Content
Even with good health and immunity, animals sometimes get sick. If the ferret is balding and itching, then you should pay attention to its behavior, the presence of other symptoms. Finding out the cause requires knowledge of existing diagnoses, how they are made, and treatment options.
Natural causes of hair loss in ferrets
The ferret sometimes actively sheds its hair. The process can start from the tail or other part of the body. The cause of baldness is the natural physiological processes of the animal's body or acquired pathologies.
If the ferret becomes 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 rutting period;
- pregnancy and childbirth of a female;
- infection with skin parasites;
- imbalance and inaccuracies 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 goes bald and itches due to pathologies, tests and treatment are required according to the scheme suggested by the doctor.
Molting
Ferrets naturally moult twice - in spring and autumn. The process begins with the tail and gradually passes 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 becomes bald, but also itches.
The owners can help him get rid of the remnants of the fur - by combing or pulling them out. The skin at this time has a blue tint, itching a lot. Ferrets actively lick the hairs, their remains can be found in the feces.
Ferrets have alopecia areata in summer heat. According to experts, in this way they regulate the temperature of their body, preventing overheating. There is no unconditional evidence for this version, but the fur is restored after a while.
The speed of molting is different. The animal can go bald very quickly. If it is bare, but the new coat is already breaking through, then there is no cause for concern.
Stress
Loss of fur is the result of a stressful situation in which the ferret finds itself.
Animals are susceptible to their environment and emotional environment. They can react not only with a change in behavior, but also with a loss of hair. The reason is:
- decreased activity - if there is a lack of the 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, the aggression of a neighbor has a negative effect on the ferret;
- a change in the environment - the animal can be excitedly influenced by a new food, place, odors, cage;
- noise - loud incomprehensible sounds are frightening;
- travel - changing location can be stressful;
- disease or death of animals nearby - has a depressing effect on the ferret.
All the stressors that lead to the baldness of the animal can be corrected. This is achieved by organizing a shelter, an area for games, placing it in a quiet room, isolation from other aggressive and sick animals.
Change in hormonal levels
Male ferrets often go bald, itch during rutting, and females during pregnancy. During this period, hormonal disruption occurs.
Males behave extremely agitated, 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 the rods 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 with home keeping is the castration of the ferret at the age of 11 months.
Hair loss during this period is considered physiological, it goes away by itself.
Excess hormones can cause clogged pores with excessive sebum production during the rut. As a result, the animal becomes bald and itches.
Violation of the rules of feeding
The beauty of a ferret's fur depends on the diet. If it is violated, the animal's wool grows dull, falls out, its skin dries, itches, itches. The animal is going bald.
To recover, the animal needs proper nutrition. It includes meat (offal, minced meat), less often - fish, boiled eggs. It can be used in a small amount of vegetables, cheese, vegetable fat, fish meal. Meat should be given along with porridge.
"Human" food should be banned. It includes sausages, smoked products. Ferret is not suitable for cat and dog food, chicken heads.
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 becomes bald, it itches, bites off the remnants of the fur, then the animal should be examined for the presence of skin parasites - lice, nits, fleas.
Fleas are less common in animals than in cats and dogs. Symptoms of infection are itchy skin, hairless areas, scabs and papules. With large lesions, anemia occurs, the growth of young ferrets slows down. Chemicals are used to combat parasites. They are used if the animal weighs at least 600 g and is older than 6 months. A contraindication to the use of drugs is pregnancy and weakness of animals.
For prevention purposes, wool processing should be carried out twice a year.
Allergy
There are allergy sufferers among ferrets. Such animals go bald, their body itches, the skin turns red, flakes.
Allergies are caused by dysbiosis, the use of antibiotics, contact with household chemicals, the use of cosmetics for washing the litter of the ferret, its toys and the animal itself.
A reaction in the form of hair loss can be caused by products not intended for the animal, flea bites.
In case of food and other types of allergies, it is necessary to exclude the product or the cause of it.
