She seems to enjoy putting her Gumabones where we won't find them. She and Balthazar used to fight over the bones, so we had to supervise them whenever they played with them. Now Gabby has the bones all to herself!

Gumabones go under the little throw rugs. (How many times does Gabby have to show us this!?)

  Another game we play is Tickle Gabby! Gabby likes to be tickled. We roll her on her back and tickle her belly. She hops around and rolls like a log. (The log-rolling thing is adorable!) But this is a short-lived game for Gabby because she gets so excited she bounces off into some other part of the room and gets sidetracked by a smell or toy.

Treats

  Animals bond with us when we feed them. There’s nothing like having a gentle little ferret take a treat from your fingers or lick some 8 in 1 Ferretone off the palm of your hand. We use treats to get Gabby to do some tricks. Well, OK, one trick -- sit up. This, too, is becoming more of a challenge for her because of her dwindling eyesight. But she still makes the effort -- and succeeds, winning her a piece of a Ferret Treat or a Pounce treat.

  Gabby also loves chicken baby food. When she hears the opening and closing of the microwave and then its distinctive “bing!” She runs over to the gate (she’s not allowed in the kitchen). She knows her baby food is coming. Although giving Gabby treats makes Eric and me feel somewhat like "the treat dispensers," it does provide a pleasurable interaction for us and for her.

Touch

  Animals need touch. Ferrets need touch. When you have a single ferret, it’s important to pet or hold her as much as she’ll tolerate (sometimes ferrets need to learn that being held is nice). Gabby isn’t much for being held, but she’s happy to walk on people. Recently, I’ve discovered that if she is sleeping in her little bed, you can put the bed on your lap and rest your hands on Gabby. For some reason, this doesn’t bother her. I’d really like to get her to enjoy being held or petted, but that may never happen. Some ferrets are just like that.

  If you're starting out with a young ferret -- or even a older one who's receptive  -- you can make being held as pleasurable as possible for him. Give him treats when you pick him up to hold him. It doesn't have to be anything too special: a lick or two of Ferretone or a part of a Ferretbite or similar treat will do. Be gentle and try not to restrain the ferret too much (that is, don't squeeze him!). For some ferrets, I've found that sitting still is much more tolerable for them than walking around or even shifting positions. Each ferret is unique. But all ferrets benefit from some sort of physical contact.

Toys

  Ferrets are intelligent and when they don’t have other ferrets to mess around with, they need something intellectually stimulating to keep them happy. We’ve gone the usual route of moving toys around the room and switching toys in and out of the room. But we’ve gone one further. Ferrets in general rely very heavily on their sense of smell; ferrets with particularly poor eyesight and/or hearing rely on their sense of smell even more so. To provide Gabby with something interesting to explore, we’ve taken various little blankets and towels and spritzed them with a little perfume or other harmless type of aroma. We then put these items around the room for her to discover. I also give Gabby my shoes to sniff; she seems to like this, and as long as she’s not chewing on them, she might as well enjoy herself.

  One item we’ve gotten is a Kitty Babble Ball. These are balls that make noises when you move them. Gabby enjoys rolling them around because when she nudges them, they make a noise. Now Gabby has one Little Doggie Babble Ball and one Kitty Babble Ball. I think most ferrets would like the one for cats because it makes some noises ferrets generally go for. But be aware: some ferrets are actually upset by noises, so keep an eye out for that. Also, while Gabby has no inclination toward (or apparent ability to) destroying the Babble Balls in any way, every ferret is different. Whenever you give your ferret a new toy, you should monitor her closely to make sure that toy is safe for her. Make sure the toy continues to be safe by inspecting it at least weekly.

Out of Cage Time

  We’ve greatly increased Gabby’s out of cage time since she became an only ferret. Being in the cage seems to stress her much more than it ever did before. We’ve taken to leaving her out of the cage in our ferret-safe bedroom most of the time. Even at night (which I wouldn’t do with any other ferret we’ve ever had because they would want to curl up with us). Gabby doesn’t like being in bed when we are in bed, so it’s safe for her to be in the room with us. She much prefers her little ferret bed to our big bed. If Gabby were less stressed in the cage, we wouldn’t leave her free overnight. But as soon as we put her in the cage she paces like a caged animal (which she is) and bites at the cage incessantly for hours on end (just ask Eric how many hours of sleep he didn’t get before we decided to try leaving Gabby out at night). We’ve decided that the risk of injury in our room at night is much less than the risk of stress-related illness from caging.

  In the end, having a single ferret turns out to be more time-intensive than having a few ferrets. We are Gabby’s friends and family now and have to spend time with her (ferrets are, after all, companion animals). As she loses more of her vision, she may become a bit less active. Also as she gets a little older, she will likely slow down a bit more, too. We’re hoping she comes to enjoy our company and being held as much as we enjoy her company and holding her. Until then, we have some fun games we play together and are always looking for new and ferret-exciting games and toys for Gabby.

Kitty Babble Ball The Babble Ball is an interactive toy that rivets the attention of pets! It talks and makes noises when touched. Dogs and cats love it, obsess with it, chase it and go absolutely nuts for it!

Check out the Ferret Designs Store! Get a great ferrety T-shirt!

  That's about it for this newsletter. Keep sending in your questions and comments. We want to make sure we're addressing your questions and concerns. We're trying to get out at least one newsletter a week, so feel free to just check the website once a week to see the latest newsletter.

-- Mary, Eric, & Gabby

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

http://www.marysferretblog.blogspot.com

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Copyright 2004 Modern Ferret magazine.
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