Ferret people! some help puhlease

Fran101

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#1
First of all, ive attached a picture of what Im gonna model my cage after :)

Secondly, id love to only have 1 ferret for now. but maybe add another later, do you think that cage would be OK for 2?

my plan for that cage is for them to sleep and be kept in the cage when we have company or for some reason they need to be confined, and then during the day, when im in class for example, take out this ramp
and let them run and play in my ferret proofed room (my bathroom) so they have some space to run and play

As for out of cage time, i plan on them being out whenever im home :)

The thing im worried about it the introduction to kenya, she has met ferrets before and thank god she wasn't all that interested and was pretty gentle with them but because of her size, do you think its a good idea to let them play together even supervised?


What is a good harness/lead you recommend?

Whats a litter you recommend and a GOOD litter box?

For short trips, do you think my ferret could go in a carrier with a good harness and lead?
a carrier like this..


How often do they have to go potty?

Whats a good place to buy cute bedding for the cage?

Ive looked and looked and at this point, my only options are either craigslist or a petstore.

As for vet visits.. what shots do the need? and how often do yours go to the vet.. yearly?

Should I get a female or male ferret? Do males tend to smell more?
Which gender tends to be more cuddly?

and what makes a better pair? male/male, female/male, ect..?

and finally, whats a good ferret forum?



THANKS SO MUCH :)
 

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AllieMackie

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#2
I'll answer as I go!

Secondly, id love to only have 1 ferret for now. but maybe add another later, do you think that cage would be OK for 2?

Is it the one-storey FN cage or the two-storey? If you can afford it, I highly recommend the two-storey. My two use ALL the space.

The thing im worried about it the introduction to kenya, she has met ferrets before and thank god she wasn't all that interested and was pretty gentle with them but because of her size, do you think its a good idea to let them play together even supervised?


It's your call. Many say no to big dogs, but many OTHERS have massive dogs that are indifferent to the ferrets. GSDs can have prey drive, so just be careful. If you monitor VERY closely you can see how Kenya reacts to them.

What is a good harness/lead you recommend?

I use the basic Marshall's H-harness. Fits from baby to adult, easily adjustable, and not a big chafy vest like some harnesses.

Whats a litter you recommend and a GOOD litter box?

For a litter box, you want a rectangular pan with a high back. Something like this. Avoid triangular pans, ferrets don't fit well in them. I have one as a temporary measure and my big boy Palom won't use it. This is the one I use. As for litter, just don't use anything that clumps. I use Yesterday's News cat litter. Recycled newspaper, and it's 15 bucks for a HUGE bag of it.

For short trips, do you think my ferret could go in a carrier with a good harness and lead?

Yep! I got one of those front-backpack carriers meant for "purse puppies"(ugh) that has a leach hook inside of it. My two love it. :) Be sure you let them out every so often to potty somewhere or tey'll go in the carrier!

How often do they have to go potty?

Depends. My two both go about three or four times a day. Usually, ferrets go right after they wake up, so don't wake them up for playtime without letting them potty first. :)

Whats a good place to buy cute bedding for the cage?

Depending on money you wanna burn, eBay has some great homemade bedding sets made specifically for the FN cage series. My guys just have a Super Pet line of bedding stuff in their cage, plus a bunch of one dollar fleece blankets from the buck store. If you're adept at sewing, you could make some of your own hammocks and sleepsacks!

As for vet visits.. what shots do the need? and how often do yours go to the vet.. yearly?

(keep in mind this is different depending where you live, this is for where I live, find a vet and ask them before buying your ferret) Similar to dogs, ferrets need to get three sets of vaccinations, then one rabies seperately. After that, a yearly booster.

Should I get a female or male ferret? Do males tend to smell more?
Which gender tends to be more cuddly?


Males only smell more when unaltered, but all petstore ferrets are altered. Males are apparantly more cuddly, and my male fits that stereotype. My female is superbouncy, but I like both personalities, and it's hard to say if your male will be as cuddly.

and what makes a better pair? male/male, female/male, ect..?

Doesn't matter, really.

and finally, whats a good ferret forum?

I'm on the Ferret Forum as alliemackie. :D People's grammar and AOLspeak there drives me bonkers half the time, but they know a ton about ferrets and can help you with ANYTHING. Do some thread searches and you'll find a wealth of info.
 

