Any Ferret lovers out there??

[Rainbowrific Renia]

My ferret isn't too fond of raw meat either, and if anyone tries telling you that a raw meat diet is better than kibble, don't listen!  I guess it's more of a common sense thing, but no specific diet is best for all ferrets.  You figure out what they like and stick with it, simple as that.  So from the sounds of it, you're doing just fine. I get so annoyed when someone criticizes me for what I feed my ferret, but he's been fine for the past year that we've had him and when we took him to the vet earlier this year, we were told that he's in perfect health.

Anyway, the treats we get are usually peanut butter flavored.  It seems like ferrets love peanut butter, but you're not supposed to feed it to them (or at least not too much).  I've let Furret lick a bit from a spoon once, but since then I just buy the flavored treats.  He also likes banana and chicken treats as well.

Be sure to bathe him once every two or three months, probably more often in the summertime if you have him outside.  I had someone say some pretty mean things to me on Instagram when I posted a picture of Furret in the bathtub for the first time.  They told me that I was "abusing" him by bathing him and that ferrets don't need to be washed, and they said all of this because they were told that ferrets are no different than rabbits and other small pets.  That's absolutely not true and you should make sure your ferret is clean, but don't wash him too much.  All of that water can wash out the really important oils that he already produces so be sure to use ferret specific shampoo!

We had a harness for Furret that he was able to slip out of, so we bought him a tighter fitting one that clips around his neck and then clips again around his middle.  It's not tight enough to choke him, but he can't wriggle his way out of it.  I'm sure I have a picture somewhere, probably on my laptop at home.  I can post it whenever I leave work.

Also, ferrets do stink but they honestly don't smell any worse than any other animal.  I always feel like people over-exaggerate how much ferrets smell.  My fiance said that the dog he had growing up smelled so much worse than our Furret does.  For the record, Furret had his scent glad removed when he was still a baby, before we even got him.  I personally have no idea how ferrets smell when they still have that gland, but if you get a ferret from a pet store, chances are you won't have to worry about that scent.  Their food can contribute to the smell, but there are liquids you can add to their water that will help keep the scent from getting too bad.  Also, the bedding used in their cage keeps the smell from their waste from getting out of hand.

Honestly, I joke that my ferret's face smells like poop, but that's only because he always feels the need to turn around and sniff it after pooping.  Also, there have been times when he tumbles out of his hammock and just sleeps on the bottom of the cage, you know... where he poops.

[Princess Lala]

Oh neat info, thank you!!! :-3 Im glad to know all that now!!! I wanted to ask real ferret owners with experience versus googling! Maybe when I get a house I will consider one! ^__^

Someone in IG said that!?? How terribly rude!!! Even I know they need to be bathed!!! Its common sense! I cant stand people like that....they probably dont even own a ferret.

[Rhubarbpie]

Yeah we are gonna have to bathe him this weekend. He's gotten poop on his back foot then gone and scratched behind his ear and transferred the poop  . You do need to bathe your animals every now and then, obviously not too often or it disrupts their natural hair oils, but once a month or when they really need it like in my case is fine. 

The smell of this one is strong. He is an entire male and has not had his scent glands removed.  So my living room kinda smells rather musky now - especially since he loved rubbing his belly along the carpets (hence the name Carpet shark cos he looks like a shark gliding along in the water LOL)  We do have a ferret deoderisor spray which helps mask the musk!!  But I am getting used to the smell now.

Yeah I have had the raw meat arguement with someone else with my cat.  She lives on a mostly kibble based diet with a sachet of wet cat food every 2-3 days to keep her kidneys healthy (feeding wet food every day gives her runs) and a can of tuna on special occasions and a mixture of various kitty treats every now and then.  At 19 years old, she is thriving on this diet.  She'll have the odd gristly off cut of beef occasionally but I don't want to upset her tummy at this stage of life.

I suppose I can give a harness a practice run indoors to make sure its secure enough for the wriggly little fuzz butt!!

Hi Princess Lala,  I've not heard its the food that makes them smell.  Its only really the entire males who smell bad, if you get a female (spay her unless you plan of breeding, entire females are prone to various reproductive issues unless they are bred from or spayed) or a neutered, de-scented male, they should be fine, just the normal aminal smells (poop, urine and sweat) which can be sorted with regular cleaning of the cage/litter box and bathing. 

[Rainbowrific Renia]

I'm kinda weird in that I'm so used to Furret's particular smell that it's strange when it actually smells good in my bedroom.  Like... I dunno, his scent doesn't bother me so much anymore and I've just learned to live with it.

