Ferret Questions

[Argentra]

Ferret 'dry' foods are not entirely dry, that's why they spoil faster than regular dry pet kibbles. Ferrets are total carnivores, which is why you were warned that they would "hunt" the mice and rats, even the snakes to a point. Refrigerating the food would be alright, but don't freeze it as that destroys the nutrients. At the zoo, we fed the girls a base diet of ferret kibble with a different meat source each day. Some days we'd give them crickets chilled but not frozen in an egg carton with hay as a kind of toy. It was so much fun watching them grab the crickets as they wandered out of the carton.

[Shadowspider]

I'm glad someone knows about ferret kibble!
I always fed mine raw meat of various types (organ and muscle meat) and F/T feeder mice and rats...and fish, especially salmon and sardines (raw of course)... two great sources for omega 3 which is very good for their skin and hair.

[Monty]

they are prone to adrenals decease . one of mine passed away from it. no fun

the food does spoil fast i put it in containers and put it in the freezer. also look for innova evo ferret food. its on of the best out there unless you can get wysong

here is a site for it
http://www.craftycreatures.com/forfe...chetypal1.html

and once a month i will boil a game hen for them and let them "play with a mouse". in a controlled enviornment of course.

[Shadowspider]

Oh yeah, ferret health issues, duhhh, I was going to dig them up from my dust covered files.
Anyway, here's some of the more common problems that can effect ferrets.
*Note I said "can", not "will"*
You DO want to make sure that you get a good healthy, sound ferret though from either a reputable breeder or reputable rescue, just like any other animal you get.

* Adrenal Disease
* Heart Disease (Cardiomyopathy and Congestive Heart Failure)
* Epizootic Catarrhal Enteritis (Green Mystery Virus)
* Insulinoma (Islet Cell Tumors)
* Lymphosarcoma
* Skin Tumors
* Splenomegaly (Enlarged Spleen)
* Gastric Ulcers and Helicobacter mustelae

[Whodinidunit]

I had 2 ferrets that came from Marshall Farms. They already are nuetered/spaded and descented. You can tell if it is from Marshall Farms as they will have two dots tatooed in thier ear. And yes, just because they say they are descented does not mean they won't smell. Just like any animal it requires alot of work.

If you are going to keep them in a cage then be sure that for a few hours every day they are out to play and roam. this will tire them out a bit so they are not so restless when in the cage.

Be sure to put litter boxes and corners of rooms since they like to go potty in corners. To help keep the smell down make sure you clean the litter boxes a couple times daily. And bath them about once every two weeks so it doesn't dry or damage thier skin.

and not only they are masters at escaping and disappearing, they also are master thieves. Don't leave your car keys laying around where they can get them or you can kiss them goodbye for a while.

Also if you want to get more then one it's best to get them very close to each other. If you get one and just one it might become more territorial and when you try to add another to your family the older one might not like it too much. They will also play extremely rough when playing.

I really miss my ferrets. I had to surrender them to the SPCA after a storm last year flooded my basement destroying thiere cage and all thier stuff as well as about $20,000 in other belongings. For like a week and a half I had to keep them in a cat carrier. It was very hard for me to surrender them but I couldn't take care of them while I had to rebuild my basement and recoup my losses

[Argentra]

Ouch, that sucks. *Comfort*

I know how you feel, tho. I ended up giving my G.Pig to the local rescue because I just couldn't give him the time and attention he needed. Which is why I now own all animals that are mostly "self sufficient" or don't need a lot of human interaction.

The basic rundown is that ferrets are rather like owning a puppy: a very tricky, messy, and uber-playful puppy. You have to give them quite a bit of attention and care, but they are worth the effort because they are so cute and sweet (once they get used to you). It's the same commitment as getting a dog, but without the space or noise issues.
All in all, ferrets are great little pets. You just have to research and shop around like you would for any new animal. Good luck.

[Shadowspider]

Don't leave your car keys laying around where they can get them or you can kiss them goodbye for a while.

LOL One of my ferrets took off with my house keys. It took me a month to find them and when I did, I found them in the BOTTOM of the box of laundry detergent!
Don't ask me how Spaz accomplished that one, to this day I have no clue.

[Whodinidunit]

LOL One of my ferrets took off with my house keys. It took me a month to find them and when I did, I found them in the BOTTOM of the box of laundry detergent!
Don't ask me how Spaz accomplished that one, to this day I have no clue.

it's quite amazing what the little buggers can do.

[Nikki0326]

I had a ferret who would drag everything under my bed. When I put her away I'd have a stockpile of toys, shoes she could drag under there, and once my wallet. As far as "ferret-proofing" as long as you have one room, or an area of a room you can secure you are set. And instead of washing a lot you can change the bedding more often (washing a lot can dry out the skin and cause them to produce more oils and such). They are very entertaining to watch and it's suggested to have two as they will play with each other.

[Thunder Kat]

Hey all you ferret owners or those who have thought about getting a ferret.

A few questions:

1. What do you consider the pros and cons of owning a ferret?
2. What do you think of clothing designed for ferrets? Like it? Don't? Why?
3. Walking harnesses...can they be left on a ferret 24/7 like you would a puppy? What about a collar with a bell?

Thanks.

1. pros- of course they'er cute, they pick one corner to potty in becuase of this they are easy to litter train (pine litter only), and very very smart, if buy bulk at a feed store (live stock feed store) a 6month supply 50lb bag only costs around 25$ (as soon as you open the bag store food in zip lock bag in fridge). cons- because they are so smart they get board easily and look for entertainment and they are escape artist (trust me!), if you have a female that's not fixed when she goes in heat you HAVE to breeder her or fix her ASAP or she will get an infection and she will die I worked for a bad breeder when I was 15 and sadly we had many ferrets die because they weren't breed fast enough, they also have to be desented or every time they get stressed your house will smell worse than a skunk they are cleptos and for some reason they only like things you value, taming takes time and a high pain threshold (they have very sharp teeth and when they bite they "lock on" and twist), they are pron to uppre RI, they also need yearly shots i.e. rabbies.
2. & 3. think of it like trying to put clothes or a leash on a cat, you can do it but it only causes stress and they will more than likley hang them selves trying to get it off.
If you have the time and money these little guys make great pets.