How to properly clean the ears and eyes of a ferret?

It is advisable to inspect the eyes and ears of the ferret daily. By their appearance, we can conclude that the pet is healthy. Or decide on an early visit to the veterinarian.

Have you noticed that your ferret has a watery eye? No panic. The eyes may be slightly watery after sleep or due to external factors: for example, if a small speck of dust gets into them. As a rule, these cases are short-lived and do not cause discomfort to the ferret, so do not worry. Your task is to carefully remove pollution so that nothing prevents the ferret from admiring the world around it.

Another thing is if the eyes water heavily and often, or if other discharges occur: they can be whitish, yellowish or greenish in color.

Tearing can indicate an eye injury (foreign object, scratches, etc.), an allergic reaction (for example, to your new powder), or a helminth infection. With allergies, redness and swelling of the eyes are usually added to tearing.

Various discharges from the eyes can be symptoms of a viral or bacterial infection. This is not only an eye infection, but also a respiratory tract infection. In this case, the ferret may experience other symptoms: discharge from the nose, fever, coughing and sneezing.

In these cases, it is important to understand that conjunctivitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye) is not the main, but an accompanying disease. You can’t cure a ferret if you just clean its eyes several times a day. On the contrary, in this way you will only aggravate the situation and miss valuable time, because it is always easier to fight the disease in the early stages. Procrastination, self-activity, improper treatment can lead to the fact that the ferret will become less able to see or go blind.

If your ferret has frequent watery eyes, red eyes, or discharge, contact your veterinarian right away. Only he will be able to correctly diagnose and prescribe a treatment that will quickly return your pet to clean, bright eyes.

If your ferret has watery eyes or other discharge, clean them gently. For this you will need:

– a clean swab or gauze pad;

– a special lotion for cleaning the eyes (you can buy it at the pet store). If there is no lotion, you can use saline or chlorhexidine bigluconate 0,05% (do not use a large concentration, because you can burn the mucous). Give preference to lotions and chlorhexidine: they not only clean, but also relieve irritation from the eyes, and fight bacteria. Please note that the liquid must be at room temperature.

To remove dirt, gently apply the product to a swab (or tissue) and wipe the eye from the outer corner to the inner. Do not wipe towards the inner corner: this can bring dirt into the pouch under the eyelid and cause inflammation of the eye.

And now a little trick. It is unlikely that the ferret will like that you distracted him from important games and began to look for something in his eyes or ears. Before examination and grooming, experts recommend talking affectionately with the pet, giving a treat, and praising. Then the ferret will associate hygiene procedures with pleasant moments, play and communication. Another trick is to start cleaning the ears and eyes when your ward has not really woken up yet. The pet in this case is unlikely to provide strong resistance.

Did you manage? Well done! Now the ferret’s eyes are clear again. Watch your pet. But if this does not help, or if after some time the discharge occurs again, contact your veterinarian promptly.

• Ferrets have highly developed hearing aids. With the help of hearing, the ferret “draws” a map of the surrounding space.

• Hearing remains sharp even in old age, when vision is greatly weakened.

• Hearing in a ferret appears on the 30-32nd day from the moment of birth.

• Some ferrets produce earwax in large amounts, while others produce less. This is a completely normal individual feature.

• The normal color of sulfur is light brown, slightly orange or reddish. It may change depending on the time of year.

• Earwax has an antimicrobial function, protects against water ingress into the ear and moisturizes the lining of the middle ear.

• If wax buildup is not regularly removed from a ferret’s ear, it will begin to smell bad, become a gateway to inflammation, and increase the risk of infections.

Normally, ferret earwax is brownish, orange, or slightly reddish in color. If you don’t let wax build up in your ear, it won’t smell bad and won’t bother your ferret.

You should be wary if the discharge from the ears is abundant, bad-smelling, saturated in color (dark brown, black, etc.), if the ear swells and becomes hot, if the ferret’s behavior changes. He may try to scratch his ears, shake his head, bend his head towards the sore ear, and in severe cases, it turns out to be eating, becomes restless or, conversely, apathetic.

All of these symptoms can indicate a fungal ear infection, ear mites, or an inflammatory disease. It is impossible to make a diagnosis at home. Do not hesitate and contact your veterinarian.

There is no single rule for how often to clean the ears of all ferrets. Each ferret is individual. One ears get dirty faster, the other slower. The main task of the responsible owner is to check the condition of the ears daily and remove excess wax in a timely manner. Some ferrets have their ears cleaned 2-3 times a week, others once a week. But you should not clean less than 1 time in 1 weeks.

To properly clean the ears of a ferret, you need to stock up on a special lotion. You can buy it at any pet store. Don’t use ear sticks though, as they can damage your ferret’s sensitive ear. If necessary, it is better to take a clean cotton swab or gauze.

• Fix the ferret. Well, if he is accustomed to grooming and calmly responds to cleaning his ears. But if this is not your case, ask someone from the family members to help you hold the pet.

• Put a few drops of lotion (according to the instructions) into the ear, massage lightly and release the ferret. Nothing else needs to be done – the lotion will remove the dirt. If desired, after a few minutes, you can wet your ears with a napkin or swab.

Do not try to clear the ear canal, do not stick a swab in there, even if you see sulfur there. Your task is to clean the folds of the outer ear.

Do not clean your ear dry. If you don’t have lotion on hand, soak a swab or washcloth with chlorhexidine or saline.

After the procedure, do not forget to praise the ferret and give him his favorite treat – he deserves it.

Now you know how to clean your pet’s eyes and ears! Friends, if you still have questions, ask them in the comments.