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Domestic ferrets, or Mustela Putorius furo, are rapidly becoming one
of the most popular pets next to cats and dogs. An estimated 5 to 7
million ferrets exist in the United States alone. Domestic ferrets are
distant cousins to the wild Black-footed Ferret, and are descended from the
European polecat. However, unlike their wild ancestors, they cannot
survive on their own outdoors. Ferrets are generally legal everywhere
in the United States except California and Hawaii. We suggest you
check your local city and county ordinances to see how they apply to ferret
ownership.
Is a Ferret A Good Pet For A Child?
Many people have both children and ferrets without problems,
but there is a large difference between having both children and ferrets and
getting a ferret for your child. Ferrets require a lot of attention
and care that most children are just not able to provide. We don't
recommend ferrets for households with children under the age of 8.
How Do I Introduce A New Ferret To My Established
Ones?
Dominance fighting is normal in ferret introductions.
It can range from no fighting at all, to all out war. Usually
friendship is established in a few weeks, but occasionally it may take 6
months to a year. If you can, take your current ferret with you when
you go to pick up a new ferret so that he can choose his own new
friend. If possible make sure the first introduction takes place in an
area that neither ferret has ever been before, not just an unused room in
your home but preferably someone else's home. If this is not possible,
try putting vanilla extract on their noses to confuse their smelling, and
bitter apple on their necks to discourage biting. Always supervise the
ferrets together until you are 100% sure that they will get along.
Expect mild tussling, but if one ferret starts drawing blood, separate them
immediately, and try again at a later date. Remember the established
ferret must not feel like they are being replaced. Do not ignore them
for the newer ferret.
How Do I Ferretproof My Home?
Ferrets love to worm their way into any little hole.
As small as 2x2 inches or smaller for kits can be very bad. Crawl
around every square inch of your home to look for holes near the floor and
under cabinets, especially in the kitchen and laundry area. Even holes
inside cabinets should be blocked just in case. Also watch out for
heaters or furnace ducts. Recliners and sofa-beds are extremely
dangerous, many ferrets have gotten crushed in the levers and springs
underneath. Even regular couches can be dangerous if the ferret digs
or crawls his way into the springs or stuffing. Next, look around the
area your ferret will be playing in. Keep in mind that many ferrets
are excellent climbers and jumpers, and they can find complicated routes to
places you never thought they could reach. They can also open cabinets
and drawers, and crawl up from behind. Ferrets love to chew on
sponges, erasers, shoe insoles, foam earplugs, sill putty, foam rubber,
styrofoam, insulation, rubber door stoppers, and anything else spongy or
springy. These things can all cause intestinal blockages. Toilet
paper rolls and paper towel rolls are a problem because ferrets can get
their head stuck in them and choke or suffocate.
What Will I Need To Take Care Of My New Ferret?
Food for your ferret
A food dish (preferably a heavy ceramic one)
A water dish (also heavy ceramic) or a water bottle
Litter boxes and litter
Bedding (not wood shavings)
A cage (the bigger the better)
Ferret shampoo (or baby or kitten shampoo)
Pet claw clippers (human nail clippers work also)
Toys (ferretproofed)
A veterinarian (preferably familiar with ferrets)
Linatone or Ferretone and Bitter Apple
What Kind Of Cage Should I Get?
Cages should be made of wire mesh for ventilation.
Aquariums are not recommended because they do not provide enough ventilation
and will make your ferret feel isolated. Wood cages are not
recommended because the wood can soak up urine and other liquids, so
cleaning them is nearly impossible. If you are planning to keep your
ferret caged most of the time, the cage should be minimum 2x3x2. A
second or third ferret could also share that size cage. If you'll only
be using the cage temporarily, such as when you're vacuuming or going on
vacation, 1x2x1 is sufficient for one or two ferrets. In the cage
you'll want some sort of bedroom. A ferret won't be very happy
sleeping on the open floor of a cage. Old towels or old T-shirts make
excellent bedding. DON'T use wood shavings. A box or basket
makes for a comfy bed providing it is well padded with bedding. Wire
floors are very hard on your ferrets feet, so cover all flooring with
bedding, carpet remnants, or vinyl. Food dishes need to either be
anchored or very heavy, and water bottles are suggested for cages. We
also suggest securing the litter box if it is movable. Hammocks,
tunnels, and ferretproofed toys are also suggested. Also, be sure your
cage door fastens securely, perhaps even add wire or twist tie closures in
loose corners.
What Should I Feed My Ferret?
