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Post by Audrey on Apr 18, 2012 11:39:45 GMT -5
Hi, I've had my ferret for about six months and most of his poops look fine. For the past month, about once or twice a week his poops look a little funny, like this (in the link below). Is it just indigestion or should I take him to the vet? Money's tight so I'd rather not waste a visit for nothing! His eating, drinking, and behavior are the same. img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/askgm069/IMG_4960.jpgThank you for your advice! |
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Post by Barbara on Apr 18, 2012 16:20:24 GMT -5
It looks formed but with some ? mucous. What do you feed him and do you use a hair ball treatment? You can use plain pumpkin or vasoline for harballs and this needs to be done about once a week.
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Post by Audrey on Apr 18, 2012 16:47:46 GMT -5
I feed him Whiskas kitten chow (I tried a few other brands and it seemed to make his tummy upset) and a small bit of Ferretone. I don't use a hairball treatment, could that cause the mucous? Thank you for your quick response!
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Post by Barbara on Apr 18, 2012 18:09:13 GMT -5
Yes it can. They can't cough up a hairball like cats. I give mine either about a half teaspoon of vasoline (plain) or put pumpkin (plain not pie filling)in their soup. During shedding season I do it about three times a week, other times once a week. BTW once they have tasted either they will eat it right off the spoon. Funny ferrets....try to get them to eat good foods and they won't, but then they jump right in for vasoline and pumpkin. At least they need them. Don't buy the Ferretlax, it contains toooooo much sugar which they dont' need.
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Post by Audrey on Apr 19, 2012 8:45:54 GMT -5
Is there anything in particular I should be looking for in his poo as he gets rid of the hairball?
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Post by Barbara on Apr 19, 2012 14:31:47 GMT -5
YOu just want to see well formed poo that is not watery/muscousy. In the nutrition section thereis a chart of some really good foods. The better the food the better the poo looks, there is less poo, and they less chance you have of your ferret getting sick. Check it out.
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Post by ordinarygirl on Apr 19, 2012 16:01:33 GMT -5
I'm surprised Barbara didn't say anything about the food you're feeding - please check out the food charts in the nutrition section and get him on something that's meant for ferrets .... runny poo will be the least of your worries and your cheapest vet bill if you don't switch him. Any new food is going to upset his tummy - even switching their water can upset their tummies for a bit - but once they're on the new food everything will get better...poop, coat, teeth, nails, eyes, overall health. To ween him to the good food put three handfuls of the Whiska's in a ziploc bag with one handful of the new, good food. Zip it up and let it sit over night - shake it up good to mix it all together. Whenever you take food out to give him, fill it back up with only good food and sooner or later you have a ziploc full of only the good stuff!  really, truly, for real - he needs to eat GOOD ferret food he'll eat less of it because it will actually give him the nutrition he needs and his poop will smell - well it will still smell but it will smell less bad lol and there will be less of it because he'll absorb everything from the good food that he's not getting in the bad food! thanks! |
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Post by Dingo on Apr 24, 2012 7:09:53 GMT -5
O.G's reply is a great one. You will save money feeding a better quality food. While you don't have to feed an expensive kibble designed especially for ferrets, you really do need to feed a high quality cat kibble. Because ferrets have a very high metabolic rate they eat every three hours or so and need a food high in nutritional values that can be rapidly absorbed by their bodies as it passes quickly through their systems. Keep us posted on how you go. |
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all my kids are doing well otter is getting real beefy feeling <winter weight?> and his coat is getting real soft not many noticeable changes overall,, new guy is getting big