Ferrets
Caring for your Ferret
We at Andale have a great
interest in the care and treatment of ferrets, we recommend
regular check ups vaccination and neutering. We advise routine
castration of Hobs (males) from 5 months and neutering of Jills
(females) from the same age. We can also give advice on the pet
travel scheme.
Some basic information is listed
below, please do not hesitate to ring for further advice.
General
The average life span of a ferret
is 8 to 10 years. When fully grown, females weigh about one and a
half to two pounds while males are generally about twice the
weight of females. A female's length is about twelve inches nose
to tail and the males are about sixteen inches.
Ferrets come in many colour
variations. Most are shades of brown, grey and black with the
mask, feet and tails generally being the darkest in colour.
"Albino" ferrets are white with pink eyes.
Behaviour
Ferrets have powerful, distinct
and engaging personalities, and a playful and fastidious nature.
Ferrets are diurnal creatures
with their periods of greatest activity just before sunrise and
shortly after sunset. They sleep about eighteen to twenty hours of
the day, waking up twice a day for very active periods of about
two hours. Due to their very high metabolism, ferrets also awaken
roughly every four hours for a few minutes to eat, relieve
themselves, and play briefly. When they wake, ferrets shiver very
noticeably for periods up to twenty minutes. This is normal as the
ferret is increasing his body temperature after sleep due to his
higher metabolism and inherently higher body temperature.
As burrow-living animals, ferrets
require a dark, quiet place to sleep. The most suitable beddings
are old towels, sweaters, pants and the like in which they can
roll up or bury themselves.
Ferrets are extremely curious and
will investigate anything and everything. This curiosity is the
leading cause of premature death amongst ferrets. It is important
to supervise your ferret at all times when he is at play. If you
allow your ferrets to roam about your home, never close
refrigerators, washers, driers, etc. without first ensuring no
ferrets are exploring the interior or roosting within.
Litter Training
Ferrets are latrine animals and
prefer to use a specific area for this purpose. Generally, a
ferret will relieve himself within a few minutes of waking up.
Being small predators, ferrets would be in the middle of the food
chain in the wild, so their instinct is to find a sheltered corner
as a latrine. All these things make it possible to litter train a
ferret with considerable success.
The ferret should have a litter
box or paper placed in a corner near his nest or in his cage and
be confined to the nest/litter area until after he has relieved
himself. Afterwards, he can be released to play in the rest of the
home as he will not relieve himself again until after his next
sleep. The size of the nest/litter area can slowly be expanded as
the ferret learns to use a specific area for a latrine, much like
paper training a puppy. As a precaution, a litter box can be
placed in a secluded, out-of-sight corner of each room for the
ferret's use as these are his natural preferences. The use of a
fine, dust-free, clumping litter in a litter box or newspapers is
suggested. Remember to clean up daily.
Play (Nipping)
Ferrets are very playful animals,
much like kittens or puppies who never grow up. They have many
behaviors related to play and play "hunting" which
confuse or even frighten people unfamiliar with ferret body
language.
The most common action is a
"war dance" where the ferret arches his back, throws his
head back with fangs bared, often bushing up his tail, and
maniacally bounces forward, backwards, sideways, while chittering
away. As seemingly mad as this dance may seem, it is only a
challenge to come down to his level and play. If you imitate his
actions, he will become more frenzied (hard to imagine though this
may seem) and start chasing you, stop suddenly, turn, and run: Now
its your turn to chase him.
All ferrets have an affinity for
people and want to include their parents in their play which is a
major bounding component in a ferret's life. Due to his extremely
strong jaws and small, sharp teeth, a young ferret can break a
person's skin during these games. Ferrets have thick fur and skin
which protects them when they play together and it takes a while
for them to realize that we have no fur and only thin skin which
is no protection. Once they realize that they are hurting us,
ferrets modify their play so as not to do any damage. This rough
play is part of a ferret's life, especially when young.
