Ferrits
Ferrits
How much do ferrits cost and what do I need to know about their care and such?
"Oh my God! Wal-mart's going to march on Poland!" ~ Lewis Black
"You're not the "rockstar of the forum." Paul is." ~ CrazyDrummerDude
"You're not the "rockstar of the forum." Paul is." ~ CrazyDrummerDude
RE: Ferrits
At Wharehouse Pets they're about $100. Unless you get lucky and find a shelter on the weekends over at Petsmart that has them for about $35-$50. I got mine from a shelter I help out with. And they do smell. I mentioned stuff at Petsmart that reduces the smell a lot, this is even after getting the scent gland removed.
You can either let them run free in the house or get a big cage for them, they love to be out. I have a cage for mine in a separate room, and let him out to run around *after ferret proofing it* for awhile.
They'll eat cat food, I mix cat and ferret food. They only need a bath about 4 times a year *I've heard once a week but that supposedly messes up all the oils in their skin and fur*
Ok that's really long and hopefully helpful.
You can either let them run free in the house or get a big cage for them, they love to be out. I have a cage for mine in a separate room, and let him out to run around *after ferret proofing it* for awhile.
They'll eat cat food, I mix cat and ferret food. They only need a bath about 4 times a year *I've heard once a week but that supposedly messes up all the oils in their skin and fur*
Ok that's really long and hopefully helpful.
RE: Ferrits
Ferrit proofing? Please expand on that topic. Also is once a month to much for a bath? I have a problem with oders...
"Oh my God! Wal-mart's going to march on Poland!" ~ Lewis Black
"You're not the "rockstar of the forum." Paul is." ~ CrazyDrummerDude
"You're not the "rockstar of the forum." Paul is." ~ CrazyDrummerDude
RE: Ferrits
Ferret proofing, making sure there's no wires they can chew on, any dangerous objects. I have a piano in the same room as the ferret, and I've had to put books up on the sides so he doesn't climb behind the piano and up into it. Kind of like baby proofing, only you don't have to get those plastic covers for the electrical outlets.
Once a month should be fine. They're special shampoo for them *as with any animal* and I've used baby shampoo just to save some money before. And be sure to clean the litter quite a bit. That stuff gets pretty nasty. I use yesterday's news for litter.
Once a month should be fine. They're special shampoo for them *as with any animal* and I've used baby shampoo just to save some money before. And be sure to clean the litter quite a bit. That stuff gets pretty nasty. I use yesterday's news for litter.
RE: Ferrits
Yeah the news paper is good for litter... it's full of it already so it's a perfect match... Do ferrits chew on wood furniture legs and such knowing that they like to chew...
"Oh my God! Wal-mart's going to march on Poland!" ~ Lewis Black
"You're not the "rockstar of the forum." Paul is." ~ CrazyDrummerDude
"You're not the "rockstar of the forum." Paul is." ~ CrazyDrummerDude
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youthsonic
- Urban Perversion
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RE: Ferrits
They are Usually about 100 - 120 bux for the ferret alone. You also need to buy a pretty spacious cage. The one I have was 80 bux and is a 2 story cage. You also need to get special litter pans that are triangular shaped because ferrets like to poop in corners ( quite odd, as a mater of fact ). You will also want to get a hammock, and cage toys. Ferrets also like old pairs of pants to tunnel thru and sleep in.
As far as care, you need to get get special ferret food that is high in protein, preferably one that lists some kind of meat as its first ingredeint. In emergencys you can use kitten (not cat) food. Stay away from marshall, as it is no better and often twice as expensive. Ferrets need about 30 minutes of exercise a day, but as they get older, you can actually just leave the cage door open when you are around and they will play when they want to and come back to the cage to use the litter box. I also feed my ferret FerreTone Skin and Coat supplement, and the occasional Duck Soup.
Its pretty important to use low dust litter as well, because ferrets have such small noses they are prone to respitory problems. You should also talk to a breeder to make sure that a ferret is right for you. Don't buy one at PETCO unless you have no choice, because these will be marshal ferrets (you can tell by the tell-tale tri-dot tattoo on their ear) and are well known for their animal abuses. Its best to get a hand raised kit from a reputable breeder, as this will ensure that the ferret will be used to being handled, and you have a greater chance that there are not any genetic defects.
Another thing to consider is that ferrets usually live 5-7 years (you will see conflicting lifespans, but this is based off average lifespan from people I know). But man, they are fun as hell. my sick ferret used to even give me kisses, then go and hide the remote under the couch
. There little things are fearless, too. Poopsie used to chase the vaccum cleaner around, and once even bit my dog on the nose!. My foavorite thing though is to watch the ferret and the cats play. I have 3 cats, and they were raised with the ferrets for the most part, so they won't hurt her. I still keep a close eye though when they play just to be on the safe side.
When I got my first ferret, I was not informed at all. It was an impule decision. I lived in Los Angeles, where owning a ferret is almost illegal, so I was always intrigued with owning one. Then, when I moved to Kansas City, one of the first things I did was to get one. I learned alot, but also made mistakes because I didnt know what I was supposed to do. I'm glad I made that decision though, because ferrets are great pets.
