As we said at the very beginning you must be committed to providing the very best for your ferret. It is amazing how many people dont think its necessary to interact with their ferrets once they bring them home. But it is, and it is something you need to consider BEFORE you buy your pet. Lets see what else ferrets need.
Housing
Ferrets will need a large cage with at least two compartments one for general living and playing while you are away and where the litter box is housed and a second smaller one one he can sleep in. The ideal sized cage for one or two ferrets would be at least 4ft x 2ft x 2ft but the bigger the better. There are many styles available, many with multi levels and pull out trays for room to play and ease in cleaning. The cage should positioned so it is not in a drafty area and is out of direct sunlight. Extremes of temperature can cause stress to animals which may result in discomfort or illness or even death. Care should be taken that small children and other pets in the home, like dogs and cats, can not harass your ferrets while they are in their cage.
Ferrets will need to get out of their cage for at least a few hours a day to play and excercise. You can provide a "ferret" proof room for them to romp in. It is a good idea to put a ferret collar with a bell on it so you can be aware of them if they are under foot. They like to hide in strange places like in the cusions of your sofa or under the recliner, so always keep an eye on their whereabouts or they may accidentally get injured. Always be cautious when other pets are present in the home. Cats and dogs can injur your ferret. Conversely, your ferret can harm pet rodents or birds.
You can provide an indoor or outdoor play pen for your ferret too and fill it with lots of toys so that they wont get bored. These could include logs and branches, boxes, flowerpots and drainpipes. Just be sure that they can not escape and that no other animals can get to them! It is a good idea to keep play time suprivised, especially when outdoors.
Supreme makes a hammock especially for ferrets and when placed in the cage, they will love to curl up for a nap above the ground. Or let them have a romp with our Frankie Ferret Crackle tunnel - hours of entertainment for your pets.
Housing
Ferrets will need a large cage with at least two compartments one for general living and playing while you are away and where the litter box is housed and a second smaller one one he can sleep in. The ideal sized cage for one or two ferrets would be at least 4ft x 2ft x 2ft but the bigger the better. There are many styles available, many with multi levels and pull out trays for room to play and ease in cleaning. The cage should positioned so it is not in a drafty area and is out of direct sunlight. Extremes of temperature can cause stress to animals which may result in discomfort or illness or even death. Care should be taken that small children and other pets in the home, like dogs and cats, can not harass your ferrets while they are in their cage.
Ferrets will need to get out of their cage for at least a few hours a day to play and excercise. You can provide a "ferret" proof room for them to romp in. It is a good idea to put a ferret collar with a bell on it so you can be aware of them if they are under foot. They like to hide in strange places like in the cusions of your sofa or under the recliner, so always keep an eye on their whereabouts or they may accidentally get injured. Always be cautious when other pets are present in the home. Cats and dogs can injur your ferret. Conversely, your ferret can harm pet rodents or birds.
You can provide an indoor or outdoor play pen for your ferret too and fill it with lots of toys so that they wont get bored. These could include logs and branches, boxes, flowerpots and drainpipes. Just be sure that they can not escape and that no other animals can get to them! It is a good idea to keep play time suprivised, especially when outdoors.
Supreme makes a hammock especially for ferrets and when placed in the cage, they will love to curl up for a nap above the ground. Or let them have a romp with our Frankie Ferret Crackle tunnel - hours of entertainment for your pets.
Cage Hygiene
Ferrets cages need cleaning out regularly to ensure that they stay in the best of health. Ferrets are clean animals and dont like dirtying their living area, so you also need to provide a litter tray.
Here are some tips to help you make sure you keep your ferrets cage clean and hygienic:
Every day
Remove all soiled bedding and check water bottle. Change litter tray to prevent odor build up and to avoid attracting pests
Once a week
Remove all bedding. Thoroughly sweep out all the soiled bedding. Rinse with warm water and mild detergent and wait until dry. Spray inside of cage with ferret approved cage disinfectant/ deodorizer and wait until dry. Replace with clean bedding. If you have provided your ferret with any cloth bedding, these should be laundered with a fragrence free, soap at least once a week.
BEDDING MATERIAL
There are many types of bedding available for ferrets but the best are the natural products which have been dust extracted. This will help reduce any irritation to the eyes, nose and respiratory system.
