How to care for a ferret at home

If cats and dogs in Russia are traditional pets that can be found in every third apartment in a modern metropolis, then the decision of someone to get a ferret will most likely surprise the surrounding society. Otherwise, these rodents are called weasels, and they belong to the family of martens, which is famous for the fact that its representatives can adapt to almost any environmental conditions, therefore they are distributed practically over the entire surface of the Earth, excluding the pole regions.

Due to the fact that ferrets are somewhat different in their behavior from cats or dogs, it is simply necessary to know the animal’s tendencies, its habits, and also the secrets of keeping. The decision to start a ferret, firstly, means that only in the first time an unpleasant aroma may appear in the apartment, which will mean that the animal is frightened by something. This smell is produced with the help of special glands, which are turned on only if the ferret feels the danger and decides to frighten the enemy in such a peculiar way and clearly indicate his intentions.

Important: domestic ferrets, fully accustomed to both the cage and the apartment, are not inclined to this; moreover, their hair gives off the aroma of honey, while urine and excrement do not emit any smell whatsoever.

Home preparation

Before you start a ferret, you must make sure that the conditions in the apartment or house allow, firstly, the animal to move freely in any direction, and secondly, not to stumble on large pots with plants standing on the floor. Since in the natural environment weasels are burrowing animals that love to bury found things in terrestrial “vaults”, then, seeing a huge pot of earth, the ferret will instinctively rush to him in order to organize a cache.

Important: the ferret needs to move freely around the apartment or house, as this animal simply cannot be in the cage all the time. First, the ferret will begin to sleep more than the required 13-14 hours, then he will begin the process of atrophy of the limbs, and after that he will finally lose interest even in food.

As soon as the ferret is released from its cage, the researcher will want to explore all the surroundings and mark them - this is a fairly natural process characteristic of most animals. He, like cats and dogs, only rubs his hair on all protruding surfaces, leaving a fragrance that a person is not able to feel.

It is also necessary to remove all small objects that the ferret is able to hook or even raise his paws. Even if he does not find a place where all the treasures he finds can be buried, then it will not be difficult for him to hide them, for example, under a bath or cabinet. It is especially important to ensure that the various wires are not energized and generally not in the free access of the animal, since the ferret’s teeth will easily bite them.

Feeding

The ferret can be fed in three types: the first is based exclusively on dry food, the second is natural, and the third is a mixed version. For any type of food, the animal must eat food twice a day (morning and evening), while water must always be freely available and change every 5-6 hours. During the period of changing the hair of animals, it is important to always give him cat paste against molting, since the wool swallowed by the rodent can stagnate in its digestive system.

Feeding exclusively on dry feed
It is not difficult to get dry food, because:

1. Currently, there are special universal dry feeds for the marten family (not only for ferrets), and they contain a set of all the vitamins necessary for its growth.
2. Surprisingly, ferrets can be given the same food brands as cats.

Depending on the price and, as a consequence, quality, all feeds are divided into classes (professional, premium, budget and economy class). Obviously, at least a premium class is recommended; if this is impossible for any reason, then it is imperative to combine the feed of the budget and economy class with natural food.

The feeds of the following brands have the best press and positive reviews:

1. Eagle Kitten, Nutro Choice Kitten and Hill’s Science Plan Kitten; Recommended for use by ferrets up to 5 years.
2. Iams Rich in Lamb, Hill’s Feline Maintaince and Eagle Cat Adul; Recommended for use by elderly ferrets.

It is very important to pay attention not only to the feed class, but also to its type, since there is soft and hard (dry). Soft is recommended, mainly, to those animals that have some problems with teeth and the classic type is given to them with difficulty. Dry is also preferable because it prevents the appearance of tartar.

Feeding based solely on natural feed
The natural "diet" of the ferret, as a full-fledged predator, should include the following components (all nutrition elements are located to reduce their share in the daily menu):

1. Offal, which is a kind of mixture of the internal organs of slaughtered animals (for example, lamb, beef, etc.). Simply put, offal should always be present in a ferret bowl.
2. Meat (usually give chicken, but it can be replaced with some other).
3. It is recommended to give fish, unlike all other components, one, at most, twice a month, and not in its raw form - it is fraught with the appearance of stones in the digestive system of the animal. In most cases, a ferret is given either perch, or cod, or mackerel.
4. Food of plant origin acts as an additional element and should be approximately 5% of the daily menu.

You can add eggs to the bowl: it’s important to know that chicken should be cooked beforehand, while quail can be put in the “side dish” right in the shell. Sometimes it is possible to make a ferment a special slurry, the so-called "frexa", which is a mixture of giblets twisted in a meat grinder, particles of fish, cereals and meat.

Even though the natural type of nutrition carries more benefits than that based on dry food, it is still occasionally necessary to add vitamins to the ferret. This is usually done during molting.

Favorite delicacies of the animal, despite the fact that he is a real meat eater, are some types of cheeses (established experimentally, all ferrets have their own taste preferences) and cottage cheese, because once a week you can please a furry friend with even small pieces of them.

