Ferrets, ferrets and more ferrets!

[Jeanne]

Thought it was time to take them all out for a romp. Boy did they have some fun!






And our FOUR PACK!

[jglass38]

Wow! A lot of ferrets there! I always thought they were cute but couldn't deal with the smell. Plus the cats would just get jealous and pee on or near them

[ladywhipple02]

Cute little guys Jeanne!

Frank's actually really interested in getting one of these little guys, so I've been trying to do some research on them. Had a couple questions about it: where would you recommend picking one up that will be fixed and descented? I've looking into a couple adoption agencies, and was thinking about going that route.

Also, what kind of cage do you keep them in? Something you bought from a pet store or something you made yourself?

[ErikH]

OMG they are adorable! I love ferrets!

[Jeanne]

They can live in these types of cages:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...N=2026335&Ne=2

This is not specifically the one I use, but if you look around there are sooo many different ferret cages it is not even funny. I use multi level ones for multiple ferrets, there are smaller ones that are 1 or 2 levels, good for single ferrets.

As far as acquiring a ferret... you will have to find a pet store for this. Be prepared to spend usually no less than $130 for a single ferret, unless you are lucky and find them cheaper. But, be very careful when purchasing ferrets, alot of per stores have tiny tiny babies that are WAY too young to be away from thier mothers. Usually not even weaned (more commonly seen in Marshall ferrets), nor eating much if at all on thier own. Pass up tiny tiny babies. Ferrets come from a couple of suppliers, Marshall Farms and Cherryville Farms being the biggest suppliers. Marshall ferrets have tattoos of little dots on one of thier ears , one for marking those that have been fixed and the other for descenting. Cherryville does not to my knowledge and never has marked thier ferrets. All ferrets bought in the pet trade are fixed and descented. You dont want to meet one who has had neither done.. they stink and are ill tempered. Marshall Farms has had issues over the years, google Marshall Farms and look into the info you will find on them. I have not really heard bad things about Cherryville. 3 of my ferrests are Marshall Farms ferrets, the newest being a Cherryville. In the past, I have had many ferrets from both places, IMO Cherryville produces the healthiest ferrest who stay healthy long term, Marshall Farms ferrest can and often times have issues. If you can avoid a Marshalls ferret, I advise you to do so. But it will be hard seeing as though, they are the BIGGEST supplier, bigger than Cherryville. I think you can still order directly from Cherryville and have them ship to you, I would reccommend this method the most. Also, if buying from a pet store, look at thier feces, if it is runny, greenish or oddly colored...RUN FAST THE OTHER WAY! They have issues. If the cages are dirty... LEAVE! Be very picky and do not jump for the first one you find cause it is cute..all baby ferrest are cute. My best advice, observe the pet shop ferrets on several occassions at different times of the day when you go there... gives you a good idea on the health of the ferrets. Also, for some reason, albino ferrets seem to have more of an attitude than others, not sure why, they just do.... and they are VERY HARD to break of that habit, more so that others. All baby ferrets can be nippy, be prepared for this.. most ppl are not and freak when they have this nippy little thing that hurts everytime it bites. The best way to teach a ferret not to bite/nip..grab it by the scruff and gently shake it a bit, while telling it no (discipline it like its mother would).. then isolate it in a separate little kennel that you use for punishment. Giving them time outs works great. Also, sometimes spraying water in thier faces works, in extreme cases, I have had to flick them on the nose and tell them no to get my point across. Begin litter training them immediately, if they go on your floor while they are out of thier cage... pick it up and them and drop both them and thier mess back into thier litter box, be sure they see you doing this. Thier cages are best left on a floor so they have access to it at all times when out. Let me know if you have other questions or need help, I will be glad to help you out.

[Jeanne]

Also, adoption is a good idea actually.. but ask alot, I mean alot of questions about thier health and history. Diabetes is common in older ferrets....

[ladywhipple02]

Thanks for all the info! I've never really been interested in getting a ferret... but Frank's allergic to most critters with fur, and, while he loves the cat, he wants a little fuzzy of his own. He's really been looking at the ferrets when we go to pet stores, so I've been doing a bit of looking around. Thinking about getting him one for a gift (though I want to take him to Petco or something and have him sit with a ferret, first, just to make sure it's not going to kill him).


Again, thanks for all your help!

[frankykeno]

Lynne another creature to consider is a chincilla. Usually people that are allergic to cats are fine with chins (usually if you have a bunny allergy though a chin allergy might also exist but not always). Chins are very interactive and quite interesting but so are ferrets. Both might be excellent choices. Both need a LOT of interaction lol. If you'd like I can recommend an excellent chin breeder that both Jeanne and I are looking into in Ohio.


~~Jo~~

[ladywhipple02]

I'm not sure if he'd like a chin or not.


Frank has a dreadful rabbit allergy... if he stays in a room with them too long, his airway starts closing up. Thus, he can't come over to my apartment much because of my roommate's bunny And, thus the reason he's really into ferrets and snakes.

[MedusasOwl]

I think hedgehogs are relatively good allergy wise if they're legal where you are and have quite the personalities too. It's always hard to say with allergies though, he may need to just go in and play with different types of critters for short periods of time and see if he has any reactions. He needs to make a playdate with some ferrets.