Grooming: The Teeth!

Ferrets, as most owners are aware, have teeth. Like their ears, nails and coats, teeth need to be kept clean and healthy. Healthy teeth decreases the likelihood of future infections and heart or dental diseases which result from such infections. Here are a few different methods used to help your ferret keep its teeth pearly white.
1) If your ferret enjoys raw meat or bones, raw food feeding them some of these foods can help clean their teeth. The tougher tendons in the meat can act like soft tooth brushes and gently rub away at plaque while the strong bones may help scrape off tougher tartar. Keep in mind that there are health risks to both ferrets and owners associated with feeding raw meats.


2) A small amount of higher calorie dental cat food (a few kibbles every week or two) such as Science Diet will help scrape away some of the tough tartar. Keep in mind that most of these foods contain corn. If corn is a concern to you, consider feeding a few kibbles of high protein, grain free puppy food. These large kibble pieces will achieve the same goal as dental cat food, though without the taurine. These foods can be fed as an occasional treat or combined every so often (again, in small amounts) with regular kibble.

3) Regular tooth brushing. Regardless of which option you pursue (raw food or over sized kibble), bimonthly (or, if you are extremely dedicated to dental hygiene, weekly or even biweekly) brushing should be used to keep your pet's teeth in tip top shape. Options for brushing include gauze wrapped around a finger, ultra soft small cat or infant toothbrushes, and latex finger toothbrushes. Ferret safe toothpastes are limited to Ferret Dental Gel (not enzymatic, this toothpaste forces the owner to brush off as much plaque as possible) or enzymatic cat toothpaste (this must be rubbed on the teeth - the enzymes eat away at the plaque and tartar). Some owners prefer to skip the paste and simply use warm water to moisten the brush and rub the teeth clean.
***HUMAN TOOTHPASTE - EVEN TOOTHPASTE MADE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AND BABIES - SHOULD NEVER BE USED ON YOUR PET.
How to brush:
Now here's the tricky part!

• Introduce your ferret to the idea over a few days or even weeks. Do this by gently rubbing their cheeks and teeth to get used to you touching their mouths.
  
• Allow them to sniff and interact with the toothbrush prior to having it stuffed into their mouths.
  
• Moisten the brush or gauze with warm water
• Apply desired toothpaste. Be sure to squeeze the paste deep into the bristles of the brush or finger toothbrush. This prevents the paste from falling off when dealing with a wiggly ferret.
• Gently brush the ferrets teeth, working out from the hard to reach molars inwards. Be sure to rub along the gum lines as this is where the tartar tends to build up. If you are using an enzymatic toothpaste, actually brushing the teeth is less important as though the action does remove some excess junk from the teeth, it is the enzymatic action that does the work. If you are using a non-enzymatic paste, gently brush away as much junk as you can see. If the animal would rather chew on the brush than have you brush their teeth (assuming that you are using a bristle brush), let them. This will, for the most part, achieve the same thing as your brushing and may be more fun for the ferret!
  
• Rinsing the mouth after wards is not necessary, however a nice treat of ferretone after the brushing will make the whole thing a more positive experience for the ferret.

4) If your ferret has an excessive buildup of plaque along their gums, having a professional get the situation under control may be a good idea. Once your ferret's dental situation in under control, keeping them in nice condition is much more manageable.

Things to watch for:

• Damaged teeth. If the pulp is not exposed and the tooth is not cracked to the gum, then keep an eye on the situation. Watch for signs such as your ferret favouring that side of their mouth, blackness in the tooth or at the base of the tooth, redness and inflammation at the base of the tooth. Favouring shows that the tooth is beginning to be a problem for the ferret and may need to be removed, while blackness and inflammation indicate infection and possibly ulcers in the area indicating a trip to the vet for some dental work in the near future.
• Black spots on the gum line may indicate ulcers. A vet trip is imminent and may result in dental surgery and medication to stave off infection.
• Red, inflamed gums may indicate early gingivitis. Early intervention is key and can decrease the likelihood of future complications. A trip to the vet would be beneficial to both your ferret and your pocket book (in the long run).
  

Filthy ears! Cleaning ferret ears.

Ferrets collect ear wax. It may be a hobby or it may be due to the fact that they are low to the ground and so collect plenty of dust and dirt in their ears. One thing that is known, however, is that ear wax contributes to the ferret's overall odor. To keep your ferret in tip top condition, you must clean their ears every so often.

WHEN? Some ferret owners recommend bi-weekly cleaning, others recommend monthly, and still more recommend cleaning every other month. To me, how often you clean the ferrets ears should depend on the ferret. Some ferrets can go one or two months without having their ears become overly filthy, others can only go two weeks. I was so concerned about the rate at which one of my ferrets was building ear wax that I have had him checked for mites more than once; mites have never been found in his ear wax - he is simply a waxy ferret, and he needs his ears cleaned more frequently than any of my other ferrets.

