>From: Melissa Simpson <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Bald tails & pine litter (long) > >I know that hair falling out of tails can be one of the first symptoms of >adrenal disease. However, I have never heard of it choosing 4 ferrets all >at the same time. Hair loss on the body is a sign of Adrenal Disease. Hair loss on the tail, especially when blackheads are present, is usually a cosmetic problem called "Rattail". Some say it is just a dermatitis type thing and I've had fair luck with scrubbing the tail with Johnson & Johnson's CLean and Clear Foaming Facial Wash. There is another recent developement in which one poster said he cured it with a drop of ivermectin on the base of the tail. That would indicate some kind of parasite, perhaps a mite. I'm just not sure. Booger currently has it and I'm using the J&J CLean & Clear on it, but next time I see our vet I'm going to ask him to study a scraping to see if he can find any mites or whatever. One nice thing, it usually goes away when the ferret sheds. >I see now they have pine pellet litter. Pine, however, has oils in it >which hurts small animals like hamsters, gerbils, mice, etc. I wonder if >anyone has used this and if there were any ill effects on their ferrets. >Also, did it help with the smell?? I haven't tried pelletized pine litter, but I do use pelletized oak made for burning in wood heating stoves. It works real well and only cost $5 for 40#. -- Russ, Booger, Bonnie & Clyde [log in to unmask] URA Redneck if your local ambulance has a trailer hitch. [Posted in FML issue 3572]