How do you care for a ferret?

Question

My daughter is curious!

Answer 1

This should tell you all you need to know.
http://www.2ndchance.info/ferretcare.htm

Answer 2

They make good pets, just not for everyone.
They are a bit expensive on the upkeep once they get older, because of some of the diseases they are prone to and vets are expensive. In the US they have to have their shots yearly and they can be descented, but that's not so in the UK.
They are a bit smelly, but if you keep them clean the smell is bearable. You need to scoop their litter boxes twice a day and wash it out once a week when you wash out the rest of the cage(which needs to be rather large). Your daughter will have to make sure they get fed and watered daily.She'll also have to bathe them once in a while(about 6 times a year or so) clip their nails, clean their ears and teeth, aso. He'll have to litter train them.
And she'll have to want to play with them. It's okay to cage a ferret, when you're away or when you're asleep. It keeps them safe. Ferrets will and do get into everything, so it's better to cage them when need be. They will have to have about 4 hours out of the cage though and they'll need proper interaction with their Hooman beans. That's even more important when they are single ferrets without companions. Owning a ferret can be a 6-10 yr commitment. So, long story short, unless you are also interested in the care of ferrets, don't get one. Your daughter may be interested in one now, but what about when she's 14, 16 or older. The girl friends want to run around, the boys start knocking on the door and there'll be a lone ferret pouting in a cage alone. Make it a team project for the two of you, learn all you can about them together first and then adopt one or two from a shelter. There are so many sitting in shelters waiting to be taken home to their forever homes. You'd be doing a good thing for ferrets everywhere AND you'd be saving a few bucks/dollars/pounds/quid/Euro... the case may be where you're at). Good luck with your decision.
PS: Maybe she'd rather have a puppy?
PPS: You might want to try "Ferrets for Dummies". It's a great book full of good info and easy to understand. It'll give you an idea.

Answer 3

You should know that ferrets are a LOT of work, but they pay you back with lots of fun times. For a liter trained ferret you should scoop out his/her liter about twice a day, and clean the pen every day and a half. For a non liter trained ferret, the pen needs cleaned every day. They need a constant flow of new toys, I change them out every day when I clean the cages. I also keep about five sets so I am not constantly buying new toys, and the older ones can be cleaned. As for bathing, once a month or less is fine. The bathing strips the ferrets skin of essential oils and makes it produce more oil, thus making it more stinky than before the bath. Marshalls ferret deodorizer in the water and a febreeze plug in near the pen makes the rest of that bearable. Now, they do need to be allowed out of the pen for at least 1-4 hours a day in a ferret proofed room. When they are in their cage put them in a high traffic room, mine like the TV room (mine is attached to the kitchen, and my female Zahra loves to beg, she only gets a stray cheerio every now and again though). My three ferrets also like to watch the cartoon network, so they are easy to please, and the TV in that room don't often wonder from that chanel.

Answer 4

Caring for a ferret can be hard work. They are tricky little guys and can get into anything and everything. We used to have two and it was near impossible to ferret proof our apartment. So, we bought them a giant cage and they only got out for supervised play. You have to be careful because there are stories of them getting into the laundry and getting washed, getting stuck under the fridge, etc. They need lots of supervision unless you have a very ferret proof house. Most ferrets come with their scent glands removed but you'll still want to give them a weekly bath. You should feed them a high quality food to keep their coat shiney. We used science diet kitten food on the suggestion of our vet and ours had the best coats. We also brushed them regularly. Keep in mind that they can be aggressive. Our female ferret was a biter. That was just how she played. The male liked to cuddle and was a total sweetie. They will also steal things and hide them. Don't leave things lying around or they'll end up missing. I had a friend who's ferret stole and avocado!! It was found a month later when my friend discovered the ferret's secret hiding place. You can leash train them. Ours were. We used to take them on walks. They are also litter box trained and, in general, easy to train. But you'll need to keep their box cleaned our they'll stop using it. The best litter boxes are the corner kind.

We had to leave ours with my mom-in-law when we moved to Japan. Eventually they got old and died. :( I miss them and would like to get another but we have two cats, a dog, and two kids with a third on the way. Ferrets are A LOT of work and not something to go into lightly.

Answer 5

I was an owner of 21 of them. They are alot of work. You can't leave them to fend for themselves like a cat. Contrary to what alot of people say, you do NOT have to give them baths frequently. If you must give them a bath, do it only once per month. The more you bathe them, the more oils they release. You must keep their cages, bedding, litterbox clean and scoop the poop every single day. Sometimes twice depending on how much they go. They are an expensive pet. Their life span is short and they get horrible diseases....so if you can not afford surgeries.....then I wouldn't get one. They make very sweet pets and want nothing more than someone to love them and a clean place to live. For more information, go to the following website: www.ferretcentral.org and also www.ferretstore.com

Answer 6

The same way you would care for a human child. They need food, water, shelter, love, attention, toys, shots, exercise, other ferrets to play with, outside time, treats. I take mine on playdates with other ferrets.

Answer 7

i had a ferrett many years ago ( 11 years now) and things were different then. Nowadays there are specific ferrett foods- but i used to feed mine cat food as per instruction back then as there were no ferrett foods.
i also gave mine a supplement that contained oils needed in thier diet that i sprayed onto her cat food.
you can bath them every 2 months or so, and they poop in a cat box, and need a bed and a blanket to burrow under.
they prefer to be in pairs as they are social creatures and when lonely will wreak havock on your home. also- they are a fairly 'delicate' pet, and are not good if you have children or dogs etc as they can get injured very easily.
good luck!

Answer 8

they are expensive but so easy to take care of if you are commited to their care. my two; zeus(1 1/2) and asia(19 weeks) are so awesome!! a daily to do list is like:(AM) clean the litter box check food and water and let them out to play, after about 2-3 hours hunt them down(they are sleeping somewhere)and put them in their cage to sleep and eat,(NOON) do my daily things(cleaning dishes, etc),(PM) let them back out(search again in a few hours), clean litter box, let them out again after nap and sit down for "play time"(about an hour) and they play untill they fall asleep, put them up to sleep and eat, and back out to play, clean box in cage and ones out of the cage,check food and water, then BED. not to hard i let them out more than you really need to. but it's not all fun and games there is vet check-ups and sick visits. plus expenses lke food toys vitamins and treats. they are money eating little kids but you love them anyway it is like having a dog, cat, and a toddler in one.yeah they can bite but if trained at a young age not to they won't and if they are treated with love , my asia is a play biter but kinda like a puppy when they play. check out ferret.org;essentialferretfacts.com and ferretfacts.com

Answer 9

you only bathe them once a month. if you bathe them too often, they stink more.

there is cage cleaning everyday, and at least 2 hours out of the cage to play.

Answer 10

from what I understand it's like taking care of a chinchilla, kitten and puppy all at the same time.

Answer 11

They are a lot of work. You have to give them many baths and change the paper a lot. Other than that, they are a lot of fun!