Ferrets have become common household pets in the United States, and their curious and friendly nature makes them suitable pets for many. Ferret owners should be aware that although ferrets can make good pets, they can sometimes carry germs that can make people sick. Ferrets are also not recommended for homes with children under 5 years of age because of the increased risk of injury from bites.

Although rare, germs from ferrets can cause a variety of illnesses in people, ranging from minor skin infections to serious illnesses. One of the best ways to protect yourself from getting sick around ferrets is to thoroughly wash your hands with running water and soap after handling ferrets, their food, or items in their enclosures.

By providing your ferret with routine veterinary care and following the Healthy People tips, you are less likely to get sick or injured interacting with a ferret.

Before adopting or buying a pet ferret, make sure a ferret is the right type of pet for your family. Be aware that ferrets can sometimes spread germs that can make people sick. Young children are also at higher risk for bites from ferrets and should never be left unsupervised around ferrets. Because of this, ferrets might not be suitable pets for certain households. Ferrets are not legal to own in some areas, so make sure to check local laws before adopting a buying a pet ferret.

Wash your hands

• Wash your hands with soap and running water:
  • After contact with ferrets
  • After contact with ferret saliva or poop
  • After handling your ferret’s food or supplies
  • Adults should supervise hand washing for children under 5 years of age.
• Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available.

Prevent ferret scratches and bites

Germs can spread from ferret bites and scratches, even if the wound does not seem deep or serious. Ferret bites can become seriously infected or spread rabies, especially if the ferret is unvaccinated and has had contact with a rabid animal. Young children are especially at risk for bites from ferrets.

How to prevent ferret bites and scratches

• Avoid bites and scratches from ferrets. Ferret bites can become seriously infected or spread rabies, especially if the ferret is unvaccinated.
• Be cautious with unfamiliar animals. Approach ferrets with care, even if they seem friendly.
• Do not play roughly with ferrets, especially when they are young. This will lead to fewer scratches and bites as animals become older.
• Always supervise children around ferrets.

What to do if you are bitten or scratched by a ferret

Many types of germs can be spread from animal bites and scratches, even if the wound does not look very bad. Unvaccinated ferrets are at risk for rabies and can spread rabies to you if they become infected.

If you are bitten or scratched by a ferret, you should:

• Wash the wound with warm, soapy water immediately.
• Seek medical attention if:
  • If you are unsure if the ferret has been vaccinated against rabies.
  • If the ferret appears sick or is acting unusual.
  • The wound or injury is serious (uncontrolled bleeding, unable to move, extreme pain, muscle or bone is showing, or the bite is over a joint).
  • The wound or site of injury becomes red, painful, warm, or swollen. (Especially if the person bitten is 5 years of age or younger, elderly, pregnant, or has a weak immune system.)
  • It has been more than 5 years since your last tetanus shot.
• If you were bitten by a ferret you don’t know, report the bite to animal control or your local health department.
• If possible, contact the owner and ensure the animal has a current rabies vaccination. You will need the rabies license number, name of the veterinarian who administered the vaccine, and the owner’s name, address, and phone number.
• Make sure a veterinarian sees the ferret and contact your local health department if the ferret becomes sick or dies shortly after you were bitten.

Keeping your ferret healthy helps to keep you and your family healthy. To learn how to stay healthy around pet ferrets, visit the Healthy People section.

Before choosing a ferret

• Check your state, local, and property laws before choosing or buying a ferret. Just because you can buy a pet doesn’t mean that it is legal to own it in your city, state, or property.
• Research and learn how to properly care for your ferret before purchase. Ask your veterinarian or pet store staff about the proper food, care, and enclosure or environment that is best for the ferret you are selecting.

How to choose a ferret

• Pick a ferret that is bright, alert, and active.
• Ferrets should have a glossy coat free of stool. If any animals in a cage look sick, do not choose a pet from that cage.
• Signs of illness in a ferret include appearing sluggish or depressed, having diarrhea, abnormal breathing, and fluid running from its eyes or nose.
• Consider having a veterinarian examine your new ferret before you finalize the purchase or adoption to ensure that it is healthy.
• After selecting your new pet, make sure to take your new ferret to the veterinarian within a few days to a week after adoption for a health visit.
• If your ferret becomes sick or dies soon after purchase or adoption, take it to the veterinarian promptly, and inform the pet store, breeder, or rescue organization about the pet’s illness or death.

How to house your ferret

• Because of their curious nature, ferrets can be escape artists. House your ferret in a cage that can be securely closed and/or locked.
• Keep your ferret out of the kitchen and other areas where food or drink is prepared or consumed. Do not eat or drink while handling your pet.
• Make sure your ferret has access to food and fresh water every day.
• Do not allow your ferret to roam unsupervised.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling ferrets or their food, cages, or bedding. Hand washing will reduce the risk of germs spreading from your ferret to you and your family.
• Avoid bites and scratches from ferrets by learning how to approach and hold your pet safely.
• Always use disposable gloves or plastic bags when cleaning up poop from your pet. Be careful to peel off the gloves inside out so you do not touch the outside. Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

Monitor your ferret’s health

• Take your ferret to a veterinarian every year, or if it seems sick. Veterinarians who focus or specialize in small mammals, including ferrets, can provide extra guidance on caring for your pet.
• Talk to the veterinarian about rabies vaccination.
• Examine your ferret daily, looking for any changes in activity level, appetite, or overall health. Specifically, look for:
  • Sluggish or depressed behavior
  • Dull hair coat
  • Loose stool (poop)
  • Discharge from the eyes or nose
  • Abnormal breathing
• These signs could mean your ferret is sick. If your ferret appears sick or shows these signs, contact your veterinarian immediately.
• Be aware that ferrets can shed Salmonella and other germs. Avoid contact with animal poop and urine because it can make you sick.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after feeding or cleaning up behind ferrets. Be sure to help children wash their hands.
• If you become sick shortly after purchasing or adopting a ferret, tell your doctor about your new pet.

Ferrets and influenza (flu)

Ferrets can be infected with influenza A and B viruses (human flu), just like people. People can spread flu to ferrets, and it’s possible that ferrets may be able to spread flu to people. If you have a pet ferret at home, you should:

• Get a yearly flu vaccine.
  • There is no vaccine for flu in ferrets, so the best way to protect your pet is to protect yourself from flu.
• Avoid contact with your pet ferret if you or any members of your household have flu symptoms.
  • Prevent family members with flu from interacting with pet ferrets while sick. Consider having a friend, neighbor, boarding facility, or veterinarian care for your pet ferret while those in your household recover from the illness.
  • If contact with your pet while you are sick is unavoidable, use a face mask and gloves to prevent the spread of flu. Also, wash your hands before and after interacting with your ferret.
• If you have multiple pet ferrets, isolate sick ferrets from the others promptly. Contact your veterinarian immediately to evaluate the health of your ferrets and discuss how to prevent the spread of flu to your other pet ferrets.

Diseases associated with ferrets than can cause human illness include:

Campylobacteriosis (Campylobacter spp.)

Campylobacter spreads through contaminated food (meat and eggs), water, or contact with stool of infected animals. Ferrets that are young or have weak immune systems may be more prone to this bacterial infection. Affected animals can have no signs of illness at all or may have gastrointestinal signs, including vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation.

Most people who become sick with campylobacteriosis will have diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within 2 to 5 days after exposure to the organism. In persons with weak immune systems, Campylobacter can cause serious life-threatening infections.

Cheyletiellosis (Rabbit fur mites; Cheyletiella spp.)

Rabbit fur mites (Cheyletiella spp.) are tiny parasites that can be found on some healthy ferrets. These mites generally do not cause disease in people or animals. Adult mites may be easily seen on an affected ferret. They are often white and may look like “walking dandruff” if observed moving. Affected ferrets may have hair loss, dandruff, or itching because of skin irritation from the mites.

People may get Cheyletiella mites when they pet or hold a ferret infested with mites. Cheyletiella can temporarily infest humans, causing skin irritation and itching. The best way to prevent infestation in ferrets is to use an insecticide recommended by your veterinarian.

Giardiasis (Giardia spp.)

Giardia is a parasite that causes diarrhea in animals and people. Giardia is transmitted to animals and people through food or water contaminated with stool.

Some ferrets with Giardia may not seem sick, while other ferrets may stop eating, appear weak, and have diarrhea. If untreated, ferrets with Giardia can have difficulty absorbing nutrients from their food and become dehydrated.

Symptoms for animals and people include diarrhea, greasy stools, and dehydration. People can also have abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms can last 1 to 2 weeks.

Influenza

Influenza or “flu” is a common viral disease among humans that can be transmitted to ferrets and then spread from ferrets back to humans. Ferrets are very susceptible to flu. Affected ferrets can have a variety of symptoms, including fever, thick clear or dried discharge from their nostrils, sneezing, coughing, decreased appetite, and weakness. No influenza vaccine is available for ferrets.

People can have similar symptoms as ferrets. Because influenza is contagious from ferrets to humans and from humans to ferrets, people should not handle ferrets if either shows signs of flu.

Pasteurellosis (Snuffles; Pasteurella multocida)

Pasteurellosis is a bacterial disease spread by bites and scratches from infected animals. Pasteurella is a normal type of bacteria that lives in the mouths of some species of healthy animals. Pasteurella usually does not make ferrets sick; however, ferrets can develop skin infections in areas where they were scratched or bitten by another animal.

Pasteurella can cause painful wound and skin infections in people who are bitten or scratched by an infected ferret. In more severe cases, it can cause widespread infection throughout the body and might even affect the nervous system.

Rabies

Rabies, a fatal neurologic disease in animals and people, is caused by a virus. Animals and people are most commonly infected through bites from rabid animals. Ferrets with rabies have a rapid change in their behavior followed by paralysis. Rabies is prevented by vaccination.

