Should You Purchase a Ferret?

Ferrets are unlike any other animal. If you are seriously thinking about getting one, you should ponder some key questions first. After that, when you have decided to take the next step, you ought to get a few things arranged and decided prior to bringing your brand new pet home.

Ferret care is different than caring for a dog or cat. Pet ferrets need companionship, so if they are consistently all by themselves all through the day with no companionship, they will not be as healthy. If you're going to purchase a ferret make certain you have some quality time to play with them every day.

If you don't have any spare time it is generally a good idea to buy two ferrets to keep each other company. Getting more than one brings up another critical question. Do you want baby ferrets running around your home at some future point in time? If not, make certain to have them fixed or acquire two or more of the same gender. As these critters become adults they have a propensity to acquire an odor. Most owners will have their animals de-scented, but if you are considering breeding them, removing their scent glands should not be done.

Like most other animals they should always have fresh clean water available to them. There are two usual choices for giving them water; hanging a bottle of water on the side of their cage or in a bowl within the cage. If you supply water in a bowl you will need to replace it at least once or twice a day. These creatures can muck up the water fairly quickly and therefore it's imperative that it gets changed frequently. Drinking soiled water can cause sickness.

Dangling a water bottle on the side of their cage is the cleanest way to go and is the preferred method if they will drink from it. Unfortunately, from time to time a ferret will not consume as much from a bottle as they will from a bowl, so if they don't get sufficient amounts of water from a bottle you may have to use a bowl.

Ferrets sleep the greater part of the day, up to 20 hours for adults. For them to be comfortable you need to offer them a hammock or sleep sack. A sleep sack is comparable to a sleeping bag and lies on the cage floor. It is supple and comfy and your animals will benefit from it when the temperatures drop. Hammocks hang over the flooring and provide a cooler spot to nap when the weather is warmer. If you possess more than one ferret buy a bigger hammock for the reason that they will enjoy cuddling with each other in it.

Buy a plastic bottom and not a metal bottom for their cage. Bottoms made from metal will rust and corrode rapidly while bottoms made from plastic will last a long time due to the fact that they will not rust or corrode. Many cages are made from metal that has been coated with plastic, but these can be dangerous. If a ferret gnaws off some of the plastic and subsequently swallows it, you will be obligated to take your animal to the veterinarian to have it surgically taken out.

Always keep a watchful eye on your ferret when you let it out of its cage. An unwatched ferret can get injured or be the cause of damage to your possessions by gnawing. They love to chew on things so make certain they cannot get hold of any plastic or foam items. They must be given time for exercise each and every day, but that requires a "ferret proof" area. Take out everything that might be unsafe or precious from this area and keep a close eye on them.

They can be trained to utilize a litter box which is yet another essential part of raising a ferret. It's ideal to commence training as soon as possible, normally at about 30 days of age, and it must continue until they are fully trained. Handle them as much as possible to get them used to humans and you will be rewarded with a loving pet.