Why is my 7-month-old ferret scratching so much? Is it fleas?

Hello. A ferret that is pruritic ( itchy ) without signs of ectoparasites ( fleas, lice ) is adrenal gland disease until proven otherwise. It is not uncommon for very itchy ferrets to have no obvious signs of hair loss. Occasional, cutaneous mast cell tumors can be very pruritic. These are almost always benign in ferrets & removal is curative. I would encourage you to have your ferrets evaluated by a veterinarian & have some diagnostic tests done to find the underlying cause of the itching. Then appropriate treatment can be started. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, I'm sorry to hear Snowflake is feeling unwell. Scratching in a young ferret can be a sign of external parasites, such as fleas, scabies or ear mites. I would suggest taking her to a vet to check for the above, and perform a skin scraping test to check for scabies or demodex mites. I hope this helps, and your ferret is feeling better soon!

Hello, if the product you are using is not working, you might want to try Advantage Multi, but I would think between the drops you are using & the bathing, the fleas should be gone. You might also try completely changing out your enclosure, using a completely different substrate, just in case Mike is sensitive to what you are using now. If he continues to itch, you may have to check him for adrenal disease, just because it is so common in ferrets. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, Ferrets do scratch more than normal dogs and cats! They tend to be itchier creatures, and this very well may be normal behavior. :) They can get fleas, mites, and skin infections that make them more itchy though- usually hair loss, redness, and scabbing is associated with these (and obviously, if you see fleas!). If they are particularly focused on their ears, ear mites may be a concern. If you notice any hair loss, scabbing, or excessive black crusting in the ears, these would be signs to go to the veterinarian. These conditions are generally easy to treat with a course of medications, so nothing to panic about! I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It is important to find out why they are itching first before putting anything on them. They could be suffering from a mite infection, a fungal or a bacterial infection. All of these cause serious itch and each of these is treated differently. Please take your ferrets to your vet for an exam to determine why they are itching. Mites itch terribly, the skin gets scabby and fur gets lost. Mites are easily treated with avermectin injections. A fungal infection may need oral medications or antifungal shampoo or both and a bacterial infection is usually treated with oral antibiotics.

No, do not use coconut oil. He will lick it off and ingestion may cause pancreatitis. Not only that but it will be extremely messy and everything will stick to him. Not a good plan. He is scratching for a reason and rarely will they scratch so much from dry skin to make sores like that on their skin. If you are not treating him EVERY month for fleas then I would be doing that. It looks and sounds like a flea allergy. Even if you are not seeing fleas, I suspect they are there. Fleas usually will bite ferrets but not stay on them too long so you may not find them. Treating for fleas is easy and inexpensive so I suggest you try this plan. It is not going to hurt him and it may very well help. You can use Advantage II for small cats. https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/ferret-flea-control.htm Don't forget to treat his environment for fleas too! So, could it be dry skin.....sure, but I really doubt it. Like I said above it is really rare for the skin to be so dry that he would scratch that much unless you were feeding a very poor diet (which I don't think is the case) . His coat looks soft and shiny from the photo. So, be sure you are feeding a good diet (like Mazuri, Marshalls or Oxbow). And you can try this supplement for his coat if you want. https://www.petsupplies.com/item/8-in-1-ferretone-skin-and-coat-supplement/650101/ For the current sore - you can treat it with this. Just use a very thin layer 2-3 times per day until healed. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thanks for reaching out about Sally. Itchy skin can be due to fleas, bacterial or fungal dermatitis, adrenal or other endocrine problems and more. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Falling over and wobbly, could be a low blood sugar, possibly an insulinoma. Good luck.