Ferret Poop
Although you shouldn’t get completely paranoid about what your ferret’s poop looks like, it is always good to be aware of what colour, shape and texture it generally is. Depending on what you feed your ferret, normal poop is usually brown and of a fairly firm consistency – it looks a bit like a squirt of toothpaste! If you give your ferret a cheap supermarket-bought cat food like Whiskas, you'll notice that when your ferret poops, it comes out a red color because of the dyes and artificial colors used. If your ferret's poop looks a bit colorful, perhaps you should think of changing its diet. However if you notice any of the following, it will mean a trip to the vet with your ferret. Thin, stringy poop Could be because of a blockage or hairballs. Greenish poop Could be caused by a number of things, including ECE and proliferative colitis. If it’s ECE, it will look and smell like fish glue and include projectile vomiting. I know when Snoopy had that olive pit in her gut, her poop was a darkish green as well as being stringy. When I took Snoops to the vet (not my regular ferret-knowledgeable one) and showed him a sample of her poop, he misdiagnosed it as a gastric problem so we wasted a couple of vital days of treatment. Runny yellow / gold diarrhea The cause could be ECE. Dark, gassy, sticky poop If the poop looks almost ‘bubbly’ (from the gases) and very, very dark and sticky then there’s a good chance it’s caused by eosinophilic enteritis. This disease has very vague symptoms and can be misdiagnosed initially as a blockage problem. Our boy Milo had it last year so you can read more details here. Black & tarry poop Could be caused by one of the following:
Grainy poop The “grains” are usually undigested fat and starch complexes. If your ferret has grainy poop, you might think about stopping the dry food and putting it on a diet which is bland and easily digestible. Bloody poop If you see any sign of blood in your ferret's poop, take it to your vet quick smart! Straining or no poop Could be because of a blockage or proliferative colitis.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained on this page is not meant to replace seeing a veterinarian if you think your ferret is ill. It’s only meant to supply general information on a particular illness which was obtained either from personal experience with my sick ferrets, or from books and/or the Internet.
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