ferrets and ticks

[Xylaria]

We have three 12 week old male ferrets. They are walked on a lead down aroud the garden. One of them had two unattatched ticks tonight. Because if the heat they were walked yesterday but not today. I am worried becase they dont really go further than our garden, and I dont want me or anyone else getting ticks, and I dont wont my little baby fuzzys getting ticks on them either. They were on the ferret that finds every hedghog , rat vole squirel or fox track in the garden, and dispite 24 hours of sleeping on top of and eating each other faces in that ferret friendly way his brother havent got any.

What if any tick repelants do anyone use? There are quite a few species of tick, and quite few cant get through mustelids skin to feed.

 

[Woodlander]

I had the same problem Fi, check your straw. I used to get cheap square bales and everytime without fail my girls would get ticks, I hate to say it buy pet bedding from a store, I know its expensive but cheaper than vet bills. also to the best of my knowledge the only form of repellent worth using is Frontline, use the cat drops 1/2 to 1 drop per ferret or you'll kill them. That too is very expensive, my local pharmacy sells it at £40. hope this helps

 

[Matt]

hi fi im not sure how true this is but if you add some viniger to the ferrets water as they drink it its ment to taint the blood a little so ticks and fleas dont stay....it worked on my dogs

 

[Bushcraft Rob]

in the summer time (HA) i use wood shavings as bedding for my ferrets seem really happy with it, you can pick up a large bag (about the size of a hay bail) at farmers markets for about £7.00 also put it in with the chickens.

 

[Xylaria]

Today we found two attached inside the buggers ear, same ferret. He went down a what we think was a rat hole upto his arse next to stream at the very bottom of the garden, a few days ago. We then found one on his brother between the shoulder blades. The bedding was wood shavings and straw with some really crap stuff called super soft. The bottom of the run was dry grass clippings from from the top of garden. Now their bedding is old clothes and woodchip.

 

[Xylaria]

today 1 trip to vet to get an ear tick removed that was right down the ear canal, We were given some squirty potion called effripro, one bottle for al three with a few more doses left for a couple of months. 21 quid including vat. vet charged 10 quid for the appointment. I would really like to know where they all came from. The whole run has had a total scrub and everything that came out has been burnt, and we arent going to walk them in garden for the rest of the summer. I am not happy with the idea that I have ticks in my garden even if they can only be found by shoving a fuzzy face down a rat/hedgehof/fox/vole run.

now we are scrubed up i am just left with the pschosomatic itch and OCD lump finding.

 

[Ystranc]

We give our dogs an Advantage™ product called Advantix™. It probably isn't suitable or licenced for ferrets though. It is a flea repellent and tick killer given as a spot on, the following treatment we give the dogs Advantage™ as it's a flea treatment and multi wormer protecting against lungworm and threadworm. They also get given Drontal™ tape worm treatment in the form of pills.
The tick prevention products designed for ferrets seem to be based on Ivomectin™ which is also used to prevent parasites on sheep.

 

[lol]

Used that on mine ( and they walked everywhere on leash and off, sometimes miles (started off as lurchers!) Use vinegar or alcohol dabbed with a cotton bud to get any persistant buggers.....and the ticks!

 

[Ystranc]

I use a tick twister tool to actually remove them, it does a good job of removing them head, jaws an all...