Ferrets love to burrow. Because of that, their ears continually produce a lot of wax in order to shove out any dirt or particles that go in when burrowing. It’s good to get to know the normal color of your ferret’s earwax in order to quickly detect when they are infected with ear mites.
Causes
The ear mite that causes all of the fuss is known as Otodectes cynotes. They only live for a short time, but are capable of producing a lot of misery in that time. They prefer ears because they live off of the gunk that the ear wax pushes out of the inner ear. They may even like the taste of ear wax, but that can’t be proven.
Ear mites can jump from cats, dogs and other pets to ferrets – or the other way around. A new ferret can sometimes be the source of an ear mite invasion. You and any other human are not in danger of getting ear mites. When you discover that your ferret has ear mites and you have other pets, be sure to treat them for ear mites as well to stop them spreading about the home.
Symptoms
Ferrets with ear mites may be infected in one or both ears. They are noticeably miserable. They shake their heads and scratch their ears a lot more than usual. They may even walk with their heads tilted to one side. When looking at their ears, they are usually reddened and may also be swollen.
You will also notice a strange smell coming from the ferret’s ears. This is due to the presence of the mites. The ear wax may also have changed in color to black or have what looks like black coffee grounds inside of the wax.
Ferrets can also get bacterial infections in their ears which have nothing to do with mites. The symptoms are very similar. When in doubt, go to the vet immediately.
Treatment
There are two types of treatments for ear mites in ferrets – injectable and topical. It’s best to have your ferret checked out by your vet in order to see if your pet needs both types of treatments or just one type.
The injectable treatment is a shot of the popular anti-parasitic medication ivermectin. This isn’t used very often, but may be necessary in severe cases. Usually, the ferret will need another injection about 10 days later in order to help kill of any newly hatched mites. According to Judith A. Bell, DVM, ear mites may hide in the ferret’s tail and then return to the ear.
The usual treatment is a topical application directly onto the ears. According to Kate Schilling, author of “Ferrets For Dummies” (Wiley Publishing; 2000), mixing the liquid from injectable ivermectin with propylene glycol makes an effective ear mite ointment. Other topical treatments are Tresaderm and ear mite drops made for kittens.
In order to get the drops in the ears, it’s best to gently scruff the ferret to keep him still.Clean the ear of excess wax before adding the medication and it will work much more effectively. Repeat the process again in about two weeks to kill any newly hatched mites, even if the ferret looks fine.
Additional References:
“Ferrets For Dummies.” Kate Schilling. Wiley Publishing; 2000.
2nd Chance Info. “Why Is My Ferret Scratching Its Ear?” Ron A. Hines, DVM, PhD. http://www.2ndchance.info/earinfectionferret.htm
Small Animal Channel. “Ferrets and Mite Infestations.” Sharon Vanderlip, DVM. May 30, 2008. http://www.smallanimalchannel.com/media/ferrets/ferret-health/ear-mites-and-skin-mites.aspx.pdf
