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Ferrets Anonymous
Well, Ive been thinking about getting a ferret. Other than the fact that they smell bad, what are some other things I should know? Are they generaly mean? Or are they loveable? Ive always wanted one, and now that I have a chance I may be able to get one.

Tl;dr, Ferrets.
>> Anonymous
My sister has had three ferrets.

They need a LOT of exercize. This isn't something like a guinea pig or a hamster that will be content in it's cage. So you'll have to let them out to play for a few hours each day.

Also, they shit a lot. In corners usually. So you'll find plenty of turds in the far off corners of your house. Litterbox training would be a good idea, but all of my siseters ferrets, dispite the training, liked to push the box aside and shit right on the carpet.

The males are typically more cuddly than the females, but honestly cats and dogs are FAR more affectionate. Ferrets arn't really mean, nor are they very loveable. Ferrets act more like a mix between a puppy and a kitten for all eternity. Extreamly playful. They will make you laugh every single day. They will also make you curse all of existence.
>> Anonymous
>>259163
I agree with everything he said

mine goes back to his cage to use the box maybe half the time and he learned quickly to fake it when he figured out going the the right spot got him out of the cage or got him a treat.

affection barely exists, he walks over to say hi when I get home from work, crawls on me sniffs around and either goes back to what he was doing or starts jumping around trying to get me to play
he licks my nose but I dont know if that means "hey I like you" or " omnom your nose tastes good"
if he's tired he'll sit and be pet and scratched but doesnt look for the attention

anywhere or anything you thing your ferret cant get to, it can. I'm always finding shit on the floor that was up on shelves he shouldn't be able to climb to.
>> ? ? ?? User Unknown??????? !.64NeWFaGs
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>>259163
>>259413
i want a ferret more now
>> Anonymous
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i have 3 ferrets... 2 males and a female... males are by far a better choice (i love my little girl, dont get me wrong... males are just far more affectionate and friendly and what have you... ive had 6 in all... and 2 of my males have been EXTREMELY affectionate and cuddly.. i bring my guy Dunkin w/ me everywhere he can go... and he sticks by me and sleeps in my hood for the most part... and dose very well walking on a leash (w/ a shit load of training) they are not a pet for the short tempered or the poor... they are crafty and can be downright IRRITATING!! and they eat up your money real quick.. food is expensive... the startup (cage and such) is ridiculous ull need at the very least 500$$ to start w/...thats 4 the ferret, cage, bedding, toys, vet for shots yadayada... they also get sick easily (they can catch the common cold from you!!!) and although they are not rodents, they are just as delicate and do not handle sickness well, ive had my 3 to the vet at least 6 times since November till now... they are however the most amazing little animals i have ever had the pleasure to meet and there FUN to boot!!!! good luck on you decision... but think hard... they are a lot more animal then most people expect!!!!!!
>> Anonymous
They need to be outside of their cage most of the time and it's EXTREMELY important you baby proof your house first.
>> Anonymous
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I have three ferrets.

They arent really smelly, the ones at the petstores are smelly. But that is because of the space they live in, the bedding they live on and the food they eat, also the cage. Usually not much ventilation, shitty shavings as bedding and horrible marshalls food that makes them reek. My comp/ferret room doesnt really smell cept for when they take a shit then it smells, but hey shit ..smells..lol. To minimize the smell you need to clean litter box twice a day, wash bedding (old tshirts, towels, fleece blankets hammocks) weekly along with scrub the litter boxes weekly. And scrub the cage monthly. You can wash your ferret once every few months, or even every month. Any less would strip them of their oils and make them stinkeh.

You should get a smaller cage first. Like a starter my first home cage, it'll be ideal for litter training (something you'll WANT to do) for a few months then move up to a bigger better cage, like a Ferret nation 142 (its teh best among the ferret world).
>> Anonymous
Loveable generally depends on the ferret, they all have different personalitys afterall. My oldest boy LOVES to cuddle and he is completely dramatic when we don't let him run around the apartment and will just flat ferret. The second one doesnt really like to be held but he loves attention and will follow me around, well..they all do. And the youngest is really too young to give a shit, but she likes to cuddle also. Since I just got her she isnt litter trained and shes kinda stinkeh, I downgraded their cage so she could get litter trained. Generally they grow out of their kit stage around 6 months and pay more attention to you/follow you around.

The oldest two are 100% litter trained in their cage. The second one is like 98% outside in the comp/ferret room. The first one is about 80% and sometimes he won't poo in the box if you arent staring him down, and he digs in the box in their cage for attention..sigh.

They are kinda high maintence pets, require lots of patience. need to be out of their cage atleast 4 hours a day. and need to go to the vet for shots etc (they will become pricey). Make sure you do your research before getting one!
>> Anonymous
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longrat is loooooooooooooooong
>> Anonymous
>>259163
>>259413
>>259460
>>260013
>>260014

ITT: Anons actually help out the OP.

I'm astounded.
>> Anonymous
>>260013

What do you feed your ferrets? I was unaware that Marshall's sucked.
>> Anonymous
>>260030
its a ferret
>> Anonymous
>>260034

Any high protein kitten food is good for ferrets. There's a review somewhere on the interwebs about each brand of ferret and kitten food.
>> Anonymous
>>260050
http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html ?
>> Anonymous
>>260055

Yep that's it.
>> Anonymous
>>259157

High maintenance, you will need to ferret-proof some entire rooms you plan to let your ferret out in or you may wish to buy a ferret harness and leash for walks. Cages that are actually good for ferrets are horrendously expensive, and most premium cat food won't even do for a ferret, which require higher meat content.

No matter how clean you keep a ferret and its bedding etc, ferrets will always smell something close to diluted piss, like old cinema popcorn. People who manage to keep the smell down give the ferrets something like 3 dry baths a week, and have had them neutered and scent glands removed.
>> Anonymous
>>260034
I feed them a mix of EVO Ferret, Totally Ferret, and Natural Gold. I'm eventually going to take out totally ferret though.

>>260130
I take my ferrets to the beach sometimes, havnt really bothered leash training them, they don't mind the harness.

Also, the first cage I got them was an overpriced one at petco, I paid around 100$ for that my first home cage. Which I felt stupid about later but its a great travel cage. After that I got a ferret nation 142 (The best ferret cage out on the market) it is the last cage you will purchase, and was around 160$ (ferret.com has the best price)

Btw neither of my older males smell like piss, unless you think fritos = piss, then sure because that is what they smell like. Like I said earlier, depends on the cage/bedding/litter training/cleaning/and choice in food that will ultimately decide what the ferret smells like. They will always have a smell, but I think my bf's australian shepard smells worse then my ferrets to be honest.

And you can put baby powder on the ferret every few months but not weekly or even monthly. It would dry out their coat and make them overproduce oils therefore making them stinky. Just don't bathe them a lot, and make sure their cage and litter box is clean and bedding gets washed weekly (thats where most of the smell comes from)
>> Anonymous
Ferrets are aweeesssommme.

I had one male that was a deaf sonofabitch that bit me as hard as he could whenever he could. I didn't blame him because he was deaf and was always getting freaked out and startled and shit, but still... he sucked. Then he hurt his back and became paralyzed in his lower half. We had to carry him around all the time and clean him off and stuff, and within a couple of months he was the most affectionate pet I've ever had. He snuggled and gave us kisses.
The moral of my story is: Your ferret will not show you affection unless he has nothing else to do because he can't get away from you.

They can hurt their backs pretty easily. The fact that there's a market for ferret wheelchairs is a bad sign.
>> Anonymous
Things you need to know before getting a ferret

1) They require massive ammounts of attention. If you can't give it constant attention every day, then get two ferrets not just one. They will keep eachother company.

2) They only smell if they're not taken care of properly. Constant bathing (as in more then once every few weeks) destroys the oils in their fur and they stink more. You can also have the major scent glands removed which helps with the smell immensely. This is usually done at the smae itme as getting them fixed.

3) They can eat cat food.. Try not to feed them too much meat or they can turn mean. Never feed them raw meat. Ever.

4) Ferrets will get into EVERYTHING. You have to make sure your house is ferret proof. If there is even one small hole in the wall they will gnaw it open and get inside and then good luck in ever getting them out.

5) Ferrets are NOT overly affectioante creatures. They don't really cuddle, but they do love attention.

6) Most importantly, ferrets are not dogs or cats. You can't let them chew on things because they won't pass them like a dog or cat does. If they swallow a peice of plastic or something they won't poop it out. It can create a blockage in their intestines and end up in VERY expensive surgery or death.
>> Anonymous
>>260152

Actually baby oil is far better for them then baby powder. Baby oil tricks their bodies into thinking they have enough oil and they won't produce as much. It's the scent glands and oils in their fur that create the smell.
>> Anonymous
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>>261100
i have 3 ferts.... my 2 boys are both deaf, they NEVER bite... or startle, actually... my female startles WAY easer becouse she can here... i like them deaf, they are all pretty affectionate. the two oldest ones more so the the 9 month old baby...

just spend time w/ ur fert and they will love you...
>> Anonymous
>>261136
Hmm interesting, I've never heard that before. The only thing I would consider using baby oil would be for ears.
>> Anonymous
>>261132
Obviously you can't just feed a ferret any run of the mill cat food. "feed your ferret contain at least 34% protein and 20% fat." Someone posted a ferret food chart earlier. http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html its a really good guide.

Most ferrets from the petstores/shelters are already fixed and decented.

And the whole, don't feed an animal meat it will make them mean is completely false. Don't forget that ferrets (and other carnivores) are built by nature to eat raw meat. I give my ferrets raw chicken wing to help clean their teeth so I don't really have to brush them (kibble does NOT clean teeth)

Ferrets have very short digestive tracts so they eat and poop it out quick enough for them not to get sick. If anyone should worry would be the person that prepares it, but if you do it right (clean work space, feed your ferret in a travel cage that is easy cleanable, disinfect) you should be good to goes.
>> Anonymous
>>261147
Continuing.

My cat would eat meat all the time. Did he become mean? He only became mean when I would try to bathe him...but other then that he was very affectionate.

Only 2 of my 3 ferrets are willing to eat meat (so far) most of them dont even know what it is and think its poison the first time around. Neither of them are aggressive and I started getting them used to some raw when they were only a few months young.
>> Linestra
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Not OP, but I just adopted a Ferret on Tuesday. Was feeding him Marshalls because that's what they had been feeding him and it seems pretty popular (I work at a PetSmart.) I was surprised to see how low it was on that list. Will be switching him to 8-in-1 soon. Do you do it the same way as with dogs?

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