Ferrets Flashcards
The ferret is a domesticated form of what animal? What are they used for?
Polecat
Pets, pest control, sport, racing, labs
What kingdom, phylum, class, order and family are ferrets?
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Mustelidae
What is a female ferret called if entire or neutered?
Entire = jill Neutered = sprite
What is a male ferret called if he is entire, neutered or vasectomised?
Entire = hob Neutered = gib Vasectomised = hoblet
What is a baby ferret called?
Kitten or pup
Are males are females later in size? What is the lifespan of a ferret?
Hobs much larger than jills
6-9 years
Describe the coat of ferrets
Fine dense undercoat
Course guard hairs
How often do ferrets moult?
2x year
Where is ferret skin thickened and why?
Back of neck
Prevent injury when fighting/mating
Why are ferrets prone to overheating and heat exhaustion
NO sweat glands
Where are sebaceous glands found in ferret?
All over
Higher density around mouth and anus
When do sebaceous glands secretions increase? What effect does this have on the coat?
Breeding season
Coat becomes oily and yellow
What is a characteristic of mustelids?
Well developed anal glands
Which type of gland cause the anal gland smell? Is anal sacculectomy legal in the UK?
Sebaceous glands
Illegal - mutilation
Ferrets have a long spine to make them efficient hunters. What is their vertebral formula?
C7 T15 L5 S3 Cd18
Why are ferrets prone to fractures?
Lightweight bones
How many toes do ferrets have? Are they retractable
5 per foot
No
Ferrets have a typical carnivorous skull. What is the orbit like? What about the jaw and relative cranium size?
Incomplete orbit
Jaw has little/no lateral movement
Short jaw, large cranium
Are ferrets nocturnal or diurnal? How is the eye adapted to this? What shape is the pupil?
Nocturnal
Tapetum lucid
Horizontal slit
Ferrets have seasonal reproduction. What stimulates reproduction in ferrets? What hormones is responsible for this?
Photoperiod
Via pineal gland and melatonin
What is the deciduous and permanent dental formula for ferrets?
Deciduous = 4/3, 1/1, 3/3, 0/0 Permanent = 3/3, 1/1, 3/3, 1/2
At what age do ferret deciduous and permanent teeth erupt?
Deciduous = 3wks (can damage teat) Permanet = 2 months
How many salivary glands are in the ferret? What are these?
5
Zygomatic, submandibular, parotid, sublingual, molar
What is the purpose of saliva in ferrets? Which salivary glands have no amylase?
Lubrication (cf to digestion)
Parotid
Submandibular
Do ferrets chew their food? Are they able to vomit and whY?
No - huge stomach allows gorging
Yes can vomit as no gastro-oesophageal sphincter
What type of breathers are ferrets? Why are they difficult to tube?
Not obligate nasal breathers, but prefer nasal breathing
Small nostrils - not much room for nasogastric tube
How many lobes do ferret lungs have?
Left (2) - cranial, caudal
Right (4) - cranial, caudal, middle, accessory
What is relevant about the thoracic inlet of a ferret?
Very narrow inlet
Any abnormality = severe respiratory compromise
Where should you auscultate on a ferret? What is their heart rate?
More caudally than dog/cat - 6-8th rib
180-250bpm
What is used to assess CV performance in ferrets? Why?
Urine output - indirect measurement of CO
Pulse not always palpable
Is the PVC in a ferret high, low or normal? Can you give them blood transfusions?
Normally high
Yes - don’t need to match blood
What can be used for venipuncture in ferrets?
Cephalic vein
Jugular vein
Tail artery (lab animals)
Ferrets have similar kidneys to dogs and cats, however a different serum chemistry. What is different about creatinine levels in kidney disease?
Creatinine does not rise parallel with increased urea
Why is urethral blockage common in the ferret? Why is catheterisation difficult?
Prostate enlargement associated with adrenal disease
J shaped, os penis
At what age do ferrets reach puberty? Do they have precocial or altricial litters?
6-9 months
Altricial
What type of breeders are jills? What type of ovulators are they?
Seasonal breeders, monoestrus
Reflex ovulators
How can ferrets be sexed?
Size difference
Males have obvious testes and penis, preputial opening on abdomen
Females have vulva that swells when in season
What type of uterus do jills have?
Similar to dog
Bicornuate uterus
Hobs have similar repro anatomy to a dog. What is the major differences?
Os penis is J shaped
Small testes
Why can’t jills be spayed? What does this cause?
Must mate - failure to mate = high oestrogen which causes bone marrow depression, anaemia and death
What can be done to female ferrets in order to prevent them dying from not mating?
Mate with vasectomised hob
Give chemical oestrus suppression drugs
What artery provides blood supply to the adrenal glands? Which gland is more cranial?
Ipsilateral renal artery
Right is more cranial as above kidneys
Adrenal disease is increasingly common in ferrets. What is it NOT associated with, that it is in the dog? What is ferret adrenal disease associated with?
In dog is associated with pituitary and overproduction of corticosteroids
Not in ferrets
Ferrets associated with neutering and abnormal photoperiod. Associated with sex hormones from zona reticular of adrenal glands
How does neutering cause adrenal disease in ferrets?
Adrenal glands have cells with LH receptors
Neutering removes -ve feedback so causes high GnRH, LH and FSH
LH continuously stimulates adrenal cells –> hyperplasia and neoplasia
How does increased photoperiod cause adrenal disease in ferrets?
Alters melatonin levels
Reduced melatonin increases hypothalamus activity
Increases GnRH and LH
How can adrenal disease be prevented in ferrets?
Keep jills with hoblet
GnRH agonist injections (suprelorin)
Can neuter if mature
What is the size of the thoracic cavity and lungs in relation to the ferrets body?
Large lungs and thoracic cavity
But narrow inlet
What valve in the GI tract do ferrets not have? What else do they not have?
Ileocolic valve
Appendix
Caecum
Why do ferrets struggle with high fibre diets?
No caecum
Sterilisation of males and females can result in adrenal gland disorders. Why are females often sterilised?
If unmated, post oestrus anaemia
