Although it’s important to be familiar with the common health problems in ferrets, you also need some knowledge of the uncommon ones. After all, someone’s ferret is part of the one percent that might happen upon a Tylenol tablet or contract heartworm disease.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but the ailments mentioned are those I consider to be the 10 uncommon health problems of ferrets that are encountered most frequently.
1. Prolapsed Rectum
A new ferret owner gets a kit (baby ferret) only to find it has diarrhea and, within a few days, a prolapsed rectum. This is caused by a condition known as proliferative colitis and is due to a bacterial infection often contracted when ferrets are only a few weeks old. Some people might suspect the epizootic catarrhal enteritis (ECE) virus because it causes diarrhea, but it is not usually the culprit in rectal prolapse.
For the full article, pick up the 2010 issue of Ferrets USA or click here to buy the issue.