Basic ferret care.

Question
What do I use to brush ferret's teeth? What do I use to cut ferrets nails?...I basically need tips of caring a ferrets. Please.

Answer
Hi Jenny,

Here are some links on general ferret care with lots of good information to help you out.

HEAT STROKE:

KEEP FERRET ENVIRONMENT UNDER 80-degrees F, 26degrees C
* http://miamiferret.org/fhc/faq.htm#diarrhea   
*(scroll down page to heatstroke)
http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/index.html

CAGE RECOMMENDATIONS: http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/ferret/
* FERRET VILLA .........cost: $84     
*  NEW ENGLANDER.......cost: $173
*  TOWNHOUSE F-450.....cost:  $190


FERRETPROOFING (do this BEFORE bringing a ferret home if possible):
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/part2.html#ferretproofing
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/yourwebpage10.msnw
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/ferretproofing2.msnw


GENERAL INFO - ALL TOPICS: (PERFECT FOR FOLKS CONSIDERING OR NEW OWNERS)
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferret#See_also
*http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/ferret_school/ferretschool_aboutferrets.html
(great for folks considering a ferret as a pet

* http://www.ferretcentral.org   & scroll down to topic necessary
*http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/ferret_school/ferretschool_aboutferrets.html

*http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/ask_angela/index.html

GROUPS ONLINE (USA):
* http://groups.msn.com/FERRET---AlternateMessageBoard/messages.msnw
* http://groups.msn.com/mynorwegianferretfamily/myferretgroup.msnw
* http://www.ferretuniverse.com/
* http://groups.msn.com/ferret/_homepage.msnw?pgmarket=en-us

GROUPS ONLINE (UK):
* http://uk.msnusers.com/CFWRS/links.msnw

To answer the questions you have, you can use toothbrushes specific to cats or dogs as long as the toothbrush is small and soft bristled. You could probably use a children's toothbrush as well. If you are uncomfortable with that, you can try wrapping some gauze around your finger and gently rubbing it on the ferret's teeth. Start at the gum line to get the brunt of the plaque and tartar build up. This doesn't need to be done every day. Once a week or once a month, even, would be okay. You do need to stay on top of teeth and ear inspections, as well as nails. Just remember to be very gentle and very patient, because your ferret will not like this procedure. The ferret needs to be eased into it. Just do a little each time. You can also try distracting the ferret by using Ferretone as "toothpaste". As a side note, never use toothpaste on your ferret. That would be very hazardous to the ferret's health. Just gently rub the plaque off.

To cut a ferret's nails, you can use a pair of clippers that is specific to small animals. They are easy to use because they are small. I would never recommend using a pair of clippers designed for a dog. Those are way too big and would prevent you from seeing the quick of the nail. The quick is the little pink vein that runs through the nail. If you look at the nail in the light, you will see it pretty easily. You want to stay away from the quick when cutting the ferret's nails (as with any animal) because if you cut through the quick, you will make the ferret bleed and that bleeding needs to be stopped with styptic powder, so you should have that handy. Something to add about styptic powder is that it stings when applied, so the ferret will probably struggle. Also, if you cut through the quick, please make sure that you watch the ferret and make sure the bleeding stops before you let your ferret run free again. You will know when you get too close to the quick because the ferret will probably squeak or cry. Cutting the quick, or even getting close to the quick, hurts the ferret, so be very careful. I would suggest staying well away from the quick and just cutting the tips until you get more comfortable with knowing where the quick is. To help the process along (because the ferret will struggle against having it's nails trimmed), you can put Ferretone on it's belly and let it lick the Ferretone to keep it distracted. This is the way I highly suggest doing it. You can also scruff the ferret. Scruffing puts the ferret in a sort of trance and makes it easier to deal with.

Here is a very good link that I like to give to new ferret owners. It is a chart that lists all the foods people usually feed to ferrets and the best foods are at the top. As you go down the list, the foods get lower and lower in ranking and I'll tell you why in a minute. You will probably want to stay with a nine or a ten. I wouldn't suggest going below a nine.

http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html

When looking at food, you want to make sure that corn, soy and wheat (or any similar products) aren't listed in the first three ingredients. Ferrets can't digest these products so having them as part of the normal diet is not a good idea. It is also better to feed a food that has no by-products in it because by-products don't have as much nutrition as meat products do. It is also good practice to mix a few high quality foods together and give that to ferrets because if one ever goes off the market, you won't have to worry about having to get them switched to a new food.

Treats are a good bonding idea for you and your ferret, but if their diet is well balanced enough, treats aren't actually needed. When thinking about treats, you want to stick with things that have very high protein. Packaged lunch meat sounds like a good idea, but shouldn't be given to ferrets because it has additives and lots of sodium in it; not good for little fuzzy tummies. Eggs are a good treat. You could hard boil an egg and feed him the yolk; the yolk is very good for them. If you don' t want to hard boil them, you could give him scrambled eggs, over easy eggs, poached eggs. You could give them raw if you like, as well. Just make sure that you don't season the eggs.

Meats are a very good treat. You can feed them raw or cooked. Ferrets tend to enjoy chicken livers and hearts. If you have access to a dehydrator, you can make your own unseasoned jerky for your ferret to enjoy. Insects can be a good source of protein for ferrets. Small animals (such as mice, chicks, and rats) can also be fed as a treat or a normal diet. Some people advocate a more natural diet for ferrets and others still love the kibble; it is up to you. Do some research into it and see what you find. It may be a good idea to supplement your kibble diet with some feeder mice or chicks once in a while, at least, to give them a treat, extra nutrients, and to give them a little variety. Meat baby food can be given as a treat as well. If you get your ferret used to meat baby food now, and it ever becomes ill, you can give that to your ferret to help keep it's strength up. Finally, if your ferret likes it's kibble, (s)he might see it as a treat if you feed it to him/her by hand!

In a lot of ferret care manuals, they will tell you that soft fruits and raisins are good for your fuzzy to eat. This isn't necessarily true. Fruits have sugars in them and sugars aren't good for ferrets at all. Feeding sugar to your ferret can lead to insulinoma, which is similar to diabetes. Also, ferrets really can't digest fruits, or vegetables for that matter. Both of these things should be avoided. As for raisins, people give them to their ferrets as a treat, but they really shouldn't. Raisins have a lot of sugar in them as well. Also, it has recently been proven that as little as five raisins can take the life of an otherwise healthy ferret. Stick to meats and proteins. You can also give Ferretone as a treat. I'm not sure if you know what Ferretone is, but it is a fatty supplement that ferrets love it as a treat. Use it in moderation, though. Just give a little bit at a time once or twice a day.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I am here to help in any way I can!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews