Calling all Ferret People!!!

[taku]

Two days ago we acquired Cindy Loo Who (don't ask..she looked like a Cindy Loo Hoo).  She's approximately 14 weeks old, champagne Panda (I think?) ferret.  I've read a bit about ferrets off and on through the years, but not intensly until a week ago when we got word of her surrender. She is a Marshall's ferret (that's good?) 
  Regardless, she's silly and cute and here.  I have so many questions, and there's nothing like good old-fashioned ferret ownership experience combined with all this ferret info I've been reading.  She's been spayed and descented, supposedly that is a given for any Marshall's ferret.  She has blue dot tats on her right ear.
   Our questions are about free-ranging, associating with kittens/cats (she plays hard with the kitten and we have 5 other cats that seemingly don't care too much that she's here except when she attacks them for play), cat food vs ferret food, etc etc.
   Any helpful experience of info would be SOO welcomed!!!
   Thanks!
    Pam and Cindy Loo Hoo.....pics to come soon.

[DragonTamer]

ferrets for dummies.   great book

[taku]

hehehe DT, thankies.

[DragonTamer]

heh.. 

I will say watch out for adrenal disease and other problems that are very commonly associated with ferrets, and ESPECIALLY marshall farms ferrets..  best to start saving up now for it or any other problems that come down the road.  my ferret died the day after he had his adrenal surgery....... which was not a pleasant experience..   marshall ferrets are mass produced for lab research and some pets.

ferrets get two shots each year, for distemper and rabies.  they also get heartworm meds once a month.  I used to clip my boy's nails and clean out his ears every week and bathe him about once a month (more and they smell worse as it strips the oils from their skin).  Also brushed his teeth with ferret toothpaste and gauze almost daily.

they're wonderful pets.. but very rambunctious and they get into trouble a LOT.  ferret proofing is an almost constant job.   rubber, styrofoam, electrical wires, etc, are all VERY dangerous items to them.. and trust me when I say ferrets LOVE chewing on rubber and styrofoam and will tear up anything to get to it, even if it's in a couch or bag or box. 

litter training's fairly easy..  but you gotta spot clean daily and completely clean it out weekly.  I used yesterdays news for litter boxes.. it seemed to work the best, although they still dig in it sometimes

best food I could find is totally ferret.  usually mixed with a high quality kitten food and another ferret food.. it's best to mix in case you can't get ahold of one food or another.   I'd also give him boiled chicken gizzards or livers, meat baby food, scrambled eggs, etc. as well but not as a daily thing.. mostly as treats

cats are probably the only animal ferrets can really play and interact with.  most dogs will pick them up and shake them like a rag doll.....  rabbits, rats, and other rodents are prey food to ferrets.

[kim]

care of ferrets

and

rethinking the ferret diet

[Sunilata]

www.ferretcentral.org/faq is one of my favorite websites to refer new owners to. I also second the recommendation for "Ferrets For Dummies."

Also take a look at this chart:

http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html

And make a mix of 2-4 kibbles that rank a 9 or a 10. Kits will imprint on foods very quickly and so you want to try to discourage them from being picky (in case a company ever changes its recipe or you can't get a certain food, etc.). I feed Riley a mix of Innova EVO Cat/Kitten, 8-1 Ultimate, Felidae, and Natural Gold. If you think you want to go raw, start now, or she might not switch when she's older.  You'll need to look into making duck soup (basically a meat/kibble slurry with some other good stuff in it).

Here's my friend Melissa's page, she has some good recipes for duck soup. http://ferretville.net/health/soup.html

If your kit truly is 14 weeks old, she should have her distemper boosters and rabies shot out of the way until next year; just make sure she has indeed had them done. When she turns 16 weeks she can be (and should be) tested for Aleutian disease virus (ADV).  www.ferretadv.com

Don't be upset that she is an MF ferret. There are lots of them out there, and plenty of them are living to ripe old ages. Most ferrets will need one major surgery in their lifetime, and they are quite prone to insulinoma, adrenal disease, and pancreatic cancers. Start saving up for future vet bills now.

And I'm sure you know all about the wonders of Ferretone. For littertraining, leash training, anything - 'tone is a godsend.

My dog gets along wonderfully with my ferret, I don't know if you have a dog or not but just figured I'd share that they can get along quite well. It's fun to watch them play.

Depending on your area you'll want a heartworm preventative and possibly something to prevent fleas as well. I take my ferret outside almost daily so I use the monthly kitten version of Revolution. You can get it from your vet. I also got Riley microchipped; I don't know if that's something you'd be interested in or not. In any case, you'll want to get an ID tag for your girl's harness (and possibly collar too, if she wears one) in case she ever slips out.

*phew* This was longer than I thought, I apologize! My AIM is Sunilata if you ever want to "talk ferrets" - I never get sick of hearing about other peoples' ferrets or of answering questions/giving advice. They are my favorite pets in the whole world.

[kim]

If you think you want to go raw, start now, or she might not switch when she's older.  You'll need to look into making duck soup (basically a meat/kibble slurry with some other good stuff in it).

actually, most people i have met who feed raw to their ferrets have switched adults just like cats and dogs, and have had them take MARVELOUSLY to the diet- mostly i think because many ferrets still retain the prey drive to eat and kill things smaller than them (hence why we dont like to recommend them playing with rats/mice/etc). the raw diet that ferrets seem to do best on is one based on whole prey - whole chicks, mice, etc. i know some people feed the duck soup slurry mix, but i know a variety of ferrets that eat whole prey and such and do quite well on it!
id post pics, but they would probably freak most of the posters here out

that being said, i have a ton of feline EVO here for whomever wants it! im not feeding it to my cats...

