Ferret questions for ferret owners

Question

i just bought 2 baby girl ferrets lily is calm but maddie is hyper and nips to much... how do i train her not to nip?what should i buy to give my ferrets a happy life?

any tips? comments?

Answer 1

Do lots and lots of reading.

The above person is right, you should have done this before you bought them.

You could start here.

http://ferretcentral.org/

and

http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/part2.h...

and

http://www.ferretuniverse.com/

Answer 2

You should have done research BEFORE you bought your ferrets. That is very irresponsible of you. Just google ferret care I'm not going to waste anymore of my time on you.

Apparently you are because if you did your research you wouldn't be asking strangers WHAT THEY NEED now would you?

Answer 3

Biting is easily solved. Scruff her by the neck and pin her down gently to the floor for a few seconds and loudly hiss or say No. She should get the picture quickly. They are babies after all and will nip.

Cages: The best cage you will find on the market is a Ferret Nation. Ferret Nations are the best cage for any ferret owner, they allow plenty of room, and are the safest cages out there. www.ferret.com has the cheapest, unless you search on ebay. Look out for a purple and green cage. It falls apart easily and I know someone who's ferrets toenail got caught on it and he was hanging from it for hours on Christmas.

Food: Probably one of the most complex subjects about ferrets, other than medical issues. A raw diet is the best thing you can feed your ferret. A diet is the thing that will determine whether or not your ferret is healthy and lives a long life or is sickly and dies young.

The best food you can feed is Innova EVO as far as kibble goes.

8 in 1 Ultimate, Wysong Archetype I, Natural Gold, Zupreem, Totally Ferret and a few others make good choices. Marshall food is a popular but terrible choice to feed your ferret. For cheap, quality food, go to www.stinkweasels.com. John only sells quality food on his site so no one is mislead. A great guy.

Know that ferrets can not digest plant matter and fruits and vegetables, nor grains, so take that in mind when picking a food, if you do not pick one of the foods I mentioned.

Medical: There are so many things that can shorten a ferrets life. Bad breeding is one thing. Pet stores are bad breeding. Please do not buy from a pet store, you are just supporting suffering of a creature. I got my ferrets from a shelter and there was plenty of selection, and the people there were much more informed, and were very helpful in helping me choose the best ferret for me.

The three most common cancers in ferrets are lymphosarcoma, adrenal disease, and insulinoma. Research these heavily so you can identify symptons early and help your ferret before it is too late.

Ferrets can get blockages if they eat something funny, so always have laxatone or vaseline on hand to help them clear their tummies of that, though if it is more serious, they will have to go to a vet.

Vet: Find an experienced vet, it could save your ferrets life.

Ferret Proofing: Your ferret will injure itself and possibly die if you do not ferret-proof the places your ferret has access to. Cords are not acceptable as well as reclining chairs, fold out beds (ferrets can get stuck), plants, your ferret will dig in them as well as quite a few other things. Read some articles on ferret-proofing to help you.

Ferrets DO make wonderful, playful, intelligent pets, as long as they have great owners who know what they are getting into. Lots of ferrets are returned because their owners did not research their purchase.

Do not buy ferrets as an impulse decision, it will be a big regret. Research them heavily.

Ferrets for Dummies 2nd Edition is a great place to start. It covers all the basics and more. Even better is to join a forum, where people share their firsthand experience and you can ask them questions.

One I am a member of is www.ferretvillage.org . I am also a member of is http://ferretopia.proboards51.com/ and http://www.ferretsrus.proboards80.com/, though I most heavily recommend Ferret Village. My username is Carpetsharks. :)

If you have any more questions feel free to contact me here. Remember to research!!!

Alison H