# My house is a small zoo!



## DragonscaleStudyBuddy (Jul 25, 2014)

I'm new here and am currently owned by: 4 dogs, 3 cats, 2 lizards, 1 snake, 8 (yes 8) ferrets, and 1 beautiful betta. I'll get some pics of my weasels up tomorrow.


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## TheAnimaLover (Jun 8, 2014)

8 ferrets that's a lot, I wanted one but the price and fecal matter made me change my mind so I go a rat instead


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## Pippin (Apr 11, 2014)

Lucky! I want a ferret, but with all of my animals, it's not possible.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Awesome. 
Ever since switching my ferret to raw food, there is way less odour and poop.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DragonscaleStudyBuddy (Jul 25, 2014)

TheAnimaLover said:


> 8 ferrets that's a lot, I wanted one but the price and fecal matter made me change my mind so I go a rat instead


Ferret have very strict high quality diet needs (which is very expensive), but they are so rewarding. As long as you don't bathe them to control smell they actually have a pleasant sweet smell. I've had rats as well, they are really great pets!


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

I want to see your ferrets! I want one so bad, but I don't have the money or the space with all my fish XD


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## DragonscaleStudyBuddy (Jul 25, 2014)

My Boys:
















This is Butters. He was our first.








This is Tank, my first anniversary present.

Now the girls:
















This is Goldie. She is one of 3 I rescued from deplorable conditions.








This is Gidget, she was part of the rescue.








Jewels came with Snow.








Snow. Her owners (who loved her very much) found out they were allergic. She and Jewels were given to us. I keep in contact with their original owner and send pics often. We were going to rehome them (we already had 6 ferrets) but them we saw them... Love at first sight!!!!!








Bella. I bought her from people who did not have time for her. 








Norah, the third of the rescued trio.

Some AWWWWWWW..... pictures:








Butters and my polydactyl cat, Simba, he has A LOT of toes!








The big headed one is Tank... Guess how we got his name..lol








Bella. Such a sweety.








First time Butters took a nap while I was holding him. 

OK. There are my fur babies.


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

All of your ferrets are too cute ^.^
I really like Jewels and Norah. Are there any differences in keeping a male vs. a female like clean up, smell, etc? Or are they about the same? Also do you recommend buying from a store like Petco, getting a rescue, or buying one from a breeder? 
Sorry for all the questions :/


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## DragonscaleStudyBuddy (Jul 25, 2014)

blueridge said:


> All of your ferrets are too cute ^.^
> I really like Jewels and Norah. Are there any differences in keeping a male vs. a female like clean up, smell, etc? Or are they about the same? Also do you recommend buying from a store like Petco, getting a rescue, or buying one from a breeder?
> Sorry for all the questions :/


I do not mind the questions at all! With ferrets there are SOOOOO many important things to consider, they are very high maintenance. 

Funny you say Jewels and Norah, as they are very hard to tell apart, lol. Bella looks like them as well but she has an all pink nose. 

As far as male versus female, no real differences. It would be a rarity, in the US, to find a ferret for sale that has not been descented and spayed/neutered (there will be two dots tattooed in one ear indicating the procedures were performed). One thing I can tell you is that if you pick up a ferret and immediately think it needs a bath because of the musky sent they all have... DO NOT get a ferret! The smell is natural for ferrets and bathing will only make it worse because their skin will work hard to reproduce and regulate the oils in their skin that are necessary and have been stripped always by the bath. The only time you bathe a ferret is when they get dirty which is no often.

Most ferrets in America come from Marshall Farms who descent and spay/neuter them. Finding a breeding pairs in US....unusual....but there are some small home breeders. A bonus to buying from Petco (Petsmart doesn't sell ferrets) is that your ferret will come with registration papers allowing you to know exactly how old they are and their birthday (for a ferret B-Day party). Ferrets do not have a particularly long life span (7-8 years) and most ferrets will need at least 1 major surgery in their life. I bought my first, Butters, from my local exotic pet store where I get my feeders for my reptiles. I became a forever home to the rest because I could (and wanted to) care for them properly, something they were lacking. People are constantly trying to rehome ferrets on Craigslist but !!!BEWARE!!! You need to know a bit to be able to ask the right questions about the ferret's condition. Always assume they are older than they are telling you!

