ferrets skin problem

[SeanTheHawker 0]

on tuesday i noticed on my hobs back that there was lots of blothces of dried in blood, doesnt look bad from a distance, but when handlign you can see it under the fur. i know its not ticks because i sprayed him with frontline, and i can see any anyhow, and i dont think hes been fighting as hes a hob and the other 2 are jills, one they do squabble a little over a bit of meat(well fed fat ferrets too lol). so the only thing i can put it down to is a rabbit kicking him backended in a hole. but its on his back. the cuts havent opened in the past few days, and if they do i will see the vet, just waiting for them to fall of, but has anyone any idea what could have caused it, could it be flat flys or anything? and should i rub anything into his coat or leave him be as he is.

thanks

sean

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

If he's been worked of late ....? More things down rabbit holes than rabbits, Sean. Might have tangled with a rat or two? Most ferrets will avoid a stoat. What ever; He's healing and over it. I shouldn't worry too much now, mate.

 

Making no inferances, but it does make me wonder how ye never spotted the 'wounds' before they scabbed over Keep a close eye on him now, lest he gets any more whilst not being out and about, mate.

[SeanTheHawker 0]

seemed ok today, bolting rabbits no problem, do you think it could be flat flies?

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

For one, to be perfectly honest with ye; I've never before heard of " Flat Flies ", Sean. Is that a coloqueal name for them ~ like 'Clags' / Horse Flies, over here? What ever, I'll check my referances.

 

Now I'm thinking a bit less hastily though, insect bites do tend to leave the bloody, flakey, scurfy looking stuff I'm envisaging. You may well have it sussed?

 

Please educate me on what ye know of these flies

[SeanTheHawker 0]

just know they they are little buggers that suck the skin of other animals, lick ticks, never seen them myself, but have heard of what they do, and have seen teh a few horse flies round the hutches, sticky paper aint worked for shit lol.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

" Vapona " fly strips have been banned. But if you can find what ever they've replaced them with, get some and cut a bit off. Tack a bit into an inaccessable place in ye hutch

 

Fly papers anywhere near ferrets? Rather you than me!

[king 11,664]

the wife said to me one day that she had seen this device on ebay. its a thing that you plug in to the plug socket and it sends out some king of pulse or frequency or something. and it stops fly's coming into your house.i wish she had told me in the begining of summer it would be very handy in the ferret shed. as long as it didn't do the ferrets any harm i will ask her to find it again and i will post it up for you .seanthehawker and you other ferreter's

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-X-MAINS-POWERED-MO...1QQcmdZViewItem

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

King; If those things worked, there'd be a lot of Pest Controllers out of work, mate

 

I have here an original, brit govt. report on them. Reason they're reluctant to abolish their sale under the 'Does what it says on the can' laws is simply that some of them may bother some rats. But that's under very specific circumstances and involves gang setting them. And then they may only work for a night or two.

 

As for stopping insects ....? Save ye money. But a can of fly spray!

[SeanTheHawker 0]

out today and a mate said they where just abbsesses , what would be the best way to clean it

[king 11,664]

i don't really know alot about them ditchshitter but i know now not to buy 1 they did seem to good to be true..king

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

" Just " Absseces?! Bloody hell, Sean; Your mates have some funny notions, mate! Have you ever seen a Real Abssess on a ferret? I have. I had to treat it for a mate of mine. Believe me: What you've described above doesn't come anywhere near one! You'd be looking at a hard ball, beneath the skin, but sticking out like a marble, mate. That's an abssess. Usually caused by a wound in another location on the body. Tend to come up on the neck, due to glands situated there catching the poison and trying to contain / expell it.

 

There. How's that for 'Ditch Herriot'?

 

Getting back to this Hob; It strikes me that, if it were insects, why haven't the jills got it? Are they housed together? Back track, mate: What has this one done that the others haven't? Where's he been? Play detective. Try to unravell the one factor which seperates his recent life from the rest of ye stock. Work out the source and ye'll be nearer to the cause.

 

Mheanwhile, maybe this would be as good a time as any to overhaul ye cages? Have a good whip round with the disinfectant and run a blow torch round the cracks. May not get what ever's got to him. But it'd be Great husbandry!

 

Incidentally: You keep hawks, obviously. Couldn't have got an avian parasite off them, could he? Just a sudden thought.

[SeanTheHawker 0]

ohh then it mustnt been an absess lol, ill clean teh hutch out today, cleaned it out well on staurday there too. ferret seems fine worked well over the weekend, so it doesnt seem to affect him. will take pics later

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Pic's! F*** me, why didn't I think of that?!

 

What a blindingly good idea, mate! Then we can all sit and examine the little sod and get a proper idea. Brilliant!