These were discussed a couple of days ago.
 
About olive oil--someone asked if it was a laxative.  Since no-one else
has posted a warning, I feel compelled to.  It is NOT a laxative, it is
just an oil.  Good for the coat, so if they like the taste, use it as a
treat.  But please do not rely on it for hairball prevention!  Someone on
another ferret list I subscribe to recently lamented having to pay for
their ferret's operation to remove a hairball.  They had been using olive
oil as a laxative and, as the story shows, it did NOT work.
 
If you want a cheap laxative, use petroleum jelly (unscented only!).
Generic drug store brands are much cheaper than Vaseline, and you can
flavor it with Ferretone, or hey, even olive oil! :-)
 
Now, about witch hazel: I use it as an ear cleaner and really like it.  But
please!  Don't squirt it in the ferret's ear--never squirt anything into
ears.  Haven't you ever had fluid get into your middle ear, from the shower
or swimming?  It's a nasty feeling.  Not to mention a rude shock, to get
some cold liquid squirted in there.  I use it on a cotton swab or cotton
ball, gently wiping the folds in the ear, but of course never going into
the ear canal itself.  One note--my kids like the smell and try to lick
up any spilled witch hazel.  Ingesting it is probably not a good idea, so
don't let your fuzzies lick it up.
 
ok, back to lurking now,
 
skyla
[Posted in FML issue 2808]