Here we go!  Found a good picture of the type of harness we use for him.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


He behaves so well with this one as opposed to the other one, which he'd just spend time trying to squirm out of.  After the initial fight of getting this one on him, he just goes about doing his thing outside.  I was afraid this one would be too tight on him, but he doesn't seem to mind.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[Princess Lala]

You guys are really making my husband want a ferret!!!! I showed him all the cute pictures and she is reading more into them!!! Apparently its a myth if you are allergic to cats you will be allergic to ferrets because yay ferrets are actually hypoallergenic!!! :-3 Yeah so I really want to buckle down and hunt for houses just to have a fuzzball for the living room!!!! I already have 3 small reptiles (beardie, leo gecko, band boa) and they will probably get their own bedroom so a fuzzy pet wont bother them. My mom would think its cool that I would finally get a ferret, my sister and I bugged her to wits end for one as kids! x3

Lets all get ferrets and make an MLP ferret alliance!! Ooo or a sailor senshi ferret club! xD

[Rhubarbpie]

Yay, MLP Ferret Alliance I'm in LOL!!!

That harness looks good! 

I have just discovered there is a Micro Ferret in existance!!!!! How cute would that be??

[barbgirl1999]

Awwww, such cute babies!  I used to have 2 ferrets, but it's been YEARS since I had them.  I would love to get another pair some day, but right now I have 2 rabbits and 3 guinea pigs, so my house has enough litter boxes in it

[Princess Lala]

Bumping because..... ferrets are cute!?   My husband actually is really interested in ferrets atm and I have a question!

So my friends ferret eats ferret vitamins, and a mix of shredded chicken fancy feast and rachel ray kitty kibble. Im curious if its really common to give them certain cat foods as a staple if they like it? My friend says he feeds his the fancy feast trays that have only like 5 ingredients in them and gives him half of one for dinner but always gives him kibble. Im wondering if anyone else here does  the same thing?

If I know my husband correctly though, he might buckle down and get one at some point. He LOVES animals and so far he keeps reading about them and watching videos on them. I joked earlier that I would let him donate my favorite glass table (which he hates!) if another animal setup were to replace it. He keeps looking at setups meant for sugar gliders, bunnies, guinea pigs, and ferrets. I hope he doesnt get one so soon as im not mentally ready for one although it would be awesome but theres so many people I know with one that part of me doesnt want to come off like a copy-cat. Its happened to me before with bettas, years ago I made a sorority of bettas when my friend got some females and she kept calling me a copier. My friend Adam would want to have ferret parties if I got one though, he said so himself! xD Hes actually wanting a playdate for Horacio!

Also Moonbeamstar, that last picture of Furret is ADORABLE! He almost looks blue and eee look at how pink his nosey is! x3

[Rainbowrific Renia]

I personally wouldn't buy cat food for my ferret when there's perfectly good ferret food out there that includes everything they need in their diet.  I've actually heard/read that giving them cat food is one of the last things you should do, but then I've also seen arguments that it's okay to give them cat food.  So I don't think it's a bad thing to do, but it definitely seems unnecessary.  The Fancy Feast things are basically like... chicken, right?  In that case, I'd probably just give my ferret regular chicken.  I've actually been thinking of introducing Furret to some cooked meats, just to see if he'd like them.  A friend of mine on Instagram has two ferrets and she's posted pictures and videos of them eating chicken and they really seem to enjoy it!

Thanks!  That picture of him is probably one of my favorites from when he was younger.  He would actually stay still for a picture when I called his name!  Now he's just a blur of fur whenever I try and get a photo.

[Princess Lala]

I think it was this stuff he gets?? Its looks almost human grade! I know what he gets has these two trays that snap in half, he feeds Horacio only one side per day as 1 side is a serving.

https://www.hy-vee.com/grocery/PD2648129/Purina-Fancy-Feast-Appetizers-White-Meat-Chicken-Cat-Food-2-oz-Tray

[jupiternwndrlnd]

