Ferret care

About Ferrets

Ferrets make fantastic pets, they are lots of fun and very sociable. Ferrets enjoy exploring, playing and running about. They enjoy daily exercise and handling. Ferrets have a reputation for biting, but as long as they are handled correctly and are well looked after, they are not likely to bite.

It is since the 1970’s that ferrets have been widely kept as pets with their popularity ever growing. In America ferrets are the third most popular pet after dogs and cats. It is estimated that there is a population of over 1.5 million world-wide.

Male ferrets are called hobs, female ferrets are jills. Male ferrets are usually larger than females, and male ferret’s heads are wider. A spayed female ferret is a sprite, and a neutered male is a gib. Ferrets under one year old are known as kits. A group of ferrets is known as a ‘business’.

Buying a Ferret

Buy your ferret from a reputable breeder, reputable pet shop or rescue centre. Buying an older ferret means it probably has been litter- and nip-trained, and will generally be much calmer. Buying from a shelter means staff can give you an idea of the ferrets personality and individual habits. Buying from a re-homing centre is always recommended, as you are giving a deserving animal a home it might not other wise receive.

Where ever you chose to buy your ferrets from, ensure it is in good health before purchase, also find out what guarantees you have should your ferret become ill shortly after you take it home.

Signs of good health include…

Originally there were two ferret coat colours (albino and sable). Nowadays there are a wide variety of colours, patterns and markings. The most popular are Albino (white coat with red eyes), Sable (dark brown body, black feet, masked face), Dark eyed white (all white with dark eyes), Black (black coat, no pattern), Topaz (light taupe), Champagne (golden), Siamese/Chocolate (lighter colour of sable, with brown feet), Red (mahogany coloured).

Ferret Housing

Once you have chosen a happy and healthy ferret, and are confident you can provide everything needed to take care of your new pet, its time to bring it to its new home. It is best to have your pets new home all ready set up so you can put it straight in to get settled. Give it time to get accustomed to its new surroundings; it should be at least a day before you start picking it up and playing with it. Give your ferret plenty of food and water, and talk to your ferret so it gets used to your voice, while getting used to its new environment.

Ferrets can live in doors or out, but either way they will enjoy the company of another ferret.

Outdoor ferret:

If you intend on keeping your ferret out doors, buy the biggest out door habitat you can. If housing one ferret the minimum size should be 4ft x 2ft depending on the size of your ferret. You will need more space if you are housing more than one ferret. A two storey rabbit hutch is ideal. Keep the hutch in a sheltered area, away from adverse weather conditions.

Ferrets suffer from heat exhaustion, and can get overwhelmed by heat very quickly. Do not put the hutch in direct sunlight. Always ensure your ferret has a constant supply of fresh water, and that it is always assessable.

Provide a run for your ferret too and fill it with lots of toys so that they won’t get bored. These could include logs and branches, boxes, flowerpots and drainpipes. Many owners add old clothing or towels as bedding in their ferrets home as the cloth can be washed and ferrets enjoy snuggling up in the fabric.

Indoor ferret:

The most popular option is to keep your ferret indoors. There are many indoor cages available. Remember the bigger the cage the better. Avoid glass aquariums as they do not allow enough air flow. Cages should be big enough for your ferret to play, and should have at least two levels. Be sure the cage door fastens securely, as ferrets are master escape artists. The cage should be kept away from draughts and direct sunlight.

You may wish to let your ferret have a free run of the house. Know that ferrets can be quite destructive; ripping up carpets and chewing things they shouldn’t. You will need to ferret proof your home ensuring they can not chew through electric cables, get stuck behind or in furniture, or eat any toxic plants or chemicals. It is advisable to cage your ferret when you are not in the house. If you do wish to let your ferret have free reign you will need to have it litter trained.

Provide plenty of bedding; a deep, clean layer of wood shavings on the floor (dust and oil free shavings) and plenty of fresh meadow hay as ferrets enjoy burrowing. Add items of interest such as hammocks, tunnels and toys to their home. Many owners add old clothing or towels as bedding in their ferrets home as the cloth can be washed and ferrets enjoy snuggling up in the fabric.

Their home should be tidied every day and thoroughly cleaned every week.

Place the food and water bowls and bottles on a separate level from the litter pan.

Children and Ferrets

Ferrets can make wonderful pets for children. Children should be supervised, and shown how to correctly hold and take care of their ferret. Children and ferrets are can both be very playful and excitable; this combination can sometimes get out of hand, and result in rough play from either the child or ferret. Before choosing a ferret as a pet you should have an idea if it will be suited to your family.

Ferret Proofing

Ferrets are inquisitive and enjoy exploring. They will happily crawl through holes as small as 2 x 2 inches, and as a result can find themselves in all sorts of trouble. The biggest dangers for a ferret are electrical wires (which they nibble through), escaping, other pets, and eating something they shouldn’t. Be aware many ferrets can open cupboard doors and drawers.

As ferrets will happy eat anything, a big problem for ferrets is eating sponge and foam items. When these get eaten they can cause an intestinal blockage. Be cautious that your ferret does not eat the foam from inside your sofa cushions, or eats the sponge from your kitchen sink or bathroom.

Be cautious not to leave a full bath tub unattended where your ferret may fall in and be unable to get out, also leave your toilet lid closed so it can’t fall in or drink the water. In the kitchen, do not leave pans of hot liquids unattended where you ferret may scold itself while it is investigating what’s inside.

How many Ferrets?

Ferrets love companionship, whether it from you or other ferrets. Only keep one ferret if you can offer it lots of attention. Two or three ferrets will keep each other company if you are not around that much. Either male or female ferrets from the same litter can live happily together.

If choosing to keep more than one ferret it is recommended to keep three or more. The reason for this is, if keeping ferrets in pairs when one dies, the remaining ferret can become overwhelmed with grief. If you have at least three when one ferret dies, there are still at least two ferrets to keep each other company.

Ferret Handling

It is important to handle your ferret often to help it become more tame and friendly. If you pick up your ferret incorrectly, you may scare or injure your ferret, leading your pet to become aggressive, to squirm, and to possibly bite.

Pick up your ferret gently but firmly. Using both hands pick your ferret up from behind. Use one hand to support his chest/ shoulders and the other to support his hips/hind quarters. Keep your ferret close to your chest. It is a good idea to be seated on the ground for the first few times you pick up your ferret, so if it does slip through your hands it does not have far to fall.

Exercise

Ferrets spend a great deal of the day sleeping. But when they are awake they are very active and play intensely. They are most active during dawn and dusk.

Ferrets need plenty of exercise out side of their hutch/cage (about 2 hours a day). It is recommended to take your ferret for a walk, for this a ferret harness is recommended, more so than a collar and lead as harnesses are more comfortable and secure.

Ferrets need exercise to control their weight, maintain joint mobility and muscle tone, and to prevent stress and boredom.

Ferret Toys

A ferret toy should be entertaining for your pet, without endangering its life. A ferret will happily play with cardboard boxes, empty paper bags, old shoes and slippers, tennis and golf balls. You ferret should also enjoy hammocks and tunnels. Cat and rabbit toys are also suitable stimulation and entertainment for your ferret.

Avoid toys made of foam or with foam stuffing as the stuffing may cause a blockage in the ferret’s digestive tract if eaten. Hard, durable toys are best. Also avoid toys that can break easily, and that have small bells or balls inside them as these toys can be broken and the inside parts swallowed.

Biting

Ferrets have an extremely strong bite. However they only tend to bite if miss treated, or feel scared or threatened. Once properly socialized, domesticated ferrets will very rarely bite humans. They may (like a puppy or kitten would) grab your fingers or toes in their teeth when they are playing with you, but it is not their intention to harm you.

