In this issue:
The GREEN MYSTERY VIRUS or 'epizootic catarrhal enteritis' is an inflamation of the mucus membrane in the intestine. In a young healthy ferret uncomplicated ECE will last 7 to 10 days, but in about 20% of cases an overaggresive immune response causes an extended illness which may lead to a chronic wasting syndrome. Ferrets who have had ECE remain carriers of the disease for over 6 months. The primary symptom is a Foul smelling bright neon green diarrhea which lasts 2 to 4 days, weak and older ferrets rapidly become dehydrated. Vomiting is sometimes the first symptom and will last as long as 24 hours before the diarrhea sets in. The diarrhea will vanish and for several days your pet may appear healthy. This is not the case, ferrets have a very acidic digestive system, the stomach acid attacks the digestive tract and causes ulcerations in the stomach, throat and mouth, these are uncomfortable and cause the ferret to eat less. The less they eat the worse the ulcers become and so on until the ferret stops eating altogether. Weight loss becomes rapidly evident and the ferret goes downhill from there. IF LEFT UNTREATED THIS ANOREXIA CAN KILL YOUR PET!!! If you have noticed any of these symptoms please contact your vet, ECE can be treated.

Your thoughts and comments on all aspects of our newsletter are welcome, look for your letters in our " Letters To The Editor " section (not all letters will be published)

FIRST THINGS FIRST For the new ferret owner

Are you thinking about aquiring a ferret? Do you have a new ferret kit already in your home? Here are a few suggestions to help you get set up for your new family member.

To start with you must purchase the cage. Cages can be found at most of the larger pet stores or if you have the time you can build a cage. Homebuilt cages are often harder to keep clean , and beacause most people build them from wood they can transmit disease. I recomend a purchasing a cage , in the long run you'll be glad you did. Once you have purchased ,or built ,the cage and you know it's size you can decide where your pet will live. The cage does not have to be in the same room that you ferret proof for play, even so you must make sure that nothing can be reached from within the cage and that nothing could fall onto the cage. It is important that you have a few old towels and some old sweatshirts or t-shirts for bedding. Your ferret will love to have something soft to curl up within and his bedding will have to be changed every few days. For your food and water dishes I reccomend a water bottle with a food dish securly fastened to the cage. As I have mentioned before ferrets are very playful and an unfastened food dish is an empty food dish. For the same reason the litter box must also be secured. Always make sure the litter box is on the opposite side of the cage from the food and water, this prevents dirty litter from contaminating them.

Your next step is ferret proofing the play area, there should be a minimum amount of furniture. Recliners, rockers and sofa beds often result in tragedy. Ferrets have a habit of digging their way into your furniture and getting stuck, retreiving them can be difficult. Also if your pet gets into the furniture there is the possibility they could be sat upon and injured,or even killed. All power cords, ornaments, and plants must be out of reach. Ferrets love to climb so out of reach means WAY out of reach. Again if it is at all possible try to give your ferret his own room to avoid this. Corner litter pans are also a necessity. A ferret usually prefers to use a corner for the washroom so to start with place a low pan in each corner. After a while they will choose a couple of spots they prefer to use and you can move the pans accordingly.

Now you can worry about food, toys etc... There are many different foods on the market and making a choice can be difficult, I reccomend 'Shur-Gain Feline Plus Kitten' or 'IAMS kitten' with Nutri-treat supplement, our babies have lovely soft coats and are very healthy. Do not feed your ferret inexpensive or generic cat food, they do not have the nescessary nutrients and your fuzzie's health could suffer.

Our final topic before I give you a complete list of supplies is toy safety. This is basically the same it is for small children. Make sure there are no small bits your ferret could choke on or swallow. Make sure your ferret can not rip the toy apart.Small bits and pieces of foriegn material will get lodged in your pets intestine and cause blockage and death, at the least you will be in for a very expensive surgery.(Better safe than sorry)

LIST OF SUPPLIES

For all new and expecting ferret owners deciding exactly what you need for your pet can be a difficulty. So we have compiled a short list of nescessary items that will aid a new ferret owner in getting started.

  • 1) cage
  • 2) bedding & towels
  • 3) brush
  • 4) nailclippers
  • 5) mild shampoo (baby shampoo)
  • 6) food dishes
  • 7) water bottle
  • 8) stuffy & squeaky toys
  • 9) harness & leash
  • 10) food
  • 11) treats
  • 12) litter (clay or wood stove pellets)
  • 13) litter trays

    • Your thoughts and comments on all aspects of our newsletter are welcome, look for your letters in our " Letters To The Editor " section (not all letters will be published)

    Classified Add Section

    Ferrets available for sale

    The Covenstead House is pleased to offer for sale lovely ferret kits in various shades of Sable, 1 litter available now, 1 more in a few weeks.We will ship to many North American locales.

    e-mail Mia Emery at nifc@island.net or phone 250 339 5932 for information.

    Shelter Donations

    The North Island Ferret Club Is seeking donations of cages, water bottles, bedding, powdered kitten milk replacer, and Shur-Gain Feline Plus kitten food or IAMS kitten food. NO cash donations please !! We have been informed that several ferrets will be surrendered to our shelter in August and we are running low on supplies.

    Contact Mia Emery at nifc@island.net or phone 250 339 5932

    services AVAILABLE
    for CLUB MEMBERS from The North Island Ferret Club
    Ferret registry
    FREE for club members
    The North Island Ferret Club is proud to offer free club registry for your ferrets. When you are accepted for membership you will be sent a form asking for information on each of your ferrets, simply fill out what answers you know and submit. You will receive conformation of registration and a registry and tattoo # for each of your ferrets. The tattoo is strictly optional. The tattoo's purpose is to make it easier , should your fuzzie escape, for his rescuers to return him to you. A registration certificate for your ferret is available upon request for a $ 10.00 fee, $5.00 for a replacement certificate.
    Monthly news letter " The Carpet Shark"
    Once a month you will receive our newsletter, very similar to this but please watch for changes in the future. The newsletter will be willing to review any letters, information, stories (both fact and fiction) poetry and art you may wish to submit, please keep everything to one topic, FERRETS !! Unfortunately we will not be able to publish everything we are sent but we will do our best to accommodate everyone . A free classified add section will also be available to club members, please keep all topics ferret oriented.
    Emergency Help Line
    Club members will be Given a contact number and e-mail address to reach in case of an emergency. An emergency is anything that is threatening the health and well being of any ferret. Members may ask the e-mail address any question they wish at any time, responses will be given in order of urgency. Any questions that can not be answered by me will be immediately forwarded to someone with an answer.
    THE RUMOR MILL
    Recent studies show that early spaying and neutering could be connected to Ferret Adrenal Disease. Please keep watching " THE CARPET SHARK" 's RUMOUR MILL for more details. Have you got some little known information you feel other ferret owners should know about ? Write us and maybe we'll publish your letter in THE RUMOUR MILL.
    WE hope you have enjoyed this issue of "THE CARPET SHARK"
    Please let us know if you would like to remain on our mailing list .
    nifc@island.net