{"id":2736,"date":"2024-11-03T17:40:27","date_gmt":"2024-11-03T17:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/cat-vet-care-2\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T11:25:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T11:25:18","slug":"ferret-health","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/ferret\/ferret-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Ferret Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"hero bg-Rose\">\n      <div data-aos=\"fade-in\" data-aos-delay=\"700\" class=\"bg-img bg-cover img-wrap-rel\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1369\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Health-1369x614.jpg\" class=\"img-ab\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Health-1369x614.jpg 1369w, https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Health-300x135.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Health-1024x459.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Health-768x345.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Health-1536x689.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Health-2048x919.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Health-245x110.jpg 245w, https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Health-600x269.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1369px) 100vw, 1369px\" \/>  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"container-xl py-5 d-flex align-items-center\">\n        <div class=\"hero-content py-4\">\n            <div class=\"content-wrap btn-mob-full pe-0 pe-lg-2\">\n                                    <h1>Ferret Health<\/h1>\n                                <p>Information about looking after the health of your ferret.<\/p>\n                                                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section><div class=\"block-wrapper my-5 core-spacer\"><div class=\"container-xxl\"><div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><a id=\"options\"><\/a>\n<section class=\"jump-links\">\n    <div data-aos=\"fade-up\" class=\"container-xl wrapper-sm\">\n        <div class=\"rose-wrap\">\n                            <p>\n                    <strong>On this page:<\/strong>\n                <\/p>\n                                        <ul>\n                                            <li>\n                                                            <a href=\"#vaccinations\" target=\"_self\">Vaccinations and Parasite&nbsp;Treatments<\/a>\n                                                    <\/li>\n                                            <li>\n                                                            <a href=\"#dental\" target=\"_self\">Dental Care<\/a>\n                                                    <\/li>\n                                            <li>\n                                                            <a href=\"#microchipping\" target=\"_self\">Microchipping<\/a>\n                                                    <\/li>\n                                            <li>\n                                                            <a href=\"#hair\" target=\"_self\">Hair Loss<\/a>\n                                                    <\/li>\n                                            <li>\n                                                            <a href=\"#neutering\" target=\"_self\">Reproductive Health and Neutering<\/a>\n                                                    <\/li>\n                                    <\/ul>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section><section class=\"text-block my-5\" data-bs-theme=\"white\">\n    <div data-aos=\"fade-up\" class=\"container-xl wrapper-sm\">\n        <div class=\"content-wrap\">\n            <p>All pet owners have a duty of care towards their pets. This means you are responsible for ensuring your ferrets are happy and healthy by protecting them from pain, suffering, injury and disease.<\/p>\n<p>Schedule annual check-ups with a vet experienced in ferret care to ensure your ferrets are healthy.<\/p>\n<p>If you notice any abnormalities, such as weight loss, crying or whimpering, trembling, lethargy, teeth-grinding or unexpected hair loss, consult your vet immediately.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section><a id=\"vaccinations\"><\/a>\n<section class=\"text-block my-5\" data-bs-theme=\"white\">\n    <div data-aos=\"fade-up\" class=\"container-xl wrapper-sm\">\n        <div class=\"content-wrap\">\n            <h2><strong>Vaccinations and Parasite\u00a0<\/strong><b>Treatments<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Ferrets who are kept or exercised in areas frequented by foxes or dogs are at risk of contracting canine distemper. This can be fatal to ferrets. You should speak to your vet about whether vaccination to prevent this is appropriate for your ferrets. Initial signs are discharge from the eyes and nostrils, a rash under the chin and groin and thickening of the footpads.<\/p>\n<p>Speak to your vet about when to vaccinate your ferret.<\/p>\n<p>Your ferret\u2019s lifestyle will dictate whether they need preventative parasite treatments and you should discuss this with your vet.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section><a id=\"dental\"><\/a>\n<section class=\"text-block my-5\" data-bs-theme=\"white\">\n    <div data-aos=\"fade-up\" class=\"container-xl wrapper-sm\">\n        <div class=\"content-wrap\">\n            <h2><strong>Dental Care<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Ferrets are prone to dental problems. Access to raw treats (such as pinkie mice and rabbit ears or feet) or bones can help wear down their teeth naturally.<\/p>\n<p>Providing dental chews and toys can help keep their teeth healthy. If you notice any problems, seek advice from your vet.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section><a id=\"hair\"><\/a>\n<section class=\"text-block my-5\" data-bs-theme=\"white\">\n    <div data-aos=\"fade-up\" class=\"container-xl wrapper-sm\">\n        <div class=\"content-wrap\">\n            <h2><strong>Hair Loss<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Ferrets with hair loss is common. There are a number of possible causes including seasonal alopecia,<\/p>\n<p>hypothyroidism, adrenal disease and malnutrition. If your ferret experiences hair loss, speak to your vet.