Did you know that ferrets undergo shedding or hair change? Like other mustelids, and mammals in general, ferrets move their hair depending on the season in which they are going to enter. Obviously, this moult is much more pronounced in wild animals or in those bred in captivity for commercial purposes. The reason is that their existence takes place outdoors.
Keep reading this article on our site to find out everything about shedding or shedding in ferrets.
Moulting in domestic ferrets
Ferrets shed four times a year. The best quality of hair is produced at the beginning of winter when the first moult occurs and it looks very beautiful.
When spring approaches, hair begins to thin out to face the coming heat. When they reach summer they lose much more hair to cool down to the maximum. At the beginning of autumn, the ferret begins to repopulate its hair and restart the natural process of capillary shedding.
Domestic ferrets also undergo shedding, but much more gently than their wild counterparts, whose life is exposed to much more radical changes in temperature.
It is convenient brush frequently and a brush with thick soft bristles for your friendly domestic ferret. First of all, brush it against the grain with movements short hairs and rotating your wrist a quarter turn to lift dead hair.
Once the preliminary brushing against the grain is finished, do it in favor of the direction of the hair, gently and with long strokes. Previously you will have removed the dead hair from the first brushing and accumulated in the brush. You can do it with a disused comb.
Brushing the hair in ferrets
The ferret is a mustelid Therefore, it is an animal with the aggressiveness typical of that species. Fortunately for humans, such ferocity is wisely constrained by Mother Nature to small bodies. And the ferret is one of the smallest.
The domestic ferret, moreover, is born in captivity and accustomed to contact with humans from the first moment. Although the genetic load should not be underestimated.
For all these reasons, this prior information should prevent us from handling it correctly during brushing. We must not harm him with incorrect combs or brushes, or with excess force that causes discomfort.
If we handle it incorrectly, the ferret will not hesitate to scramble in a dazzling way and take a painful bite out of us with its sharp little teeth.
Ferret hair loss due to other causes
Ferrets can lose hair for reasons other than shedding. A poor diet is a common cause. Ferrets are carnivorous and require a diet in which approximately 32-38% are animal proteins They need a supply of animal fats close to 15-20%.
Plant-based proteins, such as soy, are not metabolized correctly by the ferret's body. Your veterinarian will inform you correctly about the specific diet of your ferret. It is harmful to overfeed them.
Another reason why your ferret suffers from abnormal hair loss is that the animal does not sleep properly. The ferret is crepuscular, that is, its maximum activity takes place from dusk to dawn. During the 10-12 hours you sleep, you need to be in absolute darkness to absorb the melanin you need so your he alth doesn't suffer. Poor sleep can cause life-threatening disorders.
