This is the first time I've posted to the newsletter although i've read
it for a long time.  I hope someone can help me with this problem.
 
I have 7 ferrets ranging in age from 3 years old to 6 years old.  They are
indoor only ferts (I also have a cat, indoor only also).  I don't think
they have ear mites but am not sure...and if they do, how on earth did
they get them??!
 
I noticed a couple months ago that they all smelled very musky around their
head/neck area...some more than others.  We've been through this before,
and a good bath in ferret glow shampoo always does the trick.  Not this
time!  Within a couple days, their neck/ear area smelled again just as bad
as ever.  I gave them another bath, concentrating on those areas.....
didn't do abit of good.  I carefully used a q tip and wiped out the
ears..all had some reddish/rusty color stuff that came out.  What is
this???  We never had this problem before and I'm concerned about it...if
it is ear mites, how would they have gotten infected when they never go
out?  Also, how should i be cleaning their ears..I'm sure that q tips are
not the method of choice but haven't been able to find any information on
the subject.(In the past I've just wiped out their ears gently with a cloth
during their baths..but this stuff seems to be in the folds of the ears and
the ear canal..difficult to get out..) No one is scratching their ears or
anything...just smelling funky around the head!  .so i'm just at a loss
here.
 
Thanks in advance for your help!
 
Gerry and the 7 ferts: Punkin, BJ, Cody, Snickers, Sweetpea, Puffin and
Hopkin.
[Posted in FML issue 3122]