can you give me a list of things i need for a pet ferret ?

Question

i want to get a ferret and want to know everything they need. so i can start saveing money to buy it all it needs to live. any help would be fantastic

Answer 1

Contrary to what was said earlier, if you are purchasing your ferret from a reputable pet store such as PetCo or Petsmart, then you won't need a high tolerance for odors because the ferret will have had the glands that produce the offensive odor removed. If, however you are purchasing from a breeder, then you will have to take your "fuzzy" to have the glands removed, especially if you're purchasing a male.

Now, to your actual question. The first thing you will need is a home for your new pet. Most pet stores carry a wide variety of sizes. I recently purchased the "Super Pet Deluxe Multi-Floor Ferret Home with Stand" from PetCo and, as far as I know, my girlfriend's ferret loves it. While this cage is a bit pricey, it is definitely large enough for your ferret (even large enough for two) and comes with a stand for easy mobility, tubes and ramps to provide your pet with hours of entertainment, and a hammock for the ferret to sleep in. I believe the bottom part is removable for easier cleaning as well.

Of course, you will also need food, a food bowl, a water bottle that attaches to the cage, and plenty of toys. For the food, I recommend Marshall brand. It has the amounts of fats and proteins that a ferret's diet requires and is suitable for ferrets of all ages.

With the food bowl, if at all possible, find one that will attach to the cage so that your ferret, being the playful, inquisitve creature that he or she will be, does not knock its food all over the place. I've learned this lesson the hard way.

With toys, anything that is bright, makes noise, or you think looks interesting will be best. Try buying new toys every so often to keep playtime fun and exciting for you and your ferret. A harness or leash is good to have if you plan on taking the ferret for a walk around the block, or around the house.

I think I've covered the bare necessities. You may also consider buying a book about ferrets. I've found "Ferrets for Dummies" to be extremely helpful. You should be able to find this book at a pet store or any book store as well. I hope I've been helpful, and have fun with your new pet!!

Answer 2

You will need a large cage, liter box, liter (lots of patience in training him), high quality ferret or kitten food, Hammocks (they love them), water bottles or dishes, TIME (they love people) especially if you are only getting one ferret. The book Ferrets for Dummies is a must for any ferret owner!

To address the odor issue. They do have a musky smell and it is very offensive to some people but not at all to others. To help cut down on the musky smell, change their hammies often and use dryer sheets when drying them for that "april fresh smell". Don't bathe them very often because that makes the odor worse (their body tries to replace the oils washed away). There are also products (ferret calognes) you can spray of their fur to help with the musky odor. 1 of my 6 ferrets tends to be very musky, the other are only mildly so. Litter box odor is another story. You absolutely must keep it scooped and changed. Marshall farms makes a great product called Bi-odor that you put in their water to help with litter box odors. Also fishy foods=stinkier poops. Yesterday's News is a great litter but don't buy the one that says it's for ferrets because it cost more and it the same thing as the one that if for cats. Oh I guess that about gets you started, but here are some websites with more info...
www.weaselwords.com
www.hugawoozel.com
www.miamiferret.org
if you or someone you know can sew, here's a site that tells you how to make hammies
http://www.neferrets.org/hammock.htm

Answer 3

OK IMHO puckfrea...has the best answer...even down to the food.
2 level cages are the best. Put the litter box on bottom and food/sleeping on top as ferets dont like to eat around thier own crap (would you?) and will stop eating. They have corner boxes which are the best but as far as the litter good luck with that cause it will go flying when they dig. Ferets like to dig so here is another tip....Petco sells those Ferret hammocks to sleep in but soon you will realize that they like to dig at those too and soon it will get torn to shreds. Instead get some dish towels (like the floursack kind...not terry cloth) and they hang great with safety pins in the corners. Much cheaper alternative.
I also wanted to add that you may want to call around to vets in your area and ask if the treat ferrets. If they say yes then try to ask them questions like how many ferrets has the vet worked with ect. I say this because I found that many vets have no clue about ferrets. In your reading (if you get a ferret book) it will talk about shots for ferrets. If you go to a vet that has no clue about ferrets many times they will give a feline dosage for distemper which sometimes is lethal for a ferret. If you cant find a vet in your areas your better off skipping the shots altogether as long as you make sure the he/she doesnt come into contact with other animals that havent had thier shots. Ferets are very playful and sometimes bite during play so its crucial they arent around any other animals that havent had shots.
Other than whats already listed I wanted to say I hope you enjoy him. Ferrets are fun but do need lots of time out of thier cage. Sometimes they are naughty and take things and hide them. If you find you cant deal with him find someone who can. Ferrets cant survive the streets like a stray cat/dog.

