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| Ferret (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
1. A Pet store
2. A Breeder
3. An animal shelter
Ferrets have fairly long life spans compared to other animals of a similar size. Ferrets tend to live an average of about 8-9 years, which means that you should make absolutely sure that you want a ferret and have done all of the necessary research before purchasing one. Please note that ferrets do take a lot of care and attention and that you must take this into consideration before buying one. This article is intended to give you some basic information about ferret care and how best to look after your little ferret friend.
One of the most important things to note about ferrets is that they are a predominantly nocturnal species; this basically means that they are asleep for the majority of the day and they wake up during the night. The first few weeks of owning a ferret tend to be quite tiring for the new owner. Ferrets have lots of energy when they first wake up and they need lots of entertainment and exercise to keep them healthy, this means that when your ferret wakes up you will need to let him out to play. If left in its cage a ferret can become bored and restless and can get quite stressed and unhappy and this can lead to a ferret becoming quite ill and unhealthy.
Ferrets are naturally curious creatures and they enjoy crawling into small dark spaces. They also have a tendency to eat anything small enough to fit into their mouths, obviously, this is not always good for them because it can cause them digestive problems and stomach aches. Another problem with a ferret's curiosity is that they like to chew cables; again this can be very bad for your ferret as getting several thousand volts through their delicate little bodies can cause them some serious problems. To avoid your ferret getting injured, sick, or electrocuted you should make sure that your home is ferret proofed before allowing your little friend to wander around the place. Keep any rooms that you are allowing the ferret into clean and tidy, make sure that there are no small objects lying around, keep cables secure and out of your ferrets reach, and try to block up any small spaces that your ferret may try to squeeze into. Blocking up small spaces will not only keep your ferret from injuring himself but it will also mean that he is easy to find at all times.
Ferrets are small mammals and are carnivorous so you will have to feed them meat. The thing about ferrets is that they have quite specific dietary needs and you will have to meet these needs in order to keep your pet ferret healthy. Ferrets have very high metabolisms and require food that is high in protein such as is contained in meat and poultry. Most pet shops will stock ferret specific food and they are also available on the internet at very competitive prices so getting hold of ferret food is very easy indeed. Some people suggest feeding a ferret cat food, this is not a good idea as cat food does not contain all of the nutrients that a ferret requires so prolonged feeding of cat food can have adverse effects on your ferret's health. It is important to avoid feeding your ferret anything that is high in fat or that contains high amounts of carbohydrates and sugar as this will make your ferret sick.
As with the vast majority of household pets, your pet ferret will require water (I know this is an obvious fact but I figured I might as well mention it incise anybody forgot about it). Tap water should be fine for your pet ferret and you can dispense it into either a bowl or a bottle. A lot of people tend to put the water into a pet bottle that attaches to the side of the ferret cage, similar to the type you put on a gerbil cage. The advantages of using a bottle instead of a bowl are that they do tend to be less messy. Whether you use a bowl or a bottle for your ferret's water you must ensure that you clean it regularly to avoid making your ferret ill.
Due to the fact that ferrets are curious and adventurous, not to mention occasionally a little bit destructive, it is not advised that you leave your ferret unsupervised. Cats and dogs are fine to leave in the house on their own unsupervised for periods of time and they, if trained properly, do not get into much trouble, this cannot happen with a ferret. If you leave a ferret on its own it could get stuck, injured or even poison itself by eating something that it shouldn't. If the ferret has to be left on its own for a period of time it is a good idea to put the ferret in a ferret cage. There is a huge range of ferret cages available on the market that cater to all sorts of ferret needs and the prices vary widely. The average cage size tends to be around 18" x 18" x 30" a cage of this size should have enough room for your ferret to move around in whilst being small enough to easily fit into the average house.
Caring for your ferret will involve spending time playing with your pet ferret. If you wish to keep your furry little friend entertained it is a good idea to pick up a few ferret friendly toys. There are literally hundreds of different toys available for ferrets in the market; some of them are great fun for the owner to play with. When choosing toys for your pet ferret it will be a good idea to choose something that is hard-wearing and durable. Ferrets, like cats, can play quite rough and if they are playing with a flimsy toy it will end up being destroyed within five minutes. The ferret is equipped with very sharp teeth and claws and they often use these when playing so any toy that cannot withstand being pounced on by a fast-moving ball of fur with teeth and claws is just a waste of money.
Ferrets are very intelligent creatures and are capable of being trained to carry out simple tasks. One thing that you can train them to do is to use a litter tray to do their business in. You will not have to buy a ferret specific litter tray as a basic cat litter tray will do the job. Teaching your ferret to use a litter tray will mean that you don't end up finding ferret droppings all over your house; it will also help to keep your ferret nice and clean too. There are various websites out there that can offer advice on ferret training and can give you some great tips about how to train your ferret to use a litter tray. When training your ferret to use the litter tray, it is a good idea to reward your ferret every time he does this will mean that your ferret will associate going to the toilet with getting praise and a treat. I used this method of rewarding a pet for good behavior on my cat when I first got it.
Every time my cat used the litter tray I would reward him with a catnip chocolate drop. Unfortunately, he realized that when he wanted a treat all he had to do was do his business so when he wanted a treat he would sit in the tray and would strain until the smallest amount of pee came out, then he would meow at me to fetch him his treats, I had to stop using this method because he was peeing every five minutes and I thought he would end up injuring himself. Luckily even though I stopped giving him the treats for every successful toilet trip he still learned that he must do his business in the litter tray. You can use the reward method to teach your ferret other tricks as well; my best friend taught his ferret to beg like a dog using treats. A popular belief is that getting ferret whilst it is young means that it will be easier to train than one that is older, whatever the age of the ferret you choose is up to you and training your ferret will be much easier the more time you spend with it.
Ferrets, like cats and dogs, require regular check-ups at the vets so that they can have their vaccinations to prevent them from getting ill. Also, the vet can keep an eye on your ferret's state of health and often the vet is a massive resource of animal care advice. If you have questions about caring for your ferret a vet would be an excellent person to talk to.
Ferrets each have their own personalities so your ferret may act differently to another person's ferret. Some ferrets will be mischievous some will be pig-headed and stubborn so every experience is different, if you are lucky you will end up with a ferret that will have a personality that compliments yours.
As you can see from this article caring for a ferret can be quite difficult but as long as you spend time with your ferret and feed it properly everything should work out fine. The internet is full of information about ferrets and there are a lot of helpful people on the net who can give you great advice about ferret care, so do not worry if your ferret is acting odd and you don't know why you can probably find out the answer on the internet.
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