Ferrets Die Over 2 Days?

[brucemyster 75]

sadly my three ferrets died over a period of 2 days, they we're previously all healthy jills, two were three years plus (I got them second hand) and the third was a kit of 2 years from one of their litters.

They had no ticks or flees, had not changed anything and they just seemed to lose the ability to walk with wobbly back legs, they had no loose stools and outwardly looked normal.

I've decide to burn my setup before maybe starting again.

Any ideas as to what might have caused their sudden demise?

Brucemyster

[pie-eater 377]

Sorry to hear that must be gutting. Distemper maybe?

[bobh 27]

Could they have got hold of any poison? Sounds worrying

[forest of dean redneck 11,594]

What have you fed them on?

[gnipper 6,467]

Don't they say it's botulism when the back end goes?

[brucemyster 75]

james wellbeloved, same as always apart from when they had the odd rabbit and pigeon, no chance of any poison for sure and on looking on the internet I did wonder about distemper

Edited November 16, 2014 by brucemyster

[The one 8,477]

If it was the summer and you where feeding meat i would be thinking food poisoning botulism but this time of year distemper or cat flu ? Inoculated cats or dogs got access to the ferrets ?

[Leeview 791]

When was the last time they had a pigeon? the winter wheat is in and growing and theres a lot of pigeon dead on the roads and others barely able to fly, the wheat seed is dressed prior to sowing and is a pink colour this is mercury based and poisonous to birds and anything else that eats it,we have had dead cats and foxes around the farm

Y.I.S Leeview

[norseman 424]

sorry to hear that lad

[brucemyster 75]

not had pigeon since decoying in the summer, the dogs are always around the cages and never had any problems before, totally gutted.

[Nick3439 83]

I'm going to try and dig it out but a ferret rescue I had on fb had a similar thing and it's a ferret disease doing the rounds... Hang on let me find the link!

[Nick3439 83]

https://www.(!64.56:886/permalink.php?story_fbid=749277378454464&id=559858600729677

 

Ferret Coronavirus?

[Nick3439 83]

There's loads more; I'll send a link in case the fb link doesn't work

Edited November 16, 2014 by Nick3439

[Nick3439 83]

http://www.smallanimalchannel.com/ferrets/ferret-health/emerging-disease-ferret-fip.aspx

 

And so sorry to hear that

[AndyKelly 251]

you would have known if its distemper as the ferrets would have had gunky eyes like conjunctivitis and a chin rash like chicken pox