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Ferrets . Mustela putorius furo. Ferret Relatives. The domestic ferret is a member of the mustelid , or weasel, family. Other members of the weasel family include badgers, ermine, and otters.
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Ferrets Mustela putorius furo
Ferret Relatives • The domestic ferret is a member of the mustelid, or weasel, family. • Other members of the weasel family include badgers, ermine, and otters. • The endangered black-footed ferret is considered more of a cousin than a direct ancestor to the domestic ferret.
Skin and Hair Coat: • Three naturally occurring coat color patterns • Sable is the most commonly observed but albino and cinnamon are also seen • Sable ferret is also known as “fitch” and has been reported as a cross b/t the European polecat and ferret • They typically have black-tipped guard hear, cream undercoat, black feet and tail, with a black mask • In the US, enthusiasts have developed over 30 color combinations • Some of these include silver, chocolate, panda, and Siamese • http://www.ferret.org/events/colors/colorchart.html
Anatomy • Conformation: • Has an elongated body that allows for animal to enter small areas and holes for the pursuit of prey • This provides challenges for both owner and vet staff in caging and handling • Remember: wherever the head goes so follows the rest of the body • Males are larger than the females and their weight fluctuations vary according to season, as does that of dogs, cats and people
Skeletal: • Veterbral formula: • C7, T15, L5(6), S3, Cd18 • Anatomical considerations of interest include a small sternum and thoracic inlet, nonretractable claws and a J-shaped os-penis
Digestive Tract: • Has 30 deciduous teeth and 34 permanent teeth • Permanent teeth erupt b/t 50 and 74 days • Dental formula: • 2 x (3/3I, 1/1C, 3/3P, 1/2M) = 34 • Have five pairs of salivary glands • Care must be taken not to confuse the mandibular salivary gland w/ the lymph nodes in that area • Stomach is simple and can expand to accommodate large amounts of food • Small intestine is short in length and has an average transit time of 3-4 hours
Heart and Lungs: • Heart lies approximately b/t the 6th and 8th ribs • Lungs consist of six lobes • Left lung has two lobes and the right has four
Spleen: • Varies greatly in size, depending on the animal’s age and state of health • When enlarged, the spleen extends in a diagonal fashion from the upper left to the lower right quadrant of the abdominal cavity • The size of the spleen is a very distinct finding during P.E.
Reproduction • During estrus, the vulva becomes enlarged • Natural breeding season is from March to August • Fertility in both genders is dependent on the photoperiod • Females are seasonally polyestrous and induced ovulators • Ovulation occurs 30-40 hours after copulation • Gestation: • 41-42 days • If fertilization does not occur, pseudopregnancy often occurs and will last 41-43 days
Reproduction cont. • If these females are not bred, a large percentage of these individuals will remain in estrus with the potential for bone marrow suppression due to elevated estrogen levels • Estrus-induced aplastic anemia
Birth condition: • Born blind • Eyes are open at 21-37 days • Can start solid food at 14 days • Wean at 8 weeks
Females are called jills, and males are hobs. • Baby ferrets are called kits. • In North America, spayed females are sometimes called sprites and neutered males called gibs. • A group of ferrets is a "business of ferrets." • Lifespan 5-8yrs
Females are13-14 inches long and weigh anywhere from 0.75 to 2.5 lbs, whereas males are on average15-16 inches long and weigh 2-3.5 lbs if neutered and are even larger (4 or more lbs) if not neutered. • Most ferrets obtained in North America are spayed or neutered and descented at a very young age before being sold.