Mixed Food
As mentioned above, this type of food is used in cases where for some reason it is impossible to purchase feed of a professional and premium class. In this case, the animal’s bowl is divided in half: one part is the natural components, the second is the granules of dry food. Food of this type is transitional, therefore, it is impossible to keep an animal on it for a long time. It is important to note that:

1. Mixing home-cooked food with artificial food even of the two best classes is not recommended, since they contain absolutely all the necessary components for the full functioning of the animal.
2. Absolutely all veterinarians discourage the idea of ​​regular purchase of economy-class products, since the ferret will be constantly lacking any vitamins, and he will often experience malaise caused by poor-quality food.Plus, some manufacturers specifically make their food very oily, so that the animal quickly eats up, because of the truly important components (proteins, carbohydrates), the ferret can never get even in a few meals.
3. When eating this type of ferret should drink a lot - this will prevent the development of urolithiasis.

Ferret Cage

Veterinarians in numerous manuals for the care of ferrets prescribed special requirements for cages for rodents: since ferrets, like all predators, are freedom-loving animals, then he must have his own spacious territory, where you can drink water, and relax, and play with which Something.

Therefore, the cage should be longer than 1.25 meters and have a height of at least 65 centimeters. Typically, most cells are a two-level construction with ladders, so in the upper part you can equip a resting place, and in the lower part you can eat and play.

Ferrets love to relax not on a hard surface, therefore it is recommended to hang special hammocks in the cage, which can be purchased at any pet store. Moreover, in order for the ferret to happily arrange a place for his constant overnight stay and rest, it is recommended to put a little cotton or sawdust in the lower part.

Tip: since ferrets are very playful animals, with a sufficient height of the cage inside, you can install some kind of soft similarity to the trigger pipe in the water park. Some rodents with great joy move out with its help from the top floor and can do this for hours.

Of course, one should not forget about the toys that ferrets cherish (this is manifested, for example, in the fact that these animals sleep in an embrace with their favorite things). The requirements for toys are simple: sufficient strength so that the claws of the animal do not tear them apart, as well as the absence of small parts that the rodent can accidentally swallow.

Hygiene

As mentioned above, domestic ferrets do not emit unpleasant odors in principle, because there should not be any special problems after the expiration of the habit of the animal. The secrets of animal hygiene are as follows:

1. Firstly, the ferret needs to take water procedures (twice a month is enough), and you should bathe it with the help of special shampoos (they are inexpensive, but they last for a year).
2. In the cage, the animal must always be clean, because once a month it is recommended to completely wash the cage, while the litter should be changed much more often, once or twice a week.

Usually, the ferret’s bathing procedure is quite simple: water should be poured into the bathtub (its temperature should be 39-40 degrees) approximately at the ankle, making a platform somewhere in the middle on which the rodent could rest from swimming. Usually, the animal is first allowed to swim freely, after which it is washed with shampoo and wiped dry with a towel.

Using ordinary tweezers, it is recommended to cut the nails of the animal once a month, and it is important that the ferret himself is not against this operation. If he resists without giving himself up, this can be done during his sleep.

Parenting

The basis of upbringing is the animal's trust in the owner. It is almost impossible to achieve it if a relatively adult ferret (who is already six months old) is purchased, because veterinarians advise buying animals that are one or two and a half months old at pet stores.

It is quite simple to teach a ferret to a nickname: at any moment of communication, games and some other contacts you should, gently stroking the rodent, repeat his name. The animal will in the future associate this set of sounds with affection and care, and therefore will resort to a call.

Tip: in order for the ferret to remember his nickname exactly, you should choose the shortest and sonorous name that he will not be able to confuse. The use of diminutive forms is not recommended.

All ferrets get used to the tray quickly enough, you should only help them a little to understand its purpose. To do this, immediately after the purchase, you should observe the animal: if the rodent wants to use the toilet, it will take a kind of pose, and at that moment it should be moved to the tray. If for some reason it is impossible to follow the animal for such a long time, then you can do it easier, for example, by removing excrement in the tray: then, by smell, the ferret will understand exactly where to go next time. Special sprays sold at any pet store can help to wean the affection from the habit of going to the toilet to some place.

Puppies of ferrets in nature often play with each other in the likeness of the classic “Catching Dogs”, the only difference from the human version of the game is that these animals grab the skin of another individual with their teeth. Due to the fact that the coat of the rodents is quite thick, they don’t feel pain and therefore rightly believe that this “rule” also works for others. Therefore, the ferret should be weaned from the first day of the habit of putting teeth into use, even if at first it seems funny and funny.

Important: in the process of upbringing, in no case should the animal be beaten, since it has very fragile bones that can break even from a light slap. It is possible to punish an animal for some offense, for example, by selecting your favorite toy or by a sharp swipe of a rag.

In conclusion, it should be noted that in no case can you teach a ferret to beg, for example, when all family members are sitting at a table, and the animal runs around the table cheerfully. The habit of getting the desired treat will play a trick and will adversely affect the general upbringing of the animal.

Video: how to care for and keep a ferret in the apartment