Ferret Feeding

Ferrets, like most animals have their own specific dietary requirements. Thought, consideration and expense are required when choosing the correct food. Ferrets are carnivores and need a diet that consists mainly of meat, and this means that they will cost a little more to feed than a rabbit or guinea pig. They lack the ability to digest vegetable matter. So fruit and veg should be limited to a treat.

Ferrets can not eat a huge amount in one go, therefore they need a concentrated diet to get all the calories and nutrients they need to keep fit and healthy. A ferret’s diet should be high in protein and energy, and low in fibre. The food needs to have 30-35% protein and 15-20% fat, and animal protein should be the first ingredient and at least two or three of the next few.

If you feed your ferret a diet of mostly moist/minced meat your ferret will be likely to developed high tarter levels and have bad breath. If your ferret will eat chunks of meat and bone, do so as tarter is less likely to develop with chunks of meat. Ferrets will also eat chicks, mince, heart, liver, eggs.

When feeding your ferret bone, ensure they are large pieces of bone, as small sharp pieces and pierce your ferrets mouth, throat or gut.

It is important feed your ferret correctly from an early age. Ferrets get used to eating certain foods and brands, and changing them can prove tricky. Your ferret may not like any new food you try and introduce, and only eat what it needs to survive. It is therefore best to feed your ferret with a variety of food from a young age so your ferret is accustomed to a variety of textures and flavours, and does not get hooked on one type of food.

Tuarine should be included in your ferret’s diet, either included in the dried food or added as a supplement. Tuarine is found naturally in poultry and organ meats such as beef, and lamb hearts. You may wish to add other supplements to your ferret’s diet, such as extra vitamins or cold liver oil/fish oil.

Ferrets with a diet rich in carbohydrate (as found in some dried food, and dog food) are considered more likely to develop insulinoma (a cancer of the pancreas).

Treats do not need to be given to your ferret, as they should get everything they need from their diet. However treats are a helpful training tool, make sure treats are given sparingly. An ideal treat is a piece of banana, apple or a few raisins. Do not give your ferret dairy food or milk, chocolate or sweets.

Be sure to keep water available at all times. As well, and change the water daily for freshness.

Dog food does not contain taurine and is high in carbohydrates and is not appropriate to feed your ferret.

Hiding Food

Ferrets are known to hide their food (and anything else they take a shine to) and may have a secret hidey hole. Be aware where this hiding place is, as you probably don’t want secret stashes of raw meat and other foods in your home.

Neutering & Spaying

If you don’t need to use your pet for breeding, it is strongly advised to neuter your ferret. Neutering of males and females is recommended at 6 - 7 months when the ferret has reached physical maturity. Neutering male ferrets reduces their smell greatly, and their skin will be less greasy. If you are keeping two or more male ferrets, you should get them neutered to prevent them fighting and biting each other.

There are health benefits to spaying a female ferret, it reduces the risk of ovarian cancer and hormone driven diseases.

Bathing

You should only need to bath your ferret once every 3 months as bathing your ferret rids its body of the oils it produces. Bring your ferret into your bathroom and close the door so your ferret can’t make a run for it. Bath your ferret in a sink, washing up bowl or your bath. Use warm water, a few inches deep. Your ferret may love bath time or try to escape. If it tries to escape you will need to restrain your pet. Use a small animal or ferret shampoo, human shampoo is not suitable and may irritate your pet’s skin. Towel dry your ferret after its bath.

What’s that smell?

After bathing you ferret, do not be concerned if it smells more than it did before the bath. The smell is your ferret making up for the lost oils the bath removed.

Ferrets have scent glands near their bottom. Secretions from these glands are used to scent mark for territory. Also ferrets can release a scent when startled or scared similar to a skunk, although the smell goes away quite soon.

Ferret Health

Insulinoma

Hair balls

Distemper

Ear Mites

Colds/flu

Adrenal gland cancer

Waardenburg syndrome