My boyfriend and I had use of a car today, so I suggested we head on up to Yonkers to “look at ferrets.” And I swear I meant “look.” Well, mostly… sort of… BF has a pair (well, now he has three, really) and we kind of enjoy browsing pet shops, picking out toys for his ferrets, coveting puppies, etc.
So we get to this exotic pet store, and there are two perfect little 8 week old ferrets in this big cage, one male, one female. The female had the cutest coloring-- she seems to be a chocolate mitt. I fell in love with her almost immediately and tried to talk my boyfriend into buying her. But, he’d become infatuated with the little boy ferret… which he decided to buy. How could I leave that poor little girl there all alone?
Lest this sound like an irresponsible impulse buy, I have to stress that I’ve wanted a ferret for a while. We started dating right around the time he got the first one, and I’ve known the second one from day one. I’ve thought about this a lot, I just didn’t expect today to be the day!
So, my new addition, christened Twitch, is curled up in a ball in her new cage, sleeping peacefully. She’s so cute, yes she is! With her wittle nose and tiny pink feeties… and that precious tail…
Rysdad-- in theory, ferrets will use litter pans. High-backed pans are recommended, sometimes triangle shaped so you can fit them in the corner of the cage.
However, the little Marshall Ferret sponsored booklet I got with Twitch warns me that ferrets are not as “accurate” as cats, and I should therefore consider placing “several litter pans in the ferret’s favorite corners.”
My BF has trained his so that they associate going in the pan with being allowed out to play. What’s cute is they’ll often hop into the pan for no reason and look at him (or me), expecting the cage to open just because they’re in the Magic Litter Pan.
The ferret and the badger? They’ll be fine. But put squirrels into the mix and you’re way out of my area of expertise.
Our ferret is seven years old now and even though he has slowed down considerably, he is a joy. We have to use several litter pans–he will use one but if he has to go looking for one, he might decide not to bother. Also, if one is not in its proper place at the moment he needs it, he will not bother to find another.
And even though he is descented, he still needs fairly frequent baths—one every couple of weeks, at least.
I’ve been at my boyfriend’s place when he’s given his their baths. One loves it. The other looks mightily indignant. I’m curious to see how Twitch and her brother will take to it…
sigh I’ve wanted a ferret for years…but they are illegal in California.
Of course, the year before I left Dayton for California, my county legalized them.
There was once a loveable ferret.
So cute that no one could bear it.
When asked how or why?
Not a soul could reply. (but)
I’d rather have one than wear it.
My friend has a ferret. It is the cutest thing. She has had it for nearly a year now and she still hasn’t naked it. It’s just ferret face. And yes, it uses a litter box. And yes, it’s descented and it doesn’t smell that bad.
