>From:    Melissa Simpson <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Bald tails & pine litter (long)
>
>I know that hair falling out of tails can be one of the first symptoms of
>adrenal disease.  However, I have never heard of it choosing 4 ferrets all
>at the same time.
 
Hair loss on the body is a sign of Adrenal Disease.  Hair loss on the
tail, especially when blackheads are present, is usually a cosmetic
problem called "Rattail".  Some say it is just a dermatitis type thing and
I've had fair luck with scrubbing the tail with Johnson & Johnson's CLean
and Clear Foaming Facial Wash.  There is another recent developement in
which one poster said he cured it with a drop of ivermectin on the base of
the tail.  That would indicate some kind of parasite, perhaps a mite.  I'm
just not sure.  Booger currently has it and I'm using the J&J CLean &
Clear on it, but next time I see our vet I'm going to ask him to study a
scraping to see if he can find any mites or whatever.  One nice thing, it
usually goes away when the ferret sheds.
 
>I see now they have pine pellet litter.  Pine, however, has oils in it
>which hurts small animals like hamsters, gerbils, mice, etc.  I wonder if
>anyone has used this and if there were any ill effects on their ferrets.
>Also, did it help with the smell??
 
I haven't tried pelletized pine litter, but I do use pelletized oak made
for burning in wood heating stoves.  It works real well and only cost $5
for 40#.
 
--
Russ, Booger, Bonnie & Clyde
[log in to unmask]
 
URA Redneck if your local ambulance has a trailer hitch.
[Posted in FML issue 3572]