Fleas.

Being around pets, you may find that fleas can sneak in to your home if you aren’t diligent. Fleas don’t just like cats and dogs they also like other animals and if left untreated can kill smaller animals.

Did you know there are several species of fleas? The two most common ones are Ctenocephalides felis and Ctenocephalides canis. Can you figure out which animals these two species infect?

Ferrets can get fleas from a number of sources like cats and dogs. For ferrets that get to go on outings can get fleas left behind by wild animals such as squirrels and mice.

Some signs that a ferret may have fleas is scratching, chewing, and in some extreme cases hair loss. But this doesn’t always mean there are fleas present. Many ferrets will leap out of their beds from a sound sleep to vigorously nibble at their fur before going back to bed as if nothing happened. Hair loss can also be a sign of Adrenal Disease

While it may be easier to see those little buggers on Marcuz and Marylin, it is Manny that makes finding evidence of fleas harder due to his darker coloration.

Of course the best scenario is to keep the fleas off my fur kids but I am limited to what preventatives I can use on them. Most flea control products fall under the Minor Species Act of 2004 (MSA) this allows vets to prescribe medications that are often designated for dogs or cats to other species that the medication might also help.

In my case that is the use of kitten advantage flea preventative. The use of kitten advantage for kittens is to use the whole tube I only need a drop or two per ferret giving me quite a savings thankfully.

Before application the fur kids get baths with T-gel. T-gel is a shampoo that has an ingredient that basically stuns the fleas and makes it easier to wash the little buggers off the ferrets with a second shampooing with baby shampoo.

Once out of the bath all three of the ferrets go crazy drying themselves off by doing the snake dance that someday I will have a great video of it. Once they are dry then it is spa day for them. They get their teeth and coats brushed, nails clipped, and then a drop of kitten advantage.

I live in Western Pennsylvania so flea season doesn’t last year round thankfully.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Ferret and the Flea

 

 

 

If you have been around pets then you know that fleas can be a part of that life if you aren’t diligent to keep them off of your beloved animals. Ferrets are no exception. Only with ferrets it only takes a few fleas to be fatal as the fleas feed off the ferret’s blood.

There are several species of fleas, which I didn’t know, and depending on a ferret’s environment can be any one or a mixture of them. Ferrets that go outside can attract the fleas from wild animals. But most ferrets get fleas from cats (Ctenocephalides felis species) or dogs (Ctenocephalides canis species) that live with them.

The most common sign that a ferret has fleas is them scratching, chewing, and in some cases hair loss. But those are also signs of the mysterious jump out of a sound sleep and nibble the fur before going back to bed like nothing happened. The hair loss is also associated with Adrenal disease.

Dark colored ferrets like Manny also make it hard to see those pesky biting critters. The best bet is to use a preventative flea control. But there aren’t a lot of flea control options out there. Most flea control products fall under the Minor Species Act of 2004 (MSA). The MSA allows vets to prescribe medications that are designated as dog/cat or other species to those that they will help such as domestic exotics.

For me that means I use kitten advantage, most other flea preventatives are too toxic for ferrets, once a month but unlike the directions say of putting the whole tube on I only need to put a drop or two. With the cost of a single tube being $12 or more this does save me as a tube will last me for 3-4 months.

Before I apply the kitten advantage I give the boys a bath with T-gel. The T-gel has ingredients that stun and stick to the fleas making it easy to wash the little buggers off of the boys. I then follow up with baby shampoo to make sure I have gotten all of the T-gel off.

I then let the boys dry off. If I can ever get a really good video of the boys doing the snake dance I will post it. Once dry it is spa day. They get their teeth and coats brushed, nails clipped, and then a drop of kitten advantage.

Because I live in Western Pennslyvannia the flea season doesn’t last all year round very often. The cold makes the fleas go into a sort of hibernation I suppose or maybe it kills them.

Summer Heat and other dangers

 

     It isn’t officially summer yet but the heat has already arrived. Heat is an animal’s worst nightmare. Unlike us they can’t strip down to bare skin. That fur retains the heat and depending on the color of the fur can intensify the temperature. I still see news reports of people leaving their pets in locked cars when they run into a store for an errand only to come back to an animal that is having heat stroke and most often dies.

     Ferrets don’t tolerate the heat well they like it best when it is about 68 degrees. So when the heat soars into the 80s and 90s they are at risk for heat exhaustion and stroke.

     To help these little guys beat the heat keep their water bottle/bowl filled with water. Even we drink more during liquids during the heat.

     If you have air-conditioning in only one room you can move their cage into that room but not in front of it.

     I don’t have air-conditioning so I take empty bottles and fill them about half full of water and freeze them. I then cover the frozen bottle with a sock or old tee-shirt depending on the size of the bottle and place it in the boy’s cage. This gives them something to lie next to when they feel they are too hot.

Caution: If you use fans make sure your ferret can’t get any part of his body near the rotating blades or best yet don’t use it unless they are in their cage. Ferrets are inquisitive creatures and will try to get anything that moves.

     It is a blast to watch ferrets play with ice cubes but either place them in a tub of water or take them away when they are small enough to swallow whole and cause a choking issue.

Not my boys but other ferrets enjoying ice cubes

      Not all ferrets like to swim but if the temperature has soared into the 90s dipping them in a bowl of luke warm to almost no warmth water will help them cool off.

    Don’t take them in the car if you don’t have to. Many ferrets travel in their carriers and many are made of plastic that doesn’t breathe so the heat of the car is doubled and it only takes a few moments of extreme heat to kill a ferret.

     Other dangers of summer include threat of heart worms  and fleas.

     There is a misconception that ferrets don’t get fleas. They do get fleas and it only takes a few to make a ferret anemic. Fleas can kill a ferret by feasting on them. Fleas can be prevented by using 1 drop of Kitten Advantage® once a month. I only re-drop if I have given my boys baths or they have been swimming a lot.

     Hot pavement or sidewalks can burn a ferret’s feet fast. If you must go outside for walks stick to grassy areas or wait until you can place your hand on the pavement or sidewalk without it heating up your hand.

     By thinking how you respond to the high temperatures and apply to your pet to help keep him/her safe and alive.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo