Fleas are pesky parasites and have adapted very well to living in our houses. In fact, houses are at the perfect temperature and humidity to become hatching factories for fleas. I no longer recommend flea control just in the spring and summer, but prefer to use flea control on pets all year round. It is better to prevent a flea infestation that try to eradicate one. One flea can hitch a ride on your pants leg from visiting a friends house, and if this flea is a female, chances are she already laden with thousands of eggs. Fortunately, fleas prefer to feast on the smaller critters rather than humans, because our pet’s body temperature is a few degrees higher than ours. But if the dog, cat or ferret are not present, then fleas will indeed bite a human.
To control fleas, you must have an understanding of the flea life cycle and the points in that life cycle where they are vulnerable to eradication. You also need to know what products that will kill the fleas and which ones are safe for your pets. Because some people may have more than one species of pets in the household, you do not want to use a product on a dog that may be potentially toxic to a cat or a ferret.
So for the next week, I will delve into fleas and other parasites on ferrets with emphasis on prevention, control and eradication. For the record, there are currently no products that are FDA labeled and approved for use on ferrets, but there have been some studies done on some of the products and their use on ferrets is considered safe.
So on with the show.
We will start with the life cycle of the flea.
- A female flea begins to feed on her host as soon as she hops a ride. Her blood meal nourishes the eggs and egg production begins within 20 to 24 hours after her first feeding.
- Female fleas can lay 20 to 50 eggs a day and 2000 in her lifetime.
- The female flea consumes 15 times her weight in blood a day.
- A flea bites your pet 400 times a day.
- The “flea dirt” found on your pet is the flea feces made of your pet’s blood. You can tell it is flea dirt if you put a small amount on a white paper towel and apply a small amount of water. As the dirt dissolves it will turn the paper towel red.
- The eggs are pearly white, oval and about 0.5 mm in length.
- The term “salt and pepper” refers to the flea eggs that are about the size of a grain of salt and the flea dirt that falls off of the pet. It is most notable on the bedding of the pet or where ever the pet lays.
- The eggs are laid on the pet and roll off the pet into the environment.
- Depending on the temperature and humidity, fleas can go from eggs to adults in as little as 13 days to as long as 8 months.
- The flea eggs hatch into flea larvae which look similar to small maggots covered with tiny hairs.
- The flea larvae do not like light and will crawl through the carpet to seek darkness under the furniture, in cracks and crevices of cushions and in other out of the way areas.
- This is one reason why traditional “flea bombs” are sometimes ineffective. The spray goes up and comes back down, and does not reach where the larvae are hiding and feeding.
- Flea larvae feed on the adult flea blood feces dropped off your pet and other organic matter in your carpet.
- The length of the larval stage of the flea is dependent on the temperature and humidity of the house.
- The next stage of development is the pupae or cocoon.
- The larvae builds the cocoon and uses some of the debris in the environment such as carpet fibers into the shell of the cocoon.
- The shell of the cocoon is now “glued” into the carpet and impossible to vacuum up.
- The shell also provides protection from the elements and also insecticides.
- Fleas will emerge from the cocoon when the temperature is around 24° (75.2° F) and a relative humidity of 78%.
- The flea can remain in the cocoon for up to 30 weeks.
- The flea will emerge from the cocoon when stimulated by:
- Mechanical pressure or vibrations- such as someone or a pet walking by.
- CO2 – Carbon dioxide from the pet or person breathing.
- Increased temperature.
- Homeowners away for a vacation can sometimes experience the sudden hatch out of thousands of fleas that were in the cocoon state ready to emerge. The vibrations of the owners returning and the exhaled carbon dioxide coupled with the air conditioner turning back on will stimulate the fleas to emerge and start to bite anything that is near. This sudden hatch out can also occur in vacant houses that have just been moved into.
Now that you understand the life cycle of the flea, let us find the points that the flea can be killed.
- The first point is on the pet. There are newer products available that are safe to use and will kill the flea with in the first 24 hours of the flea jumping on the pet. Why is this important? Remember that the flea does not start laying eggs until 20 to 24 hours after her first blood meal. If you can kill the female flea before she begins to lay eggs, you are a giant leap ahead of controlling your flea population.
- Point number two. Intermittently applying flea control products will result in gaps in your flea control that will result in female fleas laying eggs that can hatch out a year later. I recommend that you use the flea preventative products once a month all year round. Consider the flea not as a seasonal critter, but an indoor monster waiting to hatch out of your carpet and suck your pet’s blood.
- Point number three. The eggs and cocoons have a protective shell that make them resistant to the insecticides. The larvae and the adult fleas are the only stages that can be killed by insecticides.
- Point number four. Insect growth regulators are effective to keep flea eggs from hatching, but are difficult to apply in the areas that the flea eggs are hiding.
- Point number five – Frequent use of insecticides in your house and yard can build up and may cause toxicity to you and your family.For these reasons, I do not like insecticide foggers or bombs in the house. They do not get in the areas that hide the fleas and they contain insecticides that can build up in your house.
So, what products are safe to use on my ferret?
None of these products are labeled for use on the ferret, but have been used by the veterinarians and ferret owners with good results. Occasionally, any animal can have an adverse reaction to any product so consult with your veterinarian for further recommendations.
ADVANTAGE
- The advantage product by Bayer (Imidacloprid) has been used on ferrets for the control of fleas. The small cat or advantage orange can be used. The general rule of thumb on dosage is about 1 drop per pound of body weight. Apply it on the back of their neck and try not to let the other ferrets lick it while it is wet. The advantage itself is not harmful when swallowed, but the alcohol carrier can make the ferret drool excessively. Rarely, a skin irritation can also occur at the point of contact.
Advantage has unique crystals that are not harmful to mammals, but totally incapacitate the fleas. There is a 99% kill rate within 12 hours after applying the advantage. The obvious advantage is it kills the female flea before she begins to lay her eggs, thus breaking the life cycle. The other advantage is the imidacloprid crystals that are attached to the hairs of the pet fall off the animal into the environment, i.e. the carpet, etc. As the larvae emerge from the safe confines of the eggs and come in contact with the crystals in the carpet, the result is another dead flea within 2o minutes. So by applying the advantage product to your pet all year round, you are also effectively treating the environment as the fleas are hatching out.
ADVANTAGE-Multi
- (imidacloprid/moxidectin) In a study done in Germany and reported in the Journal of
Parasitology Research Ferrets were treated with .4cc of the advantage-multi. (The Cat orange) and then infested with fleas on varying times during the study. On day 1, the therapeutic efficacy was 100%. The preventative efficacy was 100% at 1 and 2 weeks post treatment, and it was >97% and >90% at 3 and 4 weeks post treatment. No local or systemic side effects were observed in any of the ferrets treated.
Advantage – multi also is effective against ear mites, and protects against heartworms that can also infect ferrets. Advantage -multi is only available with a prescription but is well worth it for what it covers.
Revolution
(selamectin) In a paper published Intern J Appl Res Vet Med • Vol. 5, No. 3, 2007
Efficacy and Safety of Selamectin (Stronghold®/Revolution™) Used Off-Label in Exotic Pets (click here for full article)
Revolution is considered safe and effective against fleas, heartworms, sarcoptic mange and ear mites. The selamectin crystals also fall off in the pet’s dander and help to control the fleas in the environment.
The recommended dosage for flea and heartworm prevention is to use the puppy-kitten dose of 0.25 ml (15 mg ) applied once a month all year round. (See the above article for complete dosing instructions). Doing a search through my Veterinary Information Network, (VIN.com) the majority of the veterinarians that work with ferrets prefer the Revolution for the flea and heartworm prevention.
Because heartworms and ear mites can also infect ferrets, using the prescription products, advantage-multi or revolution on a year round basis is a sound recommendation in areas where heartworms are endemic. It only takes one bite from one mosquito to infect your ferret with heartworms and prevention is a lot easier that treatment. Discuss with your veterinarian if heartworms are in your area.
There are other flea products that have been used on ferrets, but I would stick with one of the above 3 and use it on a regular basis to prevent flea infestations or get your flea population under control.
I hope this post helps you choose a product to control fleas on your ferret. You can also check with your veterinarian on products that seem to be working well in your area.
Debra Garrison, DVM
Filed under ferret facts by on Mar 5th, 2010. Comment. 
our biddie buddies ferret beds give ferrets a cozy spot to snooze. machine-washable beds attach securely to cage with included metal clip. cozy bed is great place for ferrets to curl up for the night. attaches securely to wire cages with metal clip. machine-washable bed coordinates with other biddie buddies ferret products.
Filed under ferret facts by on Jul 27th, 2009. Comment.
The first tip anyone new to ferret breeding should hear is “Don’t”. It sounds rude, but breeding ferrets is much more difficult than breeding dogs. At first blush one might think the ferrets are doing all the ‘work’. But throughout the process, the breeder will be involved in some way. It’s a lot of effort and certainly not worth it for any money you might make by selling the kits (baby ferrets).
You’ll need to make sure the pair are not too closely related, as mother and son for example, in order to reduce the chances of birth deformities. Kits often don’t survive birth, and that can be heartbreaking for the breeder and any fascinated children nearby. Vet bills will increase substantially, as each kit will need at least his or her first shot, and possibly a second one, before they’re sold or given away.
Still want to try? Ok, here are some signs to watch for.
The first essentials are, of course, two breeding ferrets – one male, one female. This isn’t as obvious as it sounds, since many ferrets are spayed or neutered. A neutered male is usually easy to spot, but a spayed female may not be. But once the female, called a ‘jill’, comes into heat, it will become clear.
Female ferrets are polyestrous. They can have more than one heat per season. In the Northern Hemisphere, that’s March through August, on average. If they don’t mate, they can remain in heat for the entire time. Look for an enlarged vulva and wait two weeks before introducing the male, known as a hob.
Hobs who sense a jill in heat act a lot like dogs, only more so. They run around restlessly, urinate then drag themselves through it, and generally make a pest of themselves around the female, if they’re allowed to. Once they begin, the fun really starts.
An aroused hob will grab a jill by the neck and drag her around, then mount. A willing female allows this, but sometimes it’s hard to tell if they are willing or not. Just make sure the male doesn’t get too rough.
Once the male mounts, there is no safe way to separate them. The male has a ‘barbed’ penis bone that locks the pair together. So be careful. The actual insemination takes only a few minutes, though they may stay coupled for much longer. Once the hob is done, the pair will often eat and drink, then begin the process over again later.
Check the female for any deep puncture wounds, and treat them as needed. Males will often bite a female on the neck and scratch them during mating. The process can be fascinating to watch, but it definitely isn’t ‘cute’ or pretty.
If mating has been successful, the jill’s vulva will return to normal in a couple of weeks. Gestation lasts about 42 days and, about halfway through, you’ll notice the female become larger and gain weight. She’ll often pluck her hair out at the tail or elsewhere.
Make sure you’re prepared with all the necessary equipment and tools for helping out during birth. Seek the advice of your veterinarian.
Filed under ferret facts by on Jun 6th, 2008. Comment.
Many people find themselves too busy to devote a lot of attention to their pet ferret. Yet, the ferret enjoys interaction. Apart from non-neutered males, they will generally seek the company of others and want to play and explore. To solve that problem, many will get another ferret. But ferrets, like most mammals, are territorial and may be wary of strangers. What to do?
Before you introduce a newcomer, try to ensure that they carry no diseases they could transmit to the existing ferret(s). They should have at least their initial shots. The closer in age and time you get them, the more likely they are to bond quicker. Dealing with more than one can be a lot of work, but introducing them to the environment no more than a month apart is best.
Fortunately, there are a great many simple techniques that, applied with patience, can usually create one happy family in any scenario.
Ferrets use their sense of smell, in part, to identify who is part of the ‘pack’ and who is not. But newcomers will introduce an unfamiliar scent, of which the established ferret(s) may be cautious. That hurdle can be turned into an advantage.
Take the new ferret and place it in a second cage near the first one. There may be some hissing and clawing, but neither can do any harm this way. After a day or two, switch part of their bedding, mixing the two scents together. Sometimes in a few days, sometimes a little longer, they’ll regard that scent as part of their normal environment.
Then you can introduce the pair face-to-face. Hold one in each arm and let them get close enough to get a good sniff and a look. If you set them down, just as with dogs, it’s helpful to have each on a harness leash, at least at first. A certain amount of rough housing and dominance behavior is normal and harmless. But the leashes are there to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand.
Wearing leather gloves, let them off the leash in a large but enclosed area, devoid of holes to crawl into. Observe their behavior and make sure no one gets too rowdy. Biting is part of their play, but if it goes too far you can have a wounded ferret with scratches or punctures that can get infected. The gloves are to allow you to pick one or both up without getting scratched or bitten yourself in the heat of battle.
Bathing them together can be a challenge, but will help them mix scents again. That will be made much easier if you have another pair of human hands to help. Controlling two ferrets and bathing them simultaneously would tax anyone.
For those ferrets who persist after a couple of weeks, try some bite deterrent spray. Spray a little around the neck. The odor will discourage the more aggressive one.
Persistence, patience and treats will go a long way toward getting your ferrets to form a social group. But usually sooner rather than later, the newcomer will be looked at as someone to play with. Each will be happier, and you will too.
Filed under ferret facts by on Jun 4th, 2008. Comment.
