Post by Kim on Jul 9, 2010 21:31:19 GMT -5
General
• Buy the book “Ferrets for Dummies” second addition--very informative and a great reference for general care, common illnesses, emergencies etc.
• Find a good Exotic Veterinarian and Emergency Hospital open 24hrs. Ferrets are unique and a regular vet may not be comfortable or familiar enough to treat your ferret.
• Kits under the age of 16 weeks will need 2 boosters of Canine distemper vaccine and 1 ferret specific rabies shot. Each shot will need to be given separately (at different appointments) as ferrets are prone to reactions and if they do react, you want to know which vaccine they are reacting to. Reactions can be serious and can be fatal. Your vet should have you wait 20 minutes in the office after the vaccine is given to make sure there is no reaction. Over the age of 16 weeks, kits may only need one rabies and one distemper booster but that will be determined by your vet.
Food/Nutrition
• Ferrets are obligate carnivores and need a very high protein, low carb/no sugar diet. Ferrets do not have cecums and cannot digest plant matter or grains and get no nutrition from them. Good foods include: EVO Ferret, 8-1 Ultimate Crunchy (not 8-1 Ultrablend), Totally Ferret, Zupreem, and Natural Gold Low Carb. Cat and dog foods solely are not a good choice as they break down differently and have too many fillers. Ferrets digest in 3-4 hours, so they eat often, metabolize quickly and poop frequently. However on a good food, the amount of poop is less because they are utilizing more.
• Ferrets are finicky, so while they are young, introduce them to the foods you want them to eat later on. Mix 2 foods, so if one food is discontinued or out of stock, you don’t have to worry about your ferret not eating.
• Good treats include small bits of cooked unseasoned meats like chicken, turkey, hamburger or egg. Gerber Stage 2 Chicken or Turkey baby food (no veggies) is also a good treat and very handy if the ferret comes down with the flu or has surgery and doesn’t want to eat. Other good treats from the pet store include Nbones (kind of like chew sticks), Cheweasels, Dooker Delights by Performance Foods, and ferretone. Ferretone is also a handy tool when trying to clip nails. Poor some on the belly and while they lick it off, they are pretty distracted and can clip the nails. Your ferret will love bandit treats also, but due to sugar—in my opinion should be given sparingly.
• Ferrets need food and water available 24/7 but they will normally eat only what they need. Unfortunately some like to “scoop” out their food and eat it off the floor. Water and food bowls are great, but crocks that attach to the side of the cage will help prevent moving and spilling. Some ferrets like to bathe or snorkel in their water, so it’s a good idea to keep a water bottle available. I keep the water bottle right over the water bowl so it catches any drips.
Housing
• Ferrets have no regard for their own safety. You will need to ferretproof your home or at least the rooms your ferrets will have available to them. Kitchens and vents are very dangerous for ferrets. They can be electrocuted, burned, seriously injured from fans, and/or sadly even lost.
• Wherever their heads can fit, it is likely their body will follow. One of mine got a head stuck in a thick plastic milk carton and only with veggie oil poured over the head and neck in the bathtub—she was just barely able to wiggle herself free.
• In the bathroom—keep the tub drain covered and toilet seat down.
• Nuts, pencil erasers, styrofoam, pillow stuffings, electrical cords, latex products or toys, and anything small that can be ingested (children’s toys) needs to be removed. You can spray electrical cords with bitter apple to deter, some ferrets won’t chew them, some love rubber and will stick to their own toys but there are always a few that will. Keep an eye out for what your ferret likes to chew to pieces—and you’ll know what to remove.
• Favorite cage of ferret owners is the “Ferret Nation” 141 and 142. It is the easiest to clean, expand, and is extremely sturdy. Other cages are economical and will suffice—just make sure it’s big enough for eating, sleeping, scratching, stretching, and the litterbox.
• Ferrets prefer a square hi-back litterbox. Ferret’s like to have their entire body in the box and hind legs tend to “climb” as they take care of their business and we want everything to stay in the box.
