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Ferrets
- Thread starter cool85k5
- Start date
I used to have ferrets, my mom made me get rid of them!
1- Don't wash them as much as you hear, they put oils on their fur, the more you wash it out the more they will put on their fur making the smell stronger.
2- Have lots of things for them to do, ferrets will get bored FAST, think of them as a 4 year old hipped up on sugar that has ADD.
3- They love company, they love attention, the less you play with them the less social they will get.
4- They love exercise, and need it.
Pick up a ferret book, join this forum they are great
http://www.ferretvillage.org/
1- Don't wash them as much as you hear, they put oils on their fur, the more you wash it out the more they will put on their fur making the smell stronger.
2- Have lots of things for them to do, ferrets will get bored FAST, think of them as a 4 year old hipped up on sugar that has ADD.
3- They love company, they love attention, the less you play with them the less social they will get.
4- They love exercise, and need it.
Pick up a ferret book, join this forum they are great
http://www.ferretvillage.org/
Most of that sounds right... (I currently have 5 ferrets) I NEVER wash the ferrets. But every 2 weeks wash ALL bedding. Clean the litter boxes out often. Do those 2 things and you'll never really smell them. Nepak skirted it, but to put in numbers your ferret(s) need at least 2 hours out of their cage for playtime a day. I DO NOT recomend letting them free roam the house. get a large cage (mine is 5 stories) and then a "play pen" for them to play in. Where you can put toys. Make sure to get in there and play some too... they LOVE human interaction! They will fit their schedule around yours! Feed them QUALITY food (high protein mostly) I use 8in1 ultimate (no other 8in1 products, they suck) this one has... 45% i think protein. Also, start setting money aside. They WILL have medical problems. Mostly different forms of cancer. of my 5 I currently have 3 with caner. 2 with insolinoma and 1 with adreanal disease (the 2 most common). More details on those: http://www.ferret-universe.com/index.html
Andrew
Andrew
i don't have any of my own but i LOVE ferrets, i've looked into getting some for a long time 
i can't tell you much from personal experience other than what i've seen in patients at the animal hospital where i work... most of the ferrets i've met have decent temperaments, they're very curious and love to try to escape. they have a VERY short digestive tract.... read: lots of poop. holy cow. and they do smell. personally, i don't find the smell all that disagreeable but i guess it's a matter of preference... you can find more info on that on google (bathing and deodorizers). ferrets also need annual or bi-annual rabies vaccinations just like a cat or dog... they are mustelids (weasels), not rodents, so they're actually carnivores that need a specialized diet. apparently they don't handle carbohydrates well either, so no grapes/raisins/other sweets as treats!
they are exceptionally cute and if you get more than one (recommended so they don't get bored) they are wonderful to watch play together!!! they're also pretty intelligent and can be clicker-trained from what i hear, doing simple tricks like rolling over or sitting up.
the only major drawback to ferrets is their health. they have a high prevalence of cancers and adrenal glad disease... one of my co-workers has had 7-8 ferrets in her lifetime and she said they've all ended in heartache. that's not to say don't own one because of their health... but it's like getting a purebred dog. just be aware that they can potentially have a lot of health issues as they age. adrenal gland disease is particularly ugly and REALLY common... i've read in some places that controlling light levels to your ferret's cage can help prevent the disease, something about photoperiods (like plants!) and hormone levels, but you'd have to look that up too. a lot of sites i came across recommended books, but i can't remember any off the top of my head... i want to say "Ferrets for Dummies" actually came up a lot!!!
for me, i can't own any ferrets right now, what with college and all... schools are not very pet friendly. but when i go to graduate school i'm seriously considering getting a pair. they don't need as much constant attention as a dog, and my boyfriend is allergic to cats (and hopefully not allergic to weasels) so for me it might work!
hope i sorta helped... let us know how you do if you get some weasls
i can't tell you much from personal experience other than what i've seen in patients at the animal hospital where i work... most of the ferrets i've met have decent temperaments, they're very curious and love to try to escape. they have a VERY short digestive tract.... read: lots of poop. holy cow. and they do smell. personally, i don't find the smell all that disagreeable but i guess it's a matter of preference... you can find more info on that on google (bathing and deodorizers). ferrets also need annual or bi-annual rabies vaccinations just like a cat or dog... they are mustelids (weasels), not rodents, so they're actually carnivores that need a specialized diet. apparently they don't handle carbohydrates well either, so no grapes/raisins/other sweets as treats!they are exceptionally cute
and if you get more than one (recommended so they don't get bored) they are wonderful to watch play together!!! they're also pretty intelligent and can be clicker-trained from what i hear, doing simple tricks like rolling over or sitting up. the only major drawback to ferrets is their health. they have a high prevalence of cancers and adrenal glad disease... one of my co-workers has had 7-8 ferrets in her lifetime and she said they've all ended in heartache. that's not to say don't own one because of their health... but it's like getting a purebred dog. just be aware that they can potentially have a lot of health issues as they age. adrenal gland disease is particularly ugly and REALLY common... i've read in some places that controlling light levels to your ferret's cage can help prevent the disease, something about photoperiods (like plants!
) and hormone levels, but you'd have to look that up too. a lot of sites i came across recommended books, but i can't remember any off the top of my head... i want to say "Ferrets for Dummies" actually came up a lot!!! for me, i can't own any ferrets right now, what with college and all... schools are not very pet friendly. but when i go to graduate school i'm seriously considering getting a pair. they don't need as much constant attention as a dog, and my boyfriend is allergic to cats (and hopefully not allergic to weasels) so for me it might work!
hope i sorta helped... let us know how you do if you get some weasls
