Found a ferret

Question
my ferret is coughing and when he stops he dose it again .i found him out side 5 days ago and hes not playing like a ferret should he dose not play at all he has a hammock but no cage my room is him cage he goes where ever he wants in my room and i pick it up he has a litter box but he wont use it cause its cat litter he drinks out of a bowl and eats cat food and i don't know how old SHE is i need some help i want this ferret but i don't know what to do HELP ME

Answer
Hi Shelby:

A ferret coughing can be anything from a hairball to a heart problem. The best thing you can do is take it to a vet (an "exotics" vet - make sure they specialize in ferrets; not all vets do) to get a complete checkover.  Here are some links where you can find lists of ferret vets - cut and paste one into your 'address' area and check for your city and state. Each list has different cities listed, so if you don't see your city or a close one on one list, please check the others - hopefully there will be one near you (since you didn't say where you are from, I will include listings for all areas):

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

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)

Then, you need to start learning as much as possible about your little friend, so you can be a good ferret mommy. If your ferret is not using a litterbox, but is going potty in your room, your room will soon smell HORRIBLE and you will have a terrible mess. I hope you can get a cage, or even a ferret playpen (by Midwest or Marshalls) so your ferret is in a bit smaller area until it shows that it is litterbox trained, THEN it can have run of your room.  

Also, your room needs to be "ferretproofed" to be safe for the ferret. There are so many things a ferret can get ahold of in a bedroom that can kill it!  Here are some great links about ferretproofing:

FERRETPROOFING (do this BEFORE bringing a ferret home if possible):  
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/part2.html#ferretproofing
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/yourwebpage10.msnw
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/ferretproofing2.msnw

I wonder what you are feeding your ferret?  Ferrets require a MEAT diet since they are 'obligate carnivores' (their system is made to eat meat and meat products only) - no vegetables or fruit, NO sweets of any kind (even tho they love them, they can make them very very sick). You will want to get some Totally Ferret or equally good premium quality ferret food (NOT anything by Kaytee, as they make Kaytee Fiesta, which is very dangerous to ferrets - the dried fruits in the mixture have killed many many ferrets with intestinal blockages).

Here is a good place to start reading about ferrets:

      http://www.ferretcentral.org

Click on "FAQs" and also be sure to read "Medical FAQs" so you will understand how important diet is to keep a ferret healthy.

Finally - and maybe I should have put this FIRST - there very well may be some broken hearted ferret owner looking for this little one!  Please put the word out in your neighborhood - flyers  stapled to telephone poles, or just pass the word amongst your neighbors.  If this ferret has an owner, the ferret could possibly die of emotional upset from missing his home! Ferrets bond closely to their people and when they get separated (maybe he was just out exploring and got lost accidentally), he didn't know he was not going to find his way back home!  Please please do check with neighbors to see if anyone knows of anybody who has ferrets and may be missing one.

I strongly suggest you READ a LOT - there is SO MUCH to learn about ferrets - they are not at all like having a cat or a dog or even a hamster. More like having a two year old child. They have very special dietary needs, housing needs, and they litterbox train quite easily when you go about it correctly. It's really important that IF you decide to keep this ferret, you must learn all about it's needs and the things in your house that are dangerous to your ferret - some simple things like a rubberband could kill your ferret!

There is also a great book called FERRETS FOR DUMMIES by Kim Shilling that is a great book for all ferret owners, old or new.  

If your ferret doesn't start eating or playing right away, it will probably die. Ferrets MUST eat and drink about four times a day.  You can check for dehydration by "scruffing" (holding the ferret by the skin on the back of his neck) your ferret, then letting go of the skin. The skin should snap right back down in place - if it stays 'tented' up, your ferret needs to be seen by a vet to get sub-Q fluids to save its life.  Unless you find out what this ferret was eating before you found it, it could actually starve to death because it may not recognize other foods as being food. Ferrets "imprint" on their foods at a young age and if they haven't tasted it before, they won't think it is food....another reason you should be looking really hard for that owner who is missing his ferret.  He may well give you the ferret, cage and food, but you must try to locate that person so you know what to feed the ferret if nothing else, okay?

Be sure to check your little one for dehydration and get it to ANY vet for some fluids (every day until it starts eating) or it will die.  Especially if the ferret is acting sick - ferrets must be very very sick before they act sick, as they usually hide their illnesses.  I hope you will get this little one to a vet - an emergency vet for the weekend will be fine until you can get to a regular ferret vet on Monday.

Give your little buddy lots of gentle holding close to your body and petting it gently; talk to it in a soft voice and be very kind to it - and please get it to a vet for fluids so it doesn't die and at least has a chance to get back to eating and playing again. It's VERY unusual for a ferret not to play. He must be exhausted from running, trying to find his home, OR very very ill.  Please - handle with love and care.

Please let me know how this turns out?  My thoughts and prayers are with this little one; and with you, who have accepted the responsibility of helping him through this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers