Seemingly Healthy Ferrets Dropped Dead...

[mhopton 807]

It's a bloody shame ether way mate and sorry for the loss at the start of the season , might be able to get a couple ferrets for you if your interested just pm me or let gaz know to contact me . One of my young hobs has just had a second op on his throat for a cist

[krawnden 1,036]

If they'd eaten a rat you'd find the tail lying around somewhere - ferts won't touch that.

[Anthony Simmons 22]

Thanks for the replys lads, the other gill passed at 11 last night I'm going to clean there run and see if there is any evidence of a rat, it's got my head battered we only left the house unattended for half hour yday morning, I looked after the ferrets as I would my dogs and the thought of [BANNED TEXT] to come and poison them has got my piss boiling, I've thought of every viable way they could of died in that short amount of time, I've spoken to the neighbours this morning and they've been finding mice half dead and struggling about in there gardens no marks or anything like they're slowly dieing from poisoning

[Lab 10,979]

A post mortem at the vets will give you the answers you need. Does sound like poison.

Could someone easily put something in your water bottle for them?

[Anthony Simmons 22]

Post mortem never crossed my mind, I buried them last night and don't fancy digging them up as they're buried well to stop any other animals getting to them, the water bottle could be a possibility but that would be more difficult than pushing contaminated meat through the cage, I've cleaned the shed and there's a tail where the big hob was laying dead, neighbours a couple of doors down have removed a shed which they say rats were seen scurrying away from as they dismantled it a couple of days ago, seems that it's just bad luck rats were looking for somewhere else to live come across my ferrets and decided to investigate, ferrets have done there job and paid the ultimate price

[TOMO 26,493]

Most rat poisons are slow acting though,,, there are some acute poisons,, but not not commonly used nowadays,,, so if the ferrets were healthy one min,,, then dead a few hours later with no warning it kind of rules out most rat poisons,,,, also secondary poisoning from eating a dead poisoned animal is a complex subject... and lots of animals can eat poisoned animals with no ill effects,,, like I say very complex subject,,, there is something called an ld 50 chart,, that shows animals susceptibility to difrent poisons....

 

If you really want an answer ,,your going to have to dig at least one up,,, and get it to the vets,,,,

 

Have you thought about food poisoning,, you say they had a run round the garden,, could they have eaten anything,,,

 

Strychnine ,,was commonly used years ago,,, but has been banned for about 12 years I think,,, but could a naighbour have any lying around,,,

[werbad 43]

How is the one that wasn't looking to good has it picked up?

[TOMO 26,493]

He said it died last night,,, a few posts up

[tsteve9999 456]

What about slug pellets if you often give them a run in the garden? All of mine eat slugs and snails given the chance.

[mhopton 807]

When folks out rat poison down they put it into little bags so the rats take it back to the nest to feed young so any strange packets laid about could be the poison bags birds will also carry them and could of dropt one

[Flynn 314]

At this time of Year the crops are treated with certain additives insectisides and such, Pidgeons will feed off the newly planted seed, and die ( slowly ) we see them here looking wobbly and quite ill, so maybe the pidgeon had eaten some of the treated crop?

[Anthony Simmons 22]

I never saw them eat anything but couldn't 100% say they didn't, my dogs have full run of the garden so we don't use any poisons at all, I know next door has a bait station but he away so no idea what's in it, I've done everything correct with these ferrets from cleaning to feeding and general care, unless [BANNED TEXT] snuk in and poisoned them in the half hour no 1 was home yesterday

 

Tomo you mention food poisoning could my ferrets have been poisoned from the minced chicken carcass ?? The dogs eat the same and they're totally fine

[TOMO 26,493]

I honestly don't know,,,,

 

I must say it does point towards poisoning with the bait box being next door,, be interesting to know what bait was being used..

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

I honestly don't know,,,,

 

I must say it does point towards poisoning with the bait box being next door,, be interesting to know what bait was being used..

Just off the phone to Ant and I'm inclined to think a poisoned rat has got in there. He found a tail when cleaning out.

 

Maybe the rat even taken a block of poison with him like someone said above? So it wasn't secondary poison like we first thought.

 

The neighbours have reported seeing half dead mice in the gardens.

 

Sounds like a bad stroke of luck to me.

[Lab 10,979]

If they were fine one minute and dead not long after then it's not rat poison.

Unless already stated its stricnine and that's unlikely.