Sneezing Fits

Question
my ferret has sneezing fits like 3 or 4 sneezes in a row we moved him to a new place and when i gave him a bath once i dried him off he freaked out on me and then started biting in one spot on his hind leg and he just isnt as playful as usual, hes tired and sleeps more i dont eaxactly know how old he is maybe bout 1 1/2 or 2 years old, but he still eats, his poop is the same he still drinks water i dont know what to do. we named him tweak for a reason and he just isnt my little tweak anymore help please

Answer
Hi Michael:

Sorry to hear Tweak isn't himself lately. There must be something in the new environment that is irritating him, possibly even an allergy that is causing him to sneeze and itch. The sneezing obviously is from dust in his nose or surroundings. Vacuum and/or wipe the area with a damp cloth; OR move him to a room that is less dusty. Generally ferrets don't sneeze unless they are in a dusty atmosphere or *something* in the room is triggering their sneeze, such as an allergy. The quickest fix on that is to just change the room he is kept in if you can OR thoroughly clean the room to remove dusty particles that may be present and triggering his sneeze.

What is different about the room he is in compared to the room he was in at the last house you lived in? Carpet? Is it dusty?  Windows? Lighter or darker? Does he get less interaction with people than where his cage was before?  If you want him to interract with you, he needs to be where he can interract with you off and on all through the day - in the morning, midday and evening, not just once a day when you go into a room and get him to play - that just doesn't work with ferrets. They need to be kept in a room where people are in and out of all day and they need to be talked to and petted throughout the day off and on. If he is in a room where that isn't happening, maybe that's what is different?  It's hard for me to guess what might be different - that's what I would guess as my first guess.

Other than that, you might want to take Tweak to the vet and get a complete physical exam. There may be something wrong and you just don't realize it.  Ferrets don't look sick until they are at death's door. They will be just "not quite themselves", then suddenly you wake up one morning and they are barely alive. So, it would be a good idea to get a vet exam before that happens - in other words, as soon as possible - just to be SURE nothing physical is going on.

When you're busy moving, it's easy for a ferret to get into things they shouldn't when you're not looking, so the possibility of an intestinal blockage is there also. The vet can palpate the ferret's abdomen and pretty well tell if Tweak is working on a blockage; or he/she can do a barium xray to check for sure if there are any foreign objects in the digestive tract. That's probably the #1 cause of death in young ferrets such as Tweak - it's worth checking.

Here are some lists of vets - hopefully you can find one/some in your area and get established; something you will need to do anyway:

VETS CANADA:   
* http://www.ferretrescue.ca/start.php
* http://tinylink.com/?TlVyYKa6e0
* http://www.ferrets.org/Veterinarian_Listings.htm   (British Columbia)
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html
* http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/sask_ferrets/

VETS USA:
* http://www.quincyweb.net/quincy/vet.html
* http://ferrethealth.org/vets/
* http://www.ferret-universe.com/vets/vetlist.asp
* http://www.ferretsanctuary.com/vets.shtml
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html
* http://ferrethealth.org/vets/

There's a possibility that your ferret is just mourning leaving his old home too. Ferrets are just like little children and they don't always understand what's going on - when we pack up and leave someplace and suddenly everything is different. No doubt Tweak needs more time and attention, but with the move and all has probably gotten a little less time and attention while you moved and got settled in the new place. Hopefully you can make time every day, several times throughout the day, to spend some one-on-one time with Tweak and perk him up a bit.

Here's hoping it's nothing physical; just a 'little kid' who is confused in his new house needing more hugs and reassurance. Check back in a few weeks and let me know how he's doing?

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers