Ferret with Diarrhea?

Question

I've had my male ferret for a few days now (20 weeks old), got him from a pet store this last Saturday. I've been giving him mashed Marshalls with a tbsp of Duk Soup and a tiny amount of Ferretvite mixed daily and plenty of water. The first day his poo was a very soft with a tiny bit of greenish slime in it, the next day it was normal looking. Lastnight and this morning it's diarrhea but brown in color and slighty grainy. He is still active and drinking a lot of water like normal but I am little worried. Today when I made his food I did 3/4 Marshalls and 1/4 Totally Ferret and has ate very little. Could just be new tastes though I figure. My main concern is ECE or that he may have ate something. I have long hair and one day while I was holding him he got tangled in it, for a few hours after he was coughing (sounded like a squeaky toy) but it stopped. Am I overreacting or should I rush him to the vet? His vet appt is not until next week. The pet store was feeding him Marshalls too btw.

Answer 1

I am owned by 4 ferrets myself. We become obsessed with p**p checks. Not to sound overly 'finger wavy' at you, but the quality of food you're feeding him is awful. Grainy p**p is normally the indication of the quality of food. You can also make Duck Soup. Cooked or raw chicken [or both]- Grind in food processor. Add some kibble, grind some more, one large raw egg, blend again. A tbsp of Ferretone. Put in ice cube tray, let freeze. Take one cube out & microwave for 30 - 40 secs. Walla' you have Duck Soup. & it's much healthier than the 'Duk Soup' you buy. You can give him/her one a day, or two. The link below gives you all of the p**p questions we ferret owners have. And please check out the different food choices for your ferret. You can search google to find plenty of high quality ferret foods.

If you're mixing food because you plan on completely introducing/switching his food then mixing is completely harmless. You want to have your fert become used to the food to steer clear from having any kind of gastroinstetinal upsets. Slowly introduce the new food with the old. Then after a few days of this you can start with the new food.

Answer 2

I have owned ferets for about two years now. I have done a LOT of research and i am on a group with other very experienced ferret owners. The runny poo sounds to me like stress and change of fod. When you change a ferrets diet you have to do it very very slowly as their digestive systems can be very picky. I feed mine a mix or Total ferret, Zupreem, 8 in 1 Ultimate (not ultra), and maximum kitten food. Marshalls is not a good food for ferrets. It was formulated for minks and has a high fish content and though ferrets will and do eat fush it should not be their main sourse.

Now that being said Ferrets can dehydrate very very easy. If he is still having this issue by the end of the day take it to the vet asap. As to the pumpkin do not feed him the pie filling, it has too much sugar. get the pumkin, just pumpkin and use a small amount. a teaspoon or less. Pumkin is a fiber and can help bind as well as loosen the stool. i use a teaspoon in my duck soup because when i don't they get the runny poo.

Answer 3

only feed duck soup if its ill..... keep feeding it marshalls..... take him to a vet.

give him pumpkin pie filling if he ate something... mix it with water he should like it so you dont have to shuve it up his mouth. it will make him have diarrea but its good cause if he ate something.... it will come out.

DONT mix food....... DO NOT!!!!!!

also.. you have been told wrong.... ingredients WONT change. Marshall is the way to go. its the best brand.

Answer 4

It is probably your ferret's food. Get it checked out by a vet so they can rule out disease.

Hope your fert feels better soon!