HOW? Scruff your ferret, dampen the end of a Q-tip or piece of gauze in warm water and gently clean the gunk out of the ferrets ear. Be sure to only clean where you can see and STAY OUT OF THE EAR CANAL - you don't want to damage your ferret's hearing! Use as many Q-tips or as much gauze as necessary to clean the ear. Do not try to save on Q-tips or Gauze by re-using dirty, contaminated pieces. Alternatively, you can try using ferret or kitten ear cleaning liquid or mineral oil to clean out the ears. If you do use such products, I recommend warming them first by immersing them in warm or hot water - most ferrets will protest slightly less to having warmer liquid put in their ears than ice cold liquid. Additionally, if you use chemical products or even natural ear cleaning products, be sure that they are ferret-friendly so that they do not damage the ferret's sensitive ears and keep in mind that 'natural' or human friendly does not necessarily mean 'safe' for your pet.

WHAT WAX LOOKS LIKE: Brownish, varying in shade from light to dark. Things to watch out for: black wax, crusty ears and coffee ground deposits in your ferret's ears, all of which could indicate the presence of ear mites.
ABOUT EAR MITES: Ear mites are more than just a minor irritation for your ferret; they can cost the animals their hearing. If you believe that your ferret has ear mites, DO NOT simply get treatment from your local pet store as it has been found that the wrong treatment can actually not only damage the ferret's hearing, it can actually burn the animals! A vet visit is usually the best way to deal with ear mites, and remember if one pet has mites, chances are all of your pets have them! Avoid using Oterna ear mite medication as this has been found to harm the ferret. I have personally had success with using half a tube of pink kitten Revolution on my ferrets to rid them of fleas, ear mites and intestinal bugaboos. This is technically an off label use, so be sure to ask your vet about it. Finally, do not rely on mineral oil or baby oil to de-mite your pet ferret as though this stuff can drown many adult ear mites, it does not kill the eggs and has not been found to effectively eliminate all adult mites.

Soapy Stoat- bathing your ferret

When? Baths should be given sparingly. Some people are tempted to wash their pets biweekly or monthly, however bathing your ferret too frequently will cause the ferret's skin to become dry and their coats damaged. Frequent bathing also causes ferrets to become smellier - their body will need to produce more oils to make up for the ones that you have stripped from their skin. I personally only wash my ferrets when I am introducing a new ferret or when they get so dirty that a simple wipe with a warm, damp cloth will not suffice.

How? Fill a sink or tub with enough water to reach to the ferret's shoulders. Filling the tub too full will cause the ferret to feel as though he is in danger of drowning and will cause him quite a bit of stress unless you ferret loves to swim (which is not common). Water should be warm - like a bath for a baby or slightly warmer, but not hot. Lukewarm water, like you would use to wash a dog, will feel cold to a ferret whose internal temperature is higher than that of a dog. Use a small cup or similar to wet the ferret. Be careful not to get water on the ferret's face on in his ears. Some owners find that their ferret enjoys the bath more if they have special bath toys (such as rubber duckies) or bubbles to play with in the bath (baby safe bubble bath or ferret or baby shampoo can be used for this purpose but be sure to read the warning labels and remember: at least some will be ingested by this small animal). Some ferrets will poop or pee in their bathwater in protest.

Shampoo? Use a gentle shampoo. Most human and dog shampoo is too harsh for a ferret's sensitive skin. There are many ferret-specific shampoos that work well for ferrets and are gentle enough not to harm their skin. If ferret shampoo is difficult to come by in your area, a gentle, hypo allergenic baby shampoo or a gentle kitten shampoo can be used as a substitute. Be sure to rinse the ferret well, and often putting the shampoo bottle in the water before the ferret will warm the shampoo and reduce squirmy-ness on the ferret's part. Pick the ferret up out of the water, pour on the shampoo and lather the generous amount of shampoo into the ferret's body, neck and tail. Rinse the ferret thoroughly with clean, warm water. If you notice any redness on the skin or irritation from the shampoo, discontinue use.

Drying? Take your ferret out of the bath and give them a quick wipe down with a clean towel. I suggest providing your ferret with a nice clean pile of towels for them to dry themselves on, and allowing them to dry off at least mostly in a clean room WITHOUT a ferret litter in it - ferrets like to rub themselves on everything to dry off! If a litter is in the room, you'll find your newly clean ferret caked in litter in no time. If their is dirt or dust on the floor, your ferret WILL find it and coat themselves in that too. Once your ferret is a bit dryer, let them out and watch them go crazy running around the house.