MericoX

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#3
Etsy has a lot of cool ferret things too (and most of them are uber cute!)

Nothing more to add... but good luck in your search!
 

Labyrinth

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#4
I'll second most of what Allie said. I'd also recommend splurging on the FN142 (2 story model) if you can afford it because I think it's cheaper than buying the addon later. You'll want to make sure you have some shelf and ramp covers though for safety reasons. I use the same boxes and litter as Allie as well and they work well for me.

As for Kenya, do slow introductions and see how she reacts. She'll most likely be very excited and want to play, and the ferret will probably pounce and bite her to play as well. One of my dogs just adores the ferrets, but she doesn't understand her size and tries to jump on them. So no matter how much you may trust her, NEVER leave her alone with them. I have no doubt that Abby would never harm one of the ferrets on purpose, but she just gets so excited when they're out the chances of someone getting hurt if I wasn't right there are just too high.

Most ferrets aren't much of cuddlers. When you have a spayed/neutered ferret, gender really makes no difference. My little girl Sasha (RIP) used to cuddle up with me, but the boys never really do.

For the carrier, I actually use a pet stroller I bought on ebay. I had to stitch alot of the openings closed (since it's made for dogs), but now that it's ferret proof I love it. I also use the Marshall's H style harnesses if I've got them out without the stroller though. I use it mainly for vet trips, with my crew is currently at least once a month for lupron.

For ferret forums I go to Ferret Harmony ~ Index and Ferret Village - Forum

Both have a lot of the same people, but people are always friendly and willing to answer questions. There is also a section for homemade ferret bedding as well. One of the women there takes in older and ill ferrets and gives them a forever home and funds it with her sewing. You can find her stuff on ebay as well, but you can send her questions/requests through the website as well. I had her make the shelf/ramp covers for my cage and they are very sturdy.

Here's a picture of Charlie, my youngest. You can see some of the ramp/shelf covers in this one.



And just because I love these pictures:







 

Brattina88

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#5
I agree with the others ;)
I've been (mostly lurking) on the Holistic Ferret Forum. I've found Izzy pooping a lot less on raw as opposed to kibble.

I have been super nervous with Maddie interacting with Izzy, but Izzy can dish it out to where Maddie has to take a break - she'll jump up on the couch and look down at her like she's crazy. Maddie actually did a play bow at her the other day - and she hasn't done that in forever! They look rough, but its not (and I'm always watching to intervine!!) and Izzy always goes under the cage if it gets to be too much. Or she'll taunt Maddie from under there as well :p LOL! Izzy's very cuddley right now. I don't know if its because she's young, or what, but I love it!! :D Even if its temporary!

She gets tons of attention, and she doesn't ever appear bored or anything, But I think I'll be adding another toward the end of the year or so. . . we'll see... ;)




I love the pics! More more more!! :p :eek:
 

JessLough

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#6
Much of what Allie and the others have said, I would have replief the same thing.

For the cage, I would also suggest getting the two-story ferret nation cage if possible, or getting the add-on when you do decide to add a second ferret to the mix. Although I myself do not have a ferret nation cage, I do notice, when I bring my Rascal over to Allies to play with her two, they do enjoy having all the room to run around. However, if they will be out of the cage for alot of time during the day, they will have enough room in the one story cage, as long as you can commit to letting them out each day, they'll be just as happy :)


Now for the dog, I'm not sure what kind you have but I have a german shephard mix, and she does great with my guy. It really all depends on the dogs attitude. Ferrets play by jumping on each other and biting each other, so this is how ferrets will play with dogs as well. If you think that your dog may bite back if the ferret jumps up to bite and play, you may want to think about getting them to know each other very well first. If not, then they should be fine. Remember, especially as your dog gets older, s/he'll want to get away from the bouncing ferret, so maybe have plans for a way to seperate them if the dog gets really annoyed. With Rosey and Rascal, we just give him a warning the first time he bites her face, after that he goes for a time out (she's nearly 11 and doesn't need the annoyances of him biting her).

Again, it does all depend on the dog, and you know your dog best!
 

skittledoo

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#9
I've always wanted a ferret... just never been in a position yet where I can get one or two... especially since every person I know complains about their smell... though I have a friend with 5 and I've never noticed their smell... this thread makes me want one again...
 
F

FluffyZooCrew

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#10
You guys must cease the ferret talk immediately.
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Cause I've wanted another one for years.
 

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