Things to consider:
Do you have a vet that sees ferrets near you? Can you afford to have your ferrets checked out? Exotics often cost 70-100 just for the office visit. Your ferret needs at least 4 hours out of their cage to run around, exercise, and play. Which means they need a safe place to do so. They can get into spaces so small you wouldn't even think to look. Ferrets have VERY strict feeding requirements in order to be healthy, and require a mix of foods. Kibble ferret diets have to change a bit from time to time because ferrets imprint on food which become a problem should you have a sick fur ball in need of special diet change. It costs me around $9 a week to feed each ferret, which doesn't sound like much but xs 8 and considering I would never feed store bought ferret diet to my furballs, add in shipping charges. As far as waste smell, that does depend on diet as well as how often you clean the cage. Ferrets sleep about 18 hours a day but wake up to get a bite of food or water throughout. Ferrets have super high metabolisms and need to eliminate within minutes of waking. Ferrets and litter training... Some ferrets easily and ritually eliminate in a box with litter (but not clay cat litter! I buy a 50lb bag of alfalfa pellets from my local feed store about once a month) some ferrets just have no desire to use a litter box.... Some will, some won't, some use it sometimes, some may be trained to use it about 80%of the time, they are all so different!

I have to get back to homework...:-( Love talking ferrets so feel free to ask anything!


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

That is good to know that most, if not all, are already de-scented and spayed/neutered all ready. I don't mind their smell either. My friend had one and I would always play with hers and help her clean the cage, so I am 100% positive I can handle their smell. When I do get one Petco definitely sounds like a good deal. Is there anything that I need to be aware of when I do get one, such as what to look for? Vets are definitely no problem where I live. I probably have an option of at least 5 different vets that specialize in small/exotic pets. They sound like such wonderful pets to have! They sound similar to cats? just more into everything.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Sadly the lifespan of pet shop ferrets is quite short compared to properly bred ones... Marshall ferrets are fixed and descented at only 3 weeks old.... descenting is, in Europe, considered a cosmetic surgery done for the owner's benefit and not the animal's, and thus is illegal there. Descenting does not remove the smell of a ferret. The two glands are similar to a skunk, and only used when the animal is threatened. .. ferrets also have glands under their chins, if you scratch their chins and smell them you will notice the skunk smell.. but you really need to get close..
Kibbles are really unsuitable for ferrets, and are believed to be linked to a top ferret killer, insulinoma. This is essentially a form of pancreatic cancer from overworking their organ. Surgery is usually the best option, but can only give them a few extra years.. ferrets fed 100% meat do not get this disease, as obligate carnivores, the sugars in grains and other starches such as potatoes (grain free foods often use these) raise blood sugar to levels the animal doesn't handle well..
Adrenal is another early killer, and is much more prevalent in ferrets who are altered before sexual maturity (such as pet shop ferrets). Altering any animal causes hormonal imbalances, but the younger the animal the more severe the consequences. . Sadly this is caused by the demand for cute 8 week old kits, with the descenting probably thrown in as a sales pitch to let people think they will smell less. Though there is nothing you can do about that unless you purchase from a reputable breeder... 
I did buy an 8 week old kit, as no rescues had any and there are no good breeders in my province... I think the most common thing is rectal prolapse in the babies. When you go to look definitely check the bum. Unless the store knows better there is a good chance they are feeding dry kibble. This was the case with my baby, his bum was popping out and red. This usually doesn't get serious unless the baby has been fed dry food for a while. An 8 week old ferret still isn't able to handle dry food, so you would have to wet the kibble for him, slowly switching to dry over a 3-4 week period. I did this and my ferret's bum healed up on it's own.  Stores also sell juveniles sometimes, in which case no worries about wetting the food...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DragonscaleStudyBuddy (Jul 25, 2014)

Ferret people are always arguing over food. Yes, as with all animals, it is always best to mimic their natural diets but there are some great kibbles out there, you just won't find them in a pet store. Wysong makes some great ferret food and Origen cat/kitten is also a premium product. Evo is another but very controversial. If you choose Evo only use it as a low proportion add in. The only pet store foods I've ever fed my fuzzies are Blue wilderness kitten (as an add in) and Zupreen GF (before I knew any better).

Also, a ferret is not a wild animal. They have been domesticated just like dogs and cats.

I love their musky ferret smell. Since mine were procured from people who could not care for them I received a lot of useless "ferret" stuff. I use the cologne on my Maltese not my ferrets.


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

Thanks guys for all this useful information! I don't mind having to adapt feeding for an what an animal needs, whether it is for species specific or individual (I've done this with my pets). If you can think of any other information that you want to share, like horror stories, happy ones, etc. Please do! I'm allows eager to learn, especially since I REALLY want a ferret!


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Well, the other day mine climbed to the top of his cage and dove head first into my 20 gallon tank. :rofl: Quite a shock for him. His new obsession is jumping to places. Expect the unexpected. I definitely can not imagine having 8 of them running around doing stuff like that at once. O_O Unless you have a room for them. A lot of people will just dedicate a room to the ferrets where they can be safe.


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

OMG that is too funny!


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