Introduction
If you're new to ferrets, then you'll be surprised to learn many of the ins and outs of their husbandry and personalities.
Haley of Modern Ferret has put together a fantastic Ferret 101 informational video that goes over ferret care, husbandry, personalities, health, diet, and more. We recommend you giving it a watch! Additionally, we have put together a more detailed Ferret Informational Guide that goes over quite literally all we can think of. Ferrets are extremely lively and goofy critters. They're sure to be the life of the party! That is in their waking hours, as they sleep 18-20 hours a day! They can live from 5-12 years depending on their quality of life and breeding. So they're not a fleeting commitment in the least. Ferrets are apart of the mustelid family along with weasels, minks, even badgers and wolverines! They are obligate carnivores, this means they are only capable of digesting meat and other crude animal proteins like bone and organs. A fresh raw meat diet is the best possible diet but there are dry food options which has to be very high protein that they can eat as well. Giving them both works as well. Most pet stores will have ferret products in the small animal section, along with guinea pigs, rats, and hamsters but they are more similar to cats or puppies in terms of the care they need. They need space, enrichment and patience as well as a knowledgeable owner and vet. Make sure there is a veterinarian in your area that can treat your ferret as they are considered exotic in most clinics. They are capable of catching some illnesses from humans, such as the flu and other viruses, it can be lethal. If you or someone else who is around the ferrets is sick, be sure to wash your hands before handling or avoid handling them if possible. They are social animals as well and must be kept in pairs or more. They will grieve heavily over a loss of a ferret companion. Even if you are interacting with them constantly, nothing quite fills that spot of having another ferret to help groom them, play with in their own way or curl up with and sleep into. |
Absolutely avoid small cages. You wouldn't keep a cat or dog in a kennel its entire life would you? They need plenty of space for all their energy.
They need a place or two for a bed or hammock, a spot where they are fed, and a litterbox/tray at a distance from these two areas. They tend to prefer their litterbox/tray in corners. But your ferret will likely "show you" where they would prefer to go. Best to put their litter in that spot. If you're keeping your ferrets indoors, around 4.5ft/1.4m Ferret Cages with levels will do for 2-3 ferrets max along with plenty of outside cage playtime. You can even extend their space outwards with a ferret proof pet gate around the cage itself to add more footage to their enclosure. There are also 4.5ft/1.4m ferret cages that can interconnect, such as Critter Nation, giving them much space to run around and explore. You can use a leveled cage/enclosure in one corner of a room, section off part of the room around the cage using a ferret proof border/fencing for extra play space! (If you choose this option, be sure to make sure they can not jump over the border, climb up it, bend the bars, or squeeze through. They are master problem solvers and will try everything. The things we've seen our ferrets do to get through or up something still blows us away though we're not surprised.) Avoid small single level rabbit hutches. Outside ferret keeping often uses semi-modified chicken coops or custom 5ft/1.5m or larger hutches. They need plenty of ventilation as their waste has quite a strong odor and is not good to be closed in with for long periods of time. If you have intact ferrets as well, this will help their air quality too as they do have that strong musk. No matter what the enclosure, be sure there is no way for them to escape. You might need to do many test runs, especially in custom enclosures. Ferrets are mischievous and inquisitive making them little Houdinis. |
To ensure your ferret is at their utmost peak of dietary health feed them fresh raw meat. With the raw meat comes the importance of types of meat for the proper vitamins. A mix of raw muscle meat, raw bone, and raw organs such as liver and kidney is perfect. Never cooked! Kits especially need a more strict diet of raw meat to ensure healthy growth.
We feed our ferrets a raw ground chicken, duck, rabbit and organs we get from a raw pet food distributor. More of these places are popping up everywhere and a lot offer ordering in bulk that can help save you on costs. Keep an eye on ingredients. Ferrets and cats have a similar diet but some distributors put other ingredients like vegetables and fruit even in the cat options. Our ferrets (unless pregnant, then fed more) are fed this twice a day. We add some ferret kibble for them for munching on in the night. Make sure your kibble is VERY high in protien, no veggie, fruit, or starch bi-products. Absolutely avoid dog food as most are loaded with fillers such as corn, potatoes and other glutens as well as fruits and veggies. Ferrets digestion can not process anything other than crude animal proteins. They are obligate carnivores and must have 100% protein based diets. Ideally high proteins kitten food is best, adult cat food also tend to have bad fillers in it. Fun treats for your ferrets you'd like to give them is small pieces of cooked chicken and a good raw egg! Too much though of these can result in some stinky bad poops so make sure to limit these. |
Mustelids are extremely curious animals. They are constantly getting into everything especially when they know they shouldn't. It's always fun to figure out what things you can give them or create for them to make them jump around with excitement! Every ferret is different though and have their own preferences. Some are more puzzle solvers and some are lazy. For those puzzle solvers; you can give them dog puzzle toys with treats inside that will keep their minds busy. Dig boxes are always a winner. A large box or container with holes cut into them and filled with rice, dirt(reptile eco earth to avoid any possible parasites or toxins), packing peanuts/beads/crinkle paper will entertain them endlessly.
