Can I give my ferret melatonin?

Can you give your ferret melatonin?

You may know a little about melatonin and its effects on humans, but what does hormone do to ferrets and should you give this to them as a supplement? Used in the right way, certain supplements in the appropriate doses and at the right times of year can be helpful for some ferrets. Can i give my ferret melatonin?

There are many vitamins and supplements available on the market for your pet ferret.  The key to keeping your furry friend happy, healthy and full of energy is to keep up a nutritious diet, exercise, fresh air, fresh water, sunlight and plenty of sleep.  It can help to give some added supplements to prevent any future sickness but it’s not necessary.  Should your ferret ever start to show symptoms of sickness, discomfort or depression then it might be time to try some vitamins or supplements to encourage recovery.

Adrenal gland disease is common in pet ferrets and produces symptoms such as loss of hair, itchy skin, musky body odor and inflammation of the prostate in males or vulva in females.  Melatonin is an effective treatment for this condition.

Melatonin is a natural hormone secreted by the pineal gland in response to darkness.  The levels of production differ through the year seeing an increase during winter months and a reduction during the spring and summer.  The increased production of this hormone will cause a ferret to grow more fur and gain a little weight in preparation for the cold winter months.  Melatonin production will also regulate the animal’s breeding habits, the spring and summer being the main breeding season for wild ferrets.  Over production of sex hormones is when you will typically see the symptoms of adrenal gland disease.

The best way to administer melatonin is to mimic the body’s natural release during the short days of the winter months.  One milligram given orally around 7-9 hours after sunrise should be a good start, if there is no response then up the dosage to 3 milligrams daily.  The only side effects that have been seen in ferrets are sleepiness for the first 3-5 days of treatment and weight gain.

21 Responses to “Can I give my ferret melatonin?”

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  1. Myrna C says:

    Some of my ferrets have itchy skin.
    I bath them but once a month, with ferret shampoo and rinse thoroughly.

    I try to not give them to much protein.
    When I do they itch like crazy.
    I keep the cages clean and feed them Marshell Food.

    I was wandering if Melatonin would help with their itching?

    Thanks,
    Myrna

    • chandie says:

      try bathig them every couple months rather then every month becausw wven thoigh ur useing ferret shampoo its still stripping there natural body oils in which they have to work extra hard to replace . but besides that ferrets are normally REALLY IÇHY ANIMALS IN GENERAL.

      • Madison says:

        No they don’t really need to be bathed unless they get themselves in a sticky situation or u just bought them giving them a quick bath to clean of any bacteria carried from where they came but other then that they need a bath once a year tbh I even asked vets

        • Berenice Hart says:

          True, they don’t need bathing. I don’t bath them in winter as it is too cold and in summer they play in water. If muddy from digging, I will bath them. Bathing will cause the over production of natural oils and scent so you are making it worse by washing them too much. As for Marshall’s I would definitely avoid all due to the incorrect ingredients and the infamous Marshall ferret farms

    • DJ says:

      We give our Ferret (Chico) 4 cc’s of liquid Melatonin (5 mg) 7 hours after sun rise every day. He has lots of hair, his teeth look white and strong; and his toe nails grow really fast. We free feed him 1/2 expensive cat food and 1/2 expensive Ferret food. He gets plenty of fresh water and goes outside in a little cage to get fresh air. He lives in a rabbit cage much of the time as we are full-time RVer’s. He is older; but in great shape.

      • Leanne says:

        Where do you buy the Melatonin from? I can’t seem to find a liquid version! of is there a tablet version i could use?!
        Thanks in advance

      • Sarah Willingham says:

        So what time do u give it to him

      • Steph says:

        Where do u buy the melatonin?

        • Tami says:

          Walmart or any drug store. Liquid is easier I find with some olive oil or Coconut oil. 3 ml squirts daily 7-9 hours after SUNRISE. GO PINK BAG is a very good food or Kirklands at Costco. My ferrets I have had 25 over the years usually lived to be 9-12 yrs old.

    • Karen A says:

      Bath then in oatmeal. Put the oatmeal in a nylon bag and put it in their water and let it soak into the water and then use it on your ferrets it helps a lot in their skin

  2. Letitia Taylor says:

    Marshalls is a bad food for them and can b making jt worse try feeding them natures variety instinct duck and turkey cat food its alit better for them and helps with ichyness and odor u need to up the protein because they are meat eaters

  3. carol says:

    how do you get rid of fleas in our furry little babies? I have been battling fleas four two months. They are a little better but I worry about their health. I have used Dawn dish liquid as well as flea shampoo and repellent for cats and kittens.

    • Ashlee N Hood says:

      Get the cat flea treatment that’s says it’s safe for ferrets, get a flea trap from home Depo and place it within 30 feet of their cage, get a flea collar for you vacuum. Vacuum you whole house and furniture and make sure you empty the vacuum outside of the house, also use the tree tea shampoo for Ferrets. But alternate between Dawn and tree tea shampoo when bathing one bath do Dawn next bath do tree tea shampoo and make sure all bedding is washed in hot water. I have the same problem and this is what I have found that helps with the fleas.

      • RedFitch says:

        For any new ferret owners reading this:

        No, do not use Dawn or tea tree oil shampoo, they are much too harsh, and *not* recommended. To soothe their skin, use a sock full of regular oatmeal in a warm bath,
        Bathing ferrets strips their fur and skin of necessary oils, and can make them smellier as the body goes into overproduction of oil to make up for it.

        The *only* flea treatments safe for ferrets are Advantage II or Multi topical drops in the smallest cat dose, or better Revolution for puppy/kitten, given as directed by weight from your vet.
        Many store cat flea treatments are toxic and can harm your ferret.

      • Willow says:

        Please do not recommend tea tree oil anything 99% of essential oils are toxic to ferrets in general.

  4. Lyleta says:

    THANK you we are doing the meletonine he is not losing any more four so far…

    • Laurie says:

      What brand did you buy?

      • Karen A says:

        What brand is a good brand to buy if you’re going to buy melatonin to use for ferrets thank you

        • Alexandra Fry says:

          I went on Amazon and bought pure encapsulations .5 mg gluten free hypoallergenic and non GMO melatonin. My baby girl has adrenal disease and the vet recommended me buying this to help. You get 60 capsules for $10 bucks. I dump the capsule out on a spoon and mix it with some non GMO salmon oil and she laps it right up. We just started so I haven’t seen any signs of improvement yet.

  5. Tanya Dare says:

    Dont use cat flea shampoo it can make them ill, best treatment for fleas is advantage for kittens

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