Ferret Frolic!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

I bought my ferrets from a reputable pet store in the area, who provided literature on the breeder (not Marshall’s, I know that).

I used to feed the little weasels Iams brand kitten chow, until I learned that supposedly they changed their mix a few years back and it’s no longer as high in protein. I’d fed them some Carnique (freeze-dried meat patties) at the recommendation of the pet store, but it was expensive. The lady who boards my ferrets when I go on vacation - and who also works at the vet clinic (specializing in “exotics”) I take them to - said she only feeds that when they’re growing up. So I ended up with the Marshall Farms brand of food, as it seemed like the best nutritionally. Anyone else have other recommendations?

(I don’t work for them nor do I know anyone who does, but I buy some of my supplies from Ferret Store. They have free shipping deals, and for people who need discretion for whatever reason, a small additional fee gets you a plain brown box.)

22

Right, that’s why if we do get one of those, we’ll also get some additional panels to use as a lid. Or we could just get an enclosed pen.

23

Nah! These questions aren’t off-topic. It’s a general ferret thread.

My guys get both Marshall’s and Totally Ferret (TF). They’re both premium ferret foods, and both provide a diet designed specifically for ferrets. They’re expensive, compared to regular cat food, but they’re worth it. Marshall’s is fish and corn based; TF is chicken and rice based. I’ve noticed the fish based foods produce looser, stinkier poops, BTW. I started giving them both back when I was trying to find a food that would be gentler on Kringle’s delicate tummy. The chicken and rice based foods seem to be good for that, and TF has everything a ferret needs. Cat foods don’t have the right balance of fat, protein, and fiber, and they have WAY too much Vitamin A. The Ferret Store (see Ferret_Herder’s link) has their own brand that sounds very good, based on the nutritional analysis, and is less expensive. I haven’t tried that one, though.

I hate to say it, but I think so. I don’t want to keep bashing Marshall’s because, without them, most of us would never have seen a live ferret, let alone bought one. They pretty much created the “ferrets as pets” industry. But, I think their breeding program has gotten away from them, based on what I’ve experienced and read, regarding the health of their animals. But, since they own 85-90% of the pet shop market, it’s hard to avoid them. There are LOTS of small breeders that, reputedly, have healthier bloodlines available, but you have to go looking for them. Your best bet would be to find a local breeder (or shelter![sup]*[/sup]). I know there’s at least one ferret breeder in New Zealand, but I’m not sure about Australia.

I don’t, I’m afraid. I can’t recall ever seeing anything regarding ferrets in Australia.

Damn straight! Shadow even climbs up the silly radiator covers our beloved landlord insisted we needed. They’re those metal ones, with patterns punched out of the sheet metal. He’ll usually climb up the inside, which is REALLY annoying, because it’s almost impossible to get him out, or make him stop. And, it makes a really annoying sound.

[sup]*[/sup] Anyone that’s considering getting another ferret, please at least consider getting one from a shelter. Shelters are generally bursting with perfectly wonderful little fuzzies waiting for someone to love.

24

Well, that would work. I can’t find the info on the one I mentioned, anyway. I just thought you’d want to be able to climb in, to play with her, without her being able to climb out.

BTW, my first ferret, Shayna, loved her exercise ball, too. Kringle didn’t like it, and Shadow was neutral toward it. But, Shayna really liked it, and got very good at maneuvering it.

25

Well, if we want to play with her, we just put her on a leash. A pen would be mainly for getting a second ferret and letting them play together.

26

My son brought Juan, the Albino Ferret home some years ago. He never did well. Scratched up my carpeting something terrible. My son dyed him pink so he’d feel like he belonged in the punk-rave world, but he was still kind of a jerk. I much prefer kitties to the ferret. We had to give him up.

27

I have 3 ferts. Minky, a female sable & Moose, a male chocolate, came from a ferret rescue Moshi is a champagney-chocolatey sealpoint baby boy, fell in love with him a pet store six weeks ago. I’m really glad I got him, it has really livened up the older two.
They are all rascals. Moose is the theif and cheif toilet paper ripper. Minky is a silky soft sweetie, and escape artist. Moshi attacks anything that moves, especially my feet. I love them all. :slight_smile:

Jeff Olson I have the pen you linked to and my ferts climb right out of it. Try this one instead, it can’t be climbed out of, and is expandable. http://www.ferretstore.com/playconun.html

Latch try the forums at The Ferret Store, you may be able to find more info about ferrets in Australia. I feed my bunch Purina One Kitten Chicken and Rice, Totally Ferret, Royal Canin Kitten, and The Ferret Store’s brand.
[psa]
Please don’t get a ferret without a lot of research. They need lots of time to play outside of their cages, they are never 100% with their litter boxes, and they often need expensive medical treatment. Please consider getting a ferret from a shelter or rescue, they really need homes. My sweet Minky was found by the side of the road, left to die stuffed in a bag.
[/psa]

28

Thanks! We’ll have to order one of those.