• I would suggest while litter training to limit the ferret to 1 level of the cage (take out other shelving) and cover the bottom of the cage that is not protected by the litterbox or food/water dishes with old t-shirts as ferrets don’t like to poop where they lay. Sometimes they do, but this will help discourage this behavior. It’s just like training a puppy.
• Keep any eye out in the beginning of what your ferrets like to chew on. Some chew on blankets or even their own bedding and this can cause blockages. If you find this, remove it and replace with something comparable.
• Ferrets love hammocks to sleep and anything they can burrow in—which is their nature.
• Cage should be covered with a dark sheet during sleeping hours. Ferrets should be kept to a maximum of 8-10 hours of exposure to daylight and/or house lighting. Exposure to too much light messes with their day/night cycle, disrupts with the production of melatonin in the body and has been linked to Adrenal Disease. Research however is not conclusive.
Behavior
• Ferrets can sleep 15-18 hours a day. If they know you are home, they will want to be by you (especially when young). As they get older, they will get used to a routine. They should also receive 3-4 hours of supervised out of cage playtime where about 1.5 hours should be interactive with you. Or if you have multiple ferrets—at least a half hour with you. They are not “cage creatures” like mice, hamsters, rats or guinea pigs.
• Ferrets are very social creatures and its always preferable that there be 2 in a household. They will sleep, groom and play with one another. Keep in mind it doesn’t replace your attention, or you may just have 2 bored ferrets!
• A bored ferret can be a destructive ferret. Best toy is the “Marshall’s 20 foot Super Thru way”. It’s like a 20 foot plastic slinky. Ferrets love tunneling. You can also drag it around and they’ll run up or once they run in, you can lift it and it acts kind of like a “slide”. Ferrets also like card board boxes with holes, baskets of dirty laundry, fitted sheet or towel rides, tug of war, jingly toys (as long as they are not fabric, rubber, or latex chewers).
• Ferrets will speedbump—lay completely flat on the floor like their dead—really they are just bored or trying to figure out what to do next.
• War dancing. I will equate this to Tasmanian devil like behavior—some times they will alligator roll, throw their head or themselves around carelessly with their mouth wide open, dance and prance about and you might even here a “dooking” sound. Ferrets do this when they are really excited and they can get a little crazed. Its one of the wonderful unique behaviors! They will probably nip if you try to get them—as they are wanting to play and play ferret style.
Health Tips
• Clip their nails, clean their ears and brush teeth every 2 weeks. If you pour a little ferretone on your fuzzies belly and make sure they know, they will lick their belly clean and probably won’t notice you clipping their nails. During the young kit stage—I would suggest a helper with nail cutting. Have your vet show youhow to brush teeth and clean their ears. If your vet doesn’t know how, find a new vet! These are the first 3 things my vet showed me on my first visit.
• Wash their bedding minimum 2 X per month and scoop the litterbox twice a day—this will help minimize any odors.
• Ferrets don’t need baths as baths strip the oils from the coat and actually cause the body to produce more, which may make your ferret smell more musky. Twice a year for maintenance is plenty but actually still unnecessary. If they get themselves into something unpleasant or sticky or dirty, then maybe a bath is necessary.
• Ferrets are prone to get one or more of the following “Big 3” diseases: Adrenal Disease (overgrowth and cancer of the Adrenal glands), Insulinoma (opposite of diabetes in people) and Lymphoma
• An Exotic Vet is very important to be able to identify the symptoms and diagnose early. Both Adrenal disease and Insulinoma are very treatable with medicines and/or surgery.
• Of the “Big 3” Adrenal is the most easily treatable. Signs of Adrenal are progressive hairloss or alopecia from the tail up through the back, excessive itching, and sexual aggressiveness. In females their “vulva” will become noticeably swollen (otherwise you don’t normally notice it at all) and in males they will have problems with enlargement of their prostate and difficulty in urination—very serious complication.
• Ferrets blow their coats twice a year, in the spring and fall, so don’t worry if your ferret experiences hair loss—just if it doesn’t grow back. A little kitty malt hair ball remedy can be used during these times as ferrets are not like cats and don’t pass the hairballs as easily.
• Ferrets can get the flu just like humans and from humans—so if you or anyone in your family becomes sick—avoid your ferrets if possible. If not, use hand sanitizer.
• Grossly enough, a ferret’s normal health can be determined by the way they eat, drink and poop. If they are pooping too much, the food may not be high enough protein, if it’s too runny they may be having a hard time adapting to the food, or are under stress. If it’s green, they are having indigestion and not properly digesting—this can also come from stress/illness. One green poop every once in a while is not a problem, but consistent green poop means Vet trip asap as your bud will probably need antibiotics. No poop or thin ribbon like poop could mean an intestinal blockage and a definite Vet trip asap.
Unfortunates
Ferrets are natural diggers. Your carpet, couch cushions and fabric could become their victims. I learned the hard way and had to reupholster the bottom of my couch myself with some cotton fabric. I would suggest a “dig box” to get some of their energy and tendencies focused. Just take a plastic box/bin and fill it with long grain (not instant) rice. Fill it enough that they are not likely to reach the bottom and it will keep them wondering what’s down there? Hide toys in there for more entertainment. In the beginning they may not realize what it’s for, so they may try to use as a litterbox—don’t let them! Make the box deep enough so that the rice doesn’t fly out. They will get bored with the box, so put it away for a few weeks and bring it back out at a later time, it will make it all brand new again! Instant rice will expand if consumed so it is important to avoid all “instant foods”. In the winter I like to fill the same type box with snow and put it in the tub. Ferrets are well known thieves—they will steal and hide your keys, remotes, socks, pens, wallets or anything they can drag themselves which they find interesting. My ferrets love purses, shoes (digging soles out), anything leather or shiny……so it’s important to keep whatever you don’t want them to have up and to find their hidey holes!
Disclaimer
I’m not a vet, nutritionist or behavioralist. These are things I’ve learned while owning 4 ferrets—Ralphie, Ernie Aemilia and Jilliebeans and from joining and actively participating in the GCFA “Great Chicago Ferret Association” and forum.ferret.com. The information provided is also not all-inclusive. There is much more to experience and learn!
• Buy the book “Ferrets for Dummies” second addition--very informative and a great reference for general care, common illnesses, emergencies etc.
• Find a good Exotic Veterinarian and Emergency Hospital open 24hrs. Ferrets are unique and a regular vet may not be comfortable or familiar enough to treat your ferret.
• Kits under the age of 16 weeks will need 2 boosters of Canine distemper vaccine and 1 ferret specific rabies shot. Each shot will need to be given separately (at different appointments) as ferrets are prone to reactions and if they do react, you want to know which vaccine they are reacting to. Reactions can be serious and can be fatal. Your vet should have you wait 20 minutes in the office after the vaccine is given to make sure there is no reaction. Over the age of 16 weeks, kits may only need one rabies and one distemper booster but that will be determined by your vet.
Food/Nutrition
• Ferrets are obligate carnivores and need a very high protein, low carb/no sugar diet. Ferrets do not have cecums and cannot digest plant matter or grains and get no nutrition from them. Good foods include: EVO Ferret, 8-1 Ultimate Crunchy (not 8-1 Ultrablend), Totally Ferret, Zupreem, and Natural Gold Low Carb. Cat and dog foods solely are not a good choice as they break down differently and have too many fillers. Ferrets digest in 3-4 hours, so they eat often, metabolize quickly and poop frequently. However on a good food, the amount of poop is less because they are utilizing more.
• Ferrets are finicky, so while they are young, introduce them to the foods you want them to eat later on. Mix 2 foods, so if one food is discontinued or out of stock, you don’t have to worry about your ferret not eating.
• Good treats include small bits of cooked unseasoned meats like chicken, turkey, hamburger or egg. Gerber Stage 2 Chicken or Turkey baby food (no veggies) is also a good treat and very handy if the ferret comes down with the flu or has surgery and doesn’t want to eat. Other good treats from the pet store include Nbones (kind of like chew sticks), Cheweasels, Dooker Delights by Performance Foods, and ferretone. Ferretone is also a handy tool when trying to clip nails. Poor some on the belly and while they lick it off, they are pretty distracted and can clip the nails. Your ferret will love bandit treats also, but due to sugar—in my opinion should be given sparingly.
