stray female ferret

Question
Hi,
You'll have to excuse me, I have no knowledge of ferrets at all! I have a stray female ferret who has been living in my shed for the last two weeks. She doesn't go far from the shed and sleeps through the day and most of the night. Is this usual for a ferret? I'm worried she might be pregnant as she seems to be putting on weight. I've been feeding her around 2 thirds of a can of cat food a day. Is this too much or too little? If she is pregnant would it be safe to move her to a new home? Sorry for the random questions!
Many thanks,
Meg

Answer
Hi Megan:

Are you in the U.S.?  In the U.S. ferrets are typically kept indoors because they don't tolerate temperature changes very well. They must be kept in temperatures between about 55 degrees and 80 degrees maximum.  They overheat really easily and die if they start panting from overheating. Ferrets require quite a bit of care - so if you plan to keep her you will need to do things like protect her from predators (#1 priority which cannot be done in the shed); be sure she has access to fresh water 24/7, clip her nails about every 10 days, get rabies and distemper shots yearly and make sure she is spayed if she is not pregnant.

She may be putting on weight just because you are feeding her.  Are her nipples protruding?  If not, and if her vulva (between her back legs) is not enlarged, she is probably  not pregnant.  In ferrets, if they are not bred when they go into heat, they MUST be neutered or they die from anemia - they just stay in heat until they are mated, either with a whole male or a neutered male; that will also bring her out of heat.  So, as you can see, she needs to go see a vet at the very least.

I hope you can help her.  Most likely she has gotten away from her owner and someone is desperately looking for her. You may want to try putting a "found" notice in your local paper or notices up on local telephone poles, trees in your neighborhood, or ask around to see who has ferrets.  Usually neighborhood kids know who has ferrets. Ferrets can wander as far away as a  mile or so if they have been out for a while, so be sure you look far and wide for her owner if you cannot afford to take her to a vet and want to take her indoors, get a cage and keep her.

Here are some great links for new ferret owners that will help you learn about her needs and what you are in for if you do keep her:

         http://www.thechipster.com/fert-man.html
         http://www.ferretcentral.org  (all topics, just scroll thru for whatever you are interested in.

IF she is white, or has white markings on her face, be especially careful that she is looking at you and knows you are then before you reach down to pick her up - ferrets marked like that are sometimes deaf and they will nip if they don't know a hand is coming towards them. Also, do be careful because you don't know how much she has/has not been been handled in the past. To be safe, you can "scruff" her by picking her up by the skin on the back of her neck (get a good big grip) until you see if she attempts to bite or not. It will give you a chance to talk to her and see if she strikes out to nip or if she is just curious and looks at you - in while case it's probably okay to go ahead and cuddle her to your body and talk to her. Keep a good firm hold - to help her feel secure and to keep her from jumping away from you since she has been running wild for a while.

I'm so sorry this reply was so late - I've been on sick leave and your message had been put in the "question pool", where it's likely not to get answered. I just happened to see it and HOPE you get this in time for it to be helpful to you.

If I can be of further help, please contact me on Facebook under "Jacquie Rodgers" and I'll help you in any way possible, including giving you my private email addy.

Best of luck - again, I hope this information isn't too late to be helpful!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers