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Caring for Your Ferret Spaying/Neutering Your pet ferret should be surgically spayed or
neutered by the age of six months. Neutering or spaying is necessary
because: Vaccinations Ferrets are extremely susceptible to canine distemper. If they contract distemper, they will die. All ferrets need to be boostered again for distemper within 2 to 3 weeks after their first vaccination. A rabies vaccination is recommended at 3 months and annually thereafter. Discuss with your veterinarian the vaccination schedule your ferret needs to be on. Ferret Diet Your ferret should be fed a good quality kitten or ferret food. Do not give your ferret dog food. Dog food doesn't contain enough protein or fat for ferrets. Their minimum protein requirement is 32%. Make sure meat is the first ingredient listed on the bag. Ferrets are not able to utilize plant protein, therefore, DO NOT give your ferret vegetarian cat food or dog food. Additionally, ferrets have a high requirement for fat, 20 - 30%. Ferrets use fat for their main energy source. They are poor digesters of fiber and can't utilize carbohydrates efficiently as an energy source. We recommend Iams, Science Diet, Totally Ferret, and Eukanuba foods. You may want to ask your veterinarian to recommend a good quality food for your ferret. For up to a month after you receive your baby ferret, you should soak the dry food in water to make the food the consistency of oatmeal. The young ferret's teeth and gums are not yet suitable for chewing dry food. But place a small dish of dry food in the cage so it is always available along with the soaked food. Your new ferret can need as much as 1/2 to 1 cup of food per day served in several small meals. Ferrets have a short digestive tract and food passes through them very quickly - in 3 to 4 hours. Consequently they should be given all they want to eat. It is a good idea to always have food in the cage while they are growing. After the first 30 days your ferret should be given a dry ration, rather than soaked food or canned food. Read the label when you are choosing the dry ration. There are indications that rations with a high content of corn, which is often used as a filler in pet foods, cause ferrets to be more inclined to develop bladder stones. Fresh water should always be available. Watering from a hamster or rabbit water bottle works very well. Ferret Treats Food treats for your ferret can consist of fruits, vegetables,cooked eggs, meat, and fish. However, ferrets are very individualistic in their food preferences. One may love blueberries while another loves cucumbers. Some foods they should never be given are milk, ice cream (all dairy products), or candy. Foods such as breads, breakfast cereals, cookies, and cake should not be fed because the refined sugar in these products can damage the ferret's pancreas, resulting in diabetes. Unfortunately most ferrets have a sweet tooth. The best thing to do is never give your ferret those foods so he won't know what he is missing. Most ferrets love bananas, which will work as a sweet treat. It is important that the foods given as treats should be treats only and not allowed to replace a proper balanced diet. Hair Ball Treatment Ferrets tend to develop hair balls after they are about a year old, but unlike a cat they can not vomit them up. This can cause intestinal blockages. To avoid this, give your ferret about 1 inch of Laxatone (a hairball laxative to keep the hair from making a ball) twice a week. It is also available from your veterinarian. Your ferret will probably love it. Litter Training Provide your ferret with a litter box and he will probably automatically use it. If he is allowed to run free in the house, start by containing him in a small room with the litter box so he knows where it is. Always keep it in the same place. Slowly give him access to more of the house. If he has a large house to roam in, more than one litter box may be necessary. Ferrets tend to be rather lazy about walking all the way back to the far end of the house to potty. They will just choose a new spot that is close. If that happens just place another litter box at the new chosen spot. The chosen spot will always be a corner. Ferret Apparel It is a good idea to put a kitten collar with a bell on your ferret. Ferrets are very quiet animals and a bell will help you know when they are underfoot so they are not so likely to be stepped on. Also it is a good idea to teach them to be on a leash while they are young. Any time you take your ferret out and about, put the leash on for the safety of your animal. Never tie your ferret with the leash. He could easily strangle himself. Fun Ferret Toys Toys are a good idea but they should be ones that can not be taken apart by your ferret so that he could choke on the pieces. Hard rubber balls with bells inside, ferret logs, and tents are good environmental enhancers for your ferret. Bathing and Grooming Ferrets do not need frequent baths. If you change their bedding weekly, they will not have an odor. When you do bathe your ferret, use a very mild soap and lukewarm warm water. A no tears baby shampoo works well. Make the water shallow so the ferret can stand in it. Most ferrets really enjoy bathing time. Dry with a soft, fluffy towel, especially in the winter as ferrets are subject to colds just like humans. Keep your ferret free of fleas by using Frontline, Advantage, or Program all of which can be obtained from your veterinarian. Never use a flea collar or a flea dip on a ferret. A light brushing with a soft bristled brush or grooming mit can be helpful when ferrets are going through a shedding phase. Brushing out loose hairs can help prevent hairballs. Trim your ferret’s nails easily by putting a little Ferratone or Nutrical on the ferret’s stomach then pointing the nose toward the treat; this will keep the ferret busy long enough for you to get the job done.
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