Pet Ferret Care Tips – A Complete Guideline
0
0
How to take care of ferrets at home
Ferrets are so entertaining and social creatures. You can easily adapt them under any living conditions. People, who live in a small flat, can easily adopt a ferret. But you must provide them with a lot of care and affection for their entire lifespan. In order to make ferrets happy, you must have knowledge of taking care of a ferret. If you are considering adopting a ferret, our ferret care tips are just for you.
Now, we are going to talk about some important tips to keep a pet ferret fit and happy.
Some basic Ferret care sheet for keeping your ferret fit.
Housing
Ferrets can spend 14-18 hours per day. So, it’s important to manage a comfortable space for your ferret. Provide your ferrets with a standard, one-floor cage which is designed for ferrets. Multi-floor cages are also good for them. These cages will give your ferrets a lot of space and allow your ferrets to go up and down. For this, you must have enough space in your house. If you have the ability to allow your ferrets around your house, a small size cage is enough for your ferret. Don’t keep your ferrets in a glass-made tank. The ferrets’ cage size should be at least 10 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 6 feet high. You can buy a cage from a ferret shop.
- Bedding
You can use hay or scrap paper for bedding. Make sure that the floor is lined with wood shavings and newspaper. Fleece blankets and fabric nesting boxes will also provide comfort and minimize mess.
- Bowls and water bottles
Food and water bowls are important for ferrets. Offer food and water in their food and water dishes which are made for ferrets. After buying a cage, your second duty is to buy food and water bowls for your ferrets. Change water and food daily.
Diet
Ferrets are wild animals. They like to eat rabbits or other small creatures. Fruits and vegetables are not good or suitable for ferrets. They can’t digest these food items. You can provide your ferrets with pellets specially made for ferret food. If protein, fat, and carbohydrates are found in your ferrets’ diet, they don’t need any vitamin supplement. Some pet stores sell raw meat diets which are not good every time. Very often Salmonella bacteria may be found in raw meat which may cause serious infections and diarrhea. You should avoid the potential danger and feed your ferrets dry food. You can find these dry foods from a pet store or online store.
Water
Like other animals, your ferrets can’t live without water. The water dish must be cleaned regularly and the water must be clean. If you don’t provide enough water, your ferrets may suffer from dehydration.
Toys
Supply your ferrets with some toys for playing. They love tunnels the most. As they are predators and like to hunt rabbits, they enjoy playing with small balls, cat toys made with feathers, or small baby toys made with cloth. Don’t provide them with foam or plastic toys because they like to chew their toys. Too small toys like marble are not safe for them.
Exercise
Don’t keep your ferrets in the cage for 24 hours per day. They require some exercise and mental stimulation. When they are outside of the cage, you must supervise them. Before allowing them to go out, make the specific area ferret-proof.
Hygiene
Cleaning the cage twice per week is a good idea. While cleaning, you can add lemon or vinegar to the water. Lemon and vinegar can remove unpleasant smells.
Plastic-made toilets are found in pet stores. You can buy the from a ferret pet shop.
Bathe your ferret twice per year. Frequent baths may cause some problems like dry skin. It is also important to protect ferret hair from external factors.
Grooming
Ferrets are clean in nature. They have a musky odor. Bathing will not remove completely this odor. If you don’t neuter your ferret, this scent may be much worse. Most North American ferrets are neutered.
Teach them not to bite
It is a good idea to teach your ferrets not to bite. Your ferret may bite for many reasons like becoming afraid, etiquette, or curiosity. Scruffing is the most used system for controlling the biting habit of ferrets. Lift it up by his neck’s back and don’t let its mouth open. Your ferret won’t feel uncomfortable and can understand that its precious behavior was wrong.
Collar
Train your ferrets to wear a harness or collar. After training, you can take your ferrets outside for walking. Although there are a lot of wild ferrets on the planet, the collar will indicate that your ferret is domesticated. A ferret collar should be small, lightweight, and soft. So, don’t try to create it at home. You can buy collars from a pet shop or can order online.
Take your ferrets to the veterinarian
Like other pets, ferrets have their own potential health issues. You should take them to the vet clinic for a regular check-up. You must take your ferrets to a veterinarian annually until they reach five years old. When they reach six years old, take them twice per year. Fleas can attack them. So, discuss with your vet on how to prevent it. Your ferrets must be vaccinated to prevent rabies and distemper.
Spaying or neutering
Purchasing a neutered ferret is a good idea. This will minimize a lot of trouble for you and prolong your pet ferret’s life. Although both male and female ferrets can be neutered, you can discuss this with your vet before neutering. If you can’t neuter your ferrets, your ferrets will spread the scent and they will be aggressive too.
Ferrets use their anal scent as a natural weapon and spray it at enemies. If your ferrets are neutered, the scent will not be as pungent as unneutered.
If you want to keep your ferret happy and fit, you must follow these ferret care tips described in this article.
Click here for more care tips.
Average Rating