Some resources for you:
http://www.ferretcentral.org
http://www.everythingferret.com
http://www.ferret.org
As far as care, you need to get get special ferret food that is high in protein, preferably one that lists some kind of meat as its first ingredeint. In emergencys you can use kitten (not cat) food. Stay away from marshall, as it is no better and often twice as expensive. Ferrets need about 30 minutes of exercise a day, but as they get older, you can actually just leave the cage door open when you are around and they will play when they want to and come back to the cage to use the litter box. I also feed my ferret FerreTone Skin and Coat supplement, and the occasional Duck Soup.
Its pretty important to use low dust litter as well, because ferrets have such small noses they are prone to respitory problems. You should also talk to a breeder to make sure that a ferret is right for you. Don't buy one at PETCO unless you have no choice, because these will be marshal ferrets (you can tell by the tell-tale tri-dot tattoo on their ear) and are well known for their animal abuses. Its best to get a hand raised kit from a reputable breeder, as this will ensure that the ferret will be used to being handled, and you have a greater chance that there are not any genetic defects.
Another thing to consider is that ferrets usually live 5-7 years (you will see conflicting lifespans, but this is based off average lifespan from people I know). But man, they are fun as hell. my sick ferret used to even give me kisses, then go and hide the remote under the couch
. There little things are fearless, too. Poopsie used to chase the vaccum cleaner around, and once even bit my dog on the nose!. My foavorite thing though is to watch the ferret and the cats play. I have 3 cats, and they were raised with the ferrets for the most part, so they won't hurt her. I still keep a close eye though when they play just to be on the safe side.When I got my first ferret, I was not informed at all. It was an impule decision. I lived in Los Angeles, where owning a ferret is almost illegal, so I was always intrigued with owning one. Then, when I moved to Kansas City, one of the first things I did was to get one. I learned alot, but also made mistakes because I didnt know what I was supposed to do. I'm glad I made that decision though, because ferrets are great pets.
Some resources for you:
http://www.ferretcentral.org
http://www.everythingferret.com
http://www.ferret.org
"fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity"
RE: Ferrits
Wow, thanks both of you. That's a lot of good information. I still would like to know however if I have to worry about my furniture being chewed up?
"Oh my God! Wal-mart's going to march on Poland!" ~ Lewis Black
"You're not the "rockstar of the forum." Paul is." ~ CrazyDrummerDude
"You're not the "rockstar of the forum." Paul is." ~ CrazyDrummerDude
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youthsonic
- Urban Perversion
- Posts: 336
- Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2005 11:18 am
- Location: KCMO
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Re: RE: Ferrits
Amen on the newspaper part!Willard wrote:Yeah the news paper is good for litter... it's full of it already so it's a perfect match... Do ferrits chew on wood furniture legs and such knowing that they like to chew...
My ferrets never really chewed on anything except for their chew toys. I have one room in my house that is entirely wood, all the way down to the walls, and never had a problem. Their chew toys are like rabbit toys, in a way. Some are even shaped like carrots!. Also, for treats ferrets like yogurt chips. They look like little chocolate chips, but are made from yogurt and usually have some kind of flavoring.
Also, on the chew toy matter... They sell little disks that are edible for ferrets to chew on... remove these from the cage when they get too small. I learned the hard way, and spent the better part of 10 minutes trying to get the crap out from the roof of poopsie's mouth, between her top teeth, where it became wedged when she bit down on it.
GRR that sucked...
OH, one more thing... you MUST clip their nails... There is a fairly easy way of doing that, by gently holding the ferret by the scruff of the neck until they submit, then clipping CAREFULLY
Last edited by youthsonic on Tue Mar 22, 2005 10:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
"fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity"
RE: Ferrits
I meant to say Kitten, sorry about that. Mine has never chewed up any wood, my piano and about 4 book cases are in the same room and he's never tried to chew on any of it. Since I got mine from a shelter we don't know much about him, but he does have the tri dot tattoo on his ear. Oh yea, their nails get long and quickly. Well, mine does. I need to clip his soon. Try baby food *also good for them*. I usually get a big spoon full of it, set it down close to me where I can grab ahold of his foot and clip his nails while he's distracted by the food.
They are picky eaters by the way. If I get new treats for mine, I'll usually have to shove it under his nose a few time to get him to at least lick it. I found out mine really likes beef, he doesn't like chicken treats or baby food at all.
About the hammocks, I have two in his cage, but my mom found this little house that someone had made out of all carpet. He loves to crawl in there with a little fuzzy blanket. The hammocks are used for storing all of his toys and if you remove them he gets pissed off.
I forgot about the corner litter boxes. When they first wake up, they have to go. I've found out the hard way that if you just pick them up, set them down, they will go in the first corner available. And that corner was under a bed....
I use a big cat litter box *rectangular shape* in the bottom level that fills up the width of the cage, and he uses that quite a bit. But the corner ones are better.
They are picky eaters by the way. If I get new treats for mine, I'll usually have to shove it under his nose a few time to get him to at least lick it. I found out mine really likes beef, he doesn't like chicken treats or baby food at all.
About the hammocks, I have two in his cage, but my mom found this little house that someone had made out of all carpet. He loves to crawl in there with a little fuzzy blanket. The hammocks are used for storing all of his toys and if you remove them he gets pissed off.
I forgot about the corner litter boxes. When they first wake up, they have to go. I've found out the hard way that if you just pick them up, set them down, they will go in the first corner available. And that corner was under a bed....
I use a big cat litter box *rectangular shape* in the bottom level that fills up the width of the cage, and he uses that quite a bit. But the corner ones are better.