You can't go wrong with tunnels. Make them out of wide pipes, poster containers, flexible duct pipes, etc. Baby toys and cat toys are great options. Little rubber ducks they can carry around in their mouths, crunchy cat toy balls, or sometimes cat stick-sting-feather toys. They love flexible rubber materials more than anything, that material that's at the tip of your earbuds. So keep those out of their reach unless you want them full of holes! They loved to be chased and wrestled with by you or their ferret companions. Having them out in a room for them to run around and be chased is great! Be sure to ferret proof the area though. They will absolutely try to go in every nook and cranny. Dressers, cabinets, sofas, under beds, gaps or holes. Anything their head can fit into, they can get through. Once they discovered a place they shouldn't be, good luck getting them to leave it alone until you proof it! You can walk them on a leash as well. But from my experience, they have the same feelings towards it as cats being walked on a leash. Taking a guess, I'd say 1 out of every 6 ferrets might enjoy it. There are ferret specialized harnesses in some pet stores. Be sure it's for ferrets as they are slippery buggers and can wiggle out of most things with those tiny arms. Make sure to check their coats for any fleas or ticks they might have picked up on their journeys though! |
When it comes to ferrets this is a very, very important subject as it could mean life or death and their quality of life.
Females Jills in season without being bred for a long period of time will become anaemic and cause death. So it is very important to decide whether you want to neuter her or give her a hormone suppressant when she is over the age of 6 months. If in season (vulva protrudes out and is puffy) before 6 months of age, your vet will need to give her a hormone injection also known as the "jill jab" until she is of age to be bred or neutered. Another trick is having a vasectomized hoblet mate with her to trick her into thinking she was bred and she will calm for the season. Males Hobs will come into season around 6-9 months, and unless you plan on breeding him you will have to separate him from the others from the end of winter to the end of summer as he will be too aggressive. He's going to be especially stinky and greasy from his oils and exceptionally rowdy and frustrated. Other Options For both Jill and Hob, there is a implant option. Similar to our contraceptive implant, it has a slow release hormone suppressant that prevents Jills and Hobs from going into season. The issue there is that it is not very long lasting or consistent in how long it will last. Which can be a risk. Neutering overall has it's health benefits. It prevents certain diseases and relieves your ferrets of stress as well! Smell Ferrets are known to be smelly musk to them, even at a young age. Washing will only do so much and if you wash them too much their oils will become worse to make up for it. It is natural to them. Neutering helps in alleviating this. (More details on smell further on in "Maintenance". |
Ferrets are deeply inquisitive, goofy, interactive and mischievous. They love getting into everything and are very wiggly. If you have them out they will likely find some nook or cranny to get into to explore, so make sure you ferret-proof any area you have them out in! They sleep 16-20 hours a day typically and go into something called a Dead Sleep. They appear absolutely dead even when you pick them up, they can remain truly limp but this is normal! If you feed them raw meat and they are able to carry it in their mouths, they tend to try and stash it so they can save it for later, especially if they have other cage mates, . Having your raw meat in ground soup form should prevent them from doing this. If you have other pets, be very vigilante as well if you have them interact. Some ferrets have a strong prey drive and have no fear. This lack of fear also gives them a boldness to not worry about falling. Your ferret may very well walk off a high surface confidently or leap out of your arms. Intact male hobs in season will be exceptionally aggressive towards other ferrets and will need to be separate from them for part of the year. If castrated, those hobs will be sweet as candy, and perfectly happy. Ferrets are very social animals, they can get along well with other pets as well with supervision. Often grooming their beloved humans or animal friends with their scratchy tongues or seek them out for playtime! When they are happy and playful, they do something called "dooking" and/or "war dance". Dooking is what the sound they make when they are having fun and excited is called. Something similar to tiny deep squeak grunts. It's usually accompanied with the war dance, which makes them look like they're losing their minds; bouncing, running, wiggling with their mouth opened. It's a hilarious sight and always a joy to see! |
Overall
