Sick Ferett any advise?

She very well may have mites or cancer. Adrenal cancer and lymphoma cancer are very common in ferrets. Symptoms are lethargy and an inability to gain weight. Is she losing any fur? Scratching indicates mites, but lack of activity and inability to gain weight indicates cancer. Especially since the male isn't ill, and if it were a regular illness, he would have caught it as well. And unless cancer is caught and treated immediately, there's nothing that can be done. Take her to the vets. Call around and look for vets who handle 'exotic pets'. She needs to be looked at by a professional. I've kept ferrets for years, and that is the best advice I can give you.

Have you taken her to the vet? Unless there is a vet here on mylot, I think you would be better off going to a professional before you lose her.

I am sorry to hear your female ferett is not doing well. You are a very wonderful person to have rescued them, God bless you :) I would search for a vet that deals with exotic pets as a previous person has stated. Good luck, and I hope she recovers :)

I think you should have them both checked out by a vet. good luck. it was so nice of you to rescue the ferrets.

Ferrets skin are so sensitive. Even baby shampoos can be to much for them. That is why I only used ferret products on mine. She may have some kind of skin mites though. They really should be checked out by a vet though. I know it is sometimes hard to find one though. You have to be careful to when they get their shots that they are specifically for them. Some of their vaccines can cause paralysis and decreased activity for the rest of their life.

There are several skin conditions the female could be suffering from that would require microscopic examination of a sample. A low grade infection could also be a problem. The suggestion of consulting a vet is a good one. Sometimes there are conditions which are not visible to the eye. I hope you are enjoying your furry additions to your household. Ferrets can be great fun!

I think you are wonderful to have rescued these lovely animals. With plenty of handling and affection they can be just as much a delightful companion as any cat or dog. I am sorry that the lady is not doing well. I think you need to take her to the vet as soon as possible, though I am sure that you have done as much for them as you can. If she has cancer, then the kindest thing will be to have her put down unless the vet thinks that it's treatable. Do be prepared for that. I wish you all the best with them!

I'd recommend getting them both to the vet if you haven't already. When an animal bites/licks it fur from the fleas, they end up ingesting the fleas, and this can cause tapeworms. You may not necessarily see them in the poop or on her butt either. Worms will suck all the nutrients out of the food they ingest, and cause them all kinds of problems. That would be my first guess. Ferrets also are prone to lots of different diseases, especially diabetes, pancreatic cancer, tumors, kidney problems. A lot of which also cause the symptoms you describe(so does tapeworm for that matter). The stress of no food/water from before, her age, lots of different factors could've brought some disease out as well. Get her to the vet asap, when they get sick, they don't last very long. Good luck to you guys, and good for you for saving them!!!

Have you checked for other parasites as well, such as mites? I don't know a great deal about ferrets since they are illegal in this state. Although, some rescues I've volunteered for have gotten them in. Another thing that can cause hairloss, is internal problems with glands and stuff like that. Have a blood panel run to see if anything else could be the problem. I'd take them to the vet as well if you haven't already. There might be something for ferrets that can help put weight on them too. I know Oxbow makes such a thing for guinea pigs and some other pets, called Critical Care. Check out their website to see if there is one for ferrets: www.oxbowhay.com

kill it

Well,Hope the female starts eating and get more healthy soon.... And im glad that the male is doing well also Its awesome that you took them in!!

Adrenal disease is very common in ferrets. If you can find a vet in your area who has experience with ferrets, you should take them in to be looked at.

Hi, I do a lot of cat rescues and I know a ferett is not the same as a cat. But her not gaining any weight and if she has an appetite does not sound good. The best thing that you could do is get her to a Vet as soon as you can. Also, are you sure the fleas are really gone? Are there any flea droppings in the fur? Have you tried running a flea comb through her fur? An animal that has a bad case of fleas can become anemic and that would cause loss of weight and lack of energy. Fleas can actually kill a week animal or a young one. I do hope that she gets better.