Ferret cough/hack noise?

Question

I have a 4 month old ferret. Sometimes when she gets too excited from playing she makes this weird loud hacking noise that sort of has an echo sound. I don't really know how to explain it. She acts fine, eats fine, and is normal. I don't know if this is anything to worry about?

Answer 1

Oh is it like a dook dook noise? Like kind of a mix between a squeak and a bark and a meow? Thats a very common ferret noise that they make when excited.  

Answer 2

Recently my youngest ferret was doing that as well. I thought he might have swallowed something. I picked him up and looked in his mouth and pulled out one of my hairs that was a good 2 feet long (long hair).

Watch her p**p, make sure she is still pooping thick healthy poops so you can rule out a big blockage. If she is rubbing her face or mouth against the floor often it may be something small caught in her throat.

Or it could be dooking like someone said above, but usually that doesn't sound like loud hacking noices.

Ferrets sneeze a lot too, due to dust but they actually sound like sneezes.

Answer 3

They sometimes cough from minor irritations to the throat. You could try a little ferret lax or vaseline (make sure it's pure vaseline, no added fragrances or anything) to help whatever might be irritating her throat slide down easier. Just keep an eye on her stool, if it looks tiny, then it could be a sign of a blockage. Other signs would include: vomiting, loss of appetite, weight loss, pawing at the mouth, face rubbing, and teeth grinding to name a few. Sometimes canned pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling, it should be PURE pumpkin) can be used to help flush out a blockage. Keep in mind though, if the GI tract is completely blocked, the pumpkin won't work; this will require surgery and you should contact a vet.

Coughing can also be a sign of cardiomyopathy, which will require treatment from a vet. This is most common in ferrets over 3, so I don't think this is something you need to be concerned with right now, but it's one other thing I know of that can cause coughing. In your case, I think the coughing is just a result of a minor irritation to the throat. If you're ever overly concerned about the coughing, then definitely give your vet a call.