Preventing Fleas and Ear Mites

Ferrets are susceptible to both fleas and ear mites, especially during the increasingly warm summer months.
Let's cover nasty fleas first!.
At The Ferret Inn, we have rescued ferrets infested with fleas who were extremely anemic and needed blood transfusions to save their life. Fleas literally feed off of an animals blood and flesh, leaving a two pound animal defenseless. Fleas can also carry tapeworms to your ferrets.
At The Ferret Inn, we use a flea preventative once a month called FrontLine spray. Our vet also recommends using a product called Revolution. Both of these products can be properly dosed and obtained from your ferret knowledgeable veterinarian.
Revolution can also prevent heartworms (yes, ferrets can also get heartworms from mosquitoes), and ear mites.
Ear Mites are a common pest with ferrets and can lead to ear problems if left untreated. Your ferret does not have to go outside to come in contact with either ear mites! They can live in ferret bedding, carpeting, furniture, etc. The best thing is to use a monthly preventative. We use a product called Ivermectin, which can be obtained and properly dosed be your ferret knowledgeable vet.
How can you tell if your ferret has fleas, tapeworms, or ear mites? Fleas can result in an extra itchy ferret and you should regularly use a flea comb to comb through your ferrets hair if you suspect fleas. Fleas also leave behind 'flea dirt" which looks like little tiny speckles of black in the ferrets hair close to the skin. As for ear mites, the ear wax of a ferret tends to become very dark ,almost blackish. Ear mites can be detected by a qualified vet who will do a swab sample and run it under a microscope. The presence of tapeworms, and other GI parasites can only be confirmed through a fecal sample at your vets office. Even so, it can take multiple samples for proper detection.
NEVER assume that a common dog or cat flea product can be used on a ferret. Some can be highly toxic or fatal. Read more...

Adoption updates

Congratulations for the following ferrets who were adopted in the last few days:

Marley and Peebles



Clyde and Isis



Jackie O




Flea and Punkin Pie




Dookers, Hank, Butterball, Solomon






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5 things every ferret owner should know

1. Health issues. Ferrets make great pets. Unfortunately, they are prone to many potentially deadly health issues. About 80% of all ferrets will develop adrenal disease or insulinoma. Since ferrets who are over three-years-old are considered geriatric, owners should expect to have at least one surgery during that ferret's lifetime. Read more about these two illnesses (and others) on miamiferret.org.
2. Play time. People often associate ferrets with rabbits, guinea pigs, and mice because of their small stature and furry bodies. That's about the only things ferrets have in common with these other animals. Ferrets are not cage animals. They need to play around the house as a cat or dog would. They need constant stimulation, enrichment and interaction. Ferret owners should have large cages for their ferrets as a safety, since ferrets cannot be supervised around the clock. Read more about what games ferrets like to play.
3. Blockages and hairball prevention. Laxatives made for ferrets should be given about twice a week. Ferrets need lax to help prevent hairballs. Unlike cats, ferrets cannot throw up a hairball. Some ferrets are very fond of eating things they shouldn't eat, such as rubber, cotton, cloth, etc. All of those things can cause a potentially deadly blockage. Lax cannot remove all blockages; sometimes surgery is the best solution. Read more blockages here and here.
   
4. Carnivores. Ferrets are obligate carnivores, which means they are strict meat-eaters. Anything with fruits, vegetables, or sugar should never be fed to ferrets. A diet free of sugars and low in carbohydrates may help prevent insulinoma. If you are unsure what to feed your ferret, check out this handy food chart.
5. Ferret-knowledgeable vets. One of the most important things you can do to your ferret is finding a ferret-knowledgeable vet. Please note that just because a vet says s/he treats ferrets, it does not mean that the vet is qualified. Make sure to ask a potential ferret vet these important questions. To find a ferret vet close to you, click here.
   

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LOST FERRET - "TWIX" Needs your help

(Update on Search for Twix: On Wednesday eve, a group of us canvassed a very overwhelming neighborhood, with literally thousands of wonderful places for ferrets to hide and nest. We walked in the woods,which were very dense, talked to anyone we saw on the streets, and a group of kids, and stuck fliers in every single mailbox in surrounding neighborhoods. No sign of Twix yet but we haven't given up hope. I will give another update in a week's time, even if nothing new is known)


A ferret friend of The Ferret Inn named "Twix" has been reported lost from his home in Davidsonville, MD. He got out sometime Sunday night (May 31st) or Monday morning and the family is devastated. They live in a residential development but back up to some extensive wooded areas.
The family has searched the surrounding areas and has made many efforts to find poor Twix.
So far we have done the following
Contacted:
Anne Arundel Animal Control
Anne Arundel SPCA
Craigslist
MDSPCA
Petfinder Lost and Found
Posted on ferretvillage.org
Handed out fliers to neighbors mailboxes.
Visited some neighbors

We have also recommended that the family contact and post at all local pet stores and vets.

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Spotlight on volunteer: Crystal

Crystal Hughes is Officer of Public Outreach. She organizes adoptions day, which helps ferrets find homes with responsible owners. She's been with the Inn for three years and has recently adopted a ferret, Nina.

You organize events, such as adoption days. What does a regular adoption day consist of? Ferrets are still pretty uncommon to a lot of people. We get a lot of questions like "How long does a ferret live? What do they eat? Are they litter box trained? Don't they bite?" Kids love to hold the ferrets and watch them run through the tubes. We usually have a crowd at adoption events!



