QUESTION:
I have a ferret who loves his swimming pool and his sand box. My boyfriend and i were thinking of taking him to the beach with us. We wanted to walk him on the beach. Would it be a safe idea for us to put him on a boogie board and have a swimmie around him so he can go into the ocean? Will the ocean water effect his fur?

ANSWER:
Ferrets in the wild spend most of their time underground sleeping in rabbit burrows, they are not water creatures like their cousins the mink who fish for their food. Ferrets sometimes like to swim, as yours does, but need to be in shallow water as they tire easily. However taking him to the beach could be deadly in 2 ways! If it is hot he could die from heat exhaustion as he has very limited sweat glands and therefore is by nature a COLD WEATHER ANIMAL. If you decide to walk along the beach in the early morning or late evening, then the cool wet sand will be fine to walk on.

There is a big difference between SALT and FRESH WATER! He should not be in salt water, if he swallows any it most likely will be too much and could cause swelling in the brain. The sea has natural movement that could cause him to swallow a lot of water which might enter lungs and cause pneumonia. His fur would be the least problem. It is good to remember "what he would be doing in the wild" and try to mimic those surroundings as much as possible, thanks for asking.