Greetings /an/ Recently bought my 1st ferret! Had 3 minilop

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>>2272560
Bumping

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>>2272560
Kinda want to get another one fornher to play with but without dedicated ferret room mite wait till we move

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>>2272567
bump

where my ferret folks

>>2272560
Congrats! Ferrets are a lot of fun. I want one but I have ratties and a dog so there's no room. Maybe someday.

Take it to the vet for a checkup when you can It's good to establish a relationship with a vet in case your pet has any health trouble in the future.

A lot of people online say Marshall ferret food causes health problems but I haven't seen any studies proving this, just anecdotes. Exotic animal nutrition is not as well studied as cat and dog nutrition so it's difficult to find good information.

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>>2272577
Excalty! There is info but ranges so much really looking personal experience
>wisdom

Have few basic questions would light indoor inscene once weekly hurt her?

What diet supplements could increase life?

Nail trimming is way more involved than rabbits. Trying keep it less stress full& safe as possible. Tips appreciated

>>2272577

Our rats both died of old age a few months ago so we just got three male ferrets.
We have one of the bedrooms ferret proofed so we stuff a blanket under the door and let them run around and play in there everyday. I have a dog too so I don't let them out unsupervised because I know they would get through that blanket door barrier within seconds and be in the living room.
I had a female when I was younger and they didn't really have the assortment of ferret products they have now in every pet store so I wound up feeding her the best kitten food I could find her whole life. She lived for 9 or 10 years and was very active right up until she died so I guess it worked out alright.
These new ones I am feeding a variety of ferret foods to make sure their diet is pretty good and that they don't get hooked on one brand.
It's nice having them again. I had forgotten how wild and crazy they are, especially after having rats for years.

>>2272601

I wouldn't worry too much about a little incense as long as it isn't right near her.

I would just stick to feeding her a varied dry ferret food diet, supposedly it's good to give them a little wet food once a week for their first 9 months but that's another one of those who the hell knows things because others say to feed them only dry food as soon as they can eat it.
A good dry food diet should provide all the vitamins they need. You can give them a bit of those ferret vitamins they sell that you can put in their water but I wouldn't go crazy with it, too much of vitamins A and D can be toxic for them.
When I cut mine's nails I always just grab them out of the cage while they are sleeping so I have a brief window of calm sleepiness to work with and I do it in front of a window or some other really good light source to avoid clipping the quick, which shouldn't be that big an issue if you just clip the very tips instead of trying to cut too much all at once.
I stop as soon as they start getting upset and struggling and just get the rest later when they are calm again.
It gets a little easier as they get older and calm down a bit, "calm" of course being relative here since we are talking about ferrets. :)

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>>2272560
Thanks yall made my morning! Gotta get to merting but will be bathing her later since cleaning her bed and laundry now.

I'd been a journy so far she has this wardance and leaps up on kids its too funny. Will catch up on bit any info I can drop off will be studied and appreciated thanks again

>>2272617
>this wardance and leaps up on kids

I love when they get really exited and make that little barking sound as they are bouncing around.
My first ferret was able to run around the whole house while the dog was outside because we didn't have any recliners and they couldn't get up into the couches we had. Sometimes to catch her though I would have to leave the room and then come shuffling by really fast, she just couldn't resist bouncing out to ambush me.

>>2272612
She eouldnt touch wet food even when young I could drop some water but was dry food only since we got her. Unsure of her age atm but guessing 4-6 months.
Online says to have vet check them for blockage in throat. Hairballs or debrie cpuld get lodged in there.

Is it as fun as I think would be having 3?

Living space using 3level living room cage but as she grows thinking she needs larger space. We arent home during day and don't want her feel cramped or bored.

I built huches& outdoor play pen for rabbits. However given ferret skills this doeant seem possible.

Cant wait to get home let her out. Always so rambunctious&sweet when first get home.

>>2272560
I've heard that using ferret food for ferrets is a rip off when you could get quality cat food for cheaper. They have the same nutrients in them.

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>>2272683
>Is it as fun as I think would be having 3?

Yes, it's total mayhem.

I built their cage, it has a large front door with a bolt lock on it and I added a small hatch to the top since trying to get all three of them into the cage at once via the front was next to impossible.
We use the top hatch to take them out individually too which is pretty cute because when you hang your arm down in there they come over and bear hug it to be lifted out.
I made it like a huge rabbit cage with the rabbit wire and all but the bottom, back and partially up the sides are marker board which makes it easy to clean and keeps them off the wire unless they decide to climb it. I put that recycled paper chunks whatever eco bedding in there on the bottom so it isn't bare like in this picture from when we were setting up the cage.
They have a little wooden house in there with blankets and we just got them one of those carpet covered wood cat sleeping cylinder things tonight. I am going to do more of a second level once the youngest one is doing better with the litter box training.
It was originally going to be a big acrylic paneled home for our Chinese water dragon but we decided to just get him a bigger tank.

>>2273013
Yeah usually only high quality kitten foods fit the bill though.
As long as it has the right ingredients and is high protein, high fat and no grains they do fine with it.

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>>2272560
Is this your ferret, are you using the cedar/pine/whatever shavings? If so that is bad and very unnessecary for ferrets in the first place. It sounds like you really care about her though and that she's gonna have a great life.
I think other posters mentioned you should consider getting more than one.

If you have to use a bedding, use paper or other based such as carefresh. I use old towels/shirts/pet blankets for my pets.
Food should be high protein plus have meat listed as food ingredient.
For their litter box try to get a paper based brand as well such as yesterday's news but there are many other alternatives. Clay base can be bad for any animal plus people.


You might want to be careful with incense, it depends- my boy ferret is perfectly fine with things but my girl has super sensitive lungs. Just have a window open or the incense on the other side of the room.