When looking for a good ferret food, check for these
requirements on the back. The key ingredients are fat and
protein. The food needs to have 30-35% protein (32-38% for young
ferrets under the age of 4), and 15-20% fat (18-22% for young
ferrets). The first ingredient should be animal protein, preferably
chicken or poultry, no fish, and as least 2 or 3 of the next few
ingredients. We recommend Totally Ferret as our first choice, and Iams
kitten, Eukanuba kitten, Marshall ferret, or Mazuri ferret as close
seconds. As your ferret gets older, Totally Ferret Senior, Iams cat or
Eukanuba cat is recommended. Check foods labeled as ferret foods
carefully, they often do not meet ferret food requirements. This is not
always the case, but it is best to read the ingredients for yourself.
Dog food is not acceptable, as it lacks nutrients ferrets (and cats) need.
Should I Give My Ferret Any Supplements?
Linatone and Ferretone are two very popular vitamin
supplements. Once ferrets get a taste of them (and you may have a hard
time getting picky eaters to take a taste), they will usually do anything
for more. However, no more than a few drops a day should be given,
since they are high in vitamin A, which can be very harmful in large
doses. An alternative is to dilute the linatone or ferretone with
olive oil (not any other kind of oil). 50-50 is suggested. A
little bit more can then be given, and the taste does not change.
Laxatone or Petromalt, which are hairball remedies are also very strongly
recommended, since ferrets are so very fond of eating things that can cause
intestinal blockages in them, (which are life-threatening). For these,
simply follow the directions on the bottle, estimate how much by taking the
recommended cat dosage and adjusting for a ferret's smaller weight.
What Are Good Treats And What Should I Avoid?
Just about anything can be given; fruits, raisins, licorice,
and Pounce cat treats are some of the most popular, but some ferrets can go
wild over the most unusual things. Ferrets cannot digest fiber, so
limit raisins and other vegetables or fiber foods to small amounts.
Ferrets are lactose intolerant, so cows milk and ice cream should be
avoided. Goats milk and soy milk are acceptable however.
What Kind Of Litter Should I Use?
Clumping litters are not recommended since they can get into
the ferrets nose or rectum, clump, and cause problems. Wood chips are
not recommended for the same reasons as bedding. Very dusty litters
are not recommended since the dust can cause respiratory problems in
ferrets. Litters that are recommended are: Compressed wood pellets
(wood stove pellets) that disintegrate into sawdust when wet, newspaper
pellets, sheets of newspaper, or corn cob litter.
Should I Use Wood Shavings As Bedding?
NO! Many pet stores use cedar or pine shavings as
bedding, but it is not recommended. Cedar in particular has been
associated with allergies and respiratory problems in various animals,
including humans and ferrets. Pine and other wood chips also produce a fair
amount of dust which isn't good to breathe. Furthermore, your ferret
would much rather have an old towel or T-shirt to cuddle up in.
Does My Ferret Need To Be Neutered, Descented,
Declawed?
Neutering – Yes. A male unneutered ferret is
extremely aggressive towards other ferrets when in heat, to the point of
killing other male ferrets. A female unneutered ferret must either be
bred every year or spayed. If she goes into heat and she in not bred,
she will die from aplastic anemia. DO NOT try to breed ferrets unless you
are working together with an experienced ferret breeder. Breeding
ferrets is very difficult and we do not recommend it. Descenting, -
maybe. Descenting can cause problems if the ferret is not properly
descented by an experienced vet. Also, a ferret that has not been
descented will not smell any more than one that has been providing the
ferret has been neutered, and that the bedding is changed once a week.
Declawing – no. Ferrets have nails like dogs, not cats. They
should never be declawed.
What Vaccinations Will My Ferret Need And When?
Canine distemper: Fervac-D or Galaxy-D. Kits
should get three shots, four weeks apart, with the last one no earlier than
14 weeks. Two is not enough. Then a yearly booster shot.
Kits bought from a pet store will generally only have had the first shot,
and still need two more. Ferrets with an unknown vaccination history
of any age will need two shots three weeks apart, and then a yearly booster
shot. Canine distemper is airborne, and 100% fatal to ferrets.
Keeping your ferrets indoors and away from other animals will not protect
them. Rabies: Imrab-3. One vaccination at 14-16 weeks,
then a yearly booster shot. Ferrets do not need to vaccinated for
feline distemper or parvo. They don't need a 5-way dog vaccine.
Ferrets do occasionally have adverse reactions to vaccines. These are
rare, but life-threatening. Watch your ferret for at least and hour after a
vaccination for signs of a reaction (vomiting, diarrhea, loss of bladder
control, difficulty breathing, seizures, convulsion, or anything else that
is alarming). If this happens, get your ferret to the vet
immediately. We recommend waiting at least 15 minutes at the vets
afterwards, and having 2 to 4 weeks in between the distemper shot and the
rabies shot to lessen the chance of a reaction.
How Do I Train My Ferret Not To Nip?
