Ferret Help

[Syka]

OK, so security where my mom works evidently found a ferret roaming around. I'm not sure of the circumstances of this finding, but there is a ferret that needs claiming. My mom emailed me to ask if I'd want the ferret if no one claims him/her.

I've actually been wanting a pet for when I go home, and was thinking of a hamster and maybe fish, so this is a bit more...involved than I expected, but I'd love to have a ferret, especially one that was essentially rescued. Unfortunately, as one could tell, we are not exactly prepared for said ferret.

I have a friend with a ferret who I'm asking advice from, but I figured someone on here probably has a ferret or had experience with them and could help.

Oh playground, any tips for a potentially new and surprised ferret owner? (Yes, I'm googling ferret care as I type, but I also like first hand advice)

Cheers~

[Telonius]

Step 1: Verify that it is not, in fact, a badger.

...

Yeah, that's all I got. Good luck with your new ferret!

[Thiel]

Not specific to ferrets, but...
Take it to a Vet and have it checked over. If it's someone's pet it might be marked in some way and if it isn't, it might have picked up any number of deceases while running wild.
Similarly, make sure it gets all the relevant vaccinations.

[Syka]

Yeah, canine distemper and rabies are the main two vaccines. I'd also need to make sure it's neutered. If a female isn't spayed and isn't bred they can actually die. oO

But yeah, a vet check up is probably one of the first things.

I kinda hope it's microchipped because it probably is someone's pet and I know I'd be devastated if I came home and found my ferret missing.

[WalkingTarget]

I've known several people with pet ferrets. I don't know much about the caring-for aspects of it, but as for behavior they were all thieves, so you can expect to find things dragged under or behind furniture on a regular basis (shoes, hats, toys, anything that you leave lying around the place really).

[PhantomFox]

I think I remember reading something about Ferret care on Wikipedia, but from what I can remember is that they're EXTREMELY curious to the point of stupidity and disregard of safety.

[Syka]

So my sister saw the ferret and said it's adorable, but sleepy. Her, her boyfriend, and my mom are heading up to PetSmart to get ferret necessities. One of my friends has a (deaf) ferret and recommended a vet whose really good with them, so we'll have that covered.

I'm excited to have a pet I can actually play with. Dwarf hamsters aren't the pets most conducive to play, ferrets on the other hand are very social. He'll be work, but it'll still be fun.

Oh, and if it's a boy ferret I'm going to name him Igor. :) Not sure about a girl name yet. Igor just kinda popped into my head.

Cheers~

[hamishspence]

Does that mean every time you call him he appears right behind you? :smallbiggrin:

Igorina?

[Knaight]

Keep security on a tight watch. Ferrets are escape artist experts, and they can be creative, one little mistake and the Ferret will probably find a way to escape. It might come back, but its a dangerous world out there and ferrets are pretty small, if badass for their size.

[Syka]

Keep security on a tight watch. Ferrets are escape artist experts, and they can be creative, one little mistake and the Ferret will probably find a way to escape. It might come back, but its a dangerous world out there and ferrets are pretty small, if badass for their size.

This is why I'm going to get him a collar with a bell on it so if he gets loose in our house we can hear where he is...assuming he's not asleep, haha.

Oh, and I just found out the aforementioned friends ferret is deaf AND blind. Evidently he is highly amusing.

[keldorn]

Obviously firt thing to do is wait until people have had a chance to claim the ferret. But if not my comments are

1. There are some ferret groups on yahoo where you can get advice.
2. It's often thought a good idea to have more than one so that they can keep each other company
3. They aren't as house trainable as some other animals. So they're not for you if you're houseproud. Mine have decided that litter trays are these things with nice stuff you can play with and throw around. They prefer to go on the newspaper next to the littertrays. As a rule they favour corners and it is worth protecting all corners until you can work out which they favour.
4. Buy a book. Ferrets for Dummies seems to be popular in the States, though we Brits think it's a bit American in some way.
5. Ferret proofing is something important to think about. If there's something to explore, it will be explored. If they can get their head into it, they can get their body into it. One of mine has got into the space above abd behind the fireplace. Fortunately she hasn't climbed the chimney itself yet.
6. Opinions vary on how much of a homing instinct they have. Mine do know which is my front door and find their way to it if I let go of their leads a couple of hundred feet away.
7. They're energetic. If you've only got one you need to be prepared to play hide and seek and chase and other ferrety games.
8. I don't regret at all getting my two.

