[mr_druid]

My buddy can't have his ferret in his new apartment and has to find a home for it in under a week. He offered me the ferret, cage, all its toys, food, etc for free so long as I take good care of it and let him come over and see it every now and again. He only lives a block from me so I am seriously thinking of taking in the ferret. It is trained really well (playful bites but not biting to hurt or nipping) and 80% there on litterbox training. Anyone have any comments or advice to give? (He already offered to ferret-sit when I am out of town)

Tom.

 

[Thoth]

Bathe him frequently. Like at least once a week if not more. Also invest in a bottle of Bi-Odor deodorizing liquid (it goes in their water) and a deodorizing spray. I can't recall the name of it, but you spray it on them once a day or so and comb/rub it into their fur. Use the recycled newspaper pellet litter. Unless he is already accustomed to it, don't bother with any special ferret foods. Just use Purina Cat or Kitten Chow.

Above all else, take him out and play with him for about an hour a day. Since you will only have one, it is up to you to be his playmate.

One last thing...watch closely for hair loss, especially around the base of the tail. Ferrets are very prone to adrenal gland tumors and hair loss is one of the first signs.

Finally, enjoy! They are really great pets if you take care of them and treat them well.

 

[SqwaMaster1]

Ferrets are pretty cool, but they stink something fierce. it's managable if they've been fixed, but I still wouldn't want my house smelling like a ferret. (80% potty trained = 20% of the crap hits the floor)

 

[dennisred69]

Bathe him frequently. Like at least once a week if not more. Also invest in a bottle of Bi-Odor deodorizing liquid (it goes in their water) and a deodorizing spray. I can't recall the name of it, but you spray it on them once a day or so and comb/rub it into their fur. Use the recycled newspaper pellet litter. Unless he is already accustomed to it, don't bother with any special ferret foods. Just use Purina Cat or Kitten Chow.

Above all else, take him out and play with him for about an hour a day. Since you will only have one, it is up to you to be his playmate.

One last thing...watch closely for hair loss, especially around the base of the tail. Ferrets are very prone to adrenal gland tumors and hair loss is one of the first signs.

Finally, enjoy! They are really great pets if you take care of them and treat them well.

I thought you were not supposed to wash them to much because of the oil in there skin. And your supposed to use dry shampoo.

 

[Moses]

One last thing...watch closely for hair loss, especially around the base of the tail. Ferrets are very prone to adrenal gland tumors and hair loss is one of the first signs.

Sounds like someone really knows their ferrets. My ferret died of the above in 1996.

I would love to get another one, but I just can't because I'm not home enuf to play with it and I'd be afraid of the hundreds of dollars in Monster Cable sitting behind my entertainment center.

Tom, I've been over to your place before...it really needs to be ferret proofed. Mine loved to hide in the littlest of places, not to mention steal everything that she could carry and hide it (ie socks).

One very important thing you need to know about ferrets...they are not afraid of anything. Mine jumped from the top of a bunk bed on more than one occassion. I know someone who had one and it crawled into a heating duct, they couldn't find it, it got cooked and died in the vent...they found it when a stench was coming from the duct (this is why I mentioned your place and it not being ferret proof).

 

[Jokertlr]

If it gets stuck in your ass don't let your lover use a lighter to look for it... :flipa

 

[Thoth]

One very important thing you need to know about ferrets...they are not afraid of anything. Mine jumped from the top of a bunk bed on more than one occassion. I know someone who had one and it crawled into a heating duct, they couldn't find it, it got cooked and died in the vent...they found it when a stench was coming from the duct (this is why I mentioned your place and it not being ferret proof).

Good point. Ferret proofing is VITAL. They are worse than children when it comes to the shit they get themselves into.

I thought you were not supposed to wash them to much because of the oil in there skin. And your supposed to use dry shampoo.

I never heard this. I use a shampoo designed for ferrets (called Ferret Glow or some such...makes me think of Coming to America with Eddie Murphy...Just let your ferret glooooooow).

 

[RC511]

makes me think of Coming to America with Eddie Murphy...Just let your ferret glooooooow).

Well atleast you're not giving them a bath like in the movie :bj

 

[sexNstillettos]

Congrats on your new baby! Whats his name? My Best friend has one and his name is Wilbur.

I want a puppy dammit!

 

[sweetnlow]

Good Luck! Thats all I can say.........oh and congrats on your new roommate.
Maybe you should buy a plant first though! LOL See if you can keep that alive and well first.

 

[mr_druid]

I don't have the creature yet, Pat is still looking into other options so see if he can keep it with his parents or something. It is looking like I might just have to keep it for a month or two until his landlord forgets about it, but I don't think I would mind one as a serious pet. CJ, i'm not sure of it's name, but my roomies said they are all cool with it, so long as they can call it Ferris. I think it is a girl if I remember correctly.

Bryan, yea I totally agree my house isn't ferret proofed. I still just hurt and trapped meandering around the place. (Internet cable took me down in the hallway at about 3am yesterday.) Will is moving out in 3 weeks, and i am taking his room, which is double the size of mine. If I do get Ferris, i'm going to store alot of my stuff in the attic and keep him in my room for the most part. Pat (the current owner) keeps it in his bedroom, for the most part, but brings it around to certain ferrit-proofed rooms to play, and I think I might do the same.

Thoth, this ferret loves showers and playing in the bathtub, so keeping it clean isn't really a problem. It has been hand raised since birth and brought up very well.

Tom.

 

[snoflk]

congrats on your new addition. Lots of my friends have them one girl I know has 6 of them. I have a puppy and he drives me nuts, at least you can keep your ferret in a cage with out it whinning. Make sure you watch where he hides stuff, because if your missing ne thing he porb. took it

 

[mr_druid]

August 16th I get the ferret. Ferret-proofing the house has already begun.

Tom.

 

[sexNstillettos]

i was wondering what happened with that...congrats new DAD...hehehe....

 

[1Racebabe]

I disagree with giving a ferret cat food. Cat food is made for cats, ferret food is made for ferrets. I assisted the buyer for a chain pet store for 7 years and I learned a lot about animals and the care of animals. Bathing it once a week is not necessary, you will dry out her skin. Ferrets do have a natural musky odor, even if they are descented so using a deodorizing spray will help, as previously stated. I recommend the one made by Marshalls, it is a company out of New York that specializes in ferrets. Most area pet stores should carry it. Raisins are a great treat for ferrets; just dont buy the kind that are sugar coated. My boyfriend has a ferret and she loves to nibble on toes. Mostly, have fun and enjoy your new pet!

 

[adamf2]

I had one for about a year. they are awesome pets! Like everyone said, if you don't want them to smell, bathe them LESS. If you bathe them frequently, it dries out there skin and makes the gland that excretes the scent go into overtime and they actually smell worse. But, they are a lot of fun. They do, however, require a lot of attention. If you are just sitting on the couch, and it gets bored, it'll jump up and start nipping at you trying to get you to play with it. But like i said, they are awesome pets. They are really smart, really playful (sometimes a little too much), they are cute as hell, and just funny to watch. I say get it.

 

[ibjames]

can they play with cats?

 

[Jokertlr]

can they play with cats?

You would think that cats would find them tasty....

 

[ibjames]

ferrets have teeth though.. I could see them getting along

 

[Jokertlr]

ferrets have teeth though.. I could see them getting along

Maybe I'm just weird but that makes no sense to me at all... Mice have teeth and cats kill them... Maybe if they brushed each others teeth they would become friends, is that what you were trying to say?