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hi i have a young male ferret he lives in the house he has a large storage box for a bed he was a bit nippy for a start we got some Wilkinson`s household pet behave training spray a little of that on your hands feet and anywhere els they attack like corners of the room it works wonders i think its bitter apple based i find kitten food over 30 pc protein a good cheap feed Ive been told the warehouse at paddock head sells cheap ferret food also good luck with them
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Ok firstly.
Do not feed your ferrets cat food. Most cat food is of a vegetable based protein and this is seriously harmful to your ferrets. Ferrets need meat based proteins, fresh meat ie (liver, kidney, mince meat, chicken wings, rabbit etc) at least 3 times a week, and they always need a constant supply of complete ferret mix (kibble). They have a very high metabolic rate and digest food un around 4-5 hours. They eat little and often which is why it is important that there is always food and water available. Cat food can cause bladder stones, which will result in your ferrets being in extreme pain and if left untreated it will eventually kill them. I can't stress to you how important it is to get the correct diet with a good balance of nutrients they need. There are a number of different complete ferret mixes that you can buy. James Wellbeloved is a good one, also Frankie Ferret or TPP. Please don't feed them cat food. I rescued a ferret recently who was quite literally urinating through her skin, her fur was bright yellow because she couldn't pass water due to bladder stones after being fed by her previous owners on a cat food diet. She had to undergo a serious operation which could have been easily avoided should she have had the correct diet. The stones they removed from here were HUGE, the size of stones that are pulled out of human bladders, she must have been in awful pain. Ferrets are not cats, they have entirely different nutritional needs. You can tell if they are both female quite easily, hobs (males) are considerably larger than jills (females) and you'll notice their testes quite visably if they are of sexual maturity. If they are both female you will also need to have them spayed. I don't know whether you are aware of the dangers of leaving a jill in season?... Jills will usually come into season in the spring and they will not come out of season unless they are give a hormone injection (jill jab) to bring them out, or they are mated to breed, or mated by a vasectomised hob (which will bring them out of season minus babies). However, the best thing to do is to spay. Jill jabs and mating via a vasectomised hob can sometimes result in phantom pregnancies which may cause pyometras (puss filled uterus) which will kill your jill if not treated, and if this happens they will need spaying immediately anyway. It is extremely important that they are not left in season or they are likely to die. You can tell when your jill is in season as her vulva will become very swollen and red, and you'll notice a discharge. Her scent will also be stronger. Ferrets can be kept outside or inside, but they need a suitable enclosure which is dry and free from wind and bad weather, with suitable bedding. Hay and straw is ok but it's not ideal, it can irritate their eyes and it has also been known to get stuck in various places. I know of at least 3 cases where a hob has had a piece of straw stuck in his penis. Ferrets would much rather sleep in hammocks or blankets. They need at least an hour of excercise a day... any more questions, feel free to ask. Emily Last edited by Mustela; 21-12-2007 at 06:20 PM.. |
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