Answer 4

First I would like to say that taking care of a ferret is MUCH different than taking care of other small mammals. They need a lot of attention, care, and quirks that you may not know about. They also need to be taken out of their cage for a few hours each day to let them run around. I can't write out everything you need to know about ferrets here, so please read up on them before you get one or you and your ferret will be very unhappy. With that said, here is some essential items you will need before you get your ferret:

-A large cage
-Lots of toys (ferrets need to be either entertained or be able to entertain themselves)
-Place to sleep (hammock, blanket, etc.). They require lots of sleep.
-Litter Box
-Non-Kitty Litter (kitty litter has lots of dust which is very unhealthy for ferrets).
-Ferret Food (Ferrets need food with high protein in it. While some people say that you can feed them cat food, a lot of cat food contains vegetable matter in it, which ferrets can't digest as well).
-Water bottle
-Ferret book (this is so you can read up on them, before you get one)

In response to another answer posted above: Ferrets are actually relatively clean animals. If you feel you must bath your ferret, then don't do it often. This will cause Ferret's skin to produce more oil, which in return will cause them to have a stronger odor.

I hope this helps!

Answer 5

First off. PLEASE make sure you do ALOT of research on ferrets before you get one. They are VERY expensive animals to own.

What you need:
1. Multi-level ferret cage
2. A couple of litter boxes, ones with a high side
3. Food and water dishes that lock on to the cage
4. Bedding. Hammocks, sleepsacks, blankets, old tee-shirts, old sheets, old towels.
5. Toys. They love things that make noise (jinggle balls, squeeky toys, crinkle sacks). They also like stuffed animals, balls, tunnels, etc.
6. Food. High quality ferret food, or high quality cat food.
7. Supplements. Ferretone, Ferre-vite, Ferret-lax

Please make sure you have a vet in your area that will see ferrets. They are considered exotic pets and not all vets will see them. Also make sure that the vet is experienced with ferrets.

You will want to make sure that you have arrangements ahead of time for any trips you take and need to leave your babies at home. See if you have an experienced bording facility.

You need to have a hidden savings for your babies too. Ferrets are very prone to medical issues and this is VERY expensive. Be prepared to deal with a serious illness by the time the ferret turns 3 years old. This doesn't always happen but it is better to be prepared.

Now for my lecture. Ferrets are not easy pets to have. They are cute and fun, but they are also ALOT of work. They are not the pet for everyone. Ferrets are NOT caged animals. They are caged during times when they cannot be supervised. This is for their safety. They have to have a minimum of 3-4 hours of play time a day out of their cage. You also need to "ferret proof" all the areas where the ferrets will have free run. They can typically get in holes one inch in diameter, but some can get into smaller holes. They will try to even get in holes that they can't fit into and can get stuck. This is VERY dangerious. Ferrets also like to chew on cords. If you have a rocking chair or a recliner, Please be careful not to use these while the babies are out. They can easily be hurt or killed from these types of furniture.

I have so much information that I could give you, but this has already become a book. Please feel free to e-mail me. [e-mail].

Also check out www.ferretfacts.com. I have found this site to be useful. It also has information on the medical problems that ferrets are prone to.

Answer 6

hey i love cute lil animales and i no what you need to care for them to First of all, you need a clean cage for your ferret. I would reccomend a
medium to large sized cage so that you can clean it in a larger space. Ferrets
cooped up in small cages are more likely to bite their owners. For litter box
needs, you should try to have a large litter box, because ferrets are known
for pooping in corners and dry areas of the cage. To reduce the need of your
ferret taking a dump in a place besides its litter box, place one of their favotite blankets near the area where they have accidents the most. For litter, you should get anything besides cat litter. Try the green newspaper pellets.
In a ferret's cage, it should have comfortable surroundings. Blankets,
hammocks, and cushions should do the trick. If you have a ferret, a cage is truly reccomended.

Your ferret will need food. You should have a bottle of water with a
straw (the gerbil type) and a rather large bowl of food. If you feed your

ferret by hand, you won't need this. by hand, you don't need a food bowl. You should keep your eye on your ferret's water. If you don't, the water can get germs you don't want your ferret to have. See the Food section for more.
Another element of the ferret's life is bath time. Most ferrets are not
very fond of water, so you need to make a ferret bath quick. First, make sure you have an old towel so that the ferret doesn't mess up your $50 one. Now, you need to be sure you have a not too cold and not too hot temperature for bathing water. They can be chilled or burned to death if you are not careful. Now, you can either shower the ferret or dip him in water and do it
naturally. Most ferret baths should be done shower style. You need to get no-tear shampoo so your ferret's eyes don't get hurt in the proccess. Take
some shampoo and squirt it in your hand, them rub it on your ferret's fur. You should scrub all over, incluing the face. Repeat this two to three times.
When you are done, rinse your ferret and wring its fur out, literally. After
this, you should grab the ferret out of the tub and put it in a towel. Rub him
off and then place him in his cage. Make sure he gets into the cage, not all
over the house and then to the cage. If this is not accomplished, your ferret
would be even dirtier than ever. Once you shut the cage, he will most likely
run around the cage in circles attempting to get dry. This is ferret time.
Let your ferret go wild for about 30 minutes and check on him every 15 minutes.

Every few months you should take your ferret to the vet for a check up.
Ferrets are small and are more likely to get diseases than other common
house pets. Well good luck with him/her

Answer 7

The main thing you need is a great tolerance for terrible odors. They are the stinkiest, muskiest smelling animals you can imagine. Good Luck.