Triangle Ferret Lovers Newsletter
Issue 7, May/June 1996
In general, most products which are safe for use on kittens are safe for ferrets. Products containing pyrethins are okay, but do not use anything containing organophosphates, carbamates, or petroleum distillates. Dips and sprays are not recommended; shampoos are much safer. Follow the directions on the bottle carefully. Shampoo your ferret the day you bomb. Be careful - over washing your ferret dries their skin. Squirt some baby oil or Skin So Soft product in the bath water (unless you shower with your ferret - yes, some people do this).
You can use a premise spray around the cage, but often, the house requires bombing, too. Get a bomb from your vet or pet store which contains methoprene (a flea growth regulator). This will allow you to complete the job in just two applications - one to kill the adults and larva, the second two weeks later to get the ones that have hatched out since the first spray. Make sure of course to remove your ferrets from the house at the time of the bombing. Fleas can be a real nuisance - before you bomb, make sure to wash all of their bedding and vacuum carefully so you only have to do it twice. Most insect foggers don't have a strong enough residual effect to hurt your ferrets. Wait about two hours later, and then your ferrets can romp around your home.
Pam Grant of STAR*Ferrets suggests using Dr. Bronner's peppermint castile soap (available in health food stores). Peppermint is a natural flea repellent. Wash the ferret laundry in the soap to inhibit fleas too. Vacuum every other day and use flea powder the first time to suck up and kill the fleas IN the vacuum cleaner. Do NOT use flea control collars on ferrets. Remove as much carpeting from the ferret play area as possible. Fleas love to hide in carpet, furniture, etc. so do not forget to treat these areas. Use a very fine metal toothed flea comb, and comb your ferret/s daily. You can dip the fleas from the flea comb in a dish/glass of soap solution. Soap kills fleas.
Signs of trouble - lack of appetite, rumbling stomachs, diarrhea, vomiting, salivation, dilated pupils, stumbling. You probably will not see them, but it is nice to know what to look for.
DIRECTIONS: From Raleigh- US 1 South to Ten-Ten exit, left to Apex, left on Salem St., building on right. Park at Apex First Baptist Church. From Durham/Chapel Hill- Hwy 55 to Apex, left on Salem St., church will be on your left before YFC building.
Call Fred Richardson for further directions w: 362-7588, h: 266-5091.
ANNUAL TriFL MEMBERSHIP FEE IS ONLY $15. Membership fees help to defray newsletter production, mailing costs to members, vets, and pet stores, as well as, information packets, booth fees, mailbox rental, and a display exhibit with signage. TriFL is vital in providing ferret lovers information on care and activities. Membership cards and pet store discounts are being prepared in May. If you want to be a contributing TriFL member, please send your dues to the return address payable to Heather Hildebrandt. If your dues are not received by the next TriFL meeting (June 1, 1996) you will NO LONGER be receiving this newsletter by mail.
16:10...No problems encountered while sneaking across the kitchen floor, proper cupboard door is in sight. Using advanced FLO training, Agent Weasel easily gains access to said cupboard. Slipping quietly inside the agent begins a regulation search for mission objective. Slipping quickly between various canned foods and jars, she comes within a whiskers length of her target.
16:15...With lightning speed, Agent Weasel takes control of the enemy provisions expert, code name "Mrs. Butterworth", by licking around the top of her head until she surrenders.
16:18...After carefully observing the area immediately outside the closest cupboard door, Agent Weasel decides it is safe to proceed.
16:20...Agent Weasel begins to drag her prisoner out of the cupboard and across the kitchen floor, by the top of her head.
16:22...After safely reaching the door to the local FLO outpost, Agent Weasel finds she cannot get her prisoner under the door into the closet...er...outpost. This places her mission in grave danger of failure.
16:24...Our heroine is still trying to complete her mission, when suddenly..."Katie! What are you doing?!" Oh No! Spotted by the resident NH (supposedly Neutral Human) Agent Weasel is forced to abort her nearly completed mission! "Curses! Foiled Again!" she hisses, as she makes a frantic dive under the door into the relative safety of the outpost. From this vantage point, she watches forlornly as her prisoner is released to the unattainable Top Shelf of the kitchen cabinet.
Mission Status: FAILED.
Ferrets intended as pets must be neutered or spayed. Neutering drastically reduces the odor of a male, prevents him from marking his territory with smelly slime, and makes him less aggressive (males in season may kill other ferrets, even females). Spaying saves a female's life, since once she goes into heat she will need to be bred or she will almost certainly die of anemia. However, many people disagree with the common practice of performing the surgery at a very early age, and prefer to wait until the ferret is at least six months old. It should be done before the first time the ferret would go into heat (7-8 months of age).
How about descenting?
There's debate about whether descenting ferrets is necessary or useful, and some belief that it's harmful. It's bad for a ferret's health to descent it before 6 or 7 weeks of age, and it may be somewhat harmful when done at any age. Many people feel that the procedure accomplishes no purpose; that is, that neutered ferrets who aren't spraying smell the same whether or not they've been descented. Note that, like a skunk, a ferret will use its scent if it's greatly distressed or feeling amorous, but ferrets can't spray their scent as effectively as a skunk, it doesn't smell as bad, and it dissipates in just a few seconds. How often a ferret sprays and how bad it smells depend on the individual ferret, and different people have different tolerances for the scent, so if given the option you may want to wait and see if you think descenting is necessary in your particular case. Most pet stores sell neutered and descented kits. Many breeders sell kits which have been neutered but not descented.
Declawing?
Ferrets have nails like dogs, not cats. Claws are used for walking, as well as, balancing themselves. They should NOT be declawed.
What about Vet check-ups?
Annual distemper and rabies vaccinations are state required. Vaccinations should be administered, preferably, at least 2 weeks apart. Have your vet show you how to clip a ferret's nails, clean ears, and check teeth. Older ferrets (5+) may need a twice yearly visit and a 'geriatric' work up done.
All ferrets are different, so consult with your favorite ferret vet. If you need a referral, please contact TriFL for more information.
Please contact Karen Marsh-Lovvorn of Rogues Gallery at 596-9393, or Linda Goodwin of Guardian Angels at 362-8460, if you can adopt a shelter ferret!
TRIangle Ferret Lovers PO Box 61091 Raleigh, NC 27661-1091
This web page is maintained by Pam Sessoms. I can be reached at: pjdutche@email.unc.edu.
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