Post by tina on May 12, 2006 10:08:24 GMT -8
Taking care of your new Ferret
Ferrets require lots of supplies and lots of attention. They are rather expensive not only to purchase but also the upkeep on them, but if you have the time and the funds keeping a ferret as a pet can be a rewarding experience.
Required ferret supplies:
Very large cage with multiple levels for inside play and to alleviate boredom.
Hammocks
Sleeping bags
Nest beds
A Ceramic food dish that cannot be tipped or chewed
A large water bottle.
Toys made for ferrets, or small cat toys
High quality ferret food
A high backed litterbox
recycled litter pellets
Bio-spot for cats(is the only approve flea and tick remedy for ferrets)
Ferret vitamin supplement Furo-vite
Ferret Lax ( definite a necessity item)
Ferret RX to alleviate colds, yes they can get them from you and you can give them to your ferret
Bitter apple spray to train your ferret not to bite or chew on things that he should not.
Bell collar for playtime
Harness and leash for walks
Nail clippers
Shampoo
Brush
Now that you have your minimum needed supplies, we can talk about taking your ferret to the vet. Ferrets need vaccinations just like a dog or a cat. They require some canine vacs and some feline vacs to protect them from illnesses. They also require a rabies vaccination and boosters every year to keep them protected. It will cost some money yes, but in the long run you really want to protect your ferret from preventable illnesses. Some ferrets are born deaf, these still make great pets and are normally very loving with their owners. Ferrets are very prone to many forms of cancer, some are treatable and some are not. Treatments can also be very costly. the best prevention is to take the best care you can, but even then sometimes it is not enough.
Ferrets also are very inquisitive and can and do get into things that they should not. If they eat something they shouldn't then you need to try to get it to pass out of the ferret or it could cause a blockage in the intestine which will kill them without surgery. That is what Ferret Lax is for. It is also a remedy to prevent hairballs from causing a blockage.
Ferrets need lots of playtime outside their cage too. They need at least 5 hours of supervised play a day. I say supervised because it can only take a few minutes for your ferret to get into something it should not be into and that can cause you to lose you valued family pet. They are very much like children in that respect.
As far as hammock and other supplies you will want to replace them if you see and wear on the item, and it is always good to have more then 1 of everything for changing your ferrets bedding and play areas. I like to change then after a bath and then everyone and everything is clean from the start.
Ferrets can and do use a litter box, but if they have not had a litter box at the pet store or breeder then you must train them to use it. ferrets by nature "go" in a corner to use the rest room. So you have that in your favor. To train your ferret to use the box, make sure you know which corner is your ferrets favorite for alleviating itself. Place the box there. But to be sure that your ferret doesn't soil the rest of the cage, place blankets or towels all over the bottom. If the ferret thinks it can sleep there it will not "go" there. Very simple, and it does work.
Ferrets get lonely pretty fast too, so if you think that you may not have time to spend with 1 ferret, you may want to get him or her a playmate. Just make sure that your ferret home is plenty big enough for 2 even if you just have 1. You never know, you just might fall in love with another later.
Introducing a new ferret is pretty easy too, ferrets love other ferrets, and I have never seen them fight they are so into play and sleep they feel that more is better. Boys or girls, does not matter either, most ferrets at per stores come from Marshall's Farms and they are already spayed or neutered when they leave there. You can recognize a Marshall's Ferret be 2 small tattoo's inside one of the ears, they look like little dots and are close together.
Male ferrets are larger in size then females, and they need more back support when you carry them, but from my experience with ferrets males are more loving and easier to train not to bite. The girls can learn too, and they stay on the smaller side.
I sure hope I have covered everything here, and you all enjoy the little ones. They are so much fun.
Ferrets require lots of supplies and lots of attention. They are rather expensive not only to purchase but also the upkeep on them, but if you have the time and the funds keeping a ferret as a pet can be a rewarding experience.
Required ferret supplies:
Very large cage with multiple levels for inside play and to alleviate boredom.
Hammocks
Sleeping bags
Nest beds
A Ceramic food dish that cannot be tipped or chewed
A large water bottle.
Toys made for ferrets, or small cat toys
High quality ferret food
A high backed litterbox
recycled litter pellets
Bio-spot for cats(is the only approve flea and tick remedy for ferrets)
Ferret vitamin supplement Furo-vite
Ferret Lax ( definite a necessity item)
Ferret RX to alleviate colds, yes they can get them from you and you can give them to your ferret
Bitter apple spray to train your ferret not to bite or chew on things that he should not.
Bell collar for playtime
Harness and leash for walks
Nail clippers
Shampoo
Brush
Now that you have your minimum needed supplies, we can talk about taking your ferret to the vet. Ferrets need vaccinations just like a dog or a cat. They require some canine vacs and some feline vacs to protect them from illnesses. They also require a rabies vaccination and boosters every year to keep them protected. It will cost some money yes, but in the long run you really want to protect your ferret from preventable illnesses. Some ferrets are born deaf, these still make great pets and are normally very loving with their owners. Ferrets are very prone to many forms of cancer, some are treatable and some are not. Treatments can also be very costly. the best prevention is to take the best care you can, but even then sometimes it is not enough.
Ferrets also are very inquisitive and can and do get into things that they should not. If they eat something they shouldn't then you need to try to get it to pass out of the ferret or it could cause a blockage in the intestine which will kill them without surgery. That is what Ferret Lax is for. It is also a remedy to prevent hairballs from causing a blockage.
Ferrets need lots of playtime outside their cage too. They need at least 5 hours of supervised play a day. I say supervised because it can only take a few minutes for your ferret to get into something it should not be into and that can cause you to lose you valued family pet. They are very much like children in that respect.
As far as hammock and other supplies you will want to replace them if you see and wear on the item, and it is always good to have more then 1 of everything for changing your ferrets bedding and play areas. I like to change then after a bath and then everyone and everything is clean from the start.
Ferrets can and do use a litter box, but if they have not had a litter box at the pet store or breeder then you must train them to use it. ferrets by nature "go" in a corner to use the rest room. So you have that in your favor. To train your ferret to use the box, make sure you know which corner is your ferrets favorite for alleviating itself. Place the box there. But to be sure that your ferret doesn't soil the rest of the cage, place blankets or towels all over the bottom. If the ferret thinks it can sleep there it will not "go" there. Very simple, and it does work.
Ferrets get lonely pretty fast too, so if you think that you may not have time to spend with 1 ferret, you may want to get him or her a playmate. Just make sure that your ferret home is plenty big enough for 2 even if you just have 1. You never know, you just might fall in love with another later.
Introducing a new ferret is pretty easy too, ferrets love other ferrets, and I have never seen them fight they are so into play and sleep they feel that more is better. Boys or girls, does not matter either, most ferrets at per stores come from Marshall's Farms and they are already spayed or neutered when they leave there. You can recognize a Marshall's Ferret be 2 small tattoo's inside one of the ears, they look like little dots and are close together.
Male ferrets are larger in size then females, and they need more back support when you carry them, but from my experience with ferrets males are more loving and easier to train not to bite. The girls can learn too, and they stay on the smaller side.
I sure hope I have covered everything here, and you all enjoy the little ones. They are so much fun.
& Welcome! As you can see this forum looks a little different than it did before due to an upgrade from V4 to V5....not sure I like the way it looks now so I will work on some tweaking to make it look better..Please bare with me as I make changes 