I used to work for a ferret rescue, and at my height had 9 personal ferrets and 2 foster ferrets. You could say I am a ferret lover - LOL
The first thing I like to tell new ferret parents is pay attention to your food ingredients. Cat food is not good for them. Too many fish based ingredients and too many fillers. There are lots of decent ferret foods on the market. You want something that is chicken based. If there is fish or fish oil in the kibble ingredients, it will make your ferret smell. You can also feed raw or even cooked. (plain of course) Chicken is great...they love it...it is what they are built to eat. Carnivores!
"Ferrettone" is a great vitamin for them, and they adore it as a treat! (I used to always put some on their tummy and trim their nails while they were feverishly licking it off) We always tried to steer folks away from treats with lots of sugar (like yogies...which ferrets LOVE) because ferrets, particularly those in the states, tend to be from mills (if your ferret has a little pin dot tattoo in it's ear, it is a Marshall Farms ferret) and for some reason this increases their chances of having insulinoma. (the mill breeding also increases other cancers in ferrets. I would estimate that 8 out of 10 will need surgery at some point. Hair loss is one of your first signs...so keep an eye out)
One of the misnomers we heard about ferrets a lot was about the bathing. Ferrets, even descented ferrets, still have scent glands. The back ones near the anus are usually removed when they are fixed, however the glands in the neck area are NOT removable. So over bathing actually makes their scent glands work overtime....producing more oils and increasing the scent. Bath once a month, tops. The best way to help with their odor is proper diet. (like I say, the fish makes them stinky) and of course, litter box cleaning

One of the best things I ever did, before I got my first 2 kids, was read "Ferrets for Dummies" it is INSANELY informative, and I referred to it for years while working at the ferret rescue.

but seriously, how can you not love them
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[Rainbowrific Renia]

Ah, I'm glad someone was able to answer that better than me!  I kept thinking that feeding ferrets cat food was silly because why would ferret food exist if you could just feed them cat food?  Thanks for a clear answer!  Also, thanks for adding that there are ferret foods out there that are okay for them to eat.  I can't tell you how many people have told me I'm a bad ferret mommy for feeding Furret kibble instead of raw/cooked meat.  Seriously, I've never encountered as many rude comments on Instagram as I have since I began posting pictures of my ferret.  People love making me feel horrible because I don't do the same things they do with their ferrets. The vet told my fiance and I that we're doing everything just right, though.  I suppose that's all that matters, right?

"Ferrettone" is a great vitamin for them, and they adore it as a treat! (I used to always put some on their tummy and trim their nails while they were feverishly licking it off)

That's what I do with my ferret!  It's seriously the only way I can trim his nails at all.

I love seeing pictures of a bunch of ferrets together... so cute!

[jupiternwndrlnd]

I have been referred to as a walking, talking, ferret encyclopedia - LOL 

I did have one girl; she was dumped off at the SPCA, and they called us. I went to pick her up, and she was whole. (as in, not fixed, not de-scented)  We figured that she was a breeder...but she was really young...about a year. But her nose was crooked. Our vet was amazing (and a good ferret vet is hard to find!) but he did not feel comfortable removing her rear scent glands. (He had done zillions of adrenal surgeries for the shelter, but had never come across a ferret who was not already fixed. an oddity in the states) Since she had weaseled her way into my heart the moment I saw her crooked face, I ended up adopting her.
She didn't smell much different than my other 8, except when she got scared or overly excited. Then she would "poof" and WOH. Not quite the strength of a skunk, but pretty foul. Luckily she only did it a handful of times in the years I had her. LOL

My little Dip-dip (Serendipity was her actual name...but I rarely called her that - haha)
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

You can see her crooked nose a little better in this one...snorting ponies
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[Princess Lala]

^^ Thanks for the info!!!! I was also told no fishy ingredients for ferrets as it causes stinky stinkies and to stick to poultry!!! I think ferret kibble is perfectly alright! :-) I imagine that dry food help keep their droppings solid!

@Moonbeamstar If I see soneone post something mean on IG I will stand up for you!! I know you baby Furret and would never do anything bad to him!! He looks so happy in your photos and he looks healthy! Ignore those stupid people, they are probably kids anyway! :p

Looking up ferret videos as im typing, they are so silly! I may not be able to own one right away but they are so fun to watch play! I like how they play with other animals like cats, dogs, and beardies!!

[Rainbowrific Renia]

Oh my gosh, a crooked nose ferret... that's just the cutest thing!  I think ferrets noses are downright adorable and I don't even know why.

I always delete any negative comments as soon as I see them and I block the person.  I don't have time for people who look up ferret related tags just to go and push their methods on others. There's a different between offering advice (which I will gladly accept) and just straight up being like "my way is better than yours".

My fiance and I are 100% sure we'll be getting another ferret after we move at the end of this month, but I don't think we'll be going to the pet store again.  Don't get me wrong, I love Furret and knew he was the one I wanted the moment I saw him, but I'd rather go a different route next time.  We'd like to get a rescue, if we can.  I found a ferret shelter in the Pittsburgh area, so I'm pretty excited!