SUMMERTIME BLUES?

 Back to Article Index

by Erika Matulich, Ph.D.

Volume 2, Number 4

July / August 1999

 

Note:

These articles and images are copyrighted and may not be reprinted, re-used, reposted, copied, or otherwise distributed without permission from the author and publisher.

Disclaimer:
You should not rely on the veterinary advice or information provided on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any specific situation. Always consult your own veterinarian for specific advice concerning the medical condition or treatment of your own pet or animal.

THE FERRET DAYS OF SUMMER

 

It’s summertime! Your ferret may need special care and attention during the warmest season of the year. This article will help to point out special care issues and heat management for ferrets. Hopefully you and your furry friends can stay cool and healthy all summer long.

 

FOOD

Your ferret may seem to have a smaller appetite in the summer months. Although ferrets may eat less when they are hot, your ferret may dislike the food because it is rancid. A good ferret food should have a high fat content – about 20%. In warmer weather, fat gets rancid quickly, giving food a bitter, unpleasant taste. During summer, completely change the food more often (throw away those extra crumbs!), and wash the food bowls frequently to get rid of fat residue. Consider storing extra food that will not be consumed within two weeks in your freezer. Never store ferret food outside or where it is exposed to sunlight or heat.

 

PHYSICAL CHANGES

 

WEIGHT LOSS. Ferrets commonly lose weight to get ready for summer. Male ferrets in particular can lose 30-40% of their body weight; weight loss in females will be somewhat less noticeable. Your ferret may or may not experience seasonal weight changes depending on the amount of natural and artificial light it is exposed to. In any case, do not be too alarmed by summer weight loss (and winter weight gain) unless your ferret is showing other symptoms of ill health.

 

COAT CHANGES. Ferrets typically shed their coats twice a year (spring and fall). The summer coat is sleeker because much of the fluffy undercoat is shed. With the summer coat change, you may also notice changes in fur color, mask shape and mask size. Many ferrets appear to be darker because there is less light-colored undercoat and more dark-colored guard hairs.

 

MATURITY. Although time and light levels are most responsible for influencing when a ferret reaches sexual maturity, scientific experiments have shown that higher temperatures can change when a ferret hits puberty. The hotter the temperatures, the earlier the onset of puberty. If you are waiting to spay or neuter your ferret at the recommended six months of age, note that higher temperatures may require an earlier surgery date, sometimes as early as 3 or 4 months of age. If you live in a warmer climate, consider an earlier date than six months, because it is important to spay female ferrets before they reach their first heat.

 

INSECTS

Summer is usually accompanied by an increase in insect populations. A single mosquito bite can transmit heartworms to your ferret; if mosquitos are a problem in your area, you must put your ferret on monthly heartworm preventive medication during mosquito season (typically late spring, all summer, and early fall, or year around in southern climates). Once your ferret has heartworms, a cure is unlikely. Prevention is the key.

 

Ticks are a summer hazard for those of you who live in wooded areas. Ticks can also cause skin infections and anemia. Ticks are also a potential transmitter of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease.

 

Fleas are another unwelcome summer pest. Flea bites can cause skin infections, anemia, and intestinal parasites. To prevent fleas, ferrets can be treated with a once-a-month application of Frontline or Advantage. Farnam Pet Products has just introduced the first flea control product labeled specifically for ferrets. The product is called Flea Halt! and is a towelette that you wipe on your ferret once a week. Do not use flea collars on ferrets. For an existing flea infestation, there are various sprays and household treatments that can be used; look for those labeled as safe for kittens.

 

WINDOWS

During the winter, your ferret might have enjoyed basking in a sunbeam. However, your ferret’s cage should never be placed in front of a window or in any area where it can receive direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can sharply elevate temperature levels of a metal cage because metal conducts and retains heat. Your ferret must be able to escape the effects of direct sunlight to avoid heat-related problems.

 

Summer is often the time to open windows. Ferrets are fascinated by open windows and the wonderful outdoor smells and sounds. If you open a window, make sure your ferret does not have access to it. Ferrets can be quite persistent in their desire to explore an open window, so keep your ferrets caged or supervised if windows are open. Ferrets are also quite adept at pushing screens out of the frames and escaping. Other ferrets will claw at a screen until a hole is formed. Because ferrets have poor eyesight and depth perception, they may walk right off the sill. With an upper-story window, your ferret may fall to his death. With a lower-story window, your ferret may escape, and domestic ferrets are poorly prepared to survive on their own outside.

 

HEAT

 

TEMPERATURES FOR FERRETS. Ferrets do not tolerate heat. They seem to be most comfortable at about 65EF, but do fine in summer temperatures comfortable to humans (about 75ºF). However, temperatures above 80 degrees (27ºC) are uncomfortable for ferret, temperatures above 85 degrees can cause medical problems within hours, and temperatures above 90ºF can cause fatalities within a few hours. Older ferrets are even more sensitive to heat than younger ferrets. Although ferrets can survive prolonged periods of uncomfortable temperatures, heat distress causes severe strain to the ferret’s system. In cases of repeated heat stress, the immune system can be compromised, making your ferret more susceptible to diseases. Repeated heat stress has also been linked to shorter lifespans in ferrets. For this reason, it is recommended that ferrets are kept indoors in a temperature-controlled environment if the outdoor climate has the potential to have sustained temperatures above 80 degrees.

 

IT’S NOT THE HEAT IT’S THE HUMIDITY. To make things worse, the recommended temperatures assume low humidity levels (less than 40%). If you live in a humid climate, you should worry about the heat index rather than the thermometer reading. The heat index is a combination of temperature and relative humidity to give a reading of what it feels like to the human body on a hot, muggy day. As you can see by the heat index table, the thermometer might read 85 degrees, but with 75% humidity, it feels like 95 degrees to a human. This is because higher humidity levels don’t allow for evaporation of moisture and heat dissipation from the skin. We don’t have a heat index for exactly how a ferret feels, but we might assume they actually feel worse than humans, given their fur coats and dependence on heat dissipation from the skin for cooling.

 

 

WHY DO FERRETS HAVE SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH HEAT? American domestic ferrets are descended from European polecats (not the American Black-Footed ferret). Today, European polecats live in England and North-Central Europe. These climates are cooler than many parts of the United States. Additionally, wild ferrets live in underground burrows which are protected from heat. Although domestic ferrets have become more acclimated to somewhat warmer temperatures, they have descended from a cooler weather animal.

 

The primary reason ferrets have problems with heat is that they cannot sweat. Warm temperatures cause humans to perspire, and the evaporation of sweat helps cool us down. Ferrets cannot do this. Dogs pant to move air over the moisture in their mouths to cool themselves. Ferrets do not normally pant; by the time you see a ferret panting, it is in serious heat distress and in danger of heatstroke.

 

KEEPING YOUR FERRET COOL

 

AIRCONDITIONING. The best way to keep your ferret cool is to avoid heat exposure in the first place. An airconditioned home is the most obvious solution. If you don’t have central air, consider purchasing a window unit for the room where your ferrets are kept. Even in northern climates, summer temperatures can top 80 degrees, and these heat waves may also be accompanied by high humidity levels. However, keep in mind that airconditioning is not necessarily 100% dependable. You should be prepared for when your airconditioner breaks or the electricity goes out. The remaining cooling tips are appropriate for ferret owners with or without airconditioning.

 

FERRET HOME: Keep the cage out of direct sunlight and away from windows that can radiate heat. Your ferrets might also enjoy being housed in a bathroom where they can stretch out on a cool, tile floor. You can also place ceramic tiles in their cage for them to lay on. Fleecy hammocks can be exchanged for cooler cotton sheeting.

 

WATER. Your ferret should have access to plenty of cool, fresh drinking water at all times. You should add an extra water bottle or dish to make sure your ferrets never run out, as they will drink more water in the summer. Change water frequently during the summer, at least once a day. You can add a little Pedialyte (electrolytes) to the water to help prevent dehydration. Crock-type bowls will keep water cooler than plastic. You might also consider giving your ferret a shallow pan of water to play in. Some ferrets enjoy splashing around in ferret-ankle-deep water, or bobbing for ice cubes.

 

To keep your ferret’s water cool, you could place half an ice cube in the water dish and let it slowly melt. However, it is important that water is cool and not cold. Ferrets don’t like to drink cold water or ice water, and if the water is too cold, your ferret may drink less when water is most needed, and suffer from dehydration.

 

FANS. Fans, by themselves, do not cool off ferrets. The job of a fan is to move air. If the air is 90 degrees, the fan will move 90 degree air around, not cool it down. Humans feel cooler with fans because the moving air helps sweat to evaporate, and evaporating is cool. Because ferrets can’t sweat, there is nothing to evaporate, and the ferret gets no cooling benefit from the moving air. You can help your ferret "sweat" by taking a mister or sprayer full of water and spritzing your ferret down, and letting the fan blow on the ferret to evaporate the water. You can also use a damp cloth to wipe your ferret down. To be effective, however, you need to re-wet your ferrets as soon as they dry, so this method requires constant attention. Furthermore, fans are a potential hazard to ferrets, who often poke paws and noses into the fan blade housing when exploring this new "toy." Finally, high humidity levels don’t allow for evaporation of either sweat or water, so fans are not very effective with humidity levels over 60 percent.

 

OTHER WATER EVAPORATION COOLING SYSTEMS. Evaporating water in the ferret’s environment can help with cooling. One method comes from our ferret friends in Australia. This method involves placing a damp towel over your ferret’s cage, a bucket of water on top of the cage, and another damp towel with one end in the bottom of the bucket and the other end on the cage towel. The bucket towel acts as a wick to draw water from the bucket and keep the cage towel wet. The evaporating water keeps the cage cooler. A similar method uses a damp cage towel with one end in a pan of water set beside the cage. A fan can help the evaporation process. There are other, commercially available evaporative coolers that use a fan to blow air across dampened strips of fabric that are kept damp from a water reservoir. These units are less expensive than airconditioning units. As with all evaporative methods, the higher the humidity level, the less likely evaporative cooling will occur.

 

ICE. Ice is an effective cooling method, and works well regardless of humidity levels. The best method is to use plastic water or soda bottles with screw-on tops. Using clean 1- or 2-liter bottles, fill them 3/4 full of water and set in your freezer without the caps to let the water expand as it freezes. When frozen, cap the bottle tightly; you can now store the frozen bottles on their sides to allow for more space. You should always have several of these frozen bottles available for regular use, emergencies (such as a power failure), or travel. When it is time for ferret use, put the bottle in a tube sock or wrap it in a towel. Tie a knot in the top of the tube sock. If using a towel, secure it to the bottle with string – ferrets may eat rubberbands and get intestinal blockage, or may get injured when chewing on safety pins. The tube sock or towel soaks up condensation and keeps the ferret from having direct contact with the ice. Direct ice contact can cause skin injuries. Put the frozen bottle at the bottom of the cage. Cold air sinks when undisturbed, so you should NOT use a fan in conjunction with this method because the cold air will blow away from your ferret.

 

If you are out of frozen bottles or ice, purchase bagged, crushed ice. Place this ice in resealable plastic food storage bags with some water. Place these ice water bags under the ferret’s bedding in the cage, or wrap in a towel. This method will also keep your ferrets cool, but the bags will need to be changed more frequently than frozen water bottles.

 

CHEMICAL ICE PACKS. Instant cold packs are made up from gel chemicals placed in a sealed bag. These chemicals are activated when you vigorously shake or squeeze them. These instant packs are available in first-aid kits, from drugstores, or the pharmacy section of grocery stores. The chemicals are toxic, so the pack should be kept in a jar or container where the ferret cannot puncture the pack. The ferret should also never have direct skin-to-pack contact, as the super-cold surface of the pack could freeze to your ferret’s skin. These packs are small and somewhat expensive; you may need several per ferret. Most work for about an hour and are not reusable. Check labels carefully for the amount of time they keep cold and whether they are reusable or not. These packs are handy to have for emergencies.

 

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

During the summer we tend to want to take our ferrets outside with us. Of course, the first rule of thumb is to check temperature and humidity. If the outside temperature is over 80EF, your ferret should stay indoors and keep cool. The next guideline is to keep your ferret out of direct sunlight. Ferrets can get sunburned on their sensitive ears and nose, and ultraviolet rays can cause retinal damage in their eyes. Sunburns make your ferret more susceptible to skin cancer. Albino ferrets in particular have no protective skin pigmentation and can suffer severe overall sunburns from just minutes of direct sun exposure.

 

A WALK IN THE PARK. If you decide to take your ferret for a walk, keep in mind the temperature and sunlight guidelines. Remember to always use a harness and leash. Walking early in the morning may be the safest for your ferret because it is cool and light enough to see what is going on. Walking in the evening is potentially hazardous. Even though the air temperature has cooled down, concrete and asphalt can retain heat long after the sun has set. Place your palm on the surface your ferret will be walking on and leave it there for 30 seconds. If it starts to feel hot, it is too hot for your ferret. Also keep in mind that the ferret’s body, being quite close to the ground, will also absorb heat. Finally, if it is dark outside, you risk a greater chance of losing your ferret if he escapes from the harness, or another animal you could not see injuring your ferret.

 

A DAY AT THE BEACH. Besides the heat and sunburn warnings, beaches can pose their own hazards. Sand can retain heat long after air temperatures have cooled down. Ferrets love to dig in sand and if they mistakenly ingest any of it, they can get an intestinal blockage. Blowing sand can cause eye damage as beach sands are made of silica (essentially ground glass) which can scratch eyes and skin. Finally, if your ferret drinks salt water, digestive system disruptions take place. If too much salt water is consumed, a brain edema could occur.

 

A SWIM IN THE POOL. Most ferrets are good swimmers, but do not enjoy this exercise. Swimming is a form of exertion that most ferrets are not used to, and their bodies are quickly stressed. Don’t add exertion stress to heat stress by taking your ferret to the pool. Ferrets can become quickly exhausted and drown, or become weak and get sucked into a skimmer. Additionally, chlorinated water is very irritating to sensitive ferret eyes and skin.

 

CAR TRAVEL

From time to time you will find it necessary to take your ferret on a trip; either a short trip to the veterinarian, or a longer trip for a vacation. In the summer, car travel is particularly dangerous because of heat hazards. Never leave your ferret in a parked car during the summer, even if the windows are open and it is just for a few minutes. Interior car temperatures can double in as few as ten minutes.

 

The most important thing to remember about ferret travel is keeping your ferret cool. Even for the shortest trips, take along frozen water bottles to put in the carrier. Don’t put the carrier on the car floor where it is hottest; place the carrier on the seat and buckle it in. Always carry water with you and give your ferret access to water. Block sunlight from car windows by rolling up the window on the edge of a towel that hangs down, or taping cardboard against the window. Even if your car has airconditioning, your car could overheat, your airconditioning could break, or your car could break down and help would take time to arrive. The instant cold packs could help in this case, as could a water sprayer.

 

HEAT STRESS AND HEATSTROKE

Despite all your precautions, you may have a ferret who is suffering from heat stress that can quickly lead to heatstroke. Heatstroke can be fatal within minutes, which is why it is important to never leave your ferret in a parked car.

 

SYMPTOMS. Your ferret may show the first signs of heat stress by being lethargic and wanting to lay in a flat position on the floor. The ferret may have its mouth open, and the nose and gums can turn a darker pink (or white, if the ferret is going into shock). If the ferret is panting, salivating, limp, or has red footpads, it is going into heatstroke. Further symptoms of heatstroke are profuse amounts of mucous from the nose and mouth, collapse, sometimes seizures, and finally coma.

The normal ferret’s rectal body temperature is between 100-103ºF (average 101.9º). Respiration should be 33-36 breaths per minute, and heart rate averages 225 beats per minute. Higher temperatures, rapid pulse and shallow breathing indicate heatstroke. To take a rectal temperature, shake down the thermometer, coat it with lubricant (such as petroleum jelly), and insert one-half inch into the rectum. Wait one minute, remove, and read. You may need someone to distract or restrain the ferret during this procedure.

 

FIRST AID. In cases of heat stress and heat stroke, the goal is to cool the ferret’s body temperature down steadily, not suddenly. Remove your ferret from the hot place and start cooling him down slowly. If you cool too quickly, the body temperature will continue to drop to dangerous levels and the ferret will not be able to stop it. If the ferret will drink water or Pedialyte, let the ferret drink, but never force liquids into an unconscious animal. Try offering water or Pedialyte in a syringe and drip it in the side of the mouth or under the tongue, making sure the ferret laps and swallows. Wipe the ferret down with a cool (not cold) towel, or wrap the ferret in a cool, damp washcloth. Concentrate on feet, legs, hindquarters, groin, and tail areas. Freshen with cool water every couple of minutes. You can also dip the ferret in very slightly cool water. Rubbing alcohol can be applied to the footpads (but nowhere else). Repeat these measures until the rectal temperature reaches 103ºF.

 

When the ferret has stabilized, take the ferret to the veterinarian immediately, even if he seems to be normal. Your ferret may need fluids injected under the skin (subcutaneously) or into the blood veins (intravenously). Your ferret may also need to be treated for shock. Don’t skip the veterinarian step! Ferrets can still go into shock hours after the heatstroke symptoms have stopped.

 

CONCLUSION

Your friend in a fur coat needs to keep cool all summer long. Remember that what feels hot to you feels even hotter to a ferret. Water, airconditioning, and ice can help your ferret be more comfortable, and keeping cool can help your ferret live longer. Taking other summer precautions, such as insect control, closed windows, and careful car travel could help save your ferret’s life.