Please Please Please don't attack me for any question I may ask!! Just trying to learn everything possible . . . and I cannot find any helpful websites, who better to ask than the wonderful community here at Paw-Talk!!
1.) What do you feed your ferret? Is it correct that they need 35-40% protein and 15-20% fat!
2.) What if I cannot find a ferret food in my area that provides that? Can I feed a more expensive kitten chow containing 40% protein and 18% fat?
3.) What toys do ferrets like?
4.) Is pine bedding OK for ferrets?
5.) Tips on ferret proofing a trailer anyone?
6.) Flea control? Specially sold ferret flea stuff in pet store as opposed to flea color
7.) Should the ferret wear a collar and be leash trained?
8.) Any neccesary vaccination?
9.) Anything I missed?
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Last edited by KaiyasMom; 11-11-2004 at 05:06 PM.
Reason: typos
Please don't ever think you'll get attacked here for asking question to learn all you can! At least I wouldn't do it. I think it's great you want to learn what you can & I admire you for that!
I will gladly take the time to answer all your questions this evening after I get home & take care of a couple things. If you think of anything else you haven't already asked feel free to add to yoru list!
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~ * Nothing is impossible, unless you never try * ~
10.) I have a 4 level cage (with ramps from each level) . . . what types of things should I put in or would the ferret prefer it bare?
11.) Is it true that they do better in pairs? And should it be Male Female or Female Female . . with no Male Male (as in many other animals males tend to fight.)?
Ok since it will take me a bit to go through all the questions I would suggest by reading this thread if you haven't already. There was another person with lots of ferret questions & I answered a lot of them there...
Ok now I am going to your questions
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~ * Nothing is impossible, unless you never try * ~
12.) In the "litter box" what type of litters are ferret safe? Normal cat litter or do I need something special?
This is sorta a tricky questions. Yes you can use cat litter, BUT keep in mind that ferrets have a sesitive respritory system & the dust in clay cat litter (scoopable or non-scoopable) may cause breathing problems for them.
Another option would be corn cob litter (many people use this in bird cages). For a long time I swore by it to be honest & it is still my second choice. Some people have told me that corn cob litter can harvest mites, but I never had a problem with it in the 2 1/2 years I used it.
Another option would be what they call "wood stove pellets". I have never used or seen them so I can't say one way or the other how they work. Many people than have used them though like them.
And finally you could use carefresh bedding. It is sorta like a recycled shredded paper. This is what I use. There is virtually no dust & it absorbs orders better then the other options as far as I know. It can be a little spendy depending on how much you buy at a time & where you but it. I get a 10 cubic foot bag & pay about 17.00 for it.
I believe up above you asked about pine bedding... I would strongly reccommend against this because of the pine scent & the respritory system problems it can cause.
In fact no matter which bedding you choose to go with... always get unscented.
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~ * Nothing is impossible, unless you never try * ~
My parents use the wood stove pellets to heat their house and I use to use them in kitty litter box if I ran too low on kitty litter . . .good plan . . but is there any harm in ingestion or are ferrets not likely to try them?
10.) I have a 4 level cage (with ramps from each level) . . . what types of things should I put in or would the ferret prefer it bare?
I also have a 4 level cage but without ramps. I just stager the shelves to stimulate their climbing ability.
ferrets get bored ratehr easily so the more variety you have the better. As you can see I have a variety of sizes of hammockes & tunnels, as well as a couple beds & blankies. I have found it easier & cheaper to sew my own hammocks using polar fleece then it is to buy them. I deffinalty wouldn't leave it empty in the cage though.
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11.) Is it true that they do better in pairs? And should it be Male Female or Female Female . . with no Male Male (as in many other animals males tend to fight.)?
Yes pairs are always better so they don't get lonly, of course you want to be sure you can afford caring for more than one though too, I don't mean just food & such I mean long term vet care as well. (don't get me wrong I am not saying you can't afford it I mean that in general )
To my knowledge same sex pairs don't matter. I have 3 females & 1 male & have never had a problem. The only thing you would want to make sure is that if you have a female she needs to be altered before she is 6 months old because if she isn't bred when she goes into heat the hormones could kill her.
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~ * Nothing is impossible, unless you never try * ~
Awesome about the cages . . I love "Decorating" so my animals can play . . .and hammocks are my favorite to make . . he doesn't use the ramps to often he's more interested in finding his own ways around the cage . . .
Ok . . I was just wondering about pairs . . I'm going to see how it goes with one for a while . .. maybe some time down the road I'll think about investing in another
1.) What do you feed your ferret? Is it correct that they need 35-40% protein and 15-20% fat!
2.) What if I cannot find a ferret food in my area that provides that? Can I feed a more expensive kitten chow containing 40% protein and 18% fat?
I'm sure you've seen this thread it is a ferret food comparison that give you an idea of what is & isn't good to feed. I will find the exactly percentages for you & get back to you on that one though (my brain is drawing a blank right now)
but I do believe those #'s are right. Yes you can feed a high quality kitten food if you are unable to find ferret food though. Most ferret owners actually mix ferret food with kitten food. I personally use a mixture of 8 in 1 ultimate ferret food and natural gourmet kitten food. My ferrets love it & haev no problems on it.