Carefresh - Supreme Science
A healthy, alternative to wood shavings is Carefresh - Supreme Science. It is more absorbent than traditional bedding, and really helps eliminates pet odors. It is dust free and hypo-allergenic and is, therefore, particularly suitable for ferrets. It is safe and hygienic and has been heat treated to inhibit bacterial and fungal growth. Carefresh - Supreme Science absorbs up to 3 times its weight in liquid and lasts up to twice as long as traditional bedding. It is made from virgin wood pulp and contains no inks or dyes.
Ferrets also like snuggling up into clean, old towels, sweatshirts or t-shirts and relaxing above the floor in a Frankie Ferret Hammock.
EXERCISE
It is extremely important that your ferret has the opportunity to exercise every day. Exercise is essential to:
- maintain high levels of fitness
- maintain mental well-being
- increase cardiovascular fitness
- control weight levels
- maintain joint mobility
- maintain muscle tone
Your ferret will love running around and playing. He will love safe branches to climb on as well as platforms and his hammock. You can make him some tunnels out of drainpipes or PVC pipe and flower pots, cardboard or wooden boxes are great for hiding in and exploring. Hide some small pieces of food or treats in his play area to encourage him to forage.
Ferrets are naturally very active and inquisitive animals. They like to keep themselves busy and, when allowed, spend the majority of their time running around and investigating their surroundings.
A Russel & Frankies Feeding Ball will also provide him with the opportunity to play and as he does so, pieces of food will drop out. (Hell probably continue to play with the ball even if there is no food left in it.) But dont forget to count the amount of food you put into the Ball into his daily allowance.
Your ferret will also enjoy a walk outside with you see Handling Your Ferret.
Handling your Ferret
To ensure that your ferret becomes tame and affectionate it is important that you handle it frequently and correctly. However, picking up a ferret incorrectly could lead to your ferret being permanently frightened of being handled and can lead to it becoming aggressive.
Remember that most small animals are prey in the wild. So, if they are approached from above they will see a large shadow and become scared. They might run and hide or try to attack you.
Before attempting handling, make sure that your ferret is awake and alert. Let him decide when he is ready to come to you. Your voice is a very good method of introduction as it will make him aware that you are near him.
Ferrets should be grasped around the shoulders with one hand, with your thumb under its mouth and, at the same time, supporting the hind legs with your other hand. Then gently lift the ferret and hold against your chest.
Walking your Ferret
Ferrets will enjoy going for a walk with you, but make sure you are in a safe, secure area. You can purchase a harness and it is a good idea to have an identity tag if you walk them in a public area, just in case they escape. Also, be sure your ferret is up to date on all it vaccinations.
Grooming and health checks
Ferrets will need a bath once or twice a month with a special ferret shampoo. In between baths you can give them a dry bath with a ferret powder. you should brush them daily to remove loose hair, most ferrets really enjoy this.
Grooming your ferret every day gives you the perfect opportunity to check him over. Check the eyes to ensure they are bright and sparkling (dull eyes can be a sign of illness). Also check the nails, ears and teeth. If their nails are too long, or there is too much wax in their ears, or plaque build-up on their teeth, you should take your ferret to the vet.
COMPANIONSHIP
Ferrets will accept living alone as long as you spend enough time with them, but they will be far happier if there are two of them so that they can play together. However, you must be sure that your cage is large enough to accommodate more than one ferret.
Keeping Ferrets Together
Most ferrets available in pet shops today have been spayed/neutered and descented. This is something to look for when you beging to look for a pet ferret. These animals have a natural musky scent but their odor can be quite strong if they are not nuetered and descented. In addition, there are issues with agression and other health concerns with ferrets that are not spayed/neutered.
If your pets have been nuetered you can keep any of the sexes together. Be observant when introducing a new ferret as there may be some initial agression.
It is not recommended to keep a spayed/nuetered animal with one that is un-altered as the un-altered ferrets can become more agressive when they reach sexual maturity.
Female ferrets, unlike many other small animals, will come into heat and will stay in heat until mated. Therefore the following combinations are recommended:
Ferrets are naturally very active and inquisitive animals. They like to keep themselves busy and, when allowed, spend the majority of their time running around and investigating their surroundings.
A Russel & Frankies Feeding Ball will also provide him with the opportunity to play and as he does so, pieces of food will drop out. (Hell probably continue to play with the ball even if there is no food left in it.) But dont forget to count the amount of food you put into the Ball into his daily allowance.
Your ferret will also enjoy a walk outside with you see Handling Your Ferret.
Handling your Ferret
To ensure that your ferret becomes tame and affectionate it is important that you handle it frequently and correctly. However, picking up a ferret incorrectly could lead to your ferret being permanently frightened of being handled and can lead to it becoming aggressive.
