*** The Ferret Thread ***

[zoe6660]

Ferret Thread

Please post here your storys, pictures and why you got into ferrets.
They are miss understood animals and it would be nice for ferret owners and newbiees to understand them and learn more about them before getting one.
i dont own one as im not ready but some people are and looking for experince owners please post what u think and how to keep them entertain and stuff

[zoe6660]

Please post your links
list of resuces,,,


also it would be nice for somepeople too know what would u pick male or female that get asked alot?

pictures of your ferrets, walking them on leash?

come'on ferret lovers get posting tell us your storys.

[miss_ferret]

great idea for i thread! as the name suggests i am a fan of the fuzzys lol. il get the camera out tomorrow and do a photo shoot with my lot not that i need any encouragement.......

[Shadowz]

Oh I guess I could post a few if u twisted me arm LOL
I have 15 ferrets of my own
Living in 3 groups and 1 single girlie living on her own.
I also run Sittingbourne ferret rescue in Kent.

I simply adore ferrets - I fell into ferret keeping my accident many years ago.
Was involved in volunteering for dog rescue and a ferret was found by someone from the dog rescue and she asked if we could hold him for the weekend.
Needless to say he never left and its all gone from there.

All our ferrets are neutered and microchipped and all rescues get the same treatment before rehoming.
I cant say which to get of jill and hob as it really do depend on the ferret in question but im very pro neutering and dont breed as think there is more then enough ferrets in rescue already.

Now to some pics :

First kits of 2010










Theo who came into our agressive rehabilitation part of the rescue


Lilla who came from Robstaine on here


Mad Archie


Benji


Daisy


Cookie


Monkey - another aggressive rehabilitation case ( by far the most aggressive we have ever had but lovely now )


Better stop there LOL

[SteveCourty]

I remember my first experience with a ferret I got bit and bit good lol. I was running my hands up and down the wire on the front of its cage and it bit me through the wire. It was a good bite a proper latch on like they get a rabbit I was only a kid maybe 8 at the oldest. Other than that though Ive only ever had the smaller nips. I dont currently keep any although im in love with one of the hob kits my gfs dad has got. I would snap him up if I had a garden

Im not sure if this is liked on here but we do work the ferrets as we work for a few gamekeepers clearing rabbits all are looked after very well though by my gfs dad and younger brother (16) who is about to embark on a land management course. The hobs are obviously no good to them so they always sell them on, they do have some but dont need anymore if that makes sense.

Ive heard before that you can have them as house pets and have the scents removed? I personally dont like the sound of this and dont think id ever do it but can anyone shed any light on this, what does it mean for the ferret etc? I know they identify by the smells so is it not a harsh thing to do?

[Shadowz]

its illegal in the uk to remove the scent glands.
castration and spaying will remove most of the smell and allow them to live happily together.

[wolfmagicrattery]

my love of ferret started with buttons i went to the pet shop to get rat food and over heard they had ferret kits so i went and had a look and all the kits where tiny but the shop owner open the top hucth where buttons was all by him self and he kept leaping out at me!!!!! and my mum said that ferret wants to come home with you so thats how i become a ferret owner!!! we now have 9 and we walk most of them buttons love to walk he loves to dig swim in the little river on the walk and try to go fishing is very funny to see!!!!

[Ratties_6]

Ive been researching ferrets and this thread just pops up! what luck eh!?

Are ferrets good pets? I mean do they bond with their owner? And what is the best to food for them? Also what is the recomended cage for a pair (or one that has to be kept on its own?) And i love the smell of ferrets (after holding one in my local petshop!) but i didnt smell the cage itself. Do ferrets actually smell like people say? Or is it just a bit of a lie? If so what do they smell like? (i would like to keep them inside because of the risk of them being stolen or eaten by a fox! lol)

Sorry for the question overload but ferrets are so cute!

[Shadowz]

When ferrets come into season ( feb-oct often ) they do pong badly ( and get hormonal and aggressive sometimes )
Neutering stops that - so you would need to neuter them - I cant really imagine keeping entire ones inside ( they often also fight if entire - mainly the hobs )
Maybe the one u held in shop was a baby as they dont smell - yet.
They should not really be kept by themself as like rats they are very social animals - you might find the odd one in a rescue who cant live with others but majority need company ( especially kits )

They do make fab pets , very much like a permanent kitten but not for the house proud as they will steal anything laying around and knock your ornaments over and dig in your pot plants and carpet.
Also they are not pets who can just be left in a cage , they need to come out for several hrs daily to run around the house.

Suitable cage for a couple of ferrets is along the lines of
Explorer cage
Furet tower
Tommy 102 T3
and similar sized cages.

Mine eat a mix of dried ferret food which is available 24/7 and every evening them have raw meat ( chicken wings , beef mince , chicks , mice , chicken livers , steak , rabbit , pheasant , turkey and whatever we can get hold of )

[Ratties_6]

Thank you!

Well the boys i held were neutered and they were adult (so i dont think smell is a problem!) I was going to get a couple of neutered rescues anyway as i want to give them a second chance.

Also thank you for the cage ideas! It doesnt really specify on most websites on how large a cage should be really!

So basically all i have to do is find my babies! (which may take a while)

Btw the ferrets above are beautiful!!