Oooh, looky what i got!

I am not really into the small and furry things but this guy stole my heart and i just had to have him.
I named him Tasmanian Devil, "Taz" for short because he will go right after my dogs and nip their ankles without any fear, he bites... a lot, and he thinks he is a Grizzly Bear even though he weighs less than a pound... The name seemed very fitting.

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I am clearly new to this whole Ferret ownership thing so any tips from Ferret owners is welcome.

Hes very cute! My daughter wants one. We have been researching them. Satomi is an excellent source of ferret info!

I love white ferrets! Hide your keys!

WEASEL!!!!

Adorable. :gj:


He has a look of "as soon as the humans are gone, the crayon box and sock drawer are mine!" :D

Fuzzy!!!!

I love these guys! Buy yourself a copy of Ferrets for Dummies, I couldn't live without mine.

And yes, ferrets are unbelievably mouthy. It's ridiculous! And be forewarned, every single corner in any room he has access to is now a litterbox. And I mean EVERY corner. Room corner, corner of the entertainment center, corner of the couch, corner of the computer desk, if it's a corner, it's a litterbox. Buy stock in newspaper and Nature's Miracle. Also be aware, if it's small enough to fit in his mouth, there is a real danger of it being swallowed. Many ferrets die from impactions from swallowing stuff you wouldn't believe. Pretend he's a toddler with four hands and the ability to levitate and that will help you keep his area hazard free as much as possible.

I warn you, these guys are mischievous, but they are also addicting.

Gale

I love ferrets.

Cute lil bums.

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Originally Posted by angllady2

Pretend he's a toddler with four hands and the ability to levitate and that will help you keep his area hazard free as much as possible.

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:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

I laughed waaay too long at that.

he is soooo cute. :D I've never owned a ferret before...too much work, imo. I'll stick to my herps. :P But he is awesome, and I find my brain trying to convince me I need one.

What a cutie!

I second the Ferrets for Dummies. It's like the ferret bible.

Just a few pointers:
1) The better diet you feed, the less he will smell. Ferrets are obligate carnivores (meaning they can only digest meat). I feed my guys a raw diet and they have little to no smell. They also have smaller, less frequent poops, as they digest and utilize more of what they eat. There are pre-packaged raw diets (such as Nature's Variety), or if you want to go the kibble route, look at high quality, grain-free cat foods such as EVO and Instinct.
~On that same note, do not offer fruits or veggies as treats. As I said before, they can ONLY digest meat. Fruits are high in sugar and can cause serious issues, and veggies can cause blockages.

2) Offer minimal baths. The more you bathe a ferret, the more they will smell. Bathing strips their skin of essential oils that keep their skin healthy, and when you give them a bath, their body goes into overdrive to replace the oils, making them smell 10x worse. Not to mention, it dries out their skin and makes them itchy.

ETA: If you want to go the raw route, I know of a forum that's specifically for the purpose of getting ferrets on a raw diet. They will set you up with a mentor and your mentor will help you switch your ferret over onto raw and will help you make a menu that is healthy and balanced. (An unbalanced raw diet is worse than even the lowest quality kibble!)

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Originally Posted by angllady2

Fuzzy!!!!

I love these guys! Buy yourself a copy of Ferrets for Dummies, I couldn't live without mine.

And yes, ferrets are unbelievably mouthy. It's ridiculous! And be forewarned, every single corner in any room he has access to is now a litterbox. And I mean EVERY corner. Room corner, corner of the entertainment center, corner of the couch, corner of the computer desk, if it's a corner, it's a litterbox. Buy stock in newspaper and Nature's Miracle. Also be aware, if it's small enough to fit in his mouth, there is a real danger of it being swallowed. Many ferrets die from impactions from swallowing stuff you wouldn't believe. Pretend he's a toddler with four hands and the ability to levitate and that will help you keep his area hazard free as much as possible.

I warn you, these guys are mischievous, but they are also addicting.

