HERE I HAVE COMPILED THE ANSWERS I GOT FOR MY PRECIOUS BABY GIRL, BARRET'S PROBLEM, RAT TAIL WITH THE BLACKHEADS. (SHE'S 4 YEARS OLD). TONITE WAS THE FIRST NIGHT I WASHED HER. WE WILL SEE!!! I MUST THANK ALL OF YOU FOR ANSWERING ME AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'D DO WITHOUT THIS FERRET POST!!!! THANKS TO EVERYONE!!!!! HERE THEY ARE: _____________________________________________________________________ Hi Laura, Your vet is correct. If you see blackheads, that is what is causing the hairloss. If she is having other symptoms, it may be adrenal, but if that's all it is, I doubt you have anythig to worry about. What I do to cure this.... Once per week, I wash the ferrets tail (only the tail) with a gentle soap. I gently scrub it with an old toothbrush to work the blackheads lose (you can run your nail over them lightly to get them, too). Then I rub a facial pad (Noxema, Oxy, etc.) up and down the tail for about 15 seconds. YOu should see the oil buildup and blackheads come off on that (ick). Only do this once per week up to 3 weeks, you should see hair regrowth soon. Good luck! Mary ==== Mary McCarty-Houser, Director Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association of Centre County http://www.ferretrescue.com http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?cid=9903&mid=114508 Try Clean & Clear oil free facial wash. Daily for one week, every other day for a week. Dry the tail thoroughly after washing. It worked on my ferret's rat tail (which he has had 3-4 times since I've had him). Good luck! -L ___________________________ ___________________ Hello I had this problem really bad with my late ferret. The thing I found worked really well on him was Nutragena body wash, the stuff for acne. Also if you give him ferretone, give him more. This seemed to really work with my ferret. Good luck. Shannon. ________________________________________________ Hi Laura, Not to worry, I had a ferret who developed blackheads on his tail and pretty much all the hair on his tail fell out. It looked pretty gross and bothered him - he was always biting at his itchy tail! Our vet prescribed the Benzoil shampoo, and after just a few washings the blackheads disappeared like magic and actually they never came back! The shampoo didn't burn him or bother him...well, not that he enjoyed having his tail washed every couple of days, but it was fine. I do suggest though that you get the Benzoil shampoo directly from the vet rather than the pet store because I think ferrets do need a slightly lower-strength Benzoil shampoo than a dog would. Hope this helps- Heather W. Massachusetts ________________________________________________ You can also try Neutrogena Healthy Scalp shampoo, or a teenage acne pad for sensitive skin. I used stridex pads that I diluted on my P.B. when his tail got nasty blackheads. When your fur kid's tail is nicely clean, just use mild soap once a week. Matthew in CO ________________________________________________ Hi Laura, One of my ferrets had the same problem with black heads. I was told to use Clean & Clear facial cleanser. Wash the tale everyday and dry well. when you see the black heads going away, wash every other day or so and the hair should start growing back. Good Luck, Amy ________________________________________________ Hi Laura, I'm way behind on reading my mail so somebody probably already suggested this but if not, try stridex or any of the acne pads, rub gently on the tail and you'll be horrified how much built up oil comes off. Then I always shampoo the tail with a mild shampoo to get the acne med off. If it's only rat tail this should open the follicles up in no time. Good luck. Laurel *Laura * [Posted in FML issue 3409]