New Ferret, Now Old One Has Diarrhea

Question
QUESTION: i. I have a 1 yr old ferret who has only been with me for the past 8 months.2 weeks ago i purchased a new ferret. My older ferret seems very lethargic now. The old ferrets stool is really loose and seems to have what looks like mucus  in her stool. It has been this way for several days now.The new ferret seems fine..and ideas what the older ones problem may be?? Thank You

ANSWER: Hi Jenny:

Congratulations on the new ferret! No doubt your existing ferret was also very happy to have a new little friend, which is probably why his poops got runny.  It is completely normal for the 'old' ferret to get loose stools for several days - sometimes they are even greenish in color - because their digestive system is a bit out of whack from the excitement.

There is always the possibility with a new ferret that it has brought an intestinal parasite (giarrdia, coccidia) or ECE along with it into your home, which is why we always recommend that new ferrets are quarantined away from existing ferrets for at least two weeks.  This gives you an opportunity to take the new ferret to the vet and have a thorough exam, a stool culture, vaccinations, etc.  Since it's too late for that and the ferrets have already been together, the best we can do now is just observe and *hope* the diarrhea you are seeing is just nervousness. Be reassured, though, that I've never heard of anyone introducing a new ferret and the existing ferret now getting diarrhea, so you *probably* have nothing to worry about, but time is what will really answer that question for you.

The best thing you can do right now is get some extra fluids into the ferret(s) who has diarrhea. If the new ferret also gets diarrhea, be sure he gets extra fluids too.  One way to get extra fluids in them is to make some "soup" and add extra water to it. "Soup" is really easily made by taking a big scoop (2-tablespoons) of Hill's A/D (canned feline), a prescription hi-protein, easy-to-digest food you can get from most veterinary offices. Add enough water to it to make 'soupy' gravy consistency and warm it in the microwave for about 10 seconds or so until it's warm throughout (stir with your finger so you can be SURE there are no hot spots before giving it to your ferret).  Store unused food in the can covered in the refrigerator for use within 24 hours.  You can feed this every four hours or so and it will help keep your ferret's strength up for a day or two. Dip your finger in, then let the ferret lick it off your finger to get him started. He should eat probably 1/4 cup or so at a time.

You can also get Pedialyte in the baby food aisle from the grocery store. Warm it just enough to take the chill off and offer it to your ferret.  Again, dip your finger into it and try to get the ferret to taste it. If he doesn't take it right away, dribble a couple drops of Ferretone on the surface of the Pedialyte and let the ferret sniff it. Usually they will start drinking like crazy trying to get to the Pedialyte :-)  

Hopefully these tricks will help get some fluids into your ferret. It's also possible the new ferret will come down with diarrhea before this is over with. If so, be sure he gets extra fluids also. If the diarrhea lasts more than 2 or 3 days or becomes really foul smelling, green or explosive, be sure to get them both to a vet as soon as possible. IF they have any of those symptoms, it could mean they have giarrdia, coccidia or ECE and they will need supportive care, antibiotics, anti-parasitics and at least twice a day sub-Q (under the skin) fluids.  I hope and pray it's just 'nerves' and they will be just fine.  In the future, you might want to be on the safe side and quarantine new ferrets away from existing ferrets until they have had a thorough vet exam and clean bill of health.

Best of luck and again, congrats on the new baby. They will be okay - really they will!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi again..well the older ferret seems to be doing much better.Her stool is gradually getting firmer and she is more energetic.Thank you!! But now she has become extremly aggressive towards me.She hisses constantly and she walks up to me and bites really hard, drawing blood, leaving tooth holes in my arm that bruises (i instantly put her in her cage after she does this).She has never done anything like this before.She just starting doing this today (monday) I spend lots of time with her,i am playing with the baby and her seperatly now so she doesnt get sick again.She just sits in her hammock when the baby is out and stares. What can i do to get her to stop being aggressive to me? (she is fine with the baby,it's just me!)

Answer
Hi Jenny:

From reading your description of what happened today, it sounds like you are saying that the older ferret bit you, so you put her in the cage and she was then in the cage watching you with the baby.  I think the older ferret watching you play with the new baby while she is stuck in the cage is a really bad idea; there could be some serious jealousy building up here that you won't want to have to deal with later, so try to nip it in the bud before it gets started.

As soon as possible, you really need to get BOTH ferrets out to play TOGETHER.  Since they have already been together, it's best to let them STAY TOGETHER.  The older ferret has already gone thru the nervous tummy - IF she was going to get sick (ECE or parasites), she has already been exposed to whatever the other ferret may have. So, keeping them separated at this point will only cause jealousy and that's not good.  The important thing right now and from here on is to treat both ferrets equally; to let them both know that you love them and to encourage them to play well together.

One great 'get to know each other' activity is to make some Hill's A/D "soup" (a couple tablespoons of the canned feline food with enough water to make it the consistency of gravy) warm it and offer it to the ferrets. Dip your finger in it and then touch your finger to the ferret's mouth just behind the canine teeth (the long teeth) so they get a good taste of it.  Do this a few times and they *should* start eating it on their own. This is a really good thing for them to do together. I give my kids 'soup' every night at bedtime. It's just a good way to end the day and you will really be glad they love their soup if/when they ever get ill and you won't have to 'force' (encourage) feed them to get food down - which is usually the greatest problem with sick ferrets. Once your kids get used to food, they will eat it, even when they don't feel well.

Another thing they could do is share a little bit of Ferretone dribbled on a dinner plate and put on the floor between them. Not too much Ferretone - it has too much Vitamins A and D, so I usually mix it 1/2 Ferretone and 1/2 virgin olive oil so I can give the ferrets about 1/2 tsp each a couple times a week safely.

An activity they will enjoy that is NOT food centered:  Grab a blanket or sheet and just start walking thru the house dragging it slowly behind you.  They WILL jump on and off and on, and knock each other off....it's a riot to watch them. Just keep walking back and forth with it until they get so silly that you are laughing too hard to walk! :-)

WHATEVER you do, you will need to do with BOTH ferrets...they are both critically aware that there are two ferrets in the house and they are watching to see if you are treating them equally. If you do not, no doubt they will 'punish' you by biting or acting out.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF THEY BITE OR ACT OUT: The best way to discipline a ferret who bites or is acting inappropriately is to grab the ferret by the scruff - the skin on the back of the neck like the mother ferret would. Get a good hold,not a pinch...grab enough that you can literally lift the ferret up off his feet without injuring it. By scruffing ONLY the back of the neck (this will disable the ferret and it will not be able to bite you) SLOWLY DRAG the ferret for about four or five inches along the floor while saying in a firm voice "(ferret's name), NO!"  Let that soak in for a minute. Ferrets have a short attention span, so they will quickly go to the next thing.  If it's a bad thing again, repeat the discipline.  If it's a fun thing, proceed as if nothing bad had happened; that's a ferret way of life....

Hope that helps.  I think the best thing to know with ferrets is that sometimes just finding something FUN to distract them to do is as important as correcting them. Usually *bad* behavior is acting out of jealousy, which resolves itself as soon as the newbie settles in and they realize that you do still love them and everything really is just fine after all - it's just a matter of time and love. Sometimes it's just a matter of keeping the good times going, minimizing the problems.

The ferrets WILL have to determine who is the "alpha", the dominant one. They will wrestle, bite, roll and make noises like they are killing each other - this is absolutely NORMAL.  Do not worry until you see blood. Do not separate them until one of them is so scared that they poop when attacked by the other one; then separate them for a minute...when you put them back together, IF the ferret who pooped moves TOWARDS the other ferret, let her go, if she moves AWAY from the other ferret, pick her back up and rescue her again, separate them for the day and try again tomorrow...that means she's just had enough for that day.  Very very rarely ferrets just don't get along and they have to have separate playtimes. 99% of ferrets WILL get along if they are introduced and mom isn't too nervous (they DO pick up on it if you are nervous).  Make sure each one has a place they can run away and hide in. Try not to intervene and let them work it out and you will thank yourself later.

Best of luck. I hope you can get those girls playing together and not biting you - that's not a good start so far, but it's very early in the game and you have lots of time to turn this around. Be strong, take charge, be the Alpha!  :-)  They will love you for it.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers