Ear Care
Ear Mites?
Some ferrets get REALLY DARK build up - this can be completely natural, or it can be a sign of ear mites.
If you suspect your ferret may have ear mites, you can gently swab the ear with a q-tip, put it in a clear plastic bag, and put it on a dark surface. If you see teeny tiny white dots slowly moving, those are mites.
You still should go to your vet for a ferret-safe mite prescription (many drops at pet stores for cats & dogs are toxic and harmful to ferrets) but this will help you determine if a vet visit is needed or not.
Ear Cleaning
According to Dr. Susan Brown, DVM, in her article, "Grooming Ferrets" on the Veterinary Partner website she writes:
“Ferrets normally produce a large amount of reddish-brown earwax. The wax in the ears is there for a purpose; it protects the ear canal and ear surface, acting to trap debris that might enter. It is produced daily and will naturally work its way out of the ear canal and the ferret then scratches or shakes the old wax away. Ferrets will scratch their ears occasionally throughout the day. If your pet is scratching her ears frequently, if there are scabs, lumps or bumps around the ears or if there is so much wax it actually fills the ear canal, you should seek veterinary assistance.
So, how often should you clean a ferret's ears? Once again, the answer may surprise you. You don't need to clean a healthy ferret's ears at all! I know we like our pets to be neat and clean and messy earwax is disturbing to some, but it is not disturbing to the ferret. As long as the ear canal is not obstructed and the ferret is showing no discomfort in her ears, there is no health or medical reason to clean them. The problem with cleaning too often is that you can inadvertently push wax down into the ear canal. The ear canal becomes impacted with wax, which can cause a hearing loss. You will probably be unable to detect any small hearing loss in your pet. However, for the pet a loss of hearing may be quite disturbing.
The moist interior of the ear canal is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and if the flow of air through the canal is blocked an ear infection could be the result. If wax is indeed obstructing the ear canal, do not use a cotton swab to try to dig it out because you will only end up packing the wax further into the ear canal. Instead, use a few drops of hydrogen peroxide or mineral oil in the ear, which will soften the wax. The ferret will eventually remove the wax by shaking his/her head. If there is a lot of wax and the hydrogen peroxide or oil doesn't work within a couple of days, then you should seek veterinary assistance.” [Brown, DVM. Date last reviewed/revised: 12/05/2011]
Source Link: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951543