Diarrhea is a common disorder in ferrets. Diarrhea is often associated with other clinical signs such as increased  frequency of eliminating, weight loss, lack of appetite, and lethargy. The causes are many and the severity and treatment depends on the cause of disease. Important factors to help determine the cause are the medical history, age of the ferret, and the physical examination. Additional diagnostic tests may be needed to identify the cause.

Common causes of diarrhea are:

In Young Ferrets

• Rotavirus enteritis - generally seen in young ferrets less than 6 weeks of age
• Ferret cornonavirus - also seen in young ferrets where there is exposure to large number of other ferrets
• Eosinophilic gastroenteritis - associated with inflammation of intestinal and abdominal organs.
• Proliferative colitis - caused by a bacteria most common in young ferrets; it is often associated with abdonimial pain and straining

Related to improper diet

• Campylobacter jejuni infection is the result of feeding contaminated meat products (particularly poultry) or unpasteurized milk.
• Salmonella

Most common causes

• Helicobacter mustelae infection, which seems to be on the increase, is often associated with black tarry stools. Often this disease is associated secondary to other disease. It is important to try to find the primary disease.
• Gastric ulcers either primary or secondary to Helicobacter mustelae infections have black tarry stools. These ferrets often grind their teeth due to pain.
• Gastrointestinal foreign bodies are a very common cause of diarrhea

• Inflammatory bowel disease

Other Causes

• Aleutian disease is a chronic wasting disease caused by a parvovirus
• Lymphosacroma of the intetinal tract
• Gastrointestinal parasites