Ferrets have a natural musky odor, which is stronger in the intact ferret than the neutered ferret. Their ferret musk is something that some people enjoy and some don’t. Similar to how some people like a puppy smell and some don’t. Ferret diets also contribute to their odor. A poor diet will lead to body odor and oils similar to humans. Regular bathing is not recommended; at most, bathe a ferret once a month at absolute most with a mild shampoo labeled for kittens or ferrets. The more you bathe them, the more their body will try to replace the lost oils. Resulting in a more oily smelly ferret. We sometimes wipe them down with odorless baby wipes when they get into their food and such. Bathing a ferret can be a big endeavor as well. The majority of ferrets dislike baths. There are many videos online to help you teach your ferret to enjoy bathing as well. If you give them a bath, be sure to place them in an area with a towel and nowhere for them to roll in to get dirty again while they are wet. This includes behind dressers, dusty corners, litter boxes. As they will roll in anything to try and dry themselves off. They get a burst of energy after bathing so they’ll be hard to catch! It is funny to watch as they slither across the towels and blast off like a rocket! Nails Use pet safe nail trimmers. Preferably cat targeted trimmers as they have similar nail structure. Do not cut into the quick (pink vein in nail) of the nail. Styptic powder should be applied if a nail is trimmed too short. Distracting the ferret with a treat can be helpful when trimming nails. Putting some salmon oil/ferretone on their belly so they are distracted from moving by licking it as you clip their nails in your lap. Teeth Brushing the teeth would be similar to how you would a cat, and probably just as frustrating for you and your cat/ferret. You can use small baby toothbrush, soft bristle. Or pet finger brushes. Use cat toothpastes. |
Here's where a lot of patience and understanding comes in. Especially if you have a new kit. Kits will be a challenge as they are learning about their teeth, their environment, social cues, how to play and you. Similar to how puppies or kittens teethe.
We here at LTF will start the process as soon as they are able to be handled. We get them used to our scent, sounds, touch and being handled by hands. They will become tolerant and start understanding but this must be continued by their new owner. The more you handle them and the more you correct them the better you and your ferrets will be for it. Nip training is important as kit teeth may not have much bite power but as they grow their bite force will show! Keep in mind those teeth can crunch through the bone in their food. When a ferret nips, be aware that some of these are gentle friendly nips. These are ways of communicating and playing and are safe. Sometimes ferrets will try to stash/steal you! They do this by grabbing your hand (or companion ferrets) with their teeth and try to drag you off somewhere. Normally this is fairly gentle, just firm and not cause for correction but that is up to the owner. It's all about teaching the ferret the limits of what people are comfortable with. If you're on the receiving end of hard nips, make a sound of discomfort, such as an "Eep!" or "Ouch!" and stop play. We personally use, a high pitched "Ah-ah!" or a firm "No!" so they know in general that when we say that they need to stop what they're doing, not just nipping. If they still continue, and come back with bad bites, correct by your disapproving sound/word firmly. It has to stand out from your normal talking voice-- and put them in "sin bin". A bin, box or carrier(can not be the same carrier used for traveling for them so they don't associate travel with discipline) designated for time outs. Obviously make sure it's breathable. No toys, no interactions, just a boring old box for about a minute or two. No point in any longer as they will likely forget the whole altercation by then and not learn. You can use gloves to pick them up and place them into time out if they are bitey when lifted or a small blanket or towel to scoop them. When time-out is over, let your ferret out but do not give them any attention unless they come and seek you out and are not doing any bad nipping. If you got a bully who won't let go; continue your discomfort sound, place a finger and your thumb on either side of their mouth right in front of where the jawbone and skull meet. There should be a gap where the molars are. Give that a squeeze, their relax will be to open their mouth wider to remove the pressure. Do not hit, flick or yank on your ferret! Not only is this cruel but you will lose their trust. Consistency is very important. They are stubborn and intelligent and will 100% test you on your discipline. With that, they'll start to catch on. Keep in mind though if you have an intact ferret, their hormones will make them nippy off and on. Neutering will help with calm them down in this case. |
Overview
Please take the time to look into more about ferrets by doing more research. We covered most topics but you can never learn too much about them. Any amount of info helps in your journey in ferret care. Feel free to message us about any questions and we'll answer them the best to our knowledge and experience. Most of all, ask a veterinarian in your area that specializes in ferrets as well!