NEW 2 MONTH OLD KIT

Question
QUESTION: I HAVE A TWO MONTH OLD KIT I GOT HIM FROM A BREEDER. I HAVE FOUND NO REAL ANSWERS ON HOW TO CARE FOR HIM AT THIS AGE. WHAT FOOD, MILK OR NO MILK AND HOW LONG BEFORE I CAN PUT HIM IN WITH MY  4 YEAR OLD MALE AND WHY SO MUCH CRYING
ANSWER: Hi, and thanks for writing. People generally do the research on how to take care of an animal, especially a kit, before taking the animal home.

The first resource to go to would be the breeder from whom you got the ferret. He or she may have a strong preference in terms of food, for example. I would throw tons of questions at a breeder to whom I (presumably) just gave a lot of money for an 8-week old ferret.

At 8 weeks he should be able to eat regular ferret kibble now. I recommend natural food such as Innova Evo, Wysong, or Nature's Gold. Nature's Gold in particular is terrific because it is extremely high in protein and extremely low in carbohydrates (most ferrets will eventually develop insulinoma and need to ingest as few carbohydrates as possible; ferrets get their energy from fat, not carbs). If that's not possible, then use a premium food like Totally Ferret, Shepard & Greene, or Zupreem. Avoid cheap, low quality food at all costs, as well as anything that is not specifically made for ferrets.

If he's having trouble with the kibble, soften it up with some warm water and hand feed it to him. Gradually switch to the regular hard kibble.

When you say "milk" are you referring to cow's milk? All dairy products are an absolute no-no for ferrets of all ages.

Crying is practically unheard of in a ferret. If it's in pain it will make a very horrible screeching sound that you'll never forget & never want to hear again. I'd need to hear what he's actually doing in terms of making noise. Have you taken him to the vet for his second distemper shot? I STRONGLY recommend you have a vet see this ferret if he's distressed or making strange noises. You should also mention this to the breeder.

Regarding your 4-year-old, here's a web site that goes into great detail about introducing a new ferret (including kits):

http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/part2.html#introduce

Chapter 25: From Birth to Bundle of Energy in the book "Ferrets For Dummies" by Kim Schilling would be helpful for you as well. Every ferret person should have this book at home anyway (as well as "The Simple Guide to Ferrets" by Bobbye Land).

The following web site ("Caring For Baby Ferrets") should help you, too:

http://www.weaselwords.com/page/ferret_art033.php

Good luck,
DG

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you having a ferret for 4 going on 5 years now i have a good understanding about these little guys an everything you told me i have already known about i was just wondering if you could give me any other tips to make the adjustment for him a little easier. the breeder told me he was older and when he sent me the papers in the mail he lied to me i have an appointment for tuesday for the second shot. if i would have known his age i would not have taken him from his mother and i cant get a hold of the breeder any longer for help. thanks for the web site and thanks for your help i will keep you informed as to his progress.

Answer
Thanks for clarifying the situation........8 weeks is a little young to be separated and sold and in the ferret world we actually advocate that ferrets not be sold/transferred/adopted until they're at least 10 or 12 weeks of age.  In any event, introduce your two ferrets gradually under well-supervised conditions, separate them if there's too much roughness on the part of the older one, and be patient. In most cases ferrets do get along unless one of them is completely used to being an only ferret. In those cases it can end up being hopeless, and you have to keep them separate, but I've seen surprising things happen in ferretland and I'm willing to bet that they will get along even if at first it doesn't look like it. Be patient, persistent, and supervise at all times.

Good luck,
DG