Lastly, if you ever own another bunny, you can flip them onto their backside (carefully, make sure you keep holding and support them) and they should relax to make nail clipping easier. Not sure if you're aware of this.
While it might be cute try not to do it unnecessarily, I've heard this can stress them. The trick for ferrets is the same as cats- you can scarf the back of their necks and they should relax. As they are adults or will be, make sure you support the ferret's butt/lower spine while they are scarfed and try not to hold them just by their neck.

Since you have kids I assume your home is already somewhat child-proof so I won't bother going over that. Just beware ferrets can fit in spaces you wouldn't think, much like rats, or climb/reach locations you wouldn't think possible. Good luck and enjoy your new family addition!

>>2273018
In the meantime before you do a second level, why not hang some hammocks or old shirts up using pins to create a fake second level? Ferrets really enjoy hanging and climbing, as well, like rats (or mine do).

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Yay, ferrets! I love them, they're great.

A couple bits of advice:

-You should switch her to a higher quality food. Marshall's is pleb-tier and has a lot of filler in it, so it's not very good for them. Ferrets are strictly carnivores, so their food should be meat-based, high in both protein and fat

You can often find high-quality cat food kibbles that work great for ferrets for a cheaper price (they have essentially the same nutritional needs, but things marketed as "ferret food" are often more expensive due to it being a niche market.) For more information about what makes a good food choice for ferrets, moredooks website is a great resource!

I personally feed mine Simply Nourish Source Rabbit and Chicken Recipe cat food. It's a pretty good one but am planning to upgrade that to a 50/50 mix of Simply Nourish Source and Wysong Ferret Epigen 90

-Don't bathe her so often! She doesn't need it, and it can actually harm her coat by stripping away too many oils. Her skin will start to suffer for it, and she will even smell MORE because her skin will overcompensate for the lack of oils and produce too much. Ferrets don't really need baths unless they get into something messy, but if you want to bathe her, you should do it no more than once a month

-I definitely recommend getting her a friend. Ferrets are very social, and while it's doable to have only one if you give them lots of attention/playtime, they are very happy with a friend. It's a lot of fun to watch them play and cuddle. Taking care of 2 ferrets isn't much more difficult than caring for one

>>2272601
Incense is probably ok, just don't stick it right by her cage/somewhere she could directly inhale the smoke

Re:supplements, good quality kibble should have all the essential nutrients. But you can get either salmon oil or emu oil (I use emu oil cause I don't like the fishy smell of salmon oil, just a preference) to feed as a treat, it helps aid digestion and keeps their coat healthy!

>>2273035
Good advice!

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(cont. from >>2273042)

>>2272601
Advice for nail trimming: It's really easy to get ferrets to relax for nail trimming if you do it right. Just lay them on their back on your lap and place a few drops of oil (emu oil or salmon oil) on their tummy. They will be preoccupied licking it up (reapply as needed) while you clip their nails! A human nail clipper works fine for ferret nails, and it's usually very easy to see where the quick is so just be careful not to clip too close to it!

>>2272683
>Is it as fun as I think would be having 3?
I have 3. Definitely, it's a lot of fun to see them bouncing around together and wrestling. Plus, ferret cuddle piles are adorable!

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>>2273044
Here is a picture of their cage set-up. Bedding/blankets all get swapped out weekly and washed, and I always switch up how things are arranged because it keeps things interesting and fun for them

>>2272560
Other anons seem to have covered most of your questions, but it seems like you're doing fine so far. Go ahead an build the bigger cage when you get a chance.
Still, don't bathe so often. Instead, have lots of cloth bedding that you switch out and wash at least weekly. Clean bedding = clean smelling ferret. Better food will help with smell too.

Cont. from >>2273070
Oh, and be careful about the treats. Sugars can lead to pancreas problems later in life.

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Since most of your questions seem answered I'm just gonna post a picture of my babs. Albino one on left is newest member. White one on the right was the first I adopted and little black one was the middle addition.

How often do you take them out of the cages? How many hours a day are they free roaming and do you ever let them out unsupervised?

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Don't feed marshalls. You can buy cat food with better ingredients for cheaper! And more better for your weasel. I have rescued and own dozens of ferrets who were "fine" on marshalls food. But when i transition them to good cat food they thrive better and i save money. I mix "i and love and you" with "acana" (acana is expensive though)

Don't bathe them ever, it makes them yellow and smell more. Only bathe if they're covered in something you can brush or wipe off with a baby wipe. Washing them removes oils in their coat that when gone makes them produce much more oils, thus more smell and yellowing fur.

To clip their claws i scruff them like a cat and cradle them.

Congrats, you even have my favorite color ferret (silver with black nose)

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Wassup u..
So my ferrets are around a year old and aren't potty trained yet, plz help. It's a constant battle to teach one of them to not bite.. The store said they were the worst ferrets they've had, I got the two and everything I needed for them for a lil bit over 200.. Theyre great though.

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>>2275118
I'd love to give some advice but I need a bit more info first.

How long have you had them for? What does their living set up look like? Under what conditions do they bite? Is it in play? Resource guarding (food aggression?)

For litter box training general advice: Ferrets naturally are drawn to shit in corners. Put litter boxes in the corners they seem to prefer to use to go to the bathroom. If you see them trying to back up into a corner that isn't the litter box, pick them up and place them in the litter box (if they jump out, just keep placing them back in the litter box until they use that corner.) Whenever you see them using the litter box, reward with praise and a treat! This is important. You can also place beds/blankets in places you don't want them to go, or food/water. This can deter them from using those spots.

Some ferrets pick up litter training really quickly, others take longer to learn. Especially if they were at a pet store for a long time, litter training might take longer since they might have developed a habit of not using a litter box there.