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Ferrets
Are you the owner of one of these wonderful critters? If you have an interesting fact about this species or breed, please share with us and we'll add it to the applicable page.
This page is dedicated to Jinx
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Click here to view the free ferret webpages our visitors have created!
One of my favorite things about ferrets is that
they constantly surprise and entertain you. They manage to get into spots that you would never
think they could even fit through (even under closed doors).
I'm not trying to talk you out of getting a ferret. There are few creatures that are as fun and loving as they are, but there are many things you should be aware of before deciding to purchase a ferret:
Ferrets are not wild animals. They wouldn't be able to survive in the woods any better than your pet Yorkshire Terrier would. They depend on their owners to keep them safe, fed and happy!
Ferrets need a minimum of 2 (supervised) hours per day out of their cages.
They seem to be running on hyperdrive when they are out of their cages, but when they are tired,
they're likely to fall asleep wherever they happen to be.
Ferrets are quite small so are easily overlooked when doing daily chores such as laundry, dishes, or just opening and closing doors, so you
have to be extremely careful whenever they are out of their cage. I've found mine inside the box springs of my bed, under my refrigerator, behind the books in my bookshelf, in the laundry basket and just about everywhere else I didn't think they could get to. Your entire home will need to be "ferret-proofed" before adding a ferret to your home.
They have a strong musky odor (even with regular bathing) that some people find distasteful.
Ferrets are usually tolerant of other pets in the house but they can be easily harmed by dogs and cats! Introduce them slowly and NEVER leave them unattended.
Remember, small birds and rodents are considered "dinner" by ferrets. They may not know what to do with it after they catch it but their teeth and jaws can do alot of damage to your pet bird or hamster.
Female ferrets will, almost always, welcome another female ferret into the family but very few males will accept another male. They are very territorial and will fight!
Most ferrets found in pet stores have already been sterilized and de-scented (removal of scent glands). If you choose a female ferret (Jill), she must be sterilized, or bred. If she isn't bred, she can develop fatal infection or aplastic anemia, either of which will kill her.
Ferrets come in a variety of colors, some of them are: Sable, Chocolate, Black, Cinnamon, Silver Mitt (see photo of Jinx above), Sterling Silver, Albino White, and Black-eyed White. I haven't noticed any difference in behavior or personality, so color is just per your preference.
They can be trained to use a litter pan but they won't cover it up. The litter pan will need to be cleaned several times daily.
Training them to return to their litter pan when they are loose can be a challenge. Make sure they use the bathroom before letting them out of the cage and you'll be alot happier.
If you are still interested in getting a ferret, please purchase a book about them beforehand.
User contributed suggestions:
Ferrets will play with anything in site! Before you let your ferret run around your room, be sure that you pick EVERYTHING up off the floor of within the ferrets reach. You may notice quite a bit of things missing if you dont. I know from expierience, but luckily I found where it was that my ferret hides all of her findings. Also, your ferret can and will swallow anything. Make sure that there is not the tiniest thing on the floor that your ferret can swallow. There are many things that are dangerous to ferrets including rubberbands. The chemical on them can be harmful and even fatal if they put one in their mouth no matter if it was swallowed or not. So make sure that BEFORE you let your ferret out on his daily run, that the room is COMPLETELY ferret proofed!
Ferrets are finicky eaters. If you change their food, they are very likely to stop eating if it is not to their liking. If they are happy with what they are eating, don't mess with it. (I know from experience, I almost lost my baby - my VET told me to switch her back to her original diet, and it worked like a charm - she started eating again and putting on weight)
Ferrets are very playful, at least mine is! My ferret likes rubber textures, so he steals my pins,flashlights,and shoes. He hides them under the bed.
Education is the key to owning a ferret! Click Here to order Ferrets for Dummies
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