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section><a id=\"microchipping\"><\/a>\n<section class=\"text-block my-5\" data-bs-theme=\"white\">\n    <div data-aos=\"fade-up\" class=\"container-xl wrapper-sm\">\n        <div class=\"content-wrap\">\n            <h2><strong>Microchipping<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Most of the ferrets in our care come in as strays and are sadly never reunited with their owners.<\/p>\n<p>Ferrets have a very poor homing sense so microchipping is the most effective way to increase the chances of a reunion should your ferret ever escape. It is a quick procedure that provides pets with a unique identification code, making it easier to trace and contact their owner.<\/p>\n<p>If your details should ever change, such as your address or phone number, these can be updated via an online database, sometimes for a fee.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section><a id=\"neutering\"><\/a>\n<section class=\"text-block my-5\" data-bs-theme=\"white\">\n    <div data-aos=\"fade-up\" class=\"container-xl wrapper-sm\">\n        <div class=\"content-wrap\">\n            <h2><strong>Reproductive Health and Neutering<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The breeding season runs from April to September. Female ferrets (jills) come into season during this time and will stay in season until they are either mated, chemically taken out of season or spayed. Leaving a Jill in season is extremely debilitating, causes anaemia and will eventually be fatal. Therefore, a jill must always be brought out of season.<\/p>\n<p>Ferrets\u2019 reproductive hormones are very complex and options to prevent jills from coming into season are limited. We recommend discussing the best option with your vet well in advance of the breeding season.<\/p>\n<p>Castrating male ferrets (hobs) means they can be kept with jills and possibly with other castrated hobs all year round.<\/p>\n<p>There is no need to separate them during the breeding season. It also reduces the distinctive odour and greasy secretions they produce, which are much more pronounced in the breeding season. Please note that vasectomising hobs will not have these same effects.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2018jill jab\u2019, an injection that could be given annually to bring jills out of season, has been discontinued. If you have used this in the past, you may no longer be able to get it, or any existing vet stocks may cost more than they previously did.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section><section id=\"donate-3172\" class=\"donate-block  mt-5 pt-5 pb-5\">\n\n    \n\t            <div data-aos=\"fade-up\" class=\"container-xl\">\n            <div class=\"outer-row row g-5 align-items-center\" data-aos=\"fade-up\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-2 d-none d-lg-block\">\n                    <div class=\"bg-img bg-cover img-wrap-rel\">\n\t\t\t\t\t    <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"218\" height=\"181\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/donate.jpg\" class=\"img-ab\" alt=\"\" \/>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"col-lg-7\">\n                    <div class=\"donate__content\">\n                        <div class=\"heading-wrap\">\n                            <h2><h2>Support us from \u00a35 a month<\/h2>\n<p>It costs us \u00a363,000 every day to continue the work that animals across Scotland depend on. Our work is only possible because of the generosity of people like you.<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"col-lg-3 text-center text-lg-end\">\n                    <a href=\"#XBBXAQBN\" style=\"display: none\"><\/a>\n                    <div class=\"pay-wrap pt-2 text-center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/payment-logos.svg\" alt=\"Accepted payment methods\" class=\"pay mx-auto img-fluid\"><\/div>                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n    \n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Information regarding the health of your ferret.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2757,"parent":2755,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2736","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.7 (Yoast SEO v24.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ferret Health - Scottish SPCA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/ferret\/ferret-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ferret Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Information regarding the health of your ferret.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/ferret\/ferret-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Scottish SPCA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scottishspca\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-13T11:25:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Advice-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1612\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ScottishSPCA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/ferret\/ferret-health\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/ferret\/ferret-health\/\",\"name\":\"Ferret Health - Scottish SPCA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/ferret\/ferret-health\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/ferret\/ferret-health\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Advice-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-03T17:40:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-13T11:25:18+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/ferret\/ferret-health\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/ferret\/ferret-health\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/ferret\/ferret-health\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Advice-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Ferret-Advice-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1612,\"caption\":\"Ferret\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/advice\/ferret\/ferret-health\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.scottishspca.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Advice &#038; 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