This safe and effective method requires diligence and may take a number of weeks of treatment to completely cure the problem. A veterinarian can also apply drops of ivermectin once a week for 2-3 weeks, if your ferret does not enjoy a daily treatment. Flukes Another potentially serious parasite is the fluke, which is like a small leech that attaches itself to intestinal walls or can be in the liver as well. Flukes are usually caught when a ferret ingests feces of another animal, usually a dog or cat. Veterinary assistance is required.
Symptoms are quite variable, from gastrointestinal upset, to urination problems.
If you have other pets in your house, and your ferret has access to their droppings, this may be good to test for. The ferret, whose natural immune system seems to be particularly intolerant of infection, contracts heartworms through mosquito bites. Due to the warm winter and damp spring in southern areas, mosquitos are always in abundance. This raises the risk of heartworm infestation considerably. This is only one of the reasons that FLC does not recommend outdoor cages for ferrets.