My ferret has a cold. Is it safe to give my sick ferret a bath?

Ferrets occasionally suffer from colds and flu quite similar to humans, they will often sneeze and be lethargic when that happens. when a ferret has a fever he will usually stay still, sleep a lot and won't eat much. in order to get him better you will need to take him to the vet as he he may need to take medications to get better.

Thanks for reaching out about Cocoa. Ferrets are susceptible to influenza so monitor her health for now. If becomes ill, a veterinary visit early in the process is more likely to respond to therapy. You could always purchase a thermometer and take her temperature. If concerned, a veterinary visit is recommended. Good luck.

There are more than one disease in ferret that could be categorised as "cold" most of them are viral or bacterial diseases, some of them can be fatal, you need to take your ferret to the vet ASAP in order to get checked and treated.

Hello. Thank you for your question. I am sorry Riki is not feeling well however, you cannot give over the counter cold medicine to ferrets. Please do not do that. If he is sick you need to take him to a vet for an exam. If he has an upper respiratory infection he will likely need antibiotics and not cold medicine. Here is a link to respiratory disease in ferrets: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=11+2071&aid=565 I hope this helps. Best wishes to you and Riki. Dr. Amber

Ferrets do get upper respiratory infections or colds just like us. Usually they get better with rest and no treatment is necessary. If the eyes or nose get green or yellow discharge or they stop eating they may have a secondary bacterial infection and would need an exam to confirm the diagnosis and antibiotics. Please do not give human medication. Good luck.

Ferrets can get certain strains of influenza from people, so it would probably be best to make sure no one has an active illness before getting the ferret. Kits are more susceptible than adults for getting severe disease, so it's good to keep that in mind when choosing a ferret. For more information about ferrets, I recommend reading the information at the following link: http://www.cvm.msstate.edu/images/AHC/companion/CVS/Ferret_Husbandry_Client_Education.pdf I hope that helps and everyone gets well soon.

In general, ferrets do not require bathing unless they have gotten into something out of the ordinary. If you are going to bathe them naturally, I would use a 1:1:1: mixture of oatmeal, warm water, and baking soda.