Behavior/Appeal • Sleep 75% of day • Vocal • Interactive, playful, entertaining • Relatively easy to care for • Thieves • Independent • Should not be left alone with small children or other pets jplehmann.com
Housing • Groups or individual • Indoor or outdoor • Recommended caging • Indoor- multi-level, wire or solid, no glass • Outdoor- protection, escape proof • Play areas • Slings, shelves, hammocks in cage • Boxes, bags, plastic tubing
www.petcratesdirect.com www.ferretlove.co.uk
Housing • Enclosed sleeping area • Towel, old shirt, commercial product • One per ferret • Litter box • High sides • Pellated instead of clumping litter • Short GI transit time
Housing • Ferret proofing your house • Block off holes • Cover bottom of chairs, couches, mattresses • Restrict access to recliners • No foam or latex rubber items- cat/dog toys, athletic shoes, rubber bands, headphones • Video (Cage-Housing)
Nutrition • Ferrets are strict carnivores and have very different nutritional requirements than dogs and cats. • Ferrets need a high protein, high fat diet that is made from animal proteins. • Protein levels should be between 36% and 37% and come from high biological value (BV) sources (chicken, chicken byproduct, egg, or liver for example).
Cat or kitten food is not appropriate for ferrets! • A raw, chicken based diet is probably the best choice, but very few people have the time or resources to provide their ferrets this diet. • Totally Ferret® and Natural Gold from Pretty Bird® are most likely the best prepared foods currently available.
Treats • Ferrets definitely enjoy treats, but usually it’s not something they should be eating. • Don’t give your ferret sugary treats, fruits (including raisins), or chocolate. These can lead to serious health problems.
Vitamins and Supplements • If a ferret is on a quality ferret food there shouldn’t be a need for any vitamins. • One “supplement” every ferret should get is Laxatone® (hairball prevention paste). Give a dime-sized amount every few days, especially during shedding seasons! • In dry areas skin can become dull and dry. Offering a small amount of a fatty acid oil like Ferretone® daily can help with this problem.
Supplements to dry food • Whole prey (Pinkies or juvenile mouse) • Fresh raw organ (liver) or muscle meat • Omega-2 oils, fish oils, meat fat • Difficult to change an adult ferrets diet • Water • Video (Proper diet)
Enrichment • Instinctive behaviors for play, hunting, marking, digging, going through tunnels • 3 hours exercise/day • Appropriate toys • Enclosed area for sleeping • Video (Toys, playing) www.getelastic.com
P.E.: • Should follow routine small animal veterinary protocol • Questions: • Coughing • Sneezing • Vomiting • Diarrhea • Discharge: • Eyes • Nose • Any other body orifice • Diet and appetite • Drinking water excessively or increased urination or straining to urinate • Active/alert
Restraint The proper technique for restraining a ferret. The scruff of the neck is held by one hand, and the other hand supports the body. Often this technique will elicit a “yawn,” at which time the oral cavity may be examined.
P.E. • Normal Body temperature: • 101-104F • HR • 200-250 bmp • Respiration • 33-36
http://www.bva-awf.org.uk/resources/tutorials/BVA02-Introduction.htmlhttp://www.bva-awf.org.uk/resources/tutorials/BVA02-Introduction.html
Medical Considerations • Grooming (video) • Spay/neuter/remove anal glands • Ear mites, fleas, heartworms • Vaccinations- rabies, distemper • Physical exam/blood work recommendations: • Annual until 4-5 years • Biannual
Medical Considerations • Young- foreign body, traumatic • Old- insulinoma, adrenal gland disease, lymphoma, dental disease www.afip.org Dr. Eckermann-Ross
Routine Wellness Procedures • Depending on ferrets age and lifestlye, you may recommend other procedures like deworming, ADV (Aleutian Disease Virus) testing, and routine bloodwork. • It is highly advisable to run bloodwork on ferrets at least annually. Many diseases have been detected early by running bloodwork when the pet was healthy.
