Ferret making a weird sound

Question

i bought my ferret a month ago and she looks healthy: no signs of wet-tail, bright eyes, active, eats regualary as well and drinks and using the bathroom.

but since ive got her, she seems to make a hacking sound and im not sure why. the pet store said the lady had to sell them due to her house catching on fire and im wondering if that is the problem or maybe she used the pine/cedar litter that causes resp. problems in them over time. she is only about 8months to 1 year old and im not sure what to do. if i have the money this paycheck i plan on taking her to the vet but i just want ur info first.

shes not making the little sound when she plays mind you.

Answer 1

As you know, ferrets are not rodents but weasels, in the same family as skunks, otters and so on.  They should never have shavings or clumping cat litter in their cage.  The only litter that is condsidered safe is something like recycled newspaper.  Ferrets do make hacking sounds when they get dust in thier noses and when they get hair balls or other obstrucions in their tummies. This time of the year she may still be losing her winter coat and is having hair ball problems.  I brush my kids every day and can still find a bit of down in their coats.   Make sure she is getting a good meat based food, and not one that has wheat or corn listed in the first 5 ingredients.  Do not feed her any food that has dried bits of carrots or any other vegetables.  She is a carnivore and needs meat.  Her cage should have multiple layers so she can get away from the toilet area and a level for her food and where she can den up and feel safe.  I think smoke from a fire could have caused an irritation in her lungs so a vet visit is always a good idea.   Wish you well with her.

Answer 2

yea ive heard that the pine ceder and stuff is bad but best of luck hope she gets better my ferret make noise to but its the play noise so good luck bye  how long has she been doin it too but any way take her to vet good luck

Answer 3

if there is any discharge or congestion, i'd suspect a bacterial or viral infection like an upper respiratory. if it were an older ferret with other symptoms like trouble breathing or lack of energy, i'd suspect a heart condition like cardiomyopathy. if it were a sudden thing that didn't stop, i'd suspect perhaps an obstruction from her eating something she shouldn't have.

but since you don't mention any other signs or problems, i don't think i'd worry tons about it yet. ferrets have little windpipes, so making a hacking noise can be quite common in ferrets for a few reasons - they are prone to eating food faster than is good for their body so sometimes things get caught (the shape of the food pieces can play a part in this too), they are low to the ground so when they are out playing they may inhale some irritating substances, it may be from swallowed fur (they shed their coats a few times a year and it may be swallowed when they groom, which they do a lot of).

a trip to the vet is always a good idea to rule out more serious issues, but i wouldn't worry too badly just yet. in the meantime, try giving her some hairball remedy like laxatone. it may help smooth things out inside, since ferrets don't hack up hairballs like cats do. (which can cause big problems by causing a blockage.) give it to the ferret about an hour after it eats to help ensure it doesn't fill up on this rather than its food.

http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/wholefa...

and just so you know, ferrets don't really get wet-tail often. that's primarily a rodent problem. there are far more common things causing diarrhea in ferrets so be on the look out for them instead if your ferret ever has loose bowels.  :-)