# help for a first-time ferret owner



## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

So, I have the basics down with cleaning litter daily, bottle water always, wash bedding and such weekly in very mild detergent, at least 2 hrs of playtime daily, and the yada yadas of basic care. But what about food? From my reasearch, raw
is better, but what do they mean by that? Like do I go to the grocery store and pick him up a juicy steak? Also, I know you aren't supposed to bathe them, but what can you do about that oh so musky smell? I am a scent freak, in the sense that I can handle mild odor, but WOW can't begin to describe the odor that now fills my home. I have been around ferrets before, but haven't ever owned one. And my friend rescued this little guy from a very neglectful owner. The only problem was, her cats didn't think too fondly of him, so she gave him to me. She knows he came from petco, and she took him to the vet and got his shots. So he is all good there. He is quite young but not really a baby. Also, he is somewhat nippy, but in a very playful way. My only concern is what if he gets into the habit of seeing fingers as chew toys. He is absolutely adorable, and I would love to make things work out between us. I just want to give him the same care that I give to the rest of my pets (which is the absolute best for him within financial reason) So any tips on special care or food ideas would be greatly appreciated.


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## Madmaniakid (Apr 24, 2015)

Hello Rubbie

I used to own 3 ferrets some years ago, I used to buy ferret food which is like dry cat food but is specifically for ferrets and throw in bits of ham or cooked chicken, I would never have given them 'raw' meat. Also you don't want to give them any heavy meat like a steak 
The smell you will never get rid off it's their natural scent however neutering will reduce it a lot.
You should generally keep them outdoors in a hutch, preferably in some kind of extention or shelter on the side of the house, of course you can have them in the house to play and spend time with but if you are out or at bed time they should be outdoors.
They will nip, it's in their nature, ferrets are extremey curious animals, one of my girls used to sit on my shoudlers and lick my ear even now and then she would take a cheeky nip at it, not painful or to hurt probably just play, the more you handle them they will get used to being touched, also you need to hold them correctly too which will prevent them ever biting. I'll find something I can hold in that fashion and post apic later on

I've attached some old pics for your enjoyment 
Anything you wannna know feel free to ask


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## thekinetic (May 22, 2012)

Awwwwwwww! <3

Ferrets are one of my someday pets, I'm curious about their care too!:3


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## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

Thanks for the info, but I would be far too fearful of keeping him outside. There are alot of stray dogs around that roam and alot of them are pitbulls. I am all toexperienced with the ddamage that a pitty can do (I've had a few and they can easily demolish a wire crate in a matter of minutes if they want to) so I would have to keep him inside. Also, I thought that they were very sensitive to temperature and they lack the ability to sweat. It gets quite hot here in the summer, regularly the upper 90's with heat index well over 110, so I wouldn't want him to get heat stroke. And he is already neutered and desented. He is a Marshall ferret (due to the telltale tattoo dots on his ear) And I guess I've gotten used to his odor because it doesn't seem so intense to me anymore. I also disinfect his cage and contents daily and it has really helped with odors. Also, I swapped him over to Wysong Epigen 90 ferret food for the quality of the ingredients. It's kinda expensive, but health is more important than cheap food.He has bebeen getting alot better with the nipping since I have been working with him. He has been learning to adjust his enthusiasm with his playtime, so progress with that aspect. I have only had to scruff him once to get my point across. He also let me clip his nails without much fuss. I've been having a hard time trying to find the stuff to clean his ears, although they seem to be ok. I do let him have ample time outside of his cage in my bathroom, since it's the only room that is truly fuzzy safe. Also, his cage is way to small, so looking for an affordable replacement for him asap. It is more or less a large hamster cage and I really don't like it at all. So I let him out for a few hrs at a time multiple times a day. He is becoming alot more interactive with me and initiatives play alot more instead of me having to initiate it. He makes the most adorable noises and really has a ball. I ended up naming him will o' wisp, or just wisp for short. He really fits the name and is very silly. He even had a cuddling moment today and wanted to snuggle with me. Usually, when I would pick him up, he would wiggle and want to play. This time, he was snugly and almost purring at me. I guess that's what dooking is. I have really enjoyed him thus far, and can't wait to see more of his personality shine.


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## MCW (Oct 13, 2013)

rubbie5837 said:


> From my reasearch, raw
> is better, but what do they mean by that? Like do I go to the grocery store and pick him up a juicy steak?



I doubt it. Raw meat on it's own is not a complete diet. You will have to add in liver and organs and likely bone to the raw meat to make a complete diet. I do not know what the proper ratio of meat to organs to liver to bone is needed for a ferret. With cats it's 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% organs, and 5% liver.

Here's some info on raw diets for ferrets:
http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/ask_angela/rawdiets.html There's a page with recipies on that web site.

I am aware of a pre-mix for ferret raw diets: https://www.knowbetterpetfood.com/raw_ferret_food It's basically a powder that you mix into ground boneless organless meat. 

Regarding supermarket meat - I suggest avoiding the already pre-ground meats. Bacteria is usually mixed throughout the meat, which isn't a problem if you cook the meat properly but since it would be fed raw it can cause tummy issues in a ferret. Buy whole cuts of meat but avoid those that contain solutions of sugar / salt / preservatives / flavorings. You can grind the meat at home with a grinder or food processor or just finely chop the meat up.

Or, buy raw meat and organs and stuff from a raw pet food supplier like Hare-Today.com Independent pet stores may have frozen chubs of ground raw meat for dogs and cats which could also be fed to ferrets as well. Some chubs a grinds (ground meat with bone and organs), others are boneless and organless and others are just ground up bones with little meat (like chicken frames).


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## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

Thanks. I got alot of information from that site as well as a few others. They are very informative. There is only one problem I have with the raw diet, and that is I am vegan, so was raised in a household with vegans. So the sight of raw meat literally turns my stomach. That's why I did further reasearch and found out about Wysong Epigen 90 ferret food. It's supposed to be the absolute best dry food out there. Absolutely no sugar or carbs and truely grain free. It has the required animal protein and fat that ferrets require. I think it has also helped with the stink smell. I've just got to find a slightly cheaper price than $30 for a 3lb bag. I have found quite a few links to places online, so just trying to find the best deal before this bag runs out.


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## esob79 (Apr 6, 2015)

I would suggest getting on a ferret forum, they would have the best advise for you. At one point my husband and I had 7 ferrets running around the house! I really hate that they are sold as pets and live terrible lives in toosmall cages. Ours ran around our ferret- proofed house all day, night time was the only time we ever caged them. They are much like cats and dogs and flourish on human interaction. I've never heard throne about not bathing them. Once a month we would fill the tub(water up to just below there bellies) and give baths to 7 ferrets it was so fun to watch them! They do have a smell but if you have 2 changes of bedding(old tshirts, towels etc...) then you can change out and wash 2 x a wk, that really helped us. 7 ferrets put out a lot of stink but if you clean bedding cages litter and litter boxes it will really cut down. I would not suggest keeping them outside, ferrets are little Houdinis! Good luck with your new friend, they really are great pets if your a great owner that will give it your time and love and care


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## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

Yeah, I really hate his cage. I am looking hard to replace it. And I scoop his litter pan throughout the day, and dump and scrub it every morning while he is busy playing in the bathroom. And swap out his bedding then too so I can wash everything a couple of times a week. I know they say to dump the litter once a week, but I clean my own torlet every day, so he should get the same. He spends the majority of the day out and has free chance to get in and out of his cage all day. He only gets locked in at night and he is getting spoiled to being free, so he fussed a bit at night. I think when he has a bigger cage, and room to play in it, he might be a little more comfortable being in there. I do let him explore the living room while I am able to completely supervise him. I might let him stay out when I can fully fuzzy proof everything, or at least more area than just a bathroom. I don't like having to keep pets in a cage, unless it is absolutely necessary. And I've tried finding an updated ferret forum, but most are old.


