Pet Ferret Center: November 2010

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Things You'll Need:
-Cage
-Toys
-Food
-Water
-Harness
-Leash
-Litter pan

-Litter

Instructions =)

1
Give your ferret a home. Even though you will let your ferret out to play, he needs adequate space to live and play in when inside his cage. The size of your cage depends on your budget, but you should also base your cage decision on how well it will be able to keep him occupied when inside. There are several kinds of cages, some with add-on levels and easy cleaning capabilities. Ferret Nation has a 36-inch long by 25-inch wide by 24-inch high cage that is inexpensive and gives your ferret plenty of room to play (see Resources).
2

Litter train your ferret. Ferrets can be picky animals. When you begin litter training a ferret, use a small pan that is not easily tipped over. Put the pan in her cage. Do not clean all the feces out of the litter because doing so may confuse the animal. She needs to know where the potty area is located.
3

Feed and water your ferret freely, every 3 to 4 hours. Ferrets need constant access to good food and fresh water to drink. Dry foods are a great choice, but check your options because not all foods have equal protein and fat content, which ferrets need. If you cannot find ferret food, use cat food only as a last resort until you do find some. Find ferret food at exotic pet stores or order it online.
4

Give treats in moderation. Give your ferret treats for good behavior. Treats are a great way to train and reward a ferret. Just do not give treats in excess because your ferret may acquire weight or other issues later in life. Avoid giving him sweets even though he loves them.
5

Bathe your ferret if she starts to smell, but keep in mind that ferrets are naturally supposed to smell a bit. If you bathe her too much her skin will dry and her oils will work overtime, making your ferret smell worse. Give baths carefully with shampoo (watch her eyes or use tear-free shampoo) and warm water only when necessary. Towel dry.
6

Exercise your ferret. Ferrets are curious; ferret-proof your house. If you think your ferret is not getting enough exercise in the house, take him for a walk like you would your dog, on a harness and leash.
7

Provide toys. Keep her interested with tunnels, toys that vibrate, pull along toys, balls or anything that makes noise. Ferrets need toys to keep them interested and busy, just like cats and dogs.

Ferrets require a balanced diet. You can buy ferret food or high quality cat food in any local pet store, but make sure that any food you choose contains at least 35% protein and 20% fat, because ferrets need more fat in their diet than cats. Balanced fats such as poultry fats are better for ferrets because they are a better blend of essential fatty acids. You should always make sure that your ferret has fresh water. Ferrets drink less water from bottles than they do out of bowls, but if you are unable to replace the water in the bowl at least once a day, then a water bottle is the better option. You also need to give your ferret safe housing. Your ferret’s cage should be spacious, safe and easy to clean. The amount of space between the bars of the cage is critical, because your ferret will be in danger if it is able to force its head through any part of the cage. Also ensure that the cage you buy has no areas where your ferret’s feet can get caught. Ferrets love to run around and play, but if they are not in a proper cage they can be injured. They sleep between 15 and 20 hours a day and they love to hide inside dark, padded areas. They love sleeping sacks and hammocks for playing and sleeping. You can also place a sheet over part of the cage to give your ferrets a private, quiet place for them to play in or sleep.

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Ferret Facts And Information

The Ferret a great cheerful little animal that makes a great pet for the whole family, they love to play, they love to muck about and they love to be curious, but they may not be the pet for all, there are some things we need to know about ferrets before we dive in and bring one into our family home.

So what about ferrets? Well they are great little animals that were once used for hunting and ratting, but they have been domesticated for over 2000 years now and it is illegal to use them as there former selves in a lot of countries, one being the United States.

Even though there are many that think they are part of the rodent family, they are not, they are related to polecats, weasels and otters and are referred to as mustela putorius furo, they are part of the mustelidae family. Female ferrets are known a Jills growing to about 12 inches long where as the males known as Hobs grow to around 16 inches.

Before you decide to bring a ferret into your home you need to consider a few things that may determine whether they are the pet for you. They can take up a fair bit of your time as they need attention from us humans, they like us and want to play and interact with us, this means they should not be locked in their cage for very long periods of time.