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3.) What toys do ferrets like?
anything they can hide in. blankets, towels, pillow cases etc. some of them also like balls & mice. Actually they are a lot like a cat in the aspect of toys. They especially love plastic bagsg or anything that makes a crinkly sound and long tubes (like an acordian dryer tube) and also boxes. It doesn't matter if it is upside down or on its side or right side up... they will play with it for hours.
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4.) Is pine bedding OK for ferrets?
I answered that above in the litter/bedding question
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5.) Tips on ferret proofing a trailer anyone?
I live in a trailer as well gosh how would I explain this one... where is your ferret cage located in your trailer & what part of the trailer are they allowed to run when out of the cage? I section off the hallway using a baby gate (I started out with a solid board though untill they got used to not trying the hallway anymore) so they are not allowed in the back of the home which is where the bathroom, bedrooms & furnace closet are. So when they are out they have the living room, kitchen, dining room & foyer to play in BUT only when we are out there to supervise them The best way I can think to secure areas is for you to get on your hands in knees & think like a ferret (nosey & determined to fit in the smallest of holes) if the head will fit likely the body will too. make sure there is no styrofoam or rubber they could get into as these are surely going to be investigated by them & it could cause blockages in their intestines.
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6.) Flea control? Specially sold ferret flea stuff in pet store as opposed to flea color
I would talk to a vet on this one... I have been fortunate enough to not have to worry about fleas but I believe you can use kitten advantage on them, like I said before doing so call the vet so they can check out the severity of the infestation. Fleas can cause anemia in ferrets.
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7.) Should the ferret wear a collar and be leash trained?
Collars on ferrets tends to be a picky issues with many ferret owners. Lukily that hasn't been an issue on Paw-Talk
Some people use them while many others don't.
I personally don't use collars on my ferrets BUT I di have them leash trained so I can take them outside when weather permits.
This is what I use for my ferrets: http://www.petco.com/product_info.as...0&dept_id=%2D2
it acts as a harnes yet is fully adjustable to fit all of my ferrets
[quote]8.) Any neccesary vaccination?
Yes they require all the same vaccines that a cat requires for the most part, I believe I posted about that in another thread, let me go look & I will reference that here for ya.
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9.) Anything I missed?
No matter how hard you try you will likely never know everything
Oh yea... this is your only warning... ferrets can be addicting! lol
If I think of anything specific I will let eya know
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~ * Nothing is impossible, unless you never try * ~
Hi there! I'm a bit new to ferrets as well- I own 2 young ones as we speak- but I did tons of research online about them so I have some minor answers to some of the questions. About food, I buy Marshalls ferret food which has all the correct amounts of protein and such that is good for a ferret. They are carnivors so they need this type of nutrition. I'm not sure where you're from, but if they have a Petco around you, I'm sure they have it- Called Marshalls Premium Ferret Diet. Kitten food I have read can be okay but has been known to either not give the ferret enough nutrition or too much- I can't remember. People used kitten food before ferrets had food products of their own made- but lots still use the kitten food. I would recommend chow made especially for ferrets. Toys- this is hard. They love balls and things that they can chase, but be careful what you choose. Ferrets can chew chew chew at toys and get particles stuck in their tiny little systems. I bought a bag of balls a week ago for ferrets from the store, and the ferrets have managed to chew up one ball and I'm still looking for the little rattle beans inside. These types of things can get stuck in their digestive tracts- (called a blocking). Find things that are not easily chewable. AND BEWARE: ferrets will find their own toys around your place. Pens, bottle tops, coins, even measuring cups, etc... watch them while their out so they don't choke or chew the **** out of your favorite... whatever. Bedding- pine is bad. Red flag here! Ferrets get respitory infections pretty easily. Pine is bad for their lungs. Newspaper shredding/mulch is also bad. Use corn bedding- or like me- full newspaper that I change every 2 days. Cheap and easy to clean. For litter- you can use kitty litter but that which is not perfumed. This can irritate them. It also may discourage them from wanting to go there. If you want to know more about litter training- send a personal message to me- I HAVE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THIS AREA. Whatever you do for fleas- don't dip them. Ferrets skin is too sensitive for that. As for a leash or collar- I've done the leash thing- but not in cold fall or winter- that's harsh. I've seen collars on ferrets but it's not nessesary. Maybe so with a bell if you want to know what they're getting into next. For vacinations- they need a distemper shot once at 6-8 weeks, then at 10-12, and a third at 14 or so weeks. They don't cost too much and Marshalls covers the first shot for you. (If you were to buy or have purchased him there). Marshalls gives the ferrets to the pet stores at 6 weeks old- and usually give the shot 2 days before that. Rabies vacination is also recommended. I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for but this is what I have read from several sources. If you find anything that I was incorrect about, please let me know. I'm caring for my own babies as well. Good luck- they're great and wonderful pets!