• Ferrets need food and water available 24/7 but they will normally eat only what they need. Unfortunately some like to “scoop” out their food and eat it off the floor. Water and food bowls are great, but crocks that attach to the side of the cage will help prevent moving and spilling. Some ferrets like to bathe or snorkel in their water, so it’s a good idea to keep a water bottle available. I keep the water bottle right over the water bowl so it catches any drips.
Housing
• Ferrets have no regard for their own safety. You will need to ferretproof your home or at least the rooms your ferrets will have available to them. Kitchens and vents are very dangerous for ferrets. They can be electrocuted, burned, seriously injured from fans, and/or sadly even lost.
• Wherever their heads can fit, it is likely their body will follow. One of mine got a head stuck in a thick plastic milk carton and only with veggie oil poured over the head and neck in the bathtub—she was just barely able to wiggle herself free.
• In the bathroom—keep the tub drain covered and toilet seat down.
• Nuts, pencil erasers, styrofoam, pillow stuffings, electrical cords, latex products or toys, and anything small that can be ingested (children’s toys) needs to be removed. You can spray electrical cords with bitter apple to deter, some ferrets won’t chew them, some love rubber and will stick to their own toys but there are always a few that will. Keep an eye out for what your ferret likes to chew to pieces—and you’ll know what to remove.
• Favorite cage of ferret owners is the “Ferret Nation” 141 and 142. It is the easiest to clean, expand, and is extremely sturdy. Other cages are economical and will suffice—just make sure it’s big enough for eating, sleeping, scratching, stretching, and the litterbox.
• Ferrets prefer a square hi-back litterbox. Ferret’s like to have their entire body in the box and hind legs tend to “climb” as they take care of their business and we want everything to stay in the box.
• I would suggest while litter training to limit the ferret to 1 level of the cage (take out other shelving) and cover the bottom of the cage that is not protected by the litterbox or food/water dishes with old t-shirts as ferrets don’t like to poop where they lay. Sometimes they do, but this will help discourage this behavior. It’s just like training a puppy.
• Keep any eye out in the beginning of what your ferrets like to chew on. Some chew on blankets or even their own bedding and this can cause blockages. If you find this, remove it and replace with something comparable.
• Ferrets love hammocks to sleep and anything they can burrow in—which is their nature.
• Cage should be covered with a dark sheet during sleeping hours. Ferrets should be kept to a maximum of 8-10 hours of exposure to daylight and/or house lighting. Exposure to too much light messes with their day/night cycle, disrupts with the production of melatonin in the body and has been linked to Adrenal Disease. Research however is not conclusive.
Behavior
• Ferrets can sleep 15-18 hours a day. If they know you are home, they will want to be by you (especially when young). As they get older, they will get used to a routine. They should also receive 3-4 hours of supervised out of cage playtime where about 1.5 hours should be interactive with you. Or if you have multiple ferrets—at least a half hour with you. They are not “cage creatures” like mice, hamsters, rats or guinea pigs.
• Ferrets are very social creatures and its always preferable that there be 2 in a household. They will sleep, groom and play with one another. Keep in mind it doesn’t replace your attention, or you may just have 2 bored ferrets!
• A bored ferret can be a destructive ferret. Best toy is the “Marshall’s 20 foot Super Thru way”. It’s like a 20 foot plastic slinky. Ferrets love tunneling. You can also drag it around and they’ll run up or once they run in, you can lift it and it acts kind of like a “slide”. Ferrets also like card board boxes with holes, baskets of dirty laundry, fitted sheet or towel rides, tug of war, jingly toys (as long as they are not fabric, rubber, or latex chewers).
• Ferrets will speedbump—lay completely flat on the floor like their dead—really they are just bored or trying to figure out what to do next.