They like their play time and they like to share that with us as often a possible. They are mischievous and can get into everything given half the chance. For these reasons alone we should be looking at our lifestyle and whether it will accommodate Mr ferret and not just our present lifestyle but also consider whether it is likely to change much in the future, about 7 years in the future as this is the average life expectancy of our fuzzy friends.

There is a financial aspect to take into account as well, like other family pets, ferrets are going to cost you to feed, all though not a huge amount, they are only little after all, they need a suitable housing unit and bowls for food and water, bedding and toys etc. But although these are all minimal, there is the dreaded veterinarian bills to consider. Your ferret will have to have his initial vaccinations and then an annual booster and check up to keep him in tip top condition as well as any health issues as he grows older.

Other factors to consider are other family pets and of course children. Ferrets normally get on fine with cats and dogs as long as they have been introduced properly in the first place. Some smaller pets like birds or reptiles may not be such a good idea as the ferret may see them as prey.

Ferrets love a rough and tumble and if you have more than one, you will often see them play fight and bite each other which does not hurt them as their skin is thick, but the same cannot be said for children, if a ferret nips a child’s skin then it can cause damage, equally kids can sometimes be rough with small animals, either one can snap back causing harm to the other, so bear this in mind

.So the decision about whether a ferret is the pet for you and your family is one that needs careful consideration, not only for your family, but also for the ferret.

Your New Ferret

A new ferret is a worthy addition to your home and they are fun loving, playful pets. You can train your little fuzzy, even to use a litter box as long as you are persistent with the training and start as soon as you get the little guy home.

Here is a little tip for training them to use the litter box, ferrets normally go soon after waking or soon after eating, so when they wake put them in the litter box and the same goes for after eating. Try and keep him their until he goes and then give him a treat, this is a great way to train him to use the litter box. Your new little friend will need to get plenty of exercise and they won’t get that in their cage, so you will need to let them out regularly, but before you do there are things you need to do to make your house ferret friendly.

You can’t just let your ferret loose without first making your house safe, there are lots of things that you do not realize in your house that your ferret could climb into, get stuck in or even escape to the outside. Let them loose without first properly ferretizing (yes I just made that word up) your house could mean you will never see them again or that they hurt themselves. So get to work on your house before Mr fuzzy even comes home.

Now you may want to only let your fuzzy loose in one room and not let them have access to the rest of your house or you may decide that they can roam anywhere they like in the house. Which ever you choose, the best way to ferretize your house is to first get down to their level, yes get on your hands and knees and explore your ferret room or the whole house.

This way you can look for any little gaps or crevices that the little fella could squeeze into, be thorough and then work you way upwards as they are pretty good climbers. Check for any loose vents at all levels and check the gap between door and floor, this may sound odd, but if the gap is a couple of inches your new friend may disappear, I’ve seen cats do it so a ferret could also do it.

Pull out appliances and check that there are no holes or crevices behind that they can get through, these little fellas like to explore and they will. Think to look at your furniture as well, your couch may have thin material underneath which your ferret can rip and get through. Just be sure to check for everything you can think of and then you can have the piece of mind that your new friend is going to be safe.

Be careful what you leave lying around when your ferret is on the loose, all things are toys to ferrets and they will try out anything, it’s in their nature. Small cables or leads may be attractive for a little nibble or they may decide that a compact disc or your treasured vinyl collection was worthy of being chewed up, this is why it is best only to let your furry friend out when they have your full attention, then you can stop them harming themselves and protect your personal belongings at the same time.

The Ferret Diet

You have got to give your furry friend the right food if you want him to have a long healthy life. A ferrets diet should be balanced and contain around 35% protein and 20% fat, be low in fiber and carbohydrates, you see they are meat eaters and need the fat and protein for their good health.

There are specialized ferret foods available and it is always best to go for good quality rather than economy, bear in mind they don’t eat a huge amount of food so the cost is still going to be fairly low even for the best quality. Very good quality cat food is an alternative if it contains the right amount of protein and fat.

