possible allergies?

Question
Age - 4.
Illness - Uneven blood cell count, causing spleen to enlarage.
Food - Ferret Brand at Walmart.
Ferrets last poop - regular.
Environment - In my bedroom, ferret proofed and safe, with his little sister.

I've had ferrets for about 5 years now, so I have a general idea how they work. But I have something new going on now that I was wondering if you could help me with.

He has been having some itching problems lately. His sister got adrenal gland disease a few years back, so I know what the signs are for that, and what to look for. But what my male has is something different. With adrenal gland disease, my female would bald, itch all over, ect. But my male only seems to itch on his head/chest/neck area. He is not balding, but the itching gets so bad he cannot even sleep at night anymore. I look at his skin but see nothing. No flaking, no dryness. Nothing. But as I watch him, I see him favor mainly his ears. Trying so hard to scratch them, but unable to reach. So I scratch it for him and his little leg gets going. I can tell it's really bothering the little guy.

I've seen my dog suffer with allergies. He would pick at his ears until he had them bleeding, and that's what my ferret tends to be doing now. So I was just wondering if theres anything I can possibly give him for allergies. And before I do, I want to make sure it is indeed allergies I am dealing with.

Answer
Hi Julie,

Have you looked into his ears? I mean, are they waxy? Is the wax really dark and abundant? Do his ears look like this?:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/angela.cutler/fuzz/misc/earmites.jpg

That means he probably has ear mites and I would really advise you to check with his vet because your little guy may need some antibiotics prescribed to him! Ferrets are extremely susceptible to ear mites. Let me know how it goes and if you need anything else, please let me know!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews

P.S.
Here are some vet links, in case you don't have a vet yet!

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/

VETS  UK & IRELAND:  
* http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ferreter/vetlist.htm

VET INFO/ LIST OF FERRET GROUPS/ CONTACTS IN UK, ITALY, NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA, NETHERLANDS, GERMANY & DENMARK:       
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-overseas.html (scroll down page to find the one you are looking for).



****Follow-Up****

Hi again Julie,

Here is some more info on ear mites:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=11+2064&aid=537

Even if your ferret's ears look like that, it may not be ear mites. You should have him checked out to see if it is ear mites. According to this article, the ear mites need to be detected with a microscope! I would really take him into the vet because if it is ear mites, he needs some medicine to clear them out! I hope this helps.

If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews