April, that is why we jump fast at any indication of difficulty breathing.
Meeteetse (when she was 6 or early 7) had brief bouts of mild coughing
that went past one day.  Because we went for an emergency appointment we
had a vet who didn't know our background and thought that Steve and i
likely were over-reacting, esp, since she didn't hear anything.  Because
we were insistent she did x-rays.  I'd expected to find cardiomyopathy
or perhaps liver or kidney disease since those are also among the more
common causes of fluid in the lungs, but instead she turned out to have
pneumonia and pleurosy.  Antibiotics were begun immediately with fine
results.  Sometimes they hide real whoppers of illnesses; I am sorry that
your little one hid it too well for too long.
 
>I heard several conversations on here about giving ferrets hairball
>remedy during shedding season.  when is shedding season?  And is kitten
>hairball remover ok?
 
Yes, so is petroleum jelly which you can flavor yourself.
 
Whenever this topic comes up someone mentions digestible oils, papaya, and
pineapple juice; those will not help ferrets with fur balls.  The nature
of their furballs is different from those of rabbits, and digestible oils
(food oils) may be slippery before they are digested but since they do
digest they don't slide anything through, in fact, bodies slow their
digestion to process them well.
 
They shed in Spring and Autumn, and may lose fur at other times due to
health causes or due to marked changes in light levels.
 
>I have a DEW who chews and chews off and on.  More so today than anyother
>day I have noticed.
>
>Nope she isn't chewing on food.  Just air...... I gave her laxative
>incase it was hair.
 
Vet appointment if the laxative didn't do the trick.  That and grinding
can be signs of pain in the mouth, pain in the GI tract, or nausea (which
can result from several things: insulinoma, ulcers, etc) .
 
>I don't believe in the concept of ferrets never getting along with other
>ferrets.  Why?  Because I see it time and time again that this way of
>thinking is just plain wrong.
 
Well, we've had ferrets for 20 years and have run into a few (very few)
loners.  Some prefer it when they are dealing with an advanced
disease/medical condition.  Another came here as a retired breeder after
a mounting male bit through one of her eyes.  A third had severe physical
and intellectual handicaps and deformities which made it hard for her to
interact.  Normally, even ones who are hard to introduce do figure it out
eventually and enjoy it.
 
>But until now, I have not received one response from anyone that says to
>let them fight it out, even if there IS screaming and blood.
 
Screaming actually isn't a worry.  Blood is unless it's minor and rare.
Going for the stomach and throat are worries.  Those are the hardest
intros and may be impossible for some.  Usually, the people are panicking
more than the ferrets are.
 
Typically the best way to have a successful intros with the hard to
introduce ones are to lavish attention on the earlier ones who are
feeling insecure, to exchange their bedding so that they get used to
smelling each other, to put deeply sleeping ferrets together for a bit
for the same reason, and to consider using safe scents.  STINK IS STATUS.
If a new one is strong smelling then a bit of a safe scent on the
original(s) will aid in the hierarchy statements.  If the new one is
a very insecure screamer than a bit of safe scent on that one will
reassure.  Bathing them together sometimes works.  Neutral territories
for introductions are useful.
 
I am assuming that new ferret has already ad a first vet appointment and
fecal check, plus a quarantine of one or two weeks to be sure that no
canine distemper or other noticeable problem is present.
[Posted in FML issue 3778]