Light can no longer reach the retina and the animal becomes blind. In ferrets it is primarily seen in animals under one year of age and is considered to be hereditary. In other cases it may be caused by aging of the eye in very old animals or as a result of injury to the eye. Signs are almost nonexistent. Ferrets have very poor eyesight and do not depend on it for much.
Many people are surprised to find that their ferrets are blind.
They eyes will have a whitish blue cast to the area of the pupil. Treatment is unnecessary. Prevention of hereditary cataracts is by not repeating the breeding. Caused by an abnormal thinning or thickening of the heart muscle which interferes with blood flow through the heart. Signs include a marked decrease in activity, the need to rest in the middle of the play periods, great difficulty in awakening from sleep, and as the disease progresses one may see coughing, difficulty breathing, fluid build-up in the abdomen and a general loss of condition.