Congratulations on bringing a new furry friend into your home, there are a few pet ferret supplies that all owners should have on hand. Lets talk about little bit about the modern domestic ferret. Mankind has kept ferrets for over 2,000 years. During that time, in addition to providing fun and companionship, they also had jobs. Ferrets have been used to hunt rabbits for centuries, although most ferrets today are pets.
During the wedding of Prince Charles and Dianna, ferrets were used to run wires in the cathedral. So how do you refer to your new pet? Bandit? Carpetshark? Cute baby ferrets are called kits. A little girl is known as a jill, a little boy is called a hob. If your pet is spayed or neutered (which we highly recommend, going into season can kill a jill), they have different names. A male is called a gib, a female is called a sprite. A group of ferrets isn’t a herd or a flock- that’s a business.
First off, the number one item youre going to need is the phone number of a good veterinarian with experience in ferrets. A good vet can make sure your ferret is in good health as a kit, or an adult. Kits requiring some vaccinations (rabies and distemper), and a health check makes sure that your new baby doesnt have a hernia, ear mites, or any other malady. Also, if your ferret veterinarian does bloodwork and x-rays now, if theres a problem in the future theyll have a basis for comparison.
Every ferret should be taken to a vet who is a specialist in “exotics”. These vets are familiar with ferret physiology, and the ailments that are particular to the species. While there you can get your initial vaccinations, a nail clipping, and the most important part- some instruction on how to scruff your ferret. When a jill carries her kits in the wild, she picks them up by the back of the neck. When she does they completely relax and go limp. Your vet can show you to to safely hold your ferret and this comes in handy when you have to pull one out of your cabinet! A good vet is the first item on your list of pet ferret supplies.
After you left the vet and received that bill, you may want to consider ferret pet insurance. Its not always a great buy- policies usually exclude adrenal disease and insulinoma, so you may also want to look into a veterinary discount card, or just create a medical savings plan. Now youre home- lets set up your ferret cage. You want a large wire cage, with lots of air circulation. Aquariums are made for fish and reptiles, not carpetsharks. They need air and room to play, as well as controlling odors. Make sure that the wires in the cage dont have anything that can be chewed off, some cheap ferret cages have pieces that can break off and obstruct a ferrets digestive track.
You can make a bare wire floor more hospitable by covering it with fabric- we have some place mats we bought at a thrift store that work great. Just make sure claws don’t snag in the fabric, or Bandit may hurt himself. You can ease ferret odors by getting a good quality kibble designed for ferrets, such as Marshals. Do not feed a ferret cat or kitten food, it’s missing many of the nutrients that a ferret needs to thrive. You can use clips to hold a food bowl to the cage wall (ferret will move things in the cage), or you can buy a crock that locks to the wires of the cage. Don’t forget a big water bottle, so you pet ferret always has plenty of clean, fresh water.
On the other side of the cage you’re going to place a litterbox. Ferrets can use a corner litterbox, and weve had good luck with a regular small cat litterbox with a small lip- basically its just a pan. The edges keep the litter in- one of our ferrets likes to dig in it when the litter is first put in, and this keeps the rest of the cage clean. Tip: You may want to clip the litterpan to the side of the cage- many ferrets enjoy redecorating and this will keep it in place.
Now for some comfort items. Ferrets enjoy sleeping in a suspended ferret hammock. You can put it on the top level of the cage so you can see them, and they’re quite cute when curled up in ball. You also want to leave some old blankets in the bottom of the cage for burrowing, and to keep warm on those cold evenings. A metal cage on the floor can get chilly. Hope this list of pet ferret supplies helped, and that your new ferret brings you years of laughter and companionship.
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