Small Mammals: Ferret, Chinchilla, and Hedgehog Flashcards
What very common ferret disease is related to spay-neuter status?
Adrenal disease (LH/FSH receptors on adrenal glands)
How long is a chinchilla’s gestation? How long is hedgehog gestation?
Chinchilla: 112 days
Hedgehog: 30-35 days
What are the standard ferret vaccinations?
Distemper
Rabies
Are hedgehogs better kept alone, in pairs, or in groups? What about chincillas?
Hedgehogs: alone (solitary animals)
Chinchillas: social, best in groups
How is Helicobacter treated in ferrets?
Triple therapy: Amoxicillin + Metronidazole +Stomach med (Bismuth, Famotidine, or Sucralfate)
(Alternative: Clarithromycin)
Why should a grain-free diet be avoided for ferrets?
Causes cystine stone formation
What does a ferret do when you scruff it?
Yawn (good time to look in their mouths)
Which teeth in chinchillas are open-rooted?
All of them
T/F: Amputations in chinchillas following long bone fractures, often tibial, are common.
True
Have long thin bones, do poorly w/bandages (‘Bandage Disease’), non-unions are common
How can you supplement an insect diet for a hedgehog so it is not deficient in nutrients?
Low fat dry cat food
Commercial diets also exist
Add chopped veggies
Can give mealworms as treats
What sex is this chinchilla?
Male
What common affliction is affecting this hedgehog’s head?
Mites/Acariasis
Note: Check the rubber seal around a facemask after anesthesia to look for mites
T/F: Ferrets are very sensitive to sedative effects of parenteral opioids.
True
(NOTE BENE in slides)
What are the 3 most common ferret disease conditions?
Gastrointestinal tract disease
Endocrine disease
Neoplasia
Why is it important to give the correct type of vaccine to a ferret?
The incorrect distemper vaccine can cause CDV (canine distempter) in ferrets
What disease causes green slime diarrhea in ferrets?
Viral Diarrhea- Epizootic Catarrhal Enteritis (Coronavirus)
What organ do ferrets and pygmy hedgehogs lack?
Cecum
What GI foreign bodies to young ferrets commonly get? Older ferrets?
Young: Rubber pieces
Older: Trichobezoars
Why is insulinoma in ferrets controllable but not curable?
Usually small tumors all over pancreas and can’t remove the whole pancreas
Note: Often concurrent w/adrenal disease
T/F: Ferrets do not have blood groups.
True
Which hormone classes are involved in ferret hyperadrenalcorticism and how do these hormones end up in circulation?
Progesterones, Androgens, Estrogens (Progesterone, Estrogen, Androstenedione, DHEAS)
Hyperplasia of the adrenal glands causes adenoma formation which then leads to adenocarcinoma formation
Where would you listen for a ferret’s heart?
Midline at the sternum (they have a caudally situated heart)
At what pattern of activity correctly describes ferrets? (choose 1one
Duirnal
Vespertine
Crepuscular
Nocturnal
Crepuscular
T/F: A hedgehog is a spiny insectivorous rodent.
False, MAMMAL (not rodent, like the porcupine)
What is the GnRH agonist that stimulates LH/FSH causing negative feeback which stops steroidgenesis is used to treat adrenal disease?
Leuprolide acetate (Lupron)
Also there’s the Deslorelin implant, which is sometimes given preventatively
How long should you monitor a ferret after a vaccination? What can you do to prevent vaccine reactions?
30 minutes
Pre-treat with benedryl and only give 1 vaccine at a time
T/F: A hedgehog does not need to be fed in the winter because they will hibernate. Make sure your cage is suitably warm and confortable for their hibernation.
False, hedgehogs do not hibernate in captivity.
They do like a warm environment though.
What is the approximate weight of a pygmy hedgehog? What is their lifespan?
400-500 grams
4-6 yrs
Mustela putorius furo is the domesticated form of which animal?
European polecat
What is the daily maintenance fluid rate for ferrets?
75ml/kg (/day)
T/F: Chinchillas have pigmented incisors and should not be given grain to eat.
True
What do nauseous ferrets do?
Paw at their mouth causing ulcers/erosions/fistulas
In ferrets, what is the preferred vein for venipuncture because it is very large?
Cranial vena cava
What is the color-linked congenital deafness seen in blaze and panda ferrets?
Waardenburg Syndrome
T/F: Chinchillas do poorly in the cold and should have lots of warm bedding.
False, they are cold adapted and heat intolerant
Which of these is the African Pygmy Hedgehog?
- Atelerix p**ygmus*
- Atelerix albiventris*
- Atelerix algirus*
- Atelerix albusdumblus*
Atelerix albiventris
(Albiventris= white ventrum, aka four-toed hedgehog)
What are the 2 common benign and 2 malignant histopathology findings you may find after submitting a splenic aspirate from a ferret?
Benign: Hematoma, Extramedullary hematopoeisis
Malignant: Lymphosarcoma, Hemangiosarcoma
What is the most common clinical sign in ferret hyperadrenalcorticism? What are some other clinical signs?
Most common: Hairloss
Pruritus
Swollen vulva (R/O intact female)
Prostatomegaly (Causes urinary obstruction)
Stronger smell
Sexual behavior
(Diagnosis is based on clinical signs)
Why do oral meds have to be tasty for ferrets?
Because if they don’t like it they will scratch their mouth raw trying to get it out
T/F: Ferrets are far-sighted.
False, NEAR-sighted
Why do ferrets have few to no sensitivities to antibiotics?
They have a simple gut flora
What is the unique hedgehog behavior occurs in response to new objects, which involves spreading frothy saliva on its quills?
Anting / Self-Annointing
What animal that is very similar to chinchillas in diet and anatomy, including teeth, GIT, and sexing, look like gerbils on steroids?
Degu
What is the medical therapy for insulinoma?
Prednisolone (gluconeogenic effects) - first line tx (prefer brand Pediapred)
Diazoxide (insulin blocker)
What bacteria that most ferrets have in their GIT can cause disease, resulting in ulcers, bruxism, chronic weight loss and melena, when ferrets get stressed?
Helicobacter mustelae
Do older or younger ferrets usually get insulinoma?
Older
Which antibiotics are counterindicated in chinchillas? What are the alternatives?
C/O’d: Penicillins, Cefalosporins
Can give: Quinolones (e.g. Enrofloxacin) , Chloramphenicol, Metronidazole, Sulfa drugs
What progressive neuropathy and degenerative spinal cord disease affects hedgehogs, for which there is no treatment?
Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome
(can try using pred to treat, but supportive care including diet is indicated)
Is ferret urine low or high pH?
Low (5.5-6.5)
What is the most common medical condition in chinchillas?
Dental disease
Note: Cheek teeth affected most