The first symptoms in people can start days to months after exposure and include weakness, fever, and headache. Within a few days after those first symptoms appear, symptoms will get worse and include confusion, anxiety, unusual behavior, and delirium. If you have been bitten by an unvaccinated ferret that has been acting strangely or different than normal, contact a health care provider right away. Once symptoms appear, it is almost always too late for a person to be treated.

Rat Bite Fever

Rat bite fever is a rare bacterial disease transmitted by bites or scratches from infected rodents and ferrets. It can also be spread by exposure to contaminated water, food, or urine. Ferrets can carry the infectious bacteria but have no signs of illness.

In people, clinical signs range from flu-like symptoms and a rash to more severe infections of the joints, liver, heart, lungs, brain, and blood if left untreated.

Ringworm (Dermatophytosis)

Ringworm is a condition caused by a fungus that can infect skin, hair, and nails of both people and animals. Ringworm is passed from animals to people through direct contact with an infected animal’s skin or hair. Kits (baby ferrets) and young ferrets are most commonly affected and can have circular areas of hair loss anywhere on their bodies.

Ringworm infections in people can appear on almost any area of the body. These infections are usually itchy. Redness, scaling, cracking of the skin, or a ring-shaped rash may occur. If the infection is on the scalp or on the skin under a beard, hair may fall out. Infected nails become discolored or thick and may possibly crumble.

Salmonellosis (Salmonella spp.)

Salmonella spreads to people and animals through contaminated food (eggs and meat) or contact with the stool of certain animals, including ferrets. Salmonella infections are not common in ferrets, but if they are infected, ferrets can have a variety of symptoms, ranging from diarrhea and dehydration to weight loss and refusal to eat.

People infected with Salmonella can have diarrhea, vomiting, fever, or abdominal cramps. Infants, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness.

Sarcoptic Mange (Trixacarus caviae)

Sarcoptic mange is a parasitic skin disease that is caused by a tiny mite. Sarcoptic mange is transmitted between animals through close contact. In pets, the mite causes severe itching and self-inflicted wounds from scratching.

People cannot become infested with the canine and ferret version of sarcoptic mange, but they can have a minor rash from the mites if they come in contact with an infested animal.

Ferrets can also get heartworms from the bite of an infected mosquito. Ferrets are similar to dogs in their susceptibility to heartworm infections, but their symptoms are more similar to those seen in cats.

Infected ferrets typically have low worm burdens, and microfilariae are seen in the bloodstream in only 50 to 60 percent of ferrets with heartworm disease. Symptoms of heartworm disease in ferrets include decreased activity level, coughing, trouble breathing, and overall weakness. Heart failure can occur in severe cases. Based on a ferret’s symptoms, a veterinarian may perform chest x-rays and an ultrasound of the heart to determine if it has heartworm disease. Blood tests to detect heartworm infections in ferrets are generally unreliable.

No drugs are FDA-approved to treat heartworm disease in ferrets. And only one drug, Advantage Multi for Cats (imidacloprid and moxidectin), is approved to prevent heartworms in ferrets. Available only with a veterinarian’s prescription, it is a topical solution that is applied monthly. Besides preventing heartworms, Advantage Multi for Cats also treats flea infestations on ferrets by killing adult fleas.

Again, prevention is the best treatment! Year-round prevention is recommended for all ferrets. Talk to your ferret’s veterinarian about preventing heartworm disease in your furry friend.

CVM’s Office of Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Drug Development (OMUMS for short) works hard to make sure safe and effective drugs are available for minor species, like the fun and funny ferret.

• Ferrets belong to the weasel family (Mustelidae), which includes polecats, stoats, and ermines. Domesticated ferrets most likely descend from the European polecat.
• Ferrets were domesticated about 2,500 years ago. Historically, ferrets were used to hunt rabbits and rodents. Their lean bodies and curious nature make ferrets naturals at getting down holes to chase rodents and rabbits out of burrows. This is the origin of the expression “ferret out.”
• From 1860 to the start of World War II, ferrets were widely used in the American West to protect grain stores from rodents. They gained popularity as pets in the 1980s and 90s.
• The name “ferret” is derived from the Latin word furittus, meaning “little thief.” This name likely refers to the common ferret habit of secreting away small items.
• A ferret’s normal heart rate is 200 to 250 beats per minute.
• The average lifespan of a domestic ferret is eight years.
• Ferrets are most active at dawn and dusk.
• An intact female ferret is a jill, and a spayed female is a sprite. An intact male is a hob, and a neutered male is a gib. Baby ferrets (less than 1 year) are kits. A group of ferrets is a business or fesnyng (fez-ning).
• All kits are born with white fur and get their approximate adult color at 3 weeks of age.
• Ferrets can get heartworms from the bite of an infected mosquito. Ferrets are similar to dogs in their susceptibility to heartworm infections, but their symptoms are more similar to those seen in cats. One drug, Advantage Multi for Cats (imidacloprid and moxidectin), is FDA-approved to prevent heartworms in ferrets.