Intestinal Obstructions - The curious nature of ferrets leads to indiscriminate eating. Ferrets have been known to eat rubber, soft plastic items, cotton balls, bones, towels, etc. These items may lead to an obstruction in the animal's digestive tract that may require surgical treatment. Preventative measures should be taken to assure no such objects are available to the ferret. This is the best method to avoid these problems.
Ferrets are also prone to getting hairballs.
Ferrets with intestinal obstructions may become very ill. Signs of illness may include vomiting and listlessness. Heartworm - Ferrets are natural hosts for this parasite. The parasite lives in the salivary glands of mosquitos, and is transmitted to the ferrets when bitten by the mosquito. The larvae then grow in the ferret's blood stream, and eventually lodge in the heart, where they can cause disruption of the blood flow and death.