204 Practical Game Preserving. 



stock, and often plays great havoc. The most fatal and 

 pernicious are those which result in the main from negli- 

 gence of ordinary precautions and want of care in general 

 management. Ferret-keepers, whether gamekeepers or 

 amateur preservers, are rarely acquainted with the nature 

 of the diseases they seek to treat, or the causes of the 

 outbreak ; consequently the remedies employed are either 

 useless or pernicious. The chief diseases of ferrets are 

 distemper, foot-rot, and scab ; their accidents, scratches or 

 bites from rabbits or rats ; while they often suffer from lice 

 on the surface of their bodies and from worms within. 



All ferrets surfer at some time in their early life from 

 distemper, or (as it is also called) sweat, and the sweating 

 sickness. This malady generally appears about the time 

 when the young first obtain sight, and in its milder form 

 is by no means serious, as a change of hutch and food, 

 together with a little extra cleanliness, soon brings the 

 youngsters right again. This form of disease is often 

 stated to be quite distinct from the distemper ; but we 

 venture to claim correctness for our view, and submit that 

 distemper is plainly an aggravated form of this particular 

 malady, resulting from defect of cleanliness and ventilation 

 in the hutches, and want of healthy, proper food. 



The symptoms of sweat are, in the first instance, general 

 heaviness and dullness. The animal declines its food, and 

 lies all day shivering in its nest, although when handled and 

 examined it will be found to be sweating profusely. The 

 eyes are dull and half closed, while these and the nostrils 

 both give out an offensive discharge. A dirty, badly- 

 ventilated hutch aggravates the distress. The head 