Why did you decide to volunteer at a ferret shelter? I've always loved ferrets and wanted to help educate the public about them and find forever homes for them.

What's the most satisfying aspect of volunteering? Knowing that I'm helping to give a ferret a chance at a happy life.

What is it about ferrets that you love? They're silly and playful and mischievous. How can you not crack up when a ferret does the weasel war dance? Or steals objects five times their size? Each ferret has their own personality and "quirks". Ferrets really know how to make the most of life.

How did you get into owning ferrets in the first place? An old friend of mine adopted a couple of ferrets from a shelter. They were so much fun that I decided to adopt two myself. That quickly went from two ferrets to six ferrets!

You recently adopted Nina from the shelter. How did you come to adopt her? Nina came from a pretty bad situation. She was living on a diet of bologna, Cheerios, and dried banana crisps -- that is, when the owner remembered to feed her. Her water bottle was empty and her litter box was overflowing. When Nancy got her, she was dehydrated and wouldn't eat gruel or kibble on her own. I agreed to foster her to make sure she was eating enough and so that she wouldn't have to deal with the stress of the shelter. It wasn't long before I fell in love and adopted her.

What is the most important thing that people who want to adopt should know about ferrets? Ferrets aren't cage animals like gerbils and hamsters. They need mental stimulation and interaction with their humans on a daily basis.
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Spotlight on a Special Volunteer

I submitted this essay to the American Humane Association in hopes of awarding a $1000.00 prize to Melissa, for all the wonderful work she has done for ferrets over the years. She will always be a winner in my book. Please read on...

Melissa poses with two ferrets "Mothership" and "Lula"

Melissa Williams is like no other young woman I know and probably not like anyone you are likely to meet. To name a single selfless act or event for the benefit or welfare of animals would not begin to describe the contributions that Melissa has made, nor would it demonstrate the kind of devotion, dedication, and perseverance that defines what a remarkable individual she is. At 14 years of age Melissa adopted her first ferret from The Ferret Inn and began volunteering. Most impressive was the determination she showed as she struggled to make arrangements to secure transportation to and from the shelter every Saturday – a round trip of more than 60 miles! She has adopted nine more ferrets, fostered an additional five ferrets, and comforted a few as they have “crossed over the Bridge”.

She has accompanied and assisted me in dozens of vet appointments. Her mature and inquisitive presence made it easy for the vet to allow her to observe a variety of surgical procedures performed on own her pet ferrets as well as on those that she has rescued and cared for. Melissa quickly became familiar with the procedures and protocols in the shelter and every name and case history of more than forty resident ferrets. She learned to perform triage on incoming animals and to provide a range of critical care tasks from syringe feeding to administering medications including sub-cutaneous fluids with confidence, accuracy, and absolute reliability.

Melissa was my first choice to be in charge for a week while I attended a seminar in Canada. Although only fifteen years old at the time she stayed at the shelter and performed the duties of shelter director, was directly responsible for all the shelter operations, and oversaw a crew of 4 to 6 others including adults. Her performance far exceeded anyone’s expectations but was par for the course for Melissa.

At seventeen Melissa trains new volunteers, attends ferret education seminars and adoptions days, helps in screening applicants for adoption, and performs pre-adoption home visits. Through education she helps to ensure that ferrets adopted from The Ferret Inn have the best chance of a successful match with loving and responsible owners. In addition to everything she does at the shelter she is an honor student, a softball coach, and a text message away when my memory fails me. She is a mentor, a role model, an example, a leader, and a friend. She is at the very least a unique and very special young woman.
Sincerely,
Nancy Wilson, Director

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Before and after: Tim Tooten and Tom Tasselmyer

Tim Tooten and Tom Tasselmyer are a bonded pair who were surrendered to a local shelter. We fell in love with them and named them after WBAL's news reporters. Poor Tom was severly underweight when he arrived: 1 pound 8 ounces. Since then, he's managed to gain a whole pound.

Both ferrets make great companions. Tom is the more cuddly one while Tim is more energetic. Both are doing well at The Inn but would love to find a forever home.




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Luxury Bedding Set Raffle to benefit The Ferret Inn

Update: The raffle has already been drawn. Thank you for all who participated!
The winner is Tracy Sawyer of Charleston, Rhode Island. Congratulations Tracy!

Time to do some spring cage cleaning! Recycle your old tired bedding and spruce up your ferret's cage with this "Snoopy's Snugglers" sunflower set handcrafted by Sandra Grammage.

This bedding is the most durable we have seen, and can be washed countless times without wearing out!

The winning ticket will be drawn at the AFA sponsored Spring Nationals Show in York, PA Saturday, March 28th at approximately 5:00 PM. You do not have to be present to win!

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Volunteers at The Ferret Inn

Volunteers hold some precious cargo, after a hard days cleaning of the shelter. There are many volunteer opportunities at The Ferret Inn. For more information, please click here.

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February update

Adopted:

• Isaac
• Miss Fifi
• Dillo, one of the five new Black Jacks,
• Calypso, Sasuke and Goku
• Hoops and Yoyo
  

Arrivals:

• 5 Black Jacks
• Nina
• Janet

Deaths:

• Diesel
  

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