A ferret which has been well treated and bred to be a pet
should not bite or be vicious, but ferret play does include mock combat, and
kits won't know how hard they can put their teeth on you without hurting
you. Just remember, ferrets are not malicious, they just need to learn
what behavior is acceptable. In all cases, positive reinforcement
(giving treats) works much better than punishment. Nose flicking is
instinctive, but the ferret will learn to associate your hand with pain and
you want to avoid that. Alternatives include, try using a signal he
already understands such as a high pitched yelp, give him time out in a cage
and ignore him for a few minutes. (Ferrets hate this) Cover your
hands (or other body part) with bitter apple or bitter lime. Most
ferrets hate the taste of this, and will soon learn that you taste very
bad. Scruffing and shaking gently while you hiss at him will mimic the
mother and tell the ferret that you are boss and you don't like what he
did. Saying NO very loudly while doing this will also teach the ferret
to associate NO with being in trouble.
Any Advice On Baths, Ears And Nail Clipping?
Frequent bathing can tend to dry out a ferrets
skin. In addition, to compensate, the ferret will secrete oils that
contribute to his smell. We recommend only bathing a ferret once every
four to six months. Ears should be checked at the vets for ear mites,
and cleaned once a month. Your vet can tell you how to safely clean
them. Nails should be trimmed at least once every other week. Cut the
nail just longer than the pink line inside it. Be very careful not to
cut that, since the ferret will start bleeding and decide that claw clipping
is a very bad thing. To hold the ferrets attention while clipping, try
putting a few drops of linatone on the ferrets belly, and direct the ferret
to it.
Can My Ferret Tolerate Extreme Temperatures?
No. When it comes to cold weather, a ferret can be
acclimated in the same manner as a dog or cat. However, ferrets cannot
sweat or cool themselves down in any way. Ferrets are at risk of heat
stroke at temperatures above 85 degrees. If you have no way of keeping
the temperature below that, we suggest cold packs in the ferrets cage, fans
and anything else you can do to keep your ferret cool.
My Ferret Trembles A Lot. Is This Normal?
Generally, yes. Ferrets normally tremble for two
reasons. First they often shiver right after waking up, in order to
raise their body temperatures. Second, they shake or quiver when excited or
frightened. For a young kit, this could be all the time, since
everything is new and interesting. For older ferrets, a bath or even a good
scolding could prompt trembling.
Is My Ferret Really Just Sleeping?
Most often, yes. Ferrets sleep quite a bit, even
adults. A two to four hour playtime, followed by a several hour nap is
typical. Ferrets sometimes appear to be sleeping with their eyes
partly open, and they sleep very heavily, often not waking even when picked
up. Ferrets will readily adapt to your schedule, however, and if you
let them out to play at certain times everyday, they will adjust so their
playtime matches yours.
Ferrets are very sociable animals. They will become attached to you, and will suffer if not handled and played with on a daily basis. Ferrets get along well with cats and dogs, however, we recommend supervised encounters for the first several months until you are 100% sure that neither the ferret nor the cat or dog will hurt each other. Ferrets are not like a hamster or gerbil. They need plenty of room to run around in, if only for a few hours each day. Ferrets can also catch human colds and the flu, so if you are sick, try not to hand your ferret much, because once they catch it, it can often progress to pneumonia and death if not treated with antibiotics.
Most of the information in this brochure was reprinted with permission form the Ferret FAQ – 1994-1996 by Pamela Geene on the Internet. If you have Internet access, we encourage you to look up the Ferret FAQ, ferret Medical FAQ’s, and other ferret information at: http://www.ferretcentral.org. If you have any more questions on ferrets that are not answered here in this brochure, feel free to call us anytime for any reason. We are Chris and Shelley Knudsen, and we run the Legion of Superferrets of Nebraska Ferret Shelter, located in Hastings, Nebraska. We are backed by the Legion of Superferrets, a national club, and Ferret Fanciers of Omaha, a local club. Of if you are looking for a home for your ferret, or looking to adopt a ferret into your home, or just looking for information of ferrets, please call us. We are a non-profit shelter dedicated to one thing, the well being of the ferret.
For shelter information, please contact us at:
Chris and Shelley Knudsen
Home phone: 402-463-0190 Cell phone: 402-461-6541
E-mail address: ferrets@tcgcs.com
Web page: http://www.tcgcs.com/~ferrets
For ferret club information please contact:
Chris Nielson or Lia Hoevet
Phone: 402-731-1264
E-mail address: snackpack@home.com
Web page: http://members.home.net/ffo/FFO.html
You are more than welcome to photocopy this brochure, change the contact information and distribute free of charge to pet stores, vet clinics, and anyone else who might be interested. We also have several other brochures, ‘Adopting a Ferret – Is it the right pet for you?’, ‘What is a Ferret?’, and others currently under construction. If you would be interested in any of these, please visit our web page or call us.