hey everyone. i have a friend here in my hometown and he bragged he's got lots of animals. well, last sat. i went over to have a look. i started with the two iguanas, just played with one, the other was too jumpy and he didn't get it out. then it all started... outside in the yard peacocks, pheasants, dwarf chickens, wild ducks, pigeaons, dogs, then in a room in the basement all kinds of parrots, and in another room guinea pigs, some dwarf rabbits, white mice, some squirrels, then 3 turtles... WELL I WAS SHOCKED! AND AMAZED! but my favorites... left them for last: ferrets. he's got 2 albino males and two females. here is the album http://pets.webshots.com/album/576651403Pljcvm and my favorite pic http://pets.webshots.com/photo/26331028 ... 0362GPIISk Well... i am not just sharing this for free... i need info. any of you got a ferret or two? i googled a lot and well... lots of info. but if i "listen" to all info available.... i will change my mind to a "no". are they really that demanding? Food, care, vet visits, diseases ETC??? i would love to get one. it's not just a whimsical wish. i have been thinking about this for a looong time. well... if you have any experience with this pet... please let me know. CALIN
My daughter keeps two ferrets Calin. They are very high maintainance pets to have but well worth all the effort. Their behaviour is a lot like undersized puppies as they never seem to tire of playing endless games and never grow up! Just remember that if you get these fun-loving little animals as pets they require a lot of handling otherwise they will bite. Also keeping only one ferret on its own is not recommended - they need company so two litter mates of the same sex is ideal. Try to avoid getting females though as they need to be mated or neutered otherwise they will have severe health problems. Male ferrets can be rather 'smelly' when they mature but a quick trip to the vet to have them castrated will minimise this. Ferrets need to be vaccinated (just like puppies) against certain diseases so trips to the vet will be on the cards throughout their lives. Their ears and claws have to be checked on a regular basis. I tend to my daughters pets health as I used to be a vet. nurse which saves her a fair bit of money. I would suggest that it's a good idea too get a microchip inserted into the neck of each one as they are clever little escape artists. Housing has to be very secure and have an area where the animal can get away from the light and weather and be snug and warm in the dark. Feeding them on dry food all the time in not the best thing for their systems as they are 'hunters' and require fresh meat too. My daughter feeds hers on mince, dry ferret food, eggs (whole) which they love. She also gives them dead chicks every now and again. Oh dear I'd better stop there. If you have any questions then just give me a shout and I'll see what I can do to help you out.
thanks eileeen... u r a dear! i knew most of the stuff you mentioned as i spent lots of time on the internet looking for info. si better two of same sex... hmmm.... i live in an apartment. so i could organize something on the balcony... which is enclosed with windows. and in winter i think they need cold weather etc. i will surely get back to you with more questions along the way! LOL
My daughter's have thoroughly enjoyed the severe winter we've been having. She built them snow forts and tunnels in the garden. They bulldozed their way through the snow to have fun playing in them. I hope she has some piccies of the 'terrible two' playing in their winter wonderland. If she has I'll get her to send them to me and I'll post them for you to see. :-D
Here are some photographs for you Calin as promised. There are also some pictures of her pet rats. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v256/ ... life/Pets/ The ferrets names are Yin and Yang. Yin is the smaller, darker one. They are little rascals and love to play with anything they find lying around. They have never bitten as they were so young when she got them and are so used to human company. It's like having two undersized, playful puppies around all the time but they are soooo cute.
Sorry Calin. I'll post them here for you instead. Kits at six weeks of age - their eyes have only just opened. Here they are now: Yin is the smaller, darker one and Yang is his best pal and loves getting his picture taken. The rat (cloud by name) gets in on the act too when the camera is around.
thanks eileen. the pics are great and the animals are really cute makes it hard for me to decide. 50% of me really wants a ferret, but the other 50% is a bit reluctant - will i be able to look after it and entertain it as much as it'd entertain me? i will have to read more about this. anyway, my friend said he'd probably have kits around may.
Calin I don't know if I mentioned this before but ferrets shouldn't be kept alone. Two, or better three, is the ideal as they are such intelligent animls and love company. Also if one ferret dies then the other two won't fret so much. My daughter is going to try to introduce another to her two later on in the year. A tricky proposal but, fingers crossed, it will work out for her.
yea, i read about it being better to keep at least two. well... if my friend can spare two, i will have them
ferrets? It's so ironic I would stumble across this post this morning, my boyfriend and I stopped by the animal shelter yesterday because we've been wanting to find a dog, but there were no dogs so we wandered around and I found three ferrets (two dark colored and one albino) and now I'm hell bent on adopting a ferret. Have to get the cage and all ready before I adopt them so it will be a few days but I think it's a good sign I found your post. Good luck to you with your own ferret adventure.
hey crystal... ironic... or a sign? i'd say go for it. but maybe the ones you intend to adopt are grown-ups. it'd be a good idea to play a bit with them. i played with all 4 that my friend got. two females and two males. at first he was reluctant to put one female in my arms, saying she was a bit wild and prone to bite. she turned so softy in my arms, played with me and almost fell asleep after a while - can't tell you the shock on my friend's face! i guess like with any animal, they need to feel good about you. play with them for a while and see if there is any unwanted behavior... biting...etc... although, i guess they grew with other people so... but then, why did they end up at the shelter??? ooops, who am i to give advice? i haven't got any ferrets yet. anyway.... you must love them as creatures. and be willing to play with them. that's a MUST! but they are sooo cute... why wouldn't you like to?
Eileen, they really are cute and curious creatures, aren't they. Cal and Crystal -- good luck with your adoptions.
Eileen those are some cute photos.It makes me want to hold them not own them but play with them.They are adoreable.