Gale

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I already have that book. :P

Really!?! Taz has two litter boxes, one in his cage and one that i leave in the middle of the floor when he is out and about exploring, he uses both consistently and he hasn't relieved himself anywhere else, i've had him a little over a week now. Weird, maybe i just got lucky?

Haha! I have a free roaming Iguana (She will eat anything and everything that she can fit in her mouth) so all of the rooms upstairs are 100% spotless from ground level and up, along with the living room downstairs.

Thank you for the advice!

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Originally Posted by Konotashi

What a cutie!

I second the Ferrets for Dummies. It's like the ferret bible.

Just a few pointers:
1) The better diet you feed, the less he will smell. Ferrets are obligate carnivores (meaning they can only digest meat). I feed my guys a raw diet and they have little to no smell. They also have smaller, less frequent poops, as they digest and utilize more of what they eat. There are pre-packaged raw diets (such as Nature's Variety), or if you want to go the kibble route, look at high quality, grain-free cat foods such as EVO and Instinct.
~On that same note, do not offer fruits or veggies as treats. As I said before, they can ONLY digest meat. Fruits are high in sugar and can cause serious issues, and veggies can cause blockages.

2) Offer minimal baths. The more you bathe a ferret, the more they will smell. Bathing strips their skin of essential oils that keep their skin healthy, and when you give them a bath, their body goes into overdrive to replace the oils, making them smell 10x worse. Not to mention, it dries out their skin and makes them itchy.

ETA: If you want to go the raw route, I know of a forum that's specifically for the purpose of getting ferrets on a raw diet. They will set you up with a mentor and your mentor will help you switch your ferret over onto raw and will help you make a menu that is healthy and balanced. (An unbalanced raw diet is worse than even the lowest quality kibble!)

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I automatically assumed Carnivore = Raw meat/whole prey/raw bones diet... Must be the reptile keeper in me!
I am feeding him about 40% raw meat/bones, 55% whole prey (rat pinks, chicks, etc..), and 5% high quality Ferret kibble. I did quite a bit of research on their nutritional needs so i have a pretty good idea of what is required but i'm still learning and making changes when necessary.

I have been putting "Marshall GoodBye Odor for Ferrets" in his water daily and using "Marshall Daily Spritz Ferret spray" on him every 3-4 days, combining these two products seems to be doing the trick, the first day i purchased him he smelled AWFUL and now the smell is barely noticeable... I can definitely say my rat colony smells more than he does by a long shot.
I didn't know about bathing causing issues with their skin, i will definitely keep that in mind.

Thank you!

As soon as they make ferrets legal in Cali my family is getting 2 or 3. My dad loves them, my mom loves them, and my brother is nuts over them. Ther take the best qualities if cats, dogs, an rodents and put them in one animal. Long Live Ferrets!!!!!

The only time he is a calm, well behaved little guy..

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Originally Posted by Mephibosheth1

As soon as they make ferrets legal in Cali my family is getting 2 or 3. My dad loves them, my mom loves them, and my brother is nuts over them. Ther take the best qualities if cats, dogs, an rodents and put them in one animal. Long Live Ferrets!!!!!

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Are there plans in the works for making ferrets legal here? :confusd:

As far as I knew, it was never going to happen, especially since there's an enormous feral population in some places.

Do you have special ferret insider info? (Genuinely curious!)

There is a huge movement in Cali trying to get them legalized. Honestly, it makes no sense for them to be illegal.

Ferrets are domesticated animals. They are nothing like their wild counterparts - polecats or black footed ferrets. I'm not sure where you got the information about wild colonies? (Maybe black footed ferrets?) Black footed ferrets are a separate species of ferret and not the same kind of animal that we keep as pets. They are highly aggressive and are actually the most endangered mammal in North America, due to farmers poisoning their only food source (prairie dogs) in early settlement times. Wipe out the bottom of the food chain, you wipe out everything behind it that doesn't adapt - which was the black footed ferret.

Every ferret that is available at Petco is spayed/neutered before being sent out, so there is zero risk of them breeding wild populations of ferrets and taking over the ecosystem.

Domesticated ferrets would not be able to survive in the wild. Our domesticated ferrets have to be taught to eat meat, for the most part. Within the first 7-8 months, ferrets imprint on what is or is not food. After that window, it is VERY difficult to get them to eat anything else. When I was switching my ferrets onto a raw diet, I had no issues switching my 9 week old Cooper to raw meat. Given his young age, he ate whatever I put in front of him. Alice, on the other hand, was about two years old when I switched her, and it took me MONTHS to get her to eat it on her own. (This is why they have the forum I mentioned earlier set up - given the difficulty of switching ferrets). I had to spoon/force feed her daily, for every meal, and she acted like it was poison and pretended I was hellbent on killing her with this stuff.
Ferrets WILL starve themselves to death if they don't like what food they're given. It's not necessarily because they're picky - it's because they don't recognize it as food. Even if you just switch the kibble brand.

Ferrets are so fantastic. Congrats.

I miss our little Mr Gus.

I don't think there are plans for legalizing ferrets (they'll legalize weed, but not ferrets......O_o)

The main concern I think is that they will turn into the rodent counterpart I the feral cat (or even the domesticated free range cat).

Oh well...guess ill have to move to Arizona or something....

As far as the actual legalization process goes - no, I don't think there are any plans to legalize them anytime soon. But there is a movement pushing in attempts to make them legal there. California is the only state in the continental US where they're illegal....

The thing about feral cats and rodents is that they can adapt to wild instincts and food sources and hunt for themselves and LIVE to be feral - basically live to be wild animals. Ferrets cannot adapt in that way. People who write the laws will not believe that information, though. They know nothing about animals....

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Originally Posted by MrLang

Ferrets are so fantastic. Congrats.

I miss our little Mr Gus.

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My first tattoo is a series of memorial paw prints. One of the paw prints is for my ferret that passed away last year (Tesla). I lost him to juvenile lymphoma before his third birthday.
Alice was his best friend and she grieved heavily after his passing. Just out of curiosity, I showed her my tattoo to see what she'd do. (Honesty, I wasn't expecting much). She glanced at it for a split second, but when she saw Tesla's paw print, she stopped for several seconds (which is a lot for a ferret) and sniffed it tenderly.
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Congrats on the new fuz! They're awesome. I have a couple myself and just rehomed a foster.

And good on you for going with a raw diet. Not many people are open to it. Your ferret will thank you when it doesn't get Insulinoma.

Check out the raw/whole prey diet appreciation thread. :)

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Originally Posted by DooLittle

Satomi is an excellent source of ferret info!

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Thanks for the rec!

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Originally Posted by Mephibosheth1

As soon as they make ferrets legal in Cali my family is getting 2 or 3. My dad loves them, my mom loves them, and my brother is nuts over them. Ther take the best qualities if cats, dogs, an rodents and put them in one animal. Long Live Ferrets!!!!!

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California has the highest population of domestic ferrets in the US. The irony huh?
Check out West Coast Ferrets. They're a rescue based in Sac. Or Northern California Ferret Alliance in the Bay. Could PM me for more details.

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Originally Posted by Konotashi

There is a huge movement in Cali trying to get them legalized. Honestly, it makes no sense for them to be illegal.
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Agreed fully.

The reason CA bans them is due to being an 'invasive predator'. They already know they are domestic animals, but spew garbage about ferrets destroying the native ecosystem and killing poultry and native species blablabla.

The legalization movement is large, but petty. Ferrets Anonymous( the legalization group) is headed by a man who is doing everything wrong and is very close minded. He is still stuck on the thought that ferrets cannot eat anything but kibble and will never kill their own food. That is one of his main arguments when fighting legislation and is totally wrong. He needs to understand that ferrets are harmless, but can still kill and eat meat.

He would rather badger Fish and Game than educate. Education is their biggest tool, but FA doesn't utilize it.
They also have a 'scientific' Environment Impact Report regarding ferrets in CA, but its really bad. I read it and there is no real scientific data supporting that ferrets will not wreck havoc on the environment. I know ferrets won't, but there is no true source in their document. Just speculation and unrelated case studies, which is why the government doesn't take them seriously.

Both the government and legalization group are ignorant and uneducated.

Overall, I've just given up on ferret legalization. No one cares except Fish and Game themselves. The cops don't care. Heck, most cops(and people in general in CA) don't even know ferrets are illegal. Vets don't care. It is in fact legal for vets to treat ferrets in CA. And there is a reason why CA has the highest population of ferrets in the country. Heh. Half a million and counting.

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Oh, ferrets can definitely kill.

When Cooper was a wee one, I put a f/t small rat in with him to see what he'd do with it, as I intend on giving him live mice on occasion for enrichment. The reason I started with a f/t was to see what he'd do. A lot of ferrets will torture their prey to death, and if I were to give him a live one, I want it do be killed quickly and not suffer.

He sniffed it for a few seconds, LATCHED onto the skull and started thrashing it around. He crunched the head so hard, the skull busted and an eyeball popped out of the socket.

A lot of people try to say that raw fed ferrets are aggressive. I made this video to argue with that fact. Cooper is a pretty big boy. (He's a little over 3 lbs, which is fairly large for a pet store ferret). He gives me kisses and cuddles. Not to mention, you will NEVER see a kibble fed ferret get this amped up for dinner!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0koyBkrGj8

I agree. Mine haven't changed their behavior towards me because of their food. They are more food/prey driven, but not aggressive. The whole group are cuddle bugs.

Compared to cats, ferrets mean business when it comes to live prey. In my personal experience, I haven't seen a ferret play with/torture their food. Feed a reasonable size prey and its a one hit kill. They latch on behind the neck and break it. Mine start crunching on the face after the prey is dead. A whole prey fed ferret's food drive is insane compared to the kibble eaters. But I suppose if you fed an adult jumbo rat, it would be agonizing if an inexperienced ferret has no idea how to dispatch it.

Shameless advertisement for the Raw/Whole Prey diet appreciation thread: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=194468

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Originally Posted by Anya

Are there plans in the works for making ferrets legal here? :confusd:

As far as I knew, it was never going to happen, especially since there's an enormous feral population in some places.

Do you have special ferret insider info? (Genuinely curious!)

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There is no feral population in any part of the world. There are, however, polecat-ferret hybrids that established colonies in Europe and New Zealand.
But true domesticated ferrets have not gone feral.

Join a local ferret club. There are a ton of ferret groups in CA.

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The closest thing I can think of to a wild 'ferret' population anywhere in the US that's wreaking havoc on the ecosystem are the mongooses on Hawaii - that were brought in intentionally to control rat populations. (A plan that failed miserably).
Other than that, I don't know anywhere where there are feral colonies of any animals that remotely resemble/are related to ferrets that are threatening ecosystems.

:confusd::confusd:

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nonga..._issues_2.html

Okay, I was misinformed, not enormous...but what is this all about?

I'll address most of this later when I get to PC.

But in short CA DFG will inaccurately portray ferrets in a negative light. Most of their information about ferrets is actually incorrect, outdated, or misleading. I (and most other ferret owner/vet/Bob Church world's #1 ferret biologist) can rebuttal most, if not all of the claims on that page. And the incidents of ferrets going feral anywhere in the world are not pure domestic ferrets regardless of what DFG said.

Not to mention 100% of US petstore ferrets are spayed/neutered before leaving the commercial breeding facility. Can't breed and establish populations without a reproductive system.



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Congrats on your fuzzy!! I have 3 and love them to death. :)

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Ferrets are so cute - wish I could have one.