Final Tips: Ferrets take quite a while to dry thoroughly - their undercoat can stay damp for hours after a bath so be sure to wash them on warm days, or be prepared to keep your house warm until your ferret is fully dry. Some ferrets will show you how much they 'appreciate' the bath that you are giving them by soiling their bathwater - be prepared to drain, rinse and refill the bath if that happens. Some ferrets actually LOVE baths. I have never MET one of these ferrets myself, but have seen pictures... I am reasonably sure that the creators use photoshop and special effects to get these images... We ferrets can jump high, so washing them in a bathtub can be difficult without an enclosure. Bathing ferrets together can sometimes help 'ease' an introduction - your dominant ferret will be too busy being bathed and drying himself off to remember to be a jerk to the new ferret; the ferrets will also smell the same after the bath and this may further reduce animosity. Some ferrets will do anything to avoid a bath, including climbing the owner. If you find that your ferret gets extremely scared in the bath, holding them and washing them in the shower with you (and putting them down outside the shower once they are clean) might be something for you to consider.

Grooming: Nail Clipping

Keeping your ferret's nails nice and trim is essential to maintain the best health possible for your pet. Neglecting a ferret's nails can lead to problems such as foot arthritis in future, make walking difficult, and create situations in which the ferret will get its nail stuck and be forced to tear it off.


So, here's the basic idea: you take one set of nail clippers. Personally, I prefer to use cat nail scissors to trim nails, but others prefer human nail clippers to do the deed.




You want to do your best to trim the nail parallel with the ground, and avoid cutting the quick as this will hurt your ferret and likely cause bleeding. Here is a diagram to show how to properly trim the nails:

If you do accidentally wind up clipping the quick, stop cutting immediately and stop the bleeding with septic powder. If you do not have septic powder, run the nail over a bar of white soap or use a bit of white flour to stop the bleeding. Lavish your ferret with treats and kisses, and try clipping again in a couple of days.

Now that you know the theory behind nail clipping, here are some tips to help you actually get the ferret to stay still WHILE you clip their nails!

1) Oil on the tummy: This is my favourite method. Apply a puddle of your ferret's favourite treat oil (salmon oil, cod liver oil, emu oil, ferretone... you get the idea) to your ferret's tummy. I suggest wearing an apron if you've never used this method before as some ferrets will jump up and spill oil on you before figuring out that you are giving them a treat. While he or she is preocupied with cleaning the treat off of their tummy, you can sneak up and clip their nails.

2) Scruff you ferret and have another person clip their nails while they are being scruffed. Be careful doing this though as scruffed ferrets can sometimes jerk their feet out of protest when you begin trimming, increasing the likelihood of them being injured by the clippers.

3) Sneak up on them while they are asleep and trim as many nails as possible before they wake up and move. Of all the ferrets that I have owned or taken care of, this technique has only worked on one.

Gooming your ferret

Ferrets need regular grooming by their owners to stay in tip top shape. For ferrets, grooming doesn't simply mean a bath now and again; grooming ferrets is a much more comprehensive chore - it involves by weekly nail trims, monthly ear cleans (or bi-weekly if your ferret has a real dirt dig box or simply produces a large amount of ear wax), infrequent bathes and regular brushing (especially during shedding season)...

The following blog entries will outline brushing, bathing, nail clipping, tooth brushing (yes, tooth brushing) and ear cleaning.

Living with a deaf ferret

Most deaf ferrets get along just fine, and so long as the owners are willing to make a few adjustments in their behaviour, owning a deaf ferret can be a very rewarding experience. While every ferret is different, here are a few tips to guide new owners in the right direction.

Tip 1: Tap before you grab. Remember - the ferret may not know that you are there and some ferrets react negatively to suddenly becoming airborne. The simple fix for this: gently tap your ferret on the shoulder to warn him that you there before picking him or her up. This will reduce shock for the ferret and the likelihood of you getting a nice startled nip.

Tip 2: If you have more than one ferret, watch for rough play. When he is playing with other ferrets, keep your eyes and ears open. A deaf ferret may not know when the other ferrets have had enough - he can't hear them say so! If your deaf ferret is beginning to play too roughly, there is not sense in getting angry to punishing him - he'll have no idea what he's done wrong! Instead, pick him up for a few seconds and allow the other ferret to 'disappear'.



Tip 3: He's deaf, not stupid. If you would like to train your ferret, do so. Deaf ferrets can be trained to respond to hand signals for "come", "beg", "roll over" and other tricks. Some deaf ferrets can even be taught to respond to vibrations on the floor . To train your deaf ferret, simply do the hand signal, use the treat to bribe him into doing the appropriate action, then reward him with treats, pets or play and repeat. Be sure to keep the training sessions short.

Tip 4: Appreciate the fact that at least your deaf ferret will not complain when you sing in the shower!
For more information on living with deaf ferrets, click here.