Why the ferret itches and goes bald: diseases and their treatment
Ferrets can also go bald with more formidable diseases. You can often observe how an animal scratches its face, stops a motionless gaze, drags its paws. These are signals for insulinoma. The disease is difficult to treat. It is necessary to contact a specialist. Lack of hair can signal diseases:
- eczema - Weeping, bare, scaly areas on the skin that are difficult to treat;
- fungal diseases - inflamed bald patches are formed on the ferret's body;
- neoplasias - neoplasms of the body;
- endocrine diseases of the animal.
Adrenal gland damage
Ferrets over three years of age have adrenal gland disease, in which the animal becomes bald, starting with the tail and moving to the hips and body, excluding the head and legs.
The reasons for hair loss are:
- early neutering and castration of ferrets;
- increase in daylight hours in urban environments due to artificial lighting.
Among the main symptoms of adrenal gland damage are:
- hair loss is symmetrical or without a visible pattern;
- lack of appetite in the animal;
- lethargic behavior of the ferret;
- thinning of the coat;
- thinness and transparency of the skin with ulcers;
- itching;
- strong musky ferret smell;
- 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;
- intense thirst;
- loss of muscle mass.
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 provided can prolong the life of the animal and restore its coat.
Mites
Ferrets can go bald when attacked by Sarcoptes pruritus mites. Symptoms include:
- hair loss;
- peeling of the skin;
- 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 infected with Otodectes mites, the symptoms of which are:
- combs;
- black discharge;
- decreased appetite;
- loss of physical activity.
A neglected illness can lead to deafness in a ferret.
Treatment should be supervised by a veterinarian. In the fight against ticks, the drug Ivomek helps, which is buried in the ears of the animal.
Tumors
Adrenal tumors are common in ferrets over 3 years of age. The functions of the organ are impaired 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 another 2 - 3 years after the first symptoms appear, since the pathology develops slowly.
It is worth paying attention to the appearance of signs:
- the 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 it is sterilized;
- males have a “split stream” (difficulty urinating).
After taking history and laboratory tests, the veterinarian makes a diagnosis.
Ferret treatment consists of surgical removal of the affected organ. The use of chemotherapy drugs is practiced.
Mycoses
Dermatomycosis is caused by a skin fungus. It reproduces by spores, affecting the fur and skin of the animal. The fungus grows in the epithelium, forms more and more new lesions. The parasite feeds on keratin contained in the skin and wool. After the appearance of redness and itching, the ferret goes bald, itches. In the presence of abrasions and scratches on the body, the infection passes even faster.
Sick animals, non-observance of sanitary standards for keeping the animal can become the cause of infection.
The incubation period of the disease can last up to 30 days, after which the symptoms of pathology appear:
- hair loss;
- dry skin;
- itching;
- peeling.
Ferret examination is not enough to make a diagnosis. The symptoms of dermatomycosis are similar to those of other diseases. The use of luminescent diagnostics is required, which can show the presence of a fungus in an animal.
Ferret treatment consists of removing hair near the lesions to stop further spread of the disease and applying antifungal ointments prescribed by a doctor. In difficult cases, antibiotics are prescribed to the animal.
The treatment lasts about a month.
Other diseases
Due to a lack of vitamin H in the ferret's body, hypovitaminosis can develop. Pathology is characterized by damage to the skin. Deficiency of biotin (vitamin H) occurs with frequent feeding of the animal with 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;
- section of the hair;
- itching.
For ferret treatment, vitamin supplements are prescribed containing biotin or products with it - liver, kidneys, raw chicken egg yolks.
In order to prevent the protein of chicken eggs, it is worth feeding 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 a veterinarian
In case of adrenal gland diseases, seeking help from a specialist is necessary when the first signs of a ferret's disease appear. If the animal becomes bald, itches, behaves aggressively, falls into prolonged heat or rut, experiences pain when urinating, then it is necessary to hurry while there is hope of recovery.
The ferret recovers fairly quickly after surgical treatment. After a week, the coat begins to grow and after a month the fur coat 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 for the baldness and itching of the ferret can be different: from a banal violation of the diet 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 save the life of the ferret and possibly the hosts from contracting human-borne infections. Ferrets rarely experience hair and health problems if the rules are followed. If this happens, the problem shouldn't come as a surprise.
