Hi there,
 
just got a couple of questions and they re all about HAIR!  I ve read tons
of times at many places how hair-balls can be dangerous for ferrets, them
not being able to puke it out like cats do, but that we can help them out
by constant brushing their fur and giving them hair-ball medicine... BUT
that, when the ball is already stuck in them, it can cause a blockage
(just like those from swallowed objects-- pieces of toys etc.) which might
have to be removed by emergency surgery or the poor ferret might die....
right?!!
 
I wonder what is the BEST preventive method possible, does anyone know?
 
Like, how much hair-ball paste I should give them and how often (I only
found one kind here in Germany so far, I wonder if there s a difference--
this one s for cats, called Bezo-Pet and it s made of 25% fat, 2% of
ashes, 1.2% protein and 0% fiber--don t even know why they mention it)
I brush Logan + Leeloo once a day and now that they re not shedding very
little comes out on the brush (or my clothes).  They also eat chicken
almost daily (mostly raw), and I heard that bones and cartilage are good
for helping stuff pass... Am I doing enough to help them?
 
I got worried too since this week (sorry if this is sounds kind of
disgusting to some people) I notice Leeloo "wiping her butt" on the floor
much longer than usual after doing-her-stuff on the corner (usually she
just drags her cute butt for a second or two) and she looked REALLY
nervous so I picked her up and looked under there and there was a piece of
MY hair (which is very long) sticking out of her!  (AAARGH!) Poor Leeloo.
 
So on a reflex I just pulled out the rest of the thing slowly (and it was
indeed one of the long ones) and she seemed ok afterwords. :-P  I have no
idea how or when she swallowed it since I m usually around when they re
eating stuff that might get hair stucked to it (like meat), I suppose it
was one of the pieces they usually manage run and hide to eat "secretly" (I
m constantly checking corners and under things + their secret hiding places
for food that might go bad and make them sick).
 
I would think that such a long strand of hair would be even more dangerous
inside a little ferret (and Leeloo IS very tiny even for a girl) than a
collection of smaller ones of their own, or is that silly?!  I mean, if she
already ate one she might swallow others and if they don t come out they
might get wrapped all over into food and other stuff and cause a blockage,
right?  What a horrible thought!!!!  (If I looked good in short hair I d
cut mine Shinead-style right now!!!)
 
Has this ever happened to any of you?  Ferret eating your hair?  (Leeloo
likes jumping in my head in the middle of the night when she wants to play,
maybe I should wear a cap in bed--LOL!)
 
Any thoughts on how dangerous human hair is?!!  Or "toy hair" for that
matter?  (Logan loves his cat-toy that squeaks and it s a very ugly and
hairy duck!--go figure, a duck with hair...)
 
Any ideas on how to prevent them for gobblin down my loose hair?  I vaccum
the place at least once a week but I m known for having a lot of hair and
constantly leaving some behind...
 
Thanks so much for any help, info or ideas.  Gonna put on the soundtrack
for "Hair" and hope my two little buddies (and all yours too!) never ever
have to suffer from the stuff stuck in them!
 
Big hug to you all, ferrets + humans!  :-D
Chris, Logan and Leeloo ("boy did that itch!"--ARGH!!!)
[Posted in FML issue 3511]