Ferrets are fun pets, but honestly they are not for everyone. I have had a number of them & fell in love with them when I fostered my first one I named Buttons. I currently do not have any because I have dogs & their breeds are way too interested in small critters & this would not be fair to any of them. The two ferrets shown above were two I fostered & adopted (Ginger & Spice).
Ferrets are the type of pet that in about 90% of the situations are best kept in pairs (or more)at least. There are a few ferrets that are not ferret friendly, but that is not that common. They do like to pick their friends & once bonded it is usually for life. When I got down to just one I asked my friend & mentor Zoo to take my last one if it would bond with some of the ones at her sanctuary. He spent his last days with a group of them there, & he had medical issues, so needed special care & he was in great hands & I knew that.
Ferrets need to have food available at all times, so if you are ever traveling with your ferret or it is going to the Vet, be sure you have food along for the ride. Anything over 20 mins they will need to have access to food & water. Most ferrets drink from a water bottle, but when you get your ferrets you need to find out in advance what they are used to drinking from, a bowl or a bottle. https://amzn.to/4jtcOdQ or a bowl like this which locks in place https://amzn.to/43UALGs Ferrets will move a bowl or knock it over if not attached. They are creative & mischievous so you need bottles & bowls that are safely attached yet easy for you to get on & off to clean & refill.
Ferrets do not do well with food changing, but it is important they are eating a quality food. If you are switching foods this has to be done very slowly or a ferret can starve to death because it doesn’t recognize the bowl of food as food. Have two bowls of food, one for old food & one for new. Until you absolutely know they are eating the new food keep the food separate, once they are eating the new food regularly, you can slowly mix them together. This change over can take a month or more, so monitor them closely. Some brands of foods for ferrets are:
1. Totally Ferret (what I fed)
2. Zupreem https://amzn.to/4joGwkh
3. Evo
4. Sheppard & Green
5. 8 & 1 Ultimate Ultra Blend (Not the “Select”)
6. Oxbow https://amzn.to/4jyoIDw
I do not recommend Marshall’s brand food even though most ferrets are from Marshall Ferret Farm (sell to most pet stores). Marshall’s tests on animals & I do not support any company I know does this. Please read the labels & check often as companies can change formulas & may not state it. Ferret food needs to contain a minimum of 35% protein & 18% fat. Just like with foods for us & our pets bi-products should not be in there or certainly not in the first 6 ingredients which are the main ingredients in most foods. Ferrets cannot digest fruits & vegetables so don’t give these in treats or if in food. Please feed the highest quality food you can find that meets the protein & fat content & doesn’t have fillers or bi-products. The saying we are what we eat can apply to everyone including our pet, eating better shows in are overall long term health & healthier means less Vet bills & visits for your pets.
Ferrets are Obligate Carnivores (meat eaters)which means they cannot nor do they get any nourishment from fruit, vegetables or nuts. In fact these things could send into a painful death if not for surgical intervention due to intestinal blockage. One exception regarding fruit is for a ferret with heart issue that is on lasik/furusemide which can delete potassium, so you can feed 1/2 tsp of mashed banana daily to off set the potassium lose problem. (Ferret pictured above is Joey, he was still a baby).
Treats on occasion as many are very sweet (no fruit or veggies) so read labels before giving any treats.
You need to do your due diligence if you are a ferret owner. I will be doing a series on their care over the next month or so. I don’t want to rush through things, so I may take longer than I first suspect.
Please know there are rescues out there that take in ferrets & are seeking good home for these fun little pets. Please do yourself & the ferrets a favor & learn all you can before you become a ferret caregiver. If you have never had one maybe consider volunteering at a ferret rescue or a ferret sanctuary so you can have some personal experience before becoming a ferret owner. I fostered some before I adopted them, I did a ton of research & I found my ferret mentor so if I had questions I could contact Zoo. I also volunteered at her sanctuary in Kirkland IL (Zoo’s Ferret Sanctuary) which is still helping ferrets even after the sad passing of my friend & Mentor Kathy Strombach.
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