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Even with good health and immunity, animals sometimes get sick. If the ferret is balding and itching, then you should pay attention to his behavior, the presence of other symptoms. In order to find out the cause, knowledge about existing diagnoses, how to make them, and treatment options is necessary.
Natural Causes of Hair Loss in Ferrets
The ferret sometimes actively sheds hair. The process may start from the tail or another part of the body. The cause of baldness is the natural physiological processes of the animal’s body or acquired pathologies.
If the ferret is partially or completely bald, a visit to the veterinarian is necessary for an accurate diagnosis.
After examination, the doctor may indicate one of the natural causes:
- molting;
- clogged pores of the skin of the animal;
- stressful situations;
- ferret rut period;
- pregnancy and childbirth of the female;
- infection with skin parasites;
- imbalance and errors in the diet;
- avitaminosis;
- the age of the animals.
In these cases, the situation is corrected naturally or as a result of simple manipulations.
If the ferret is balding and itching due to pathologies, tests and treatment are necessary according to the scheme proposed by the doctor.
Molting
The natural process of molting in ferrets takes place twice – in spring and autumn. The process begins with the tail and gradually moves to the body. New wool grows at a time when the old one has not yet completely fallen out. For this reason, the animal not only grows bald, but also itches.
The owners can help him get rid of the remnants of wool – comb or pluck them. The skin at this time has a blue tint, it itches a lot. Ferrets actively lick the hairs, their remains can be found in the feces.
During the summer heat, ferrets develop alopecia areata. According to experts, in this way they regulate the temperature of their body, protecting it from overheating. There is no unconditional evidence of this version, but the fur is restored after a while.
The speed of molting varies. The animal can go bald very quickly. If it is naked, but new wool is already breaking through, then there is no reason to worry.
Stress
Fur loss is the result of a stressful situation in which the ferret finds itself.
Animals are susceptible to the environment, emotional environment. They can react not only with a change in behavior, but also with hair loss. The reason is:
- decreased activity – with a lack of ability to move, the animal’s mood drops;
- lack of a house – the ferret is stressed if there is no reliable shelter;
- loneliness – the animal gets used to communication, the deprivation of which leads to depression;
- a new individual – unfriendliness, aggression of a neighbor has a negative effect on the ferret;
- a change in the situation – a new food, place, smells, a cage can affect the animal excitingly;
- noise – loud incomprehensible sounds frighten;
- travel – changing location can lead to stress;
- illness or death of animals nearby – a depressing effect on the ferret.
All causes of stress, leading to the fact that the animal is going bald, can be corrected. This is achieved by organizing a shelter, a territory for games, placing him in a quiet room, isolation from other aggressive and sick animals.
Hormonal changes
Male ferrets often go bald, itch during the rut, females – pregnancy. During this period, hormonal failure occurs.
Males are extremely excited, irritable, aggressive. They mark the territory in which they live, their coat becomes greasy and odorous. The ferret is not interested in walks, games. The animal can break out the bars in the cage, the appetite disappears, the weight decreases. With an insufficient number of females, this behavior continues until winter. A partial solution to the problem at home is the castration of a ferret at the age of 11 months.
Hair loss during this period is considered physiological, it goes away by itself.
An excess of hormones can cause clogged pores with abundant sebum secretion during the rut. As a result, the animal becomes bald and itches.
Violation of the rules of feeding
The beauty of ferret fur depends on the diet. When it is violated, the animal’s coat fades, falls out, its skin dries, itches, itches. The animal is bald.
For recovery, proper nutrition of the animal is necessary. It includes meat (offal, minced meat), less often – fish, boiled eggs. Use in a small amount of vegetables, cheese, vegetable fat, fishmeal is possible. Meat should be given along with cereals.
“Human” food should be banned. It includes sausages, smoked products. Cat and dog food, chicken heads are not suitable for a ferret.
Complex vitamins are used to improve the quality of animal hair. They are selected and advised by a veterinarian.
Skin parasites
If the ferret’s tail is bald, it itches, bites out the remnants of wool, then the animal should be examined for the presence of skin parasites – lice, nits, fleas.
Fleas in animals are less common than in cats and dogs. The symptom of infection is itchy skin, areas without hair, scabs and papules. With large lesions, anemia occurs, the growth of young ferrets slows down. Chemicals are used to control parasites. They are used if the weight of the animal is at least 600 g and the age is over 6 months. Contraindication to the use of drugs is pregnancy and debility of animals.
In order to prevent the processing of wool should be carried out twice a year.
Allergy
There are allergies among ferrets. Such animals become bald, their body itches, the skin turns red, peels off.
Allergies are caused by dysbacteriosis, the use of antibiotics, contact with household chemicals, the use of cosmetics to wash the ferret’s bedding, its toys and the animal itself.
A reaction in the form of hair loss can be caused by products that are not intended for the animal, flea bites.
With food and other types of allergies, it is necessary to exclude the product or its cause.
Why the ferret itches and goes bald: diseases and their treatment
Ferrets can go bald even with more formidable diseases. You can often observe how the animal scratches its face, stops its fixed gaze, and drags its paws. These are insulinoma signals. The disease is difficult to treat. You need to contact a specialist. Lack of hair can signal diseases:
- eczema – weeping, bare, flaky areas on the skin that are difficult to treat;
- fungal diseases – inflamed bald patches form on the body of the ferret;
- neoplasia – neoplasms of the body;
- animal endocrine diseases.
Adrenal lesion
In ferrets older than three years, an adrenal disease occurs in which the animal becomes bald, starting from the tail, moving to the hips and body, excluding the head and paws.
The causes of hair loss are:
- early sterilization and castration of ferrets;
- increase in daylight hours in urban areas due to artificial lighting.
Among the main symptoms of damage to the adrenal glands are:
- hair loss is symmetrical or without a visible pattern;
- lack of appetite in the animal;
- lethargic behavior of the ferret;
- thinning of wool;
- thinness and transparency of the skin with ulcers;
- itching;
- strong musky smell of a ferret;
- excessive sexual activity in males;
- swelling of the vulva in spayed females;
- difficulty urinating due to an enlarged prostate;
- weakness of the hind legs of the animal;
- strong thirst;
- loss of muscle mass.
The method of treatment depends on the age, condition and disease of the ferret. Among them;
- hormone therapy – a capsule with a medicine is implanted;
- surgical intervention – removal of the diseased adrenal gland;
- combined method – combines the first two.
Timely assistance can prolong the life of the animal and restore its coat.
pliers
Ferrets can go bald when infected with Sarcoptes itch mites. Symptoms include:
- hair loss;
- skin peeling;
- purulent discharge in the affected areas;
- decreased appetite
- drop in body weight.
If left untreated, the ferret dies.
In the area of the auricles, the animal becomes bald when affected by Otodectes mites, the symptoms of which are:
- combing;
- black discharge;
- decreased appetite;
- loss of physical activity.
Advanced disease can lead to deafness in the ferret.
Treatment should be carried out under the guidance of a veterinarian. In the fight against ticks, the drug Ivomek, which is instilled into the ears of the animal, helps.
Tumors
Adrenal tumors are common in ferrets over 3 years of age. The functions of the organ are violated as a result of benign or malignant degeneration of tissues. Development is facilitated by an excess of hormones secreted by the adrenal glands. The animal can live for another 2 to 3 years after the first symptoms appear, since the pathology develops slowly.
It is worth paying attention to the appearance of signs:
- fur fades, becomes disheveled;
- hair loss begins from the tail, back, chest, abdomen;
- the skin of the animal becomes thinner in the area of baldness;
- the ferret is losing weight;
- in the female, the loop increases in size, even if she is sterilized;
- in males, there is a “forked jet” (difficulty urinating).
After collecting an anamnesis and laboratory tests, the veterinarian makes a diagnosis.
Treatment for a ferret consists of surgical removal of the affected organ. The use of chemotherapy drugs is practiced.
Mycosis
Dermatomycosis is caused by a skin fungus. It reproduces by spores, infects the coat and skin of the animal. The fungus grows in the epithelium, forms more and more lesions. The parasite feeds on keratin contained in the skin and wool. After the appearance of redness and itching, the ferret becomes bald and itches. In the presence of abrasions and scratches on the body, the infection passes even faster.
The cause of infection can be sick animals, non-compliance with sanitary standards for keeping the animal.
The incubation period of the disease can last up to 30 days, after which the symptoms of the pathology appear:
- hair loss;
- dryness of the skin;
- itching;
- peeling.
Examination of the ferret is not enough to make a diagnosis. Symptoms of ringworm are similar to those of other diseases. The use of fluorescent diagnostics is required, which can show the presence of a fungus in an animal.
Treatment for a ferret consists of removing hair near lesions to stop the disease from spreading further and applying antifungal ointments as prescribed by a doctor. In difficult cases, the animal is prescribed antibiotics.
Treatment continues for about a month.
Other diseases
Due to a lack of vitamin H in the body of a ferret, hypovitaminosis can develop. Pathology is characterized by damage to the skin. Deficiency of biotin (vitamin H) occurs when the animal is often fed raw chicken proteins. They interfere with the absorption of biotin by the body.
Among the symptoms of the disease:
- inflammation of the skin;
- seborrhea;
- hair loss;
- hair section;
- itchiness
For the treatment of a ferret, vitamin supplements containing biotin or products with it are prescribed – liver, kidneys, raw egg yolks.
For the purpose of prevention, chicken egg protein should be fed to the animal in a thermally processed form.
Other pathologies also lead to hair loss in ferrets:
- luteomas;
- fibrosarcomas;
- carcinomas;
- sertolinomas;
- diabetes.
In what cases it is necessary to contact the veterinarian
In diseases of the adrenal glands, seeking help from a specialist is necessary when the first signs of a ferret disease appear. If the animal becomes bald, itches, behaves aggressively, falls into a prolonged estrus or rut, experiences pain when urinating, then you need to hurry, while there is hope for recovery.
After providing surgical care, the ferret recovers quite quickly. A week later, the wool begins to grow and after a month the fur becomes the same.
You should consult a doctor if you cannot restore the animal’s hair on your own within a month.
Conclusion
The reasons why a ferret is balding and itching can be different: from a banal dietary disturbance to formidable pathologies – malignant tumors, inflammation of the adrenal glands. In any case, it is necessary to carefully consider the change in the appearance and behavior of the animal. This will keep the ferret, and possibly the owners, from contracting human-transmitted infections. Subject to the rules of keeping, health and hair problems in ferrets are rare. If this happens, the problem should not come as a surprise.