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## Madmaniakid (Apr 24, 2015)

I don't know what it's like in the states, but over here it was very hard to find a cage that was big enough, so I basically brought 3 cages and put them together putting a staircase in etc... 
I found my ferrets loved sleeping in hammocks 
You can also buy cooling plates they can lay on if they get hot (the ceramic plate in this pic)


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## esob79 (Apr 6, 2015)

, at the time we had ferrets, Marshall's had there own brand of food, but any high quality dry ferret food will work. We also gave ferretvite and ferretone, our fur babies loved the stuff. You'll find if you put ferretvite on the belly you will have a much easier time trimming nails! And don't forget to swab out those ears from time to time with a q tip. For nipping, we always lightly tapped them on the nose with a finger and said "no". They learned pretty fast and never bit after that(except one of our ferrets loved to nip toes with socks on!)Just some things I remembered.


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## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

Well, we made it through morning playtime with only one correction for biting too hard. Oh and made a new discover about my little wisp. He is a she. Lol. For some reason, I thought they were more like cats as far as their uhm... equipment, so I took my friend's word about her being a male. Well, come to find out after doing reasearch, wisp is a little girl. But at least the name still fits. I also found out that a will o' wisp meant alot more to me than I originally thought. See, I thought they were just fantom orbs of lights that played tricks on travelers and all. But after digging deeper into various cultural beliefs, wisps are also believed to be the spirits of stillborn or unbatized children. Kinda morbid, but it surely fits my current situation and my slightly odd insperation for accepting her into my home.


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## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

Some pics of my little girlie wisp


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## esob79 (Apr 6, 2015)

Oohhhh. How sweet!


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## thekinetic (May 22, 2012)

Daww, that is one comfy ferret! X3


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## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

Well, wisp got a cage upgrade today. I bought this cage Thursday, but just now having the time and the energy to put it together. It's actually a rabbit cage and it's 30x24x36 and I made 3 different levels in it. She has 2 hammocks and a sleeping bag (actually a little hello kitty basket type purse) and a few other littletoys here and there. II'm not finished with it by a long shot, but it is finally put together and usable. I'm so happy to get her out of the tiny cage she was in. She thanked me by giving tons of kisses and cuddling with me for a while. :thumbsup:


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## amcoffeegirl (May 7, 2009)

I also had 3 ferrets at one time. I loved them. We had a 4 story big cage and got playtime daily. It was a while ago- I don't know if they still make it- it was called totally ferret. It was like $19 a bag. Very high in taurine. 
Sounds like the stuff you're buying will be fine. 
I also gave them that ferretvit and ferrettone.
They liked licking that stuff. I think it helped with digestion.
The smell never bothered me. I don't know why. 
We used care fresh bedding and I don't remember what in the litter box.
Now I have fish tanks instead of ferrets.
They nip when they play with each other so I feel like its part of how they communicate. 
Just like a cat can be taught not to scratch a person- it just takes time.
Having two ferrets or more is easier than having just one. The older one usually teaches the younger one some boundaries. 
Good luck and have fun


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## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

Oh, she is loads of fun. She has been doing extremely well about biting. She is learning to adjust her bite when playing, although she does get a little enthusiastic occasionally, but with a quick NO! She figures it out. I use paper pellets in her litter pans. And she has blankets and such for bedding. I've gotten used to her "earthy" smell. I think it was just her general lack of care that was causing it to be a little overpowering at first. Now, to me at least, she just smells like a forrest. She has become such a cuddle bug lately. It may be because she is getting used to me, but I really do love her. I don't mind the daily cleaning and love the playing time. I took her to petsmart today and she absolutely loved it for about 15 mins. Then she was done because people started crowding her and she got a little scared. But she is so great. I love my fish, but I must say that it's nice to have a pet that I can cuddle with again.


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## amcoffeegirl (May 7, 2009)

That's so great. It's true they do smell very earthy.
I'm glad it worked out. And yes with a quality diet they probably do smell better.


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