Ferrets can and will eat almost anything that seems like food to them. How dangerous it is depends on various factors like the type of object he ate, the amount eaten,the weight of the ferret and the rate at which the active ingredient is absorbed, which varies from animal to animal.
Remember that it isn’t your fault. Sometimes the little fuzzbutts find a way into stuff they shouldn’t! But try to be cautious about food he can get into unsupervised.
My Ferret ate plastic (or rubber):
Danger Level – 5/10
Ferrets love chewing on earbud covers, erasers, laptop feet, and any other rubber they can find. If he ate a small piece only, start feeding him canned pumpkin (not the pie filling), olive oil, ferret lax or vaseline.
This will help him pass the plastic (or rubber) pieces. If he still eats his food, poops, no vomiting and no other symptoms then just keep feeding pumpkin/olive oil/etc until he passes it.
If he at any point acts strange in any way, shows any signs of pain or if he doesn’t pass it soon bring him to a vet. If he ate rubber/plastic and is not pooping solid, this is a sign of intestinal blockage and you should take him to the vet.
How to check if he swallowed some: Check his breathing. if he is still breathing normal the rubber is not in his throat he has swallowed it. Keep checking him when he goes to the bathroom because when it comes out it may get stuck and you will have to pull it out.
Ferret ate hammock bedding:
Danger Level – 10/10
Ferrets like to chew up their bedding. But if your ferret ate part of their hammock bedding, it is serious and life threatening. Most ferret hammocks contain polyester (plastic) or cotton strings which are non-digestable fibers. These can tie the ferret’s intestine in knots or plug up their digestive system. If this causes a bowel blockage, and your ferret could die. The same thing also applies to other strings, or ribbons they might eat.
Get them to the vet. And to be safe in the future, use cloth bedding (like an old shirt of yours) instead of hammocks for your ferret’s bedding.
Ferret ate aloe plant:
Danger Level – 5/10
Depending on the amount ingested the ferret might be in serious risk. Symptoms in members of Carnivora who have ingested Aloe (dose dependent): hyperactivity, vomiting, somnolence, staggering, and glazed eyes. In another case, in Edmonton, a pet ferret ingested the plant and became comatose after experiencing sneezing bouts and ataxia.
Ferret ate a Tylenol (or other pain pills):
Danger Level – 10/10
Tylenol medication (and paracetemol, aspirin, and other pain killers) contains acetaminophen, which destroys a ferret’s livers even in small amounts. Other pain pills contain ibruprophen which causes kidney damage to members of Carnivora. You need to ensure that the ferret gets to the vet, and keep the pills up in a safe medicine cabinet in the future.
Also, check in their usual hiding spots. They could be hiding more pills, which would make them even more sick.
Ferret ate motrin pills:
Danger Level – 10/10
We had a ferret a few years ago and he accidentally ate a motrin. The motrin bottle had spilled and one was left behind that he found. We didn’t know what was wrong with him and because it is illegal to have ferrets in our state, we had a hard time finding a vet that would treat him. We did take him to the vet and he stayed two days. When we brought him home he seemed a little “off” and we think it damaged his little brain.
In other words, motrin, like tylenol and advil, is a pain pill that does serious organ damage in ferrets. If he ate a motrin, get in contact with the vet.
Ferret ate black licorice candy:
Danger Level – 2/10
If your ferret ate black licorice or other candy, it’s not dangerous. But don’t make it a habit – a ferret’s intestines are only designed to digest meat, and nothing else. There’s a very small chance that candy could cause a blockage. Also, the sugar found in licorice candy can give ferrets insulinoma (a disease which is like diabetes in humans.) If a ferret gets insulinoma, they will need blood sugar medicine for the rest of their life.
My Ferret ate some ice cream:
Danger Level – 2/10
As long as it’s not chocolate (which is poisonous for ferrets) eating ice cream one time is fine. It’s even a good treat to give them a small lick on a hot summer’s day. Just don’t let them have too much ice cream at one – the sugar can cause insulinoma. And ferrets are lactose intolerant, which means they can get diarrhea from eating too much.
Ferret ate tums antacid pills:
Danger Level – 2/10
Your ferret will be fine as long as she didn’t eat the whole tub. Tums contain no medicine, just harmless baking soda. They are a good source of calcium. Some ferret farms would actually tums to their pregnant ferrets! If Tums killed ferrets, all of mine would be dead as my mother has acid reflux, and my ferrets have a taste for Antacids.
Ferret ate popcorn kernel:
Danger Level – 5/10
Ferrets intestinal tract is not designed to digest hard, fibrous pieces of plant material like popcorn kernels. Even popped popcorn out of the bag provides no nutritional value for them. At worst, a kernel will get stuck in their intestines. At best, they’ll poop out the popcorn undigested. Ferrets can also choke on popcorn kernels, or it could make them sick to their stomach. This could cause the animal a lot of pain.
My Ferret ate a paper wrapper:
Danger Level – 2/10
If it is just the paper part of a wrapper he may digest it, but if he acts oddly at all I would take him the the vet. Paper should not bother the Ferret’s digestive system, but just make sure that she is not eating paper clips, staples, white out, etc. If you’re worried, You can use plain petroleum jelly (Vaseline) or canned pumpkin. Make sure the pumpkin is plain, unseasoned. Give her about a teaspoon 2-3 times a day until it passes.
My Ferret ate carrots (or other vegetables):
Danger Level – 2/10
Vegetables won’t do your ferret any harm as long as the pieces are small enough. But, basically if he managed to swallow the pieces, they are small enough to pass all the way through.
Now ask – was the carrot cooked to a very soft state or was it raw? If the carrot was on the crunchy side you could find yourself in a lot of trouble. Hard fruits and vegetables can very easily cause blockages in a ferrets narrow and long digestive tract. Your ferret should be checked immediately to make sure that the carrot has or will pass through.
Other foods your ferret should never get a hold of: chocolate, high sugar items, large amounts of raisins and carbohydrates, hard uncooked fruits and veggies, any ‘bulb-like’ veggies (onions, garlic, etc.), whole nuts.
Ferret ate banana chips:
Danger Level – 2/10
One banana chip will not hurt them. If it goes through his system and he is not showing any symptoms of being sick then he is ok. To be on the safe side, I’d keep an eye on him for signs of intestinal blockage (constipation, tiny or skinny stool, loss of appetite, weight loss, vomitting, teeth grinding, face rubbing, pawing at the mouth, lethargy).
If you notice signs of a blockage, get him to a vet ASAP! They need to be surgically removed, otherwise it’s fatal.
My Ferret ate peanut butter (or whole peanuts):
Danger Level – 2/10
While peanut or almond butter isn’t the most dangerous thing in the world, they cannot digest peanut butter. Not only that, but their intestines are delicate and short. You could cause them serious damage. Many ferrets end up with Inflammatory bowel disease or ulcers.
Chunky peanut butter (with whole or ground-up peanuts) is worse. It has more fibrous chunks, which can get caught on your ferret’s delicate insides. Peanuts and peanut butter are not recommended for ferrets.
Once will not hurt too much, but please do not give it to him again. Ferrets will eat just about anything, but they should never have anything their bodies can’t digest.
My Ferret ate puppy pads (or sanitary napkins):
Danger Level – 5/10
If he ingested any plastic part of the pad or a good portion of the fiber, I would induce vomiting using a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water (do not use straight peroxide as it is too harsh). Use a syringe (without a needle) to administer a tablespoon of the mixture Wait 10 to 15 minutes; if he’s not vomited, dose again and wait 10 to 15 more minutes. When he starts to vomit, pull his ears back out of the way.
Ferrets are small and the stuff inside pads are meant to adsorb and expand which could very well cause problems, so be sure to keep a very close eye on him and if anything changes get him to a vet. He may need surgery to remove the cotton.
Ferret ate silica gel packet:
Danger Level – 5/10
Ferrets are small, so they can choke on the silica gel packets, and this can be fatal.
Beyond this, silica gel absorbs moisture, so its going to do just that in your ferret’s stomach. If the packet was from a shoe box, leather goods, or certain pasta products, it’s less dangerous than the ones found in medication bottles. If it was from a medicine bottle, some of the medicine would be absorbed into the silica.
The important thing is to keep the ferret hydrated. Since the ferret ate something thats going to absorb moisture, its going to absorb it out of her stomach and intestines too. It may cause constipation.
Ferret ate zyrtec allergy pills:
Danger Level – 10/10
It’s extremely dangerous for ferrets to swallow any kind of human medicine, even more dangerous than a child swallowing tablets meant for someone else, as ferrets are a different species and medications are species specific.
Try to get him to vomit it up. Give him 1 teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide per ten ounces of body weight, then let him exercise for 15 minutes or until he vomits.
Then call the vet or ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 for further instructions. You’ll need to know the brand of antihistamine and the weight of your ferret. Claritin or Zyrtec come in 10mg pills, but you’ll need to know what it was and how many tablets he could have ingested. Also if it was ONLY an antihistamine, or an antihistamine plus decongestant. Usually the ones that also include a decongestant have D after the name.
Ferret ate bad food:
Danger Level – 0/10
Did you know that ferrets are immune to food poisoning? No, really! A ferret’s digestive system works so quickly, that’s it’s impossible for them to get sick from spoiled food. Food-borne illnesses, like salmonella and botulism, just don’t have time take hold and cultivate in the ferret’s 4-hour digestive tract. So while digging that moldy piece of chicken out of trash and eating it looks gross to us, it’s perfectly healthy for your ferret to eat the rotten food.
Ferret ate My anxiety medication:
Danger Level – 5/10
As long as the Xanax does not have theobromine then your ferret is safe. Ferrets cannot digest theobromine, which is also the active ingredient found in chocolate. Ferrets eating something with theobromine can cause serious problems. Eating anxiety medication with theobromine could have damaging effects on the ferret’s vital organs, heart, kidney and or liver.
Xanax is often given to dogs that have extreme fears and phobias, so you can call your vet and ask if the dosage he took was too much, but most likely he will be ok.
My Ferret ate a melatonin pill:
Danger Level – 0/10
All mammals secrete melatonin, the sleep hormone. Melatonin pills are natural and safe, even for ferrets. My friend has a going on 9 yr old ferret. Our vet recommended we started on Melatonin for hair loss and suspected adrenal. After 3 months we took her off and she has maintained good health. So even sometimes they need a boost. Just check with a professional animal handler first.
Ferret ate toilet paper:
Danger Level – 2/10
TP is very thin and will degrade and dissolve quickly with the stomach acids. I wouldn’t stress over it since toilet paper is meant to break down the minute it gets wet. Just get your ferret to drink some water to help the process and watch for any sign of stress or illness.
PUBLIC NOTICE: Toilet paper rolls are VERY dangerous to ferrets. The ferret may suffocate or choke to death if the get their head caught inside it. Toilet paper rolls are dangerous to ferrets because they like to push the tubes around with their noses and often get their heads jammed in the tube. The ferret may suffocate or choke to death on saliva. Cut the tubes open, or discard safely.
Ferret ate katydid (or other bugs):
Danger Level – 0/10
Nope, not dangerous! Gross, but their bug-eating habit is not dangerous. In fact, katydids (and other insects) contain high amountprotein, and would be a natural thing for ferrets to eat in the wild. Their black-footed cousins eat bugs, small rodents, mice, voles, frogs, rabbits, and whatever else they can catch.
Ferret ate makeup – is it poisonous?
Danger Level – 3/10
It depends on the type of makeup.
If your ferret ate lip balm or lip gloss, its meant for lips it won’t have anything toxic in it. If he only had a little bit he should be ok.
If it’s foundation, there are a lot of chemicals in foundation, but a lot of makeup is just animal or vegetable proteins, and as it was a small bottle it shouldn’t be too bad.
If your ferret had some mascara for lunch, well uh…at least it’s natural. It’s made out of bat guano.
If he or she ate a makeup sponge – get her to the vet! Because ferrets are so small, makeup sponges can absorb fatal amounts of liquid from your ferret’s stomach. Also, the plastic pieces can shred and cause blockages.
Did she get any of the plastic parts? If not, don’t worry. She’ll probably have interesting colored poop in a few days. Don’t be surprised by diarrhea. Just keep an eye on him and if you notice any slight change in his behaviour, appetite, or poops, straight to the vet!
To properly ferret-proof, put all hairsprays, deoderants, makeup, foam and rubber stuff like makeup sponges and pencil erasers, well out of the ferret’s reach.
Ferret ate wood:
Danger Level – 5/10
Did your ferret eat wood pellets out of their bedding? It’s a common thing, and part of why wood shavings are not recommended for ferret beds. Wood can splinter, scratching ferrets throats on the way down.
This causes internal bleeding and extreme discomfort. If your ferret ate wood, watch for behavioral changes over the next few days, and make sure they keep eating their food. They may have to have an antibiotic drip, so the internal scratches don’t get infected
My Ferret ate rat poison pellets:
Danger Level – 110/10
No, that isn’t a typo. If your ferret ate rat or mouse poison, they will die. For the love of god, what are you doing still reading this? Get them to the vet now! If you think there’s even a small chance that your ferret ingested deadly deadly poison, stop what you’re doing and go immediately. The sooner you get your pet to the vet, the more likely it is that your vet can determine if she needs medical attention.
Ferrets have very weak immune systems. Once they are exposed to something like that, they pass rather quickly.
What are the Signs My Ferret Ate Something Bad?
Ferrets generally hide any discomfort they experience, but if something is really wrong and he has a blockage, he will stop eating and become lethargic, just lying around limply. My ferret has eaten the fuzzy inside of stuffed animals and erasers, sometimes I would find bits of it in his poop (not having ferret lax either), but he digested it at well.