Top 13 Ferret Illnesses and Symptoms

Welcome to the Top 13 Ferret Illnesses and Symptoms. Is your ferret acting out of character? Perhaps they are showing signs of one of these common ailments. WARNING: Poop photos!

Are you new to ferrets? Check out our Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Ferrets

This article will provide a very brief overview of each of the following illnesses. We recommend you click the link inside each section to be taken to an additional page with more detailed information on that particular illness:

1. ECE
2. Intestinal Blockages
3. Helicobacter Mustelae
4. Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis
5. Influenza
6. Urinary Tract Infection
7. Mast Cell Tumors
8. Chordomas
9. Dental Disease
10. Heart Disease: Dilated Cardiomyopathy
11. Adrenal Gland Disease
12. Insulinoma
13. Lymphosarcoma

ECE

ECE is a common and life-threatening illness in ferrets that is extremely contagious. ECE is described as an inflammation of the intestinal lining that if left untreated can cause liver damage and death. A lot of us in the ferret community call it ‘green slime disease’ due to an affected ferret’s unique looking poop. Click here to learn more about this illness.

Symptoms: green or yellow diarrhea, seedy diarrhea, lethargy, weight loss, vomitting, grinding teeth, watery eyes, squinting eyes, uclers, coma

Intestinal Blockages

Intestinal blockages happen when a ferret eats something they shouldn’t -specifically, something their body can’t digest- and it causes a block in their intestinal tract. Click here to learn more about this illness.

Symptoms: Constipation (wont poop), smaller poop than normal, bloated belly, painful belly, loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, pawing at mouth, dehydration, teeth grinding, face rubbing, lethargy, coma, seizure

Helicobacter Mustelae

H. mustelae is a bacterium present in the stomach of most ferrets in the United States, but if it gets out of control, it can cause inflammation of the intestinal lining. This can eventually lead to ulcers and death. Click here to learn everything about them

Symptoms: vomiting, excessive salvation, extreme lethargy, diarrhea, lack of appetite, blood in poop, teeth grinding, painful belly, weight loss

Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis

Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis is caused by your ferret reacting to an allergen in their food or environment. Click here to learn more about this illness.

Symptoms: loss of appetite, weight loss, severe diarrhea, swollen ears (severe cases), skin sores, painful belly

Influenza (the flu)

Ferrets can catch the flu, just like humans. Click here to learn more about this illness.

Symptoms: sneezing, coughing, wheezing, runny nose, fever, diarrhea, face rubbing, lack of appetite

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Urinary Tract Infections are caused by an overgrowth of bacteria in the urinary systems -usually E. Coli or Staphylococcus. If left untreated, UTI’s can lead to kidney infections.

Symptoms: straining to pee, only peeing small amounts at a time, trying to pee but can’t, overly smelly pee

Mast Cell Tumors

Mast cell tumors are found on the skin of your ferret as red bumps or scabs, and are caused by your ferret’s body reacting to an irritant in their food or environment. Click here to learn more about this illness.

Symptoms: red bump on ferret’s skin, small scab on ferret’s skin, constant itching and biting of one particular spot

Chordomas

Chordomas are a type of tumor typically found on your ferret’s tail. Click here to learn everything about chordomas

Symptoms: growth on tail, hair loss around growth, excessive itchiness of growth

Dental Disease

Dental disease (of the tooth and of the gums) is extremely common in ferrets. Both are caused by poor diet and get worse with age. Click here to learn more about this illness.

Symptoms: bad breath, inflamed or irritate gums, drooling, loose teeth, mouth sores, difficultly eating, discolored teeth

Adrenal Gland Disease

Adrenal gland disease occurs when a ferret’s glands start overproducing sex steroids.This is among the most common ferret illnesses. Click here to learn more about this illness.

Symptoms: hair loss, rat tail, excessive itchiness, swollen genitals on spayed female ferrets, male ferrets humping other ferrets, aggressive behavior, difficulty peeing, anemia in female ferrets, muscle thinning

Insulinoma

When a ferret has insulinoma, they have tumors on their pancreas that cause an overproduction of insulin. When a ferret’s body produces too much insulin, their blood sugar can spike and drop, causing seizures. As far as ferret illnesses go, this is an extremely common one. Click here to learn everything you need to know about insulinoma

Symptoms: excessive tiredness, excessive salvation, pawing at mouth, star gazing, seizure, weak back legs, lack of coordination, coma

Lymphoma

Lymphoma is cancer of the lymphatic system. These organs are used to fight diseases, so that means if your ferret has lymphoma, they will have a hard time fighting illness. Read more here to learn more about this illness.

Symptoms: lethargy, diarrhea, weight loss, difficulty breathing, poor appetite