Nipping, pinching the skin hard
without breaking it, is another invitation to play. Some kits
never nip at all, but most that do will eventually outgrow this
tendency as ferrets do mellow with age.
Housing
Ferrets are active, curious
animals that should be allowed to run free when awake and be caged
only when required. Should you not be able to allow the animals a
large area with toys to roam about freely and explore, then
ferrets are not the pet for you.
If it is necessary to confine
your pets periodically, they should always be kept in a cage large
enough to allow separate sleeping, eating, litter and play areas.
Generally, a cage of 30 inches by 18 inches can house one to three
ferrets comfortably for a few days or for travel. If confined for
too long, clawing and gnawing at the cage occurs and dental damage
often results. When it is necessary to keep the animals in a cage,
exercise in a large area conducive to exploration for periods of
two to three hours twice a day is advised.
Ferrets love to tunnel, so their
favorite beddings are sheets, towels, blankets, sweaters and such.
These items are ideal for ferrets to snuggle into (ensure that
sweaters and blankets do not have decorations on them that the
ferret can pull off and swallow).
Small cardboard boxes, paper,
throw rugs and towels, white socks and clean linen: These are a
few of a ferret's favorite things. Fancy toys are nice for humans,
but the child in the ferret enjoys the things he can crawl into,
under, and through, like drainage pipe and box lids. The leavings
of the latest shopping expedition are the greatest gift mankind
can bestow upon a ferret.
Food
Ferrets are exceptionally
playful, so expect your ferret to tip over his food and water
bowls. Check on them often, tape them down, or use an unspillable
bowl. Rodent water bottles are not recommended as a ferret may
damage his teeth on the spout.
Because ferrets have such rapid
metabolism, they awaken to eat about every four hours. Fresh water
and food should always be available to them. Ferrets eat only what
they need and leave excess food for later, so one need not worry
about over-feeding.
Ferrets must be fed a high
quality dry ferret or kitten food. Hard food keeps the ferrets
teeth clean and makes their feces less smelly. The food should
contain at least 32% protein, primarily meat, and 18% fat. Older
ferrets can be fed dry cat food as they become less active due to
age. Be aware that some ferret foods contain high quantities of
fish oil and by-products. These types of food are soft, causing
plaque and tartar build-up on the teeth, and also give the animal
an unpleasant smell.
Like all carnivores, ferrets
enjoy fruit and sweet vegetables such as grapes, bananas, carrots,
peanut butter, etc. as a dietary complement. Avoid dairy products
(most ferrets are lactose intolerant) and nuts or similar items
which the animals would swallow whole as ferrets do not have
grinding molars like us.
Health
Yearly Veterinary Visit
You will need to take your ferret
in to your veterinarian twice a year for a medical checkup and
yearly vaccinations. Ferrets require yearly inoculations against
canine distemper. They are highly susceptible to canine distemper
and it is always fatal. Do not forget to inoculate against this
every year!
Be aware that proof of rabies
inoculation is required when taking your pet across international
borders.
Include a dental examination for
your pet also. Though ferrets seldom develop cavities, check your
ferret's teeth regularly as many ferrets break their fangs when
playing. This can cause excruciating pain and make the animal
cranky and bitey.
Spaying & Neutering
All ferrets should be neutered
before they reach sexual maturity as this will drastically reduce
their odour and it will extend their lives. Female ferrets go into
heat in their first spring (generally in February) and they will
remain in season until successfully mated. If mating does not
occur, the females will succumb to aplastic anemia and die a most
painful death. You will greatly increase your female ferret's life
span if you have her neutered before this should happen.
As ferrets are a very difficult
animal to breed successfully and the risk of loosing the jill, her
kits or both is very high, breeding of ferrets should be left to
experts with on-site veterinary support.
Ferrets attract mates through the
use of pheromones which give the unneutered animals a very pungent
aroma which most people find unpleasant. Unfixed males have a
strong musky odour and mark their territory with urine.
When a ferret is fixed (spayed or
neutered) it's odour will be eliminated almost entirely.
Thereafter, bathing on a monthly basis should be all that is
required. However, ferrets like all animals will retain a slight
odour.
Be a responsible pet owner and
have your pets neutered or spayed. This increases your pleasure in
your pets and makes them more attractive to others.
Odor and De-scenting
One of the most common statements
about ferrets is that they have a bad smell. Most of a ferret's
odor results from the influence of sex hormones on normal skin
secretions. These secretions are drastically reduced when the
ferret is neutered or spayed (see above).
Being polecats and related to
skunks, ferrets also have scent glands which they can release at
will, though they rarely spray unless they are fighting, mating or
very frightened. De-scenting involves the removal of these scent
glands which are located at the base of the tail this procedure is
not available in the UK and is seen as an unnecessary mutilation.
Hygiene
Once your ferret has been
neutered, a monthly bath is all your ferret will require. Use a
good quality ferret, cat, or "no-tears" human shampoo,
preferably with a conditioner. Be sure to wash around your
ferret's neck and face as there are additional scent glands
located below the eyes.
Intestinal Obstructions
The number one cause of premature
death in ferrets is intestinal obstruction. Many ferrets will chew
on soft rubber and other small objects. This is especially
dangerous because these objects can become lodged in the ferret's
intestine. This causes an agonizing and slow death unless surgery
is performed to remove the obstruction. Many other items can be
just as deadly: peanuts and other nuts, doll feet or hands,
erasers, ear plugs, kitchen sponges, small rubber items such as
bath or sink plugs, coffee beans, small buttons, fabric, Latex
rubber toys for cats and dogs, household chemicals, shoe inserts
and other foam rubber items, etc. Be careful and use your common
sense as you would if you had a toddler at home. Fortunately, most
ferrets outgrow this rubber attraction once they have left kithood,
but it is best to take no chances.
Do not feed your ferret
grain-based foods (breads, cakes, cookies, cereals, noodles,
etc.), nuts, fibrous fruits and vegetables, or dairy products.
These items are indigestible by ferrets and result in various
digestive problems, including blockages.
Warning signs of a blockage are
listlessness, vomiting, problems passing a stool, passing a thin
and/or mucousy stool, refusal to eat or drink, vomiting after
eating or drinking. If you suspect a blockage, take your pet to
your veterinarian immediately!
Illnesses
Ferrets can catch the human
influenza and cold viruses and they can pass them back. If you
have a cold or the flu, be sure to wash your hands before touching
your ferret. Keep the ferret away from your face and do your best
not to give your cold to your ferret.
Ferrets are also susceptible to
canine distemper and rabies (see above). Other common diseases are
adrenal and pancreatic tumors, Aleutian disease, bronchial
pneumonia and other viral infections. Most can be effectively
treated given early diagnosis.
As ferrets tend to deteriorate
quickly due to their high metabolic rate if they become ill, it is
important to provide proper veterinary care immediately.
Ferrets are dry, temperate
climate creatures who suffer from warm temperatures and damp. They
should be kept indoors rather than outside, and when the
temperature exceeds 20 C (72 F) they should be kept in a cool,
shaded place with water. Ferrets do have sweat glands, but their
thick fur prevents body cooling by evaporation, making them very
susceptible to heatstroke and dehydration. Even if temperatures do
not reach such an extreme, the ferrets are often left damp from
the sweat and susceptible to chills from sudden cooling
afterwards. Leave your pets at home with lots of water on hot
days.
The red-eyed white breed of
ferret, commonly called an "albino," was bred for the
trait of eye colour. Many of these animals suffer from hereditary
vision problems due to this breeding and are basically blind,
being able to distinguish only vague shapes and shadows. Expect an
"albino" to require more care and attention than other
ferrets.
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