BTW: if we decide to get a second ferret, we’ll definatly try the local animal shelter first.

29

Excellent!

This sort of shit makes me so mad, I’m not even capable of coherent thought. Whoever did this should be sewn into a sack and used as a pinata.

30

Re: Ferrets in Aus… Thanks Davebear and LunaSea. I did some searching (hey, it beat doing my essay assignment!) and found out there is a breeder about 20 minutes away from me (and that yes, they are legal here). If/When I get ferrets again though, I think I’ll try some local shelters first. Luna’s (one-line) story struck a chord. Thanks again.

31

Check out Lexxi. :slight_smile:

32

I don’t know if her tastes have changed now that she’s older(or more likely, her sense of smell isn’t as good), but Claudia now turns her nose up at any and all (including the $5lb stuff from Petco) ferret food. So, in despiration I tried giving her what she ate as a wee one - purina kitten chow- and to my relief she still adores it. Most things I’ve read said that kitten food (not cat) is ok for our little friends, so I’m not going to feel too bad about it.

33

We switched from kitten food to cat food when Tazzi turned two, as is recommended by the ferret book we have.

34

My babies are both girls-- Raisin made sure of that! When I was in the market for a second ferret, my boyfriend at the time and I visited a nice pet shop that had several kits, including “The One Who Bites.” I initially chose one of Raisin’s male cage-mates, but wanted to sleep on it. The ex, knowing me pretty well, simply announced the next morning we were going back so I could get my ferret :slight_smile:

When we got there, another family was clearly in love with the boy baby. I was a little disappointed, and reached into the open-topped ferret bin to play with the remaining kits. At which point Raisin climbed up my arm, under my coat sleave, and across my shoulders. You can’t argue with ferret logic; I knew she was mine!

Raisin and Twitch do like raisins as treats, though Twitch is more interested in treats in general than Raisin is. They also love Yogies; we have treat time every morning before I leave for work and every night when I put them to bed after their daily out-of-cage time.

I have some pics of them up over on Fathom, but I don’t have a web site of my own :frowning:

35

Two ferrets for me: Hercules and Ioalus. They’re about 5.5 - 6 years old. They eat a variety of ferret foods - I usually mix about 3 brands together.

Hercules recently declawed himself :frowning: He’s a climber par excellence, but while at work one day he must have gotten himself caught on something, and he pulled out a claw. He’s alright, and it hasn’t stopped his climbing (he loves climbing up my leg).

Ioalus is finiky about snacks. He’s never eaten many, and won’t touch raisins. While Hercules is more active and curious, Ioalus is more tenacious once his curiosity in something has been aroused.

36

Yep. That’s how my first ferret picked me. I reached down, she climbed up…when she got to my shoulder, she whiffled in my ear, I turned my head, she looked me in the eye, and that was that. :slight_smile:

37

Owww! I’ve read they can do that, but I’ve been lucky enough not to have to deal with it.

Interesting. I guess they really are individuals, aren’t they?

Has anyone tried peanut butter? I’ve heard that’s another thing they’re supposed to like, but mine won’t touch it. Of course, they won’t touch meat of any kind, either, which I find kind of odd. You’d think there’d be some instincts that would kick in, there.

38

One more question for you guys. When I first got my ferrets, I clipped their toenails. After a while, I saw they seemed to groom them themselves (read: chew on them when they didn’t like the length). I never saw any harm come of it, so I thought it was ok. Also, they hated having their nails clipped. Right when I would clip they’d jerk, causing me to draw blood a couple times. I hated it. How do you Dopers handle it? Do you clip?

39

My bf had 2 ferrets last year - both, unfortunately died. But he is a big ferret lover (lover of big ferrets? big man who loves ferrets? - who knows !!!) Thats all I really know about ferretts - I’ll shut up now :stuck_out_tongue:

40

When my ferret ‘declawed’ himself, he was about a couple of days away from a clipping [aside]he now gets clipped weekly instead of every other week[/aside]. I always use some Ferrotone* on the belly to distract my ferrets. Both love it, and it will let me clip with little fight (Ioalus still tries to tuck in, but isn’t adamant about it while concentrating on the Ferrotone)

*I believe Ferrotone is a specific brand (Marshall’s maybe), but most ferret supply companies offer a similar product. It’s like cod liver oil for ferrets, only they like it.