OK, I know that ferrets are naturally 'itchy' creatures that sometimes
scratch themselves just for the sake of scratching.  And I'm sure that
various climates and certain times of the year add to this crazy habit of
theirs, BUT . . . .
 
I wouldn't suspect that my furkids would be itching as much as I've
noticed they are lately and I'm wondering if anyone can enlighten me.
Heck, just watching them makes me want to jump out of my own skin and
start scratching all over me!  The rest of the year, I never see them
scratching this much - in fact lately Snowball (and sometimes Phoebe)
literally JUMPS out of his hammy or wherever he's sleeping from a DEAD
SLEEP just to scratch for what seems like forever!  Then I find these
little red scratch marks on him and I want to help him but I don't know
what to do!
 
I have to admit that the weather here in Washington state has been a
bit unseasonably warm (high 50's to low 60's) lately but we're still in
winter as the nights drop down to 30's.  I'm not one to crank the heat
up so our home stays between 65-70 degrees (cooler when I'm not at home)
and I prefer to use an electric blanket for extra warmth.  Doesn't seem
to bother the furkids from what I can tell.
 
I've cleaned the furkids bedding with mild perfume/dye free detergent
several times, I bathed them one time in January and gave them each a
drop of Advantage (just to make sure they weren't carrying anything).
I'm as careful as I can be with other cleaners around the house and how I
clean (no dust bunnies or cobwebs, etc.) but this has never been an issue
until just the past few months . . .  WHAT GIVES?
 
I couldn't believe I DID find one teeny flea on Phoebe this past week
(and she barely has enough hair to keep herself warm, let alone any
hitch-hikers!) but as I said, they've all been cleaned and dipped as
well as their bedding and toys.  And all of the kids have been to the
vet at least once this year and had their ears checked for mites as well
but no signs of those pests either.
 
ANY SUGGESTIONS ? ? ? ?
 
Thanks, Jennifer and the 3 Amigos (Sasha, Snowball, and Phoebe) - AH, I
want to scratch again!
[Posted in FML issue 4802]