Blood collection • Page 251 • Jugular vein • Caudal artery • Cephalic vein • 10% • Video http://www.bva-awf.org.uk/resources/tutorials/BVA02-Introduction.html
Clin Path Considerations(A Ferret is Not a Cat nor is it a Dog) • Ferrets normally have high PCV and low WBC. PCV (43.0%-55.0%) • Persistent lymphocytosis does NOT mean lymphoma. • Hepatic enzymes are usually elevated simply as a result of inanition in the ferret. • Older ferrets are commonly mildly hypoproteinemic due to chronic bowel inflammation due to coronavirus or Helicobacter infection). • Ferrets with adrenal disease rarely have abnormalities on routine CBC/chemistry.
Surgical Considerations • Use inhalation anesthesia without premeds. Injectable anesthetics are very unpredictable in ferrets. • Isoflurane safest with mask or chamber induction. • Heating pad suggested during and after surgery ferrets get hypothermic very quickly. • Should provide fluid therapy for all surgeries more serious than neutering
Diseases on Ferrets • A ferrets normal life span is from 5 - 8 years, and beginning at the age of 2-3 they are susceptible to two very common serious illnesses: • Insulinoma • Adrenal Disease, (both require medical and/or surgical intervention, which could become quite costly).
Insulinoma • Insulinoma is a very common problem in ferrets. Small tumors form on the pancreas and cause an overproduction of insulin in the body. This in turn causes the blood sugar to drop dangerously low! • Symptoms of insulinoma include: staring into space, staggering when walking, pawing at the mouth, lethargy, and possibly seizures. • Action needs to be taken immediately if your ferret exhibits signs of insulinoma. If you suspect your ferret’s blood sugar level is low you can rub some Nutrical® or Karo syrup on their gums. This will provide the body with some sugar to help lower the insulin level.
Islet cell tumor (Insulinoma) • May be function or non-functional • Inappropriate secretion of insulin resulting in trances, hindlimb paresis, salivation, seizures and coma. Pancreatic islet cell tumor in a ferret
Diagnosis • -History and clinical signs • -Blood glucose test • 60-80 g/dl - questionable <60 positive • -Insulin testing generally not necessary • -Unfortunately, 40% of ferrets will experience recurrence within 10 months. Normal pancreas in a ferret (note gastric and jejunal arms)
Adrenal Disease • Tumors on the adrenal glands occur in about 75% of domestic ferrets • Symptoms include: hair loss, excessive itchiness, swollen vulva in females, prostate problems and sexual aggression in males, and an inability to keep weight on • The best option is to remove the tumor(s) with surgery. • Medical treatments include Lupron injections (a human hormone product) or Melatonin implants
Adrenal-associated endocrinopathy • Extremely common • Due to hyperestrogenism. • Proliferative lesions (hyperplasia, adenoma, carcinoma have identical clinical signs) (Photo courtesy of Erik Stauber) Classic bilateral truncal alopecia in ferret with AAE
Clinical signs • Bilateral truncal alopecia • Vulvar swelling in spayed females • Dysuria in males • Return to intact sexual behavior
Treatment • Surgical treatment - treatment of choice Adrenalectomy Cryosurgery • Medical treatment • Lupron • Lysodren Normal anatomy of adrenal glands in the ferret
Intestinal Blockages • Ferrets tend to eat a lot of things they shouldn’t and often these objects get lodged in the stomach or intestines and must be removed surgically. • Hairball blockages are also common in ferrets. Prevent these by giving your ferret some Laxatone a few times a week. • Symptoms of ferrets with blockages include: pawing at the mouth, vomiting, diarrhea, and lack of appetite.
Gastrointestinal foreign bodies Very common in ferrets High index of suspicions in ferrets less than 1 year of age. May be seen in bored, caged ferrets. Latex, rubber, cloth, and hair most popular. Only show up on X-rays <10 percent of time. Donot wait on surgery for confirmation! Cut on first suspicion! NO house is completely ferret-proofed!
Gastrointestinal foreign bodies • Other types of injuries may occur from exploring the environment with their mouth. Electrical cord injury Electrical cord injury with oronasal fistula and amputation f tongue (Note broken canine teeth and wood oral foreign body )
