Ferret Basics

Question
Hi, i went to the petstore today and basically fell in love with these little animals.
I am kind of thinking about buying one but almost every website i go to tells me different things about them.
Example: One site may say to not bath your ferret more than once a month because of their Oils and such.
Another site said that i should give my ferret a bath every week at least.

Can you please tell me just what i should expect? Eating habits, behavior, housing, male or female, and of course, bathing.

Also, i heard that you can train your ferret to use a little box. True?

(By male or female, which do you think would be better, does it really matter?)

Answer
Hello Bill,

Wow, to write every bit of what to expect would take a book or two!  I can try and cover the basics in a shorter version, and if you have any questions or wish me to elaborate on any topic, please let me know.

Housing:  

Ferrets do well in a large cage, provided they get 3-4 hours of playtime every day. The bigger the cage the better, and I prefer multi-story versions since they offer more room for the ferret.  Make sure there is plenty of clean bedding provided (blankets, sheets, and snuggly things).  Ferrets should NEVER have wood chips or cat litter as bedding.  Make sure you cover any wire mesh your ferret will stand on with linoleum, so the cage does not hurt his little toes!  Also, linoleum is easy to clean and replace.   

When your ferret is not in his cage, make sure he is under supervision in a well ferret-proofed room.  Make sure there are no holes in any cabinets he can escape behind and that there is nothing he can fall from.   

Here is an excellent website about ferret-proofing:
http://www.everythingferret.com/ferret_proofing.htm

Eating habits:

Ferrets need fresh kibble and water available at all times.  They NEED to eat every 4-6 hours and have very specific dietary requirements.  They SHOULD NEVER be given vegetables, fruit or sugar.  They are obligate carnivores and cannot digest plant material.  Also, sugary foods are thought to cause insulinoma, which is a serious and often fatal condition.

Since diet is SO important to these guys, please be very careful what type of food you feed.  Most ferret brands are NOT healthy for them, and neither are most commercial treats.  Please check out the following link regarding a previous question about diet.  It includes what sort of things you should be looking for in a good brand of kibble and what to advoid

Diet:  http://en.allexperts.com/q/Ferrets-2277/2009/4/Summer-feeling-well.htm

Behavior:

Ferrets make great pets for the right person.  They bond very closely with their owners and each other, which is why you must devote ample time to them.  Also, although a single ferret can be perfectly happy, they do better in pairs.  You might want to think about a buddy (or two!) at a later time.

Be warned that most ferrets are nippy when young!  They do not mean to hurt you, in fact that is how they play with other ferrets and learn about the world around them.  It is important to discourage any nipping behavior at a young age by "scruffing" and and a firm "NO!".  Also, reward any good behavior with ample treats and love.  

Due to the vast nature of this topic, I will point you to useful websites.  If you have any specific questions, please let me know:

Behavior links:

http://www.weaselwords.com/page/ferret_art017.php
http://www.everythingferret.com/ferret_behavior.htm
http://www.hugawoozel.com/behavior.html

Male or female?

There is no guaranteed behavior difference between the sexes.  I have noticed that male ferrets are more likely to be a bit laid back.  This is not true of all individuals, but they tend to be a bit less playful and inquisitive then their female counterparts.  If you want a play buddy, a female is a good choice.  If you want more of a cuddlier, a male might be better.  Remember, these are generalizations and not necessarily true of any specific ferret!

Bathing:

Ferrets should not be bathed very often, and not more than once every few weeks.  It is true that they will produce more oils with frequent bathing and create a stinkier ferret!  In the event that your ferret enjoys taking frequent showers with you, just don't use shampoo on him too often.  

Bathing links:

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/ferretcare/a/ferretgrooming.htm

Litter Box:

yes, ferrets CAN be litter box trained.  They are NOT as good about it as cats, and accidents do happen.  Make sure you use only a ferret safe litter such as yesterday's news (http://www.yesterdaysnews.com) and NOT wood chips or clumping litter.  These can be toxic or cause upper respiratory problems.  

litter training links:
http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/litter.html
http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/ask_angela/littertraining.html

I do have a last bit of advice if you live in the USA.  Most pet store ferrets are spayed/neutered at a young age (roughly 4-6 weeks) which can lead to serious health problems.  For example, adrenal disease is rarely seen in countries such as the UK where ferrets are seldom fixed at a young age.  Also, large scale breeders such as Marshall Farms uses artificial lighting to induce the breeding seasons, which is thought to be unhealthy and possibly cause later health concerns.  

You might want to find a good breeder (kits are available June-July), and get your ferrets fixed at 7-8 months of age.  Just remember that an unneutered male ferret becomes INCREDIBLY stinky if he remains intact, and that a female MUST be bred or she could die of anemia.

The other option is adoption.  While most of these are pet store ferrets, they cannot help where they came from!  Most of these guys come pre-trained and are MUCH cheaper than ferrets from a breeder.  This way, you are giving a ferret a great home and not supporting the horrible practices of large scale ferret breeders. There are ferret shelters in nearly every state, and I can help you locate one if you wish.
   

I hope this answers some of your questions!  Please let me know if I can answer anything else or if you wish me to elaborate on something in particular.

-Cindy P.