The day of arrival

Question
Hi     I am not sure what to do with my ferret when I bring him home.... should I leave him alone as you would a new rodent or bird or play with him and keep him close by like a new puppy or kitten?    Does he need time to adjust to his new home/cage soroundings? Should I leave him alone for awhile after he gets home?   Right now I am not sure to buy from a local pet store or to have a kit shipped. thank you


Answer
Hi Tara,

Usually new ferrets should have a little time to adjust to their new surroundings. It is a bit of a shock for them. On the same note, though, they are eager to get out and explore (always), so I would say give your ferret a little time to adjust to his new cage, his new smells, his new everything. I would say, if you're bringing him home in the early part of the day, give him a few hours in his new cage, then let him explore the ferret proof room. If you're getting him at night, you might want to just let him sleep and let him get to know the surroundings in the morning. It is important that he has a few hours to get acclimated to his new cage, though, so when he is in the cage for that first few hours, you should just let him be. I know, it will be tempting to get him out every five seconds, but just a couple hours to let him get used to it.

Are you stuck on getting a brand new kit? Because there are shelters all over with ferrets that need loving homes. They are often cheaper than pet stores as well. I would really suggest adopting a ferret over buying one from a pet store. Ferret shelters are overloaded these days because people don't know the commitment they are making. You could save one of those poor fuzzies.

Anyway, I wouldn't ever have a kit shipped. I'm not really sure how you would do that, really. It might be dangerous because you never know what can happen during shipping. What if someone puts a heavy box on top of the ferret's transportation? Oh, I can't even think about it. So, I wouldn't suggest having a ferret shipped. Please consider adoption.  

I hope I answered your questions and if you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews