# ferrets? planning on adopting one



## har12345 (Jun 30, 2012)

i have space and time for one (high schooler) i leave from 730 am home at 240 which gives it enough time to sleep i plan from having it out of its cage from 300pm till 8 pm or longer d: it'll go for walks depending on the weather fed high quality food not sure if i should go with cat or acutal ferret food anyone else here ever owned or had one


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I know that Nancy on here has had ferrets in the past, she'd be a good one to talk to about having a ferret when you have a hedgie. Just one question I have, what will you do with your ferret and hedgie when you are done high school if you go to college?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Agreed with Nikki's question - gotta remember to think long-term! Especially because ferrets, like hedgehogs, can be very difficult to rehome. Also think about vet expenses - they can be prone to lots of health problems, especially cancer. My friend has a ferret she got 4-5 months ago, and she's already spent quite a bit in vet bills and such. Also keep in mind that they do much better in pairs and if you're willing, please consider adoping one or two from a ferret rescue. There's many great ferrets that need homes and rescues can usually tell you more about the ferret's personality and quirks than a pet store could.

Here's a link to the ferret forum that my friend joined - http://holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi? It's been great for her for doing research, asking questions, etc. just like these forums for hedgehogs. You can find out more about food there as well. My friend feeds raw which is the best diet (raw or whole food) for ferrets, but it's difficult to keep up and not a great choice for everyone.

And last note, personally I'd recommend keeping any ferrets in a separate room from your hedgehog. They're predator animals versus a hedgehog being a prey animal, and their smell/presence could really stress a hedgehog out. There's also a danger of having the ferret get out and get to the hedgehog to kill it. I wouldn't be at all comfortable having them in the same room together with that possibility existing.


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## har12345 (Jun 30, 2012)

nikki said:


> I know that Nancy on here has had ferrets in the past, she'd be a good one to talk to about having a ferret when you have a hedgie. Just one question I have, what will you do with your ferret and hedgie when you are done high school if you go to college?


 they come with me d: i plan on renting an apartment at the age of 18-19


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Ferrets are very social and they really need to have a cage mate. If you can't have two, then I would wait until you can. With ferrets, the more the merrier. We had eight at one time and they had a great time together. 

Ferrets need regular vet visits and vaccinations especially if you plan to take it for walks. 

We fed a mix of cat and ferret food. Don't feed Marshalls. Unless they have changed the formula, it's fish based and makes their poop rank. 

Get an easy to access cage such as the Ferret Nation. Because of the oils in their skin, their cage and hammocks and bedding needs to be cleaned every few days or it gets smelly quickly. The Ferret Nation is ideal because of the fully opening doors it allows easy access for hanging hammocks and cubes which ferrets love. The worst thing is a cage with a small opening door and trying to get things hung. :lol:


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## har12345 (Jun 30, 2012)

Nancy said:


> Ferrets are very social and they really need to have a cage mate. If you can't have two, then I would wait until you can. With ferrets, the more the merrier. We had eight at one time and they had a great time together.
> 
> Ferrets need regular vet visits and vaccinations especially if you plan to take it for walks.
> 
> ...


i was planning on getting the ferret nation if i were to get two would be best in same sexs or opposite but spayed and neutered


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

As long as they are spayed/neutered it makes no difference at all what sex they are. It's not often to see a ferret that doesn't get along with others. We had 4 boys and 4 girls, not intentional, just worked out that way. :lol:


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## har12345 (Jun 30, 2012)

Nancy said:


> As long as they are spayed/neutered it makes no difference at all what sex they are. It's not often to see a ferret that doesn't get along with others. We had 4 boys and 4 girls, not intentional, just worked out that way. :lol:


ahh grate as my friend had a two males that fought as her first male was use to being with females


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## FamilyOfExotics (May 19, 2012)

I have two ferrets right now, in addition to my hedgie! But my current 2 will be growing to 5 in October! I'm taking in 3 rescues, which will be fun! 

I 100% agree with Nancy and Lilysmommy! Ferrets really do need a buddy, especially since you go to school. In my experience, taking care of 2 fuzzies is easier than taking care of just one  I have only seen one incidence of fuzzies not getting along, and after 'forcing' them to 'fight' it out, they got the dominance sorted out and have no problems now! 

