Ferret Care
Some Important Tips On Ferret Care
Ferret care may not be for the faint of heart. While ferrets make entertaining, adorable, and very loyal pets, they can also be a handful. The fact that they have a reasonably long life span, 9 years, dictates that proper attention be given to their care and feeding. The basics of good pet care usually mean fresh water, nutritious food, and adequate shelter. It's no different for the ferret, except that this is a rather supercharged small creature that needs lots of attention, and plenty of opportunity for play and exercise.
The ferret is a carnivore, a meat eater, and meat therefore makes up the principal part of its diet. The best food you can get your pet would of course be ferret food. An acceptable second choice would be kitten food, the type normally sold by a veterinarian. A ferret isn't going to eat you out of house and home, but you do want to provide it with high quality nourishment. Supplementing the regular food with some raw food and gelatin ferret treats will help prevent tartar from forming on the ferret's teeth. Monitoring the ferret's dental health, throughout its life span, is an important part of caring for this animal. Keeping a constant supply of fresh water available is a given.
A ferret should have a large cage, preferably with several levels, and filled with plenty of toys. That doesn't mean that the ferret should be in that cage 24 hours a day. It's best for your pet's health and state of mind to let it run free 2 or 3 hours every day. Also, the ferret responds well to handling and companionship. It really wants to be a member of the household, and not a caged pet! The ferret can be trained to use a litter box, which makes it much easier to give it the run of the house on occasion. One interesting thing about the litter box. A ferret does not like a filthy litter box. Being a clean animal, that's probably understandable. The ferret doesn't care for a perfectly clean litter box either, so when you change out the litter, you need to mix a little of the old stuff in with the new litter. It makes one wonder, if training a ferret to use a littler box for the first time, is a little bit of a chicken-and-egg thing.
An important part of ferret care is making certain you keep your veterinarian in the loop. While good nutrition and a proper amount of attention will keep your pet healthy, the ferret, though not disease prone, is susceptible to several diseases, and periodic medical checkups are really a necessity. Unless you plan to breed ferrets, they should be spayed or neutered. You'll have a much happier and healthier pet, and with the male, one that does not smell bad. Untreated males tend to have a very musky smell. You may also want to have our animal's scent glands removed, if that is not already the case. The ferret can behave like a skunk if bothered, though the smell is not as potent or long lasting.
Ferrets love to play. If you have small children in the home, it's important that you teach them how to handle, carry, and respect the pet. It would indeed be a shame if, out of fear through improper handling, your pet ferret bit a child, and thus became confined to its cage. Young ferrets, kits, will sometimes nip, their way of saying:"Let's play.", but this can be trained out of them.
If you have a proper cage, the right food, and plenty of water you'll be off to a good start, as far as ferret care is concerned. Add to that, spending time with your pet, ferret proofing your house, and making periodic appointments with the vet, and you and your ferret should spend many happy years together.