It is important to keep your pet ferret healthy and happy, you can do this by observing your ferret everyday and noticing any changes in their behaviour and any odd behaviour they may start performing. To do this you need to provide them with plenty of fresh food and water and a trip to the veterinarian once a year. If you notice your ferret acting strangely then you need to act quickly, they are small animals and can fall ill rapidly.
Every day you should check your ferret over and look at their eyes to ensure they are bright and clear, their whiskers should be long and soft, if they are broken it could be a sign of poor nutrition. Look for a dark brown or a black discharge from there ears they need to be taken to the vet as it could be ear mites, note that ferrets do produce a lot of ear wax normally so if you don’t check their ears regularly you will not tell the difference.
Your ferrets teeth should be clean and their gums pink, they should not have red gums or tartar on their teeth, is so this can be treated at your vet. If your ferret has a broken tooth check to see if there is any decay around it, if it is still clean observe them to see if it is hampering their eating or causing them any discomfort, if so take them to the vet.
While holding your ferret, move your hands over its body to check for any lumps that could be a sign of a tumour or abscess. There should be no red irritated spots on the ferrets skin and its fur should be soft rather than brittle. If your ferret has fleas, (signs are red irritated spots) then use a specialized ferret flea product; dog or cat products could be hazardous to its health.
Check the size of your ferret, is it too small or too fat? If you are worried you will need to monitor their food consumption and make a decision. Look at their stools every day to see if they have diarrhoea, if they stop producing stools it could be a sign of a intestinal blockage which can be fatal, contact your vet immediately if this is the case.