[Sunilata]

If you think you want to go raw, start now, or she might not switch when she's older.  You'll need to look into making duck soup (basically a meat/kibble slurry with some other good stuff in it).

actually, most people i have met who feed raw to their ferrets have switched adults just like cats and dogs, and have had them take MARVELOUSLY to the diet- mostly i think because many ferrets still retain the prey drive to eat and kill things smaller than them (hence why we dont like to recommend them playing with rats/mice/etc). the raw diet that ferrets seem to do best on is one based on whole prey - whole chicks, mice, etc. i know some people feed the duck soup slurry mix, but i know a variety of ferrets that eat whole prey and such and do quite well on it!
id post pics, but they would probably freak most of the posters here out

that being said, i have a ton of feline EVO here for whomever wants it! im not feeding it to my cats...

Good for them! I can show you a large portion of intelligent ferret owners though who lament that their ferrets won't eat raw, though I suspect most of them won't make their ferrets go hungry for long enough (and yes, I'm guilty of this as well). Kits take to it without much transition (they'll jus eat what you put in front of their noses), whereas adults you sometimes have to trick them, be it by cutting a feeder animal open to show them that there is "food inside" or by working raw meat into their duck soup. So I just recommend to people who are interested in a raw diet to start young. It's easier for all involved.

[taku]

OMG..you guys are great!!! I knew I'd find a wealth of information from here.  So here's the scoop on Cindy Loo Hoo...
    She is an "MF" ferret. She's younger than we thought, her birthday is May 15, 2005. The owners had a birth certificate from the ferret place.
    I've never really been around ferrets to know their sizes relative to their ages, so I was clueless until I began to read. I also stopped and got a Ferret magazine.  We're building her a "den."  She's so funny. Inquisitive and sweet and silly.
     When I read about Duck Soup, it seems to be a slurry given when they're sick rather than as a regular diet? Also, my cats eat Max Cat  food ( a Nutro product). Cindy Loo eats at their bowl as well as her ferret kibble.  The product is meat based with a high protein content, high fat, and no fillers, so I don't stop her. I can't really, she has access to that area.
     I've so much to read!! 
     Oh, and Ferretone? Is that something to ease the musky odor?

[Arlene]

Hey Taku,

Sounds like you have already gotten some excellent advice already, but I have had a lot of experience with ferrets as well as rats. I have 6 right now. If there is anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask. Your new fuzzy sounds beautiful! Have fun!

[DragonTamer]

hmm reading the chart on totally ferret it's completely different than I remember as far as ingredients go (and I'm someone who had read the ingredients constantly for protein and fat content, the first three ingredients, and to be sure no corn was in it).   did they change the recipe in the last two years?  granted I started using it around 7 years ago...  but last time I bought it was two years ago..

8 in 1 looks different than I remember as well..  weird

[taku]

After reading the chart to see which 8 in 1 I had, and it's the Ultimate. Whew. At least it's a better start than what could have been.  I give my ratties lotsa chicken bones, with cartiledge and some meat on it.  Is this okay with Cindy Loo? I'm assuming so after reading that they're strict carnivores. 
    Although Cindy Loo has a kitten and cats to play with, we MAY look into getting another ferret in the future.  All depends on how things are with her. I've read instances where ferrets don't take well to other ferrets, and then the opposite. I'd really like to get an older ferret rescue, if I do. We've a large ferret rescue here in Georgia where they take in older ferrets, and owner surrenders like Cindy Loo, however briefly they were owned.  It's Ferret Business of Georgia. 
    Anyway, here's the link that broke my heart and started all this "ferret business."
            http://www.miamiferret.org/shelters.htm

[Adventure Rats]

Just make sure that Gandolf is put away when Cindy Loo Hoo (I love the name) is out and about!!!

I can't wait to see pics of her.

[taku]

Gandolf is my only freeranger rattie. His home is the cat couch and he has his own blanket. So putting him away is not an option. He's not a caged boy.  So far, she tries to play with him, he ignores her or chases her off.  She looses interest (short attention span..she's a baby) and goes elsewhere.  Currently, I'm more worried about him hurting her than the other way around. He's heavier than her and he bullies all the cats and tries to bully her , too.  But, knowing that ferrets are "ratters," I won't let her out without supervision with him, especially when she gets older and instinct may kick in.  It'll be a learning curve to see how this goes, but Gandolf's  home is the entire house, so putting him away is not an option.
  But, they both used the litterbox together at the same time.  This is the home of weird animal relations.

[DragonTamer]

heh.. although I NEVER once let my rats and ferret together, I do remember during free range time for the ratties, one wonderful rat I used to have, Anna, climbed up Spam's (the ferret) cage and they began LICKING each other through the cage bars!  I often wondered if they'd get along together, but my rat was a wee girl, and trust me when I say ferrets can get prettttty big, and Spam was a decently sized male (although he was an MP rescue as well.. intact males get HUGE compared to those chemically altered at such a young age).   I"m sure if he tried rough housing a rat, at his size the rat would have gotten severely hurt.  and ferrets rough house...  a lot.

I don't know how it'll be when the fuzzbutt gets older...  here's hoping it all goes well.  I know I refuse to get ferrets again until my two rabbits are gone, because I wouldn't trust the two together at all, despite my buns being as big as my cat (who plays with the rabbits as well as the rats.. just like kittens..).  Dunno... it's one of those things I guess where I trust my cat much more than I would have my ferret..