I feed my fuzzies a mixture as well. I use Evo Ferret Food, and Orijen cat food. I like those 2 foods because they both have really high protein, and good ingredients. My current 2 fuzzies were both rescues, and one was on Marshalls, the other was on Whiskas cat food! :shock: After getting them both successfully switched over, they ate waaay less, pooped less, and had better smelling poops. It really shows when you feed a good food! Raw diets are the healthiest, but they are very time consuming and expensive. Whatever food you go with, make sure it has high protein and no fillers. Ferrets are obligate carnivores so they are unable to digest fruits and veggies. Foods high in animal protein, with no fillers or preservatives, and no major veggies in the first ingredients are normally best. Just like with hedgie food, you have to read the labels! 

I have a male and female, but in October I will have 2 females and 3 males. I haven't had any problems with either gender not getting along.

Be prepared though, ferrets do get sick and their vet bills pile up fast. My male got a hold of some rubber once.. That was horrible. He got really sick, and my boyfriend and I had to rush him to an emergency vet 3 hours away from our city. Thankfully he didn't need surgery, but everything cost about $600 that day if you include gas and the hotel stay for the night. They are prone to cancer as well, which is devastating  Two major health problems are Insulinoma and Adrenal disease, if you do some research you will read all about it! There is a lot of information out there  I get my ferrets vaccinated for distemper, but not rabies. My fuzzbutts are never outside without my supervision, and I don't like the high number of adverse reactions to the vaccine. You should check the laws in your area though, because some places require you to get them a rabies vaccine. 

I have a Ferret Nation cage, its the double level but I have an addon to make it three levels. It is my third ferret cage and by all means the best! The huge doors make cleaning and hanging toys really easy, plus literally the entire cage has metal bars to hang things from! It is super sturdy, and completely escape proof when the doors are latched properly. I wouldn't get any other cage, seriously. I even use a FN for my hedgie :lol: 

I love my fuzzies, but they are HUGE trouble makers! You need to make sure you properly 'ferret proof' the entire area that they will be allowed access to. This includes but is definitely not limited to: Make sure that all electrical cords are up off the floor, check for any holes in furniture that they can crawl into, make sure that there is no foam or rubber anywhere they can get to! Those are my major pieces of advice from my experience. Baine (my male fuzzy) can sniff rubber out from a mile away. :roll: He even managed to find the little rubber pieces on my bookshelf to stop the shelves from sliding! I didn't even know they were there :shock: 

They are amazing little critters though, and I couldn't live without them


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

har12345 said:


> nikki said:
> 
> 
> > I know that Nancy on here has had ferrets in the past, she'd be a good one to talk to about having a ferret when you have a hedgie. Just one question I have, what will you do with your ferret and hedgie when you are done high school if you go to college?
> ...


Some colleges/universities require that first year students stay on campus, if you had to is there someone that has already agreed to care for them? Also remember alot of appartments don't like renting to teenagers or tenants with pets. Just something to think of.


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## Allenya (Oct 15, 2012)

*I have owned ferrets for two years now and have three.

I to would say that you would be better off having two rather then one. Ferrets kept in singles often can become aggressive towards other ferrets. So, for example, if you wanted to have more then one in the future you might have trouble with the existing ferret not wanting the new ferret. So you may not always have time to play with the ferret when it is out, school work can take up a lot of time. Having two means they can play together. Domesticated ferrets do tend to be very social. There are some exceptions to that though.

Depending on where you get your ferret(s) from they may come already fixed or with a contract to have them fixed. Unfixed ferrets can be very hard to deal with. Males can tend to be more aggressive and territorial and they smell much more. And when females go into heat they must be cared for very carefully or they can die.

Food wise I would be very very careful with kibble made for ferrets. A lot of ferret kibble I would never feed a pet at all. There are some good ones but not many. High quality kitten or cat kibble can be ok but again you have to be careful. Avoid corn or any sort in kibble. Soy, sugars and grain or veggies are not a good choice either.

These might help a little:
http://moredooks.herobo.com/search.php?chart=ferret (I like this one)
http://ferretmagic.tripod.com/foodlist2.html

There is also the option of an all natural diet, if you can and are at all interested in that.*


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