• War dancing. I will equate this to Tasmanian devil like behavior—some times they will alligator roll, throw their head or themselves around carelessly with their mouth wide open, dance and prance about and you might even here a “dooking” sound. Ferrets do this when they are really excited and they can get a little crazed. Its one of the wonderful unique behaviors! They will probably nip if you try to get them—as they are wanting to play and play ferret style.
Health Tips
• Clip their nails, clean their ears and brush teeth every 2 weeks. If you pour a little ferretone on your fuzzies belly and make sure they know, they will lick their belly clean and probably won’t notice you clipping their nails. During the young kit stage—I would suggest a helper with nail cutting. Have your vet show youhow to brush teeth and clean their ears. If your vet doesn’t know how, find a new vet! These are the first 3 things my vet showed me on my first visit.
• Wash their bedding minimum 2 X per month and scoop the litterbox twice a day—this will help minimize any odors.
• Ferrets don’t need baths as baths strip the oils from the coat and actually cause the body to produce more, which may make your ferret smell more musky. Twice a year for maintenance is plenty but actually still unnecessary. If they get themselves into something unpleasant or sticky or dirty, then maybe a bath is necessary.
• Ferrets are prone to get one or more of the following “Big 3” diseases: Adrenal Disease (overgrowth and cancer of the Adrenal glands), Insulinoma (opposite of diabetes in people) and Lymphoma
• An Exotic Vet is very important to be able to identify the symptoms and diagnose early. Both Adrenal disease and Insulinoma are very treatable with medicines and/or surgery.
• Of the “Big 3” Adrenal is the most easily treatable. Signs of Adrenal are progressive hairloss or alopecia from the tail up through the back, excessive itching, and sexual aggressiveness. In females their “vulva” will become noticeably swollen (otherwise you don’t normally notice it at all) and in males they will have problems with enlargement of their prostate and difficulty in urination—very serious complication.
• Ferrets blow their coats twice a year, in the spring and fall, so don’t worry if your ferret experiences hair loss—just if it doesn’t grow back. A little kitty malt hair ball remedy can be used during these times as ferrets are not like cats and don’t pass the hairballs as easily.
• Ferrets can get the flu just like humans and from humans—so if you or anyone in your family becomes sick—avoid your ferrets if possible. If not, use hand sanitizer.
• Grossly enough, a ferret’s normal health can be determined by the way they eat, drink and poop. If they are pooping too much, the food may not be high enough protein, if it’s too runny they may be having a hard time adapting to the food, or are under stress. If it’s green, they are having indigestion and not properly digesting—this can also come from stress/illness. One green poop every once in a while is not a problem, but consistent green poop means Vet trip asap as your bud will probably need antibiotics. No poop or thin ribbon like poop could mean an intestinal blockage and a definite Vet trip asap.
Unfortunates
Ferrets are natural diggers. Your carpet, couch cushions and fabric could become their victims. I learned the hard way and had to reupholster the bottom of my couch myself with some cotton fabric. I would suggest a “dig box” to get some of their energy and tendencies focused. Just take a plastic box/bin and fill it with long grain (not instant) rice. Fill it enough that they are not likely to reach the bottom and it will keep them wondering what’s down there? Hide toys in there for more entertainment. In the beginning they may not realize what it’s for, so they may try to use as a litterbox—don’t let them! Make the box deep enough so that the rice doesn’t fly out. They will get bored with the box, so put it away for a few weeks and bring it back out at a later time, it will make it all brand new again! Instant rice will expand if consumed so it is important to avoid all “instant foods”. In the winter I like to fill the same type box with snow and put it in the tub. Ferrets are well known thieves—they will steal and hide your keys, remotes, socks, pens, wallets or anything they can drag themselves which they find interesting. My ferrets love purses, shoes (digging soles out), anything leather or shiny……so it’s important to keep whatever you don’t want them to have up and to find their hidey holes!
Disclaimer
I’m not a vet, nutritionist or behavioralist. These are things I’ve learned while owning 4 ferrets—Ralphie, Ernie Aemilia and Jilliebeans and from joining and actively participating in the GCFA “Great Chicago Ferret Association” and forum.ferret.com. The information provided is also not all-inclusive. There is much more to experience and learn!