Well that's a start anyway.

[Mr. Moon]

Pics or it didn't happen? :smalltongue:

Lucky girl. I love ferrets. I've wanted one since I was six, but Mom's allergic to rodent pee. :smallsigh:

[Syka]

Keldorn, thanks for the info.

I did more research and I ended up realizing that if I didn't have the time or money for it down the road, I'd feel horrible. If we weren't able to find another home for it/if it didn't get claimed, I would have kept it, but we ended up finding a guy my mom worked with with 3 kids who was willing to take it. So, with any luck the ferret will have a very happy life with loving children. :) I would just feel bad if I thought I was neglecting him.

So I'm going to stick with a fish and hamster.

Moon, I have to ask...how did you find out she was allergic to rodent PEE? oO Rodents are one thing, but their pee is a bit of an...amusing allergy.

[Mr. Moon]

:smalltongue:

I honestly don't know how she found out. But apparently, she did. She used to do research on rats, so that could be it.
Either that, or it's an excuse to keep me from buying all the small, furry animals I see... :smallsigh:

[Syka]

Ohh, if she did research I can imagine she'd find out that way.

My sister is allergic to sea lions. We found this out when we went to Sea World and my sister started sneezing and having a reaction after about 5-10 minutes at the sea lion enclosure.

I tease her to no end about that.

[keldorn]

Pics or it didn't happen? :smalltongue:

Lucky girl. I love ferrets. I've wanted one since I was six, but Mom's allergic to rodent pee. :smallsigh:

Have you tried telling her that ferrets are carnivores? Maybe she's allergic to carnivore pee too, but if you look at the fangs on the little beasties and the lack of prominent incisors, there's no doubt about which order of mammals ferrets belong to.

[keldorn]

Keldorn, thanks for the info.

I did more research and I ended up realizing that if I didn't have the time or money for it down the road, I'd feel horrible.


You're obviously a very responsible pet owner who thinks things out in advance. Of the two I have one would work in a household with young children and would not. As long as the ferret is reasonably well socialised and not too nibbly, then it and the children should be able to wear each other out.

[Serpentine]

Have you tried telling her that ferrets are carnivores? Maybe she's allergic to carnivore pee too, but if you look at the fangs on the little beasties and the lack of prominent incisors, there's no doubt about which order of mammals ferrets belong to.I looked some stuff up in my zoology dictionary because that didn't sound right (it seems to be more or less correct), and I found something interesting. Did you know that the wolverine, badger and otter are all "weasels", and that the skunk is normally, too, but that they think it probably should have its own family, and that there was one species in the Miocene that was the size of a black bear?

[Mr. Mud]

Step 1: Verify that it is not, in fact, a badger.

Step 2: Verify that it is not, in fact, a were-badger either.

Alternatively, buying the Ferrets for Dumbings Book helped me alot with my Ferret Achilles... I'll be back to post a bit more later, but right now its '$5 Footlong Time' :smallbiggrin:.

[Exeson]

All I know about them are that they are amazingly awesome but smell, or at least the ones I have encountered.

[Dirk Kris]

Most of this has probably already been said, BUT...

1) bell collar, FTW. Be prepared for it to get into drawers, under your fridge, in the dryer, all manner of spots. A bell collar is a MUST have if it EVER leaves the cage.
2) try litter training. Worked like a charm when I had mine, and make sure to use the recycled newspaper litter. It costs a little more, but there's not dust, and it works well.
3) lots of stuff for it to do. Mine LOVED the little hammock thing I got them, little toy balls with bells inside, tunnels, all kinds of stuff.
4) if you have other animals, let them get used to each other slowly.

[snoopy13a]

:smalltongue:

I honestly don't know how she found out. But apparently, she did. She used to do research on rats, so that could be it.
Either that, or it's an excuse to keep me from buying all the small, furry animals I see... :smallsigh:

I'm allergic to rats and mice because of research work I did years ago. I didn't develop a cross-reaction to cats or dogs. However, when I got my puppy, I started getting allergy symptoms. Luckily, it was just my seasonal reactions and not the dog. But I was worried for a little.