Remember that most small animals are prey in the wild. So, if they are approached from above they will see a large shadow and become scared. They might run and hide or try to attack you.
Before attempting handling, make sure that your ferret is awake and alert. Let him decide when he is ready to come to you. Your voice is a very good method of introduction as it will make him aware that you are near him.
Ferrets should be grasped around the shoulders with one hand, with your thumb under its mouth and, at the same time, supporting the hind legs with your other hand. Then gently lift the ferret and hold against your chest.
Walking your Ferret
Ferrets will enjoy going for a walk with you, but make sure you are in a safe, secure area. You can purchase a harness and it is a good idea to have an identity tag if you walk them in a public area, just in case they escape. Also, be sure your ferret is up to date on all it vaccinations.
Grooming and health checks
Ferrets will need a bath once or twice a month with a special ferret shampoo. In between baths you can give them a dry bath with a ferret powder. you should brush them daily to remove loose hair, most ferrets really enjoy this.
Grooming your ferret every day gives you the perfect opportunity to check him over. Check the eyes to ensure they are bright and sparkling (dull eyes can be a sign of illness). Also check the nails, ears and teeth. If their nails are too long, or there is too much wax in their ears, or plaque build-up on their teeth, you should take your ferret to the vet.
COMPANIONSHIP
Ferrets will accept living alone as long as you spend enough time with them, but they will be far happier if there are two of them so that they can play together. However, you must be sure that your cage is large enough to accommodate more than one ferret.
Keeping Ferrets Together
Most ferrets available in pet shops today have been spayed/neutered and descented. This is something to look for when you beging to look for a pet ferret. These animals have a natural musky scent but their odor can be quite strong if they are not nuetered and descented. In addition, there are issues with agression and other health concerns with ferrets that are not spayed/neutered.
If your pets have been nuetered you can keep any of the sexes together. Be observant when introducing a new ferret as there may be some initial agression.
It is not recommended to keep a spayed/nuetered animal with one that is un-altered as the un-altered ferrets can become more agressive when they reach sexual maturity.
Female ferrets, unlike many other small animals, will come into heat and will stay in heat until mated. Therefore the following combinations are recommended:
- a male (hob) and female (jill) who are allowed to breed
- an un-neutered female with a male that has been neutered (this will allow them to mate, but they will not have a litter)
- An entire male and a female that has been neutered
- Any spayed/ neutered combination (These animals are preferred for pets)
- Remember that when introducing a new ferret there may be some conflict. Most ferrets will get past this in time but you should be prepared to house them seperatly for the first week during introductions and indefinatly in the rare case they just do not get along. When choosing a new addition keep in mind the activity level and size of your current pet. Older less active ferrets may not appreciate a rambunctions new companion and males tend to larger and heavier than the females which can be a concern if you try to put a young female in with an adult male. Ensure that you suprivise all interaction between the current pets and the new ferret for at least a week before housing together.
Veterinary treatment
A ferret is inexpensive to buy but you must be prepared to pay for regular veterinary treatment and for emergency care if your pet becomes ill. Most states require that you vaccinate your pets. Rabies and distemper are standard vaccinations. In many parts of the country, heartworm prevention is recommended as well. You should seek advice from a veterinarian who knows about ferrets as to whether you need rabies and canine distemper every year. Most ferrets sold as pets are already spayed/neutered and descented. Most pet shops will even have arranged their first set of shots. If you do take on an unaltered ferret you should consider that you may have to pay to have this done.
Gestation and lactation
If you do decide to breed from your female ferret, you will need to give her twice as much food as normal while she is pregnant because the demand for nutrients during this time is much greater. Once she has had the litter she will need three times as much food as normal while she is lactating (feeding her babies herself). Do not be tempted to touch the kittens for the first week as the mother ferret may reject them.
Older Ferrets
When ferrets reach the senior stage of life, it is important to consider changes in their environment and diet. Older animals tend to be less active, especially in colder weather, and will have lower energy requirements. Their food intake should be reduced to prevent obesity. Encourage your older ferret to continue exercising to maintain a good level of fitness which will help fight off disease but you will find that they tend to rest more than they used to. You may find he requires more help than normal with grooming, but this is just a good opportunity for a longer cuddle!
VACATIONS
If you want to go on vacation, you must ensure that someone is prepared to look after your pet properly while you are away, or that you can afford to pay to place him in an appropriate boarding facility.
