Blowing One's Coat

Ferrets shed twice a year once in the spring losing their long winter coat to reveal shorter fur and quite often times new coat patterns. In the fall, they shed again this time replacing the summer coat with the longer winter hair. When ferrets blow their coat is when they are more prone to hairballs.

These hairballs can cause problems if they become lodged somewhere in the ferret’s internal tract and if left untreated this obstruction can kill the ferret.

It is then better to lessen the amount of fur a ferret will ingest and to help the ingested fur move along the digestive tract easily.

To do these things is easy and not as costly as surgery would be.

Daily brushing with a deshedding tool such as the FURminator®, my personal favorite, or one used for cats can help remove the loose hair that would otherwise end up inside the ferret as he grooms himself.

This also allows you a chance to bond with your ferret and gets him used to being touched all over his body which will be helpful for when he goes to the vet for his physical and/or vaccinations .

One might be surprised by the amount of fur these small bodies loose as each brushing session may result in a small sandwich bag stuffed full of ferret fur.

While you might just toss the fur out into the garbage, it needs to be said that there are organizations that you can donate your pet’s fur to in an effort to help clean up oil spills. But many of these same programs are filled so be sure to check to see if they are opened.

Since we cannot get every loose hair by brushing there is still need a to keep our ferret’s intestinal tract moving and this is easily done by giving the ferret a strip of Ferret Lax ® or Nutri-cal® every day. By both binding with the loose hair in the system and helping it move until it is out of the system we are keeping our ferret out of the emergency room and keeping both his life and ours less stressful.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

The FURminator® and the Ferret

     Okay first the disclaimer: I was only compensated with a free item to keep. I have reviewed the item here and the opinions are solely my own and may differ from other opinions presented elsewhere.

     I was given the opportunity to review a grooming tool called the FURminator®. The day it arrived I had followed the FedEx truck into the driveway. I am not sure what the driver thought was happening but he left a lot quicker than he normally does.

     Inside I found the FURminator® as it is presented in the stores. The first thing that I liked before I had ever touched the tool was the package design.

     The triangular design allowed one to see every side of the tool and didn’t have a lot of excess plastic that you would normally see. It was also easy to open no hacksaw was required that many items need to even getting into the contents.

     The FURminator® is a deShedding tool that helps to reduce the amount of loose hair an animal sheds and leaves behind on the furniture, the floor, and your clothes.

     The FURminator® comes in two models and four sizes. The one I received was the deluxe model for small pets.

     I have looked at other types of grooming tools to use on my ferrets but just picking up the package was enough of a deterrent to leave the store empty handed.

     Unlike those tools the FURminator® is a joy to hold and the handle fits well into my small hands. A child can easily use this tool.

     Now it was time for the real test. I got James out of his cage and holding him I managed to get one stroke of the tool down his back before James twisted and in an instant decided he was in love with the tool.

     In love by a ferret is that it belongs in his/her hidey-hole right this second. James has never insisted that something was his by use of vocal communication. He would just wait until I wasn’t looking and take it.

     Not this time. He hissed his demand that I let go of his new love this second and when I didn’t he gave me a couple of nips in an attempt to get me to let go it. After a few minutes of this discussion he allowed me to use the FURminator® on him again.

 

James and the FURMinator(r)

 

     Of course when I shot the video James decided he was more interested in his treat than the tool.

     After using the FURminator® on James’ coat I could feel the difference. It was softer and gave James’ a sleeker look. Although James’ has basically finished his shedding I am going to love having this grooming tool for when he starts shedding again this fall.

     The other feature I love about this tool is how easy it is to clean. A simple push of a button called the FURejector and the hair is ejected out. It makes grooming a squirming ferret easy in that you can hold your ferret with one hand and groom and clean the tool with the other hand.

     While there may cheaper grooming tools on the market the FURminator® is well worth the money. Be sure to check out their site at http://www.FURminator.com

     Also I didn’t realize that today April 30 was National Hairball Awareness Day please take a moment to read my post about ferrets and hairballs http://www.enlightenedferret.com/2009/10/bezoars-and-ferret.html as they aren’t just for cats.

     Now for the paw rating of this grooming tool. In the few products I have reviewed none have ever met the high standards of my ferrets or me that is until now and has received a Paw Rating of Five.

      With that in mind the FURminator® also receives the

  

 

Thank you Beth for allowing me the opportunity to review this pawsome tool.

 

Jo

The Bezoars and the Ferret.

     We are used to our animals shedding their winter coats in preparation for summer. Ferrets on the other hand shed twice a year. The spring and fall leaves us owners sweeping fur up from the floor. This might cause some concern about a ferret having adrenal disease because of the loss of fur leaving bald spots.

     While it is true, that adrenal does leave bald spots at the base of the tail and sometimes on the shoulders. It also can because of shedding. If the fur doesn’t grow back filling in the area it is time to get the ferret in for a check up.

     Ferrets like cats groom their bodies extensively. Licking up loose hair from their coats this in itself is not a problem. The problem occurs when the hairs accumulate in their digestive tract. Ferrets unlike cats cannot cough up the resulting tricho bezoars better known as a hairball.

     If a ferret is constantly pawing at his mouth this could be an indicator that something is either stuck in his/her mouth or further along his/her digestive tract. This obstruction needs to be seen by vet immediately or the result could be a painful death for the ferret.

     Tricho bezoars is formed by undigested hair that becomes sticky and latches onto other particles such as undigested food or more hair building up until nothing can get past the hairball. Some of the hairs can become like wire and possible puncture the intestines letting lethal bacteria into places it shouldn’t be.

     Some believe that hairballs are more likely to occur with low-fiber, high-carbohydrate diets, obesity, and a lax of exercises, inadequate water, and/or stress. Ferrets require a high protein diet with enough fat to help keep the digestive tract lubricated.

     So, what are some of the ways of preventing a hairball from forming? There are several views on how to reduce the amount of fur that is ingested. Ranging from frequent bathing of the ferret to hourly grooming. Neither of these are very good options. Bathing a ferret often increases the oil production and produces more of the musky smell. Brushing is helpful but not many ferrets want to be handled that often as it cuts into their exploration of their surroundings.

     What is agreed on is giving a hairball remedy. By giving a one-inch ribbon of either a cat or ferret hairball remedy helps lubricate the digestive tract allowing the hair to pass completely through. This should be given at least once a week year round and more often during shedding time.

     My fur kids make the funniest faces while they lick this sticky stuff up and while it looks like they are disgusted with the taste. I have to hide the tube away from them or they will hunt it out and try to figure out how to open it so they can have more of it.

Jo