Ferrets are very fussy at what they eat and would rather go hungry than eat low standard food. If you get their diet right and it serves all the nutritional needs then they won’t have to take any supplements.

It is very important to get the diet right from the start especially with a kit, find out what food they have been fed on up to the point of you taking them home and don’t just change this straight away. If it is a good quality food then there is no reason to change it, but if you are going to change it for what ever reason then ween them off it slowly, mix a bit of the new food with the old and gradually change the ratio in favor of the new food until they are taking then new food complete.

Your ferret will want to eat 2 times a day and they will only need small portions as they are only little fellas after all. You can choose to either feed your ferret dry food or moist, dry food which normally comes in pellet form will last all day and has the added benefit of helping to clean their teeth, where as moist food will not last more than an hour and should be removed from the cage after this time if not all consumed. Remember that they will need fresh clean water that should be replaced a couple of times daily, this is especially important when they are fed on the dry food.

There are some foods that need to be avoided and these are normally given quite innocently as treats. Your ferret does not need treats, but they do come in handy as a training aid, so here are the ones to avoid… Vegetables, which ferrets find hard to digest and one to definitely avoid is onions as they can poison the little fuzzie.

Avoid candy and fruit as these are to high in sugar and dairy products like milk and cheese should not be fed either. Keeping in mind that their diet should be high in protein and fat then the perfect treats are meats and cooked eggs, but try to keep treats as only a training aid or as a special occasion.

There are a number of health issues and illnesses a ferret can develop if you do not feed him the right diet, including malnutrition or obesity, diarrhea or intestinal blockage, insulinoma or hypoglycemia and tooth decay. Your furry friends diet is important for his whole well being, so keep him happy and healthy through his little stomach.

Caring For Your Baby Ferret

The little baby ferret so cute, what can we say about these little fuzzies. Well they are known as kits and they are born blind and pink with hardly any hair. Their skin will start to darken after about 3 weeks and normally they will start to open their eyes around 5 or 6 weeks. They spend the first part of their life eating and sleeping, but this is what the little fellas need to develop and grow. They can leave their mothers after around 6 to 7 weeks, although some say it is better to leave them with their mothers up to 10 weeks.

Whilst the mother is giving birth which normally is to around 6 to 8 kits, she should not be handled as this can be dangerous to her babies and stressful for her, the little kits need a lot of care and in the very early days this is done by the mother. Once the kits reached around 7 weeks of age they will need to get their first set of vaccinations and at this point it is worth discussing with the vet about getting them de-scented and neutered.

So this is what has happened to the kit in its short life before it goes home to a new family. But this is not always the case, so if you are getting a kit then it should definitely of had its first set of vaccinations, but it may or may not of been de-scented or neutered. This is something that needs to be found out and then the appropriate action can be taken.

The other thing that needs to be found out is what the kits diet has consisted of, the type and brand of food needs to be found out so the kit can be kept on this in its new home. If the new owner wants to change the type of food or brand they need to introduce it gradually by mixing the two together, starting with more of the current food and a small amount of the new food and gradually change the ratio until it is completely the new food.

There are a good range of foods for ferrets, where as they use to have to be fed on cat food, which is still okay as long as it is a good quality cat food that contains a good amount of protein and fat as this is the ferrets diet requirement. Water is also important and should be available at all times to the young or old ferret, it is best to keep it as fresh as possible by changing it at least twice a day.

Before the little kit is introduced to its new home there needs to be in place its own little home, in the form of a proper ferret cage or house, there are many types available now. If it is a cage then the floor area needs to be covered with a solid base to stop the little feet from get caught or stuck.

If it is a plastic coated metal cage then care needs to be taken in observing whether the kit is chewing at the plastic coating as this will be harmful to them. Kits like soft bedding that they can wrap themselves in or burrow into and they don’t grow out of this,they like to be able to hide and will need a dark section that will make them feel safe.

These little fuzzies need a lot of care and attention, handling them often will be beneficial and training should start straight away, introducing them to other members of the family will get them use to people in general and the same goes for other family pets.