My Bindi Baby

Question
QUESTION: hi i'm having a bit of trouble with my ferret i've never had one before and bought one a while ago and sold it now i have a new one her name is bindi she is what i call a problematic ferret i absolutely love her and wouldn't trade her for the world, i worked my butt off to buy her because my mum doesn't like them but i'm getting through she at least thinks she's cute now haha i also bought her cage and have de-sexed and vaccinated her she is about 7 months old now and she has weird feet like its like a scab on them i bathe her feet and it just comes of and i spray with an antiseptic also she has it on a small section of her tail i think it might be sarcoptic mange what do i do?? and can i catch it? also i want to know if there is a feed you could suggest for me to buy to really fatten her up? thanks heaps for your time i'm so happy theres a site for help..... thanks

ANSWER: Hi Estelle and thanks for writing.  It's very hard to tell from a distance what could be going on with her feet and tail. You'll need to have a ferret-knowledgeable veterinarian take a look at it. If you tell me where you are I can make a recommendation, or refer you to a nearby ferret shelter who can make one.

The foods I recommend are Nature's Gold (very high in protein and very low in carbohydrates, which is what ferrets need), Totally Ferret, ZuPreem, 8-In-1 Ultimate (the more expensive 8-In-1, not the one in the red & yellow bag), and TheFerretStore.com house brand.  It's best to feed a mix of 2 or 3 brands so they get used to different tastes, which is very helpful if they get sick and aren't eating or if a particular brand isn't available.

Good luck,
dg

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QUESTION: hi again i live in a small town called muswellbrook and also wanted to ask where i could find this nature's gold? sounds excellent, thanks heaps for your time
ANSWER: Hi there,

You can get Pretty Pets Natural Gold ferret food at Petsmart stores or at www.petsmart.com. You can also get it online at a variety of other websites that sell pet food. For more info, go to www.prettypets.com.

Not all ferrets like it....I strongly suggest you buy a bag and also a bag of Totally Ferret, ZuPreem, Shepard & Greene, Mazuri, or 8-In-1 Ultimate at the same time, and then mix the two together.

Good luck to Bindi!
DG

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QUESTION: Hi its estelle again one of my friends has a female ferret about 1 month younger then mine and she has sarcoptic mange like bindi did ( i got bindi fixed up at the vets she's all better and gaining lots of weight YAY!!) its so bad her feet are like giant scabs and they are using some cream on her neck which hasn't worked i told her to go to the vets and now she is going to try sulfur or something  and she won't de-sex her and she is in heat now  basically she has no idea what she's doing and i feel like kid napping the ferret getting her fixed up and keeping her safe and just giving her lots of TLC because i mean she just looks horrible her nails were 2 inches long until i went over to see her and forced her to let me cut them WHAT DO I DO????????? i'm really worried
ANSWER: This ferret is being abused. Female ferrets MUST be spayed or they will get aplastic anemia and DIE. Why does this person have a ferret?

Do whatever it takes to get that ferret out of that situation and into a shelter or take her in yourself. She MUST SEE A VET IMMEDIATELY.

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QUESTION: I live in a small town called muswellbrook if my mum will not let me keep her where is the closet shelter please wb asap thank you heaps for all the time and effort

Answer
Is this in New South Wales, Australia?  That's the only Muswellbrook I found on the internet.  If so, contact the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in New South Wales. They deal with just this type of situation all the time. All their contact information is at http://www.rspcansw.org.au/contact_us  Their phone number is (02) 9770 7555.

Good luck and thank you for being willing to help this poor ferret. Please get her to a vet ASAP. Remember that female ferrets MUST BE SPAYED if they are not going to breed. This is critically important. Let me know how it goes.

DG