Honey Comb/Gurgling in Sleep

Question
QUESTION: My dad's ferret, slinky is 2 1/2, recently she got into a box of Honey Comb, i think it's all right for her to eat. It only has 2 grams of dietary fat and 10 grams of sugar which is per serving. Is Honey Comb all right for her or could it cause intesinal blockage?
She use to make noises in her sleep every now and then, but now she is doing it much more. i'm not to worried but we went to a pet store and we saw some baby ferret, well not exactly babies, they slept alot and one of them kept wheezing while it slept. when a few of them woke up they walked around and were really wobbly. the pet store said they had their distemper shots, but could i still have picked something up from the air? Could that be causing my ferret to gurgle or is the gurgling nothing to worry about? I don't think it is she use to, but i want a second opinion.

ANSWER: Dear Ethan,

I'm glad you are asking questions, thats always a good sign and a mark of a good owner.

No it really isn't ok for a ferret to have Honey Comb, I doubt in a small amount it would cause a blockage but keep it far away from her. It's all sugar and corn which is very unhealthy for a ferret to eat. So please keep her away from it
Make sure she is eating, drinking, pooping and acting normally. If she is you have nothing to worry about.

I didn't mean to seem so harsh but I don't know if you meant this whole thing was an accident or if you wanted to know if it can be given as a treat. If it was an accident, things happen and ferrets always get into things they shouldn't. But try to keep it away from her, for her own good.

Next question...

What do you use as bedding? Pine, Cedar, Carefresh, Sheets and blankets?

Don't use any wood for a bedding, that can cause fatal respiratory problems. Carefresh also shouldn't be used though it isn't as dangerous as wood.

Use old sheets, blankets, fleece, cloths etc. Don't model anything you do with your ferrets off of what most petstores do, it's in most cases wrong. From the bedding they use to the toys to the food they feed.

I would personally take your ferret to the vet to have her checked out, I'm not a vet so I can't diagnose her online but it's always safer to go to a vet if something seems wrong or out of the ordinary.

Good luck and keep my updated!

Lindsey



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

QUESTION: She uses old sheets and blankets, that have been washed, and three hammocks. i came across another two questions. the first is how long do Marshal ferrets live? i heard they don't live as long as other ferrets. My second question i came across while i was bathing slinky. She started licking my hand and then herself. the shampoo is something from Marshal and says it's "baby" safe referring to the ferret. I was wondering if ferrets have a mutual grooming thing.

Answer
Hello again Ehtan,

Well I'm glad to hear you use sheets and blankets, many people don't understand that and do use wood pellets for bedding.

Marshall ferrets sadly are not the healthiest bunch. Marshalls is the equivalent to a puppy mill for ferrets. They are over bred and no thought is given to the genetics or health of the ferrets being bred. They are spayed and neutered as young as 4 weeks and given vaccinations that young also, many don't live through that.

They are fed bad food (Marshalls) starting at a young age increasing the likely hood of many diseases. And sold to stores at an age they shouldn't be even off wet food.
So you add that all together they don't live as long as most ferrets from a respectable breeder would.

Life span I would say would be around 7-10 years.

Yes ferrets do groom each other, but more than likely she was just licking the shampoo off you, ferrets seem to like the taste.

I also wanted to add, honestly don't waste your money of Marshalls shampoo. Just use either baby shampoo or dove soap. It's cheaper, works the same if not better and that way you aren't supporting Marshalls.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask. I hope I answered the ones you just asked well enough.

Lindsey