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Care of Ferrets
Ferrets were first tamed by the Ancient Egyptians for food and clothing. Today, they are playful weasel-like companions that depend on us for love! This category contains questions about ferret health, history, and needs.
1,047 Questions
What can you give your ferret if it has a cold?
Ferret do not get colds, however they can contract human influenza. Flu Symptoms are the same as humans - fever, sneezing, lack of appetite, runny eyes, and nasal discharge. The condition is usually not serious in adult ferret, but may be fatal in young ferrets. Antibiotics may be necessary to control secondary infections. Consult your Veterinarian or Clinic for treatment.
How do you train a ferret to follow you where ever you go without a leash?
All ferrets are different and some will get accustomed to walking on a leash more then others. The key to it is mainly to keep practicing...practicing makes perfect. You can try bribing them with food if you are finding it difficult and lots of praises if they do the right thing. However if a ferret don't want to do something then you will literally be dragging it back home.
Keep taking them for walks and don't give up on them...eventually they will get the message...hopefully. :)
Stef - http://www.ferret-world.com
Do female ferrets die if not mated with during heat?
Not all ferrets, just female ferrets (jills) if not mated, they remain in estrus or in season, and the excess estrogen causes severe anemia eventually leading to death. An alternative is for an veterinarian to inject an hormone also called a "jill jab" to bring her out of estrus. At that point it would be wise to have her spayed.
How much does a ferret cost at pet smart in Texas?
Ferrets tipicly cost 100 to 160 dollars, up herr in Jopin, Mo at our petsmart, the ferrets are 200$
What happens if you feed a ferret chocolate?
Please do not feed your ferret or any ferret chocolate. it can kill them. ferrets are small so it does not take much to hurt them or kill them. As to how much chocolate is toxic depends on the type of chocolate (dark or milk chocolate) and the size of the ferret. Dark chocolate is the most toxic.
What does a ferrets eye look like when its scratched?
Depends on the extent of the scratch, the ferrets eye will be watering and irritated
Why do bunnies and ferrets don't get along?
ferrets were originally bred in England to be rodent/rabbit hunters because they are fast. They are also carnivores so naturally, a rabbit is meat. There could be a pair out there who get along, but generally a ferret would smell the scent of rabbit and try to kill it. These are his natural instincts and you can't blame him.
Hoped this helped!
Can A ferret die from eating bedding?
Yes a ferret could die from eating it's bedding. It could be made from a material which is toxic to the ferret when ingested or it could lead to an intestinal blockage which can be fatal if not treated.
Do ferrets smell after they have been spayed or neutered?
Ferrets that have been spayed or neutered will have a faint odor, as compared to unaltered ferrets which have a very pungent body order, which is even more noticeable during breeding season. Descenting is a surgical procedure to remove the musk producing anal sacs, which does nothing to the reduce the ferrets odor produced by skin secretions.
In Britain, the cooktop of a stove is referred to as a HOB.
A male ferret is called a hob
Are ferrets induced ovulators?
Jills are induced ovulators or ovulation is induced by mating. If mating does not occur, and the Jill (female ferret) remains in heat for long period of time, it can lead to serious illness.
Duck Soup for ferrets is a food high in calories and protein used to fatten up sickly or old ferrets. Ferrets have a very high metabolism which only increases as their bodies attempt to rid themselves of sickness. As their metabolism quickens, their bodies use fat reserves for extra energy thus making them skinny.
What is the best to put in the ferrets nest blanket or towel or pine wood shavings?
Ferrets like to sleep in soft materials so they can burrow under and be covered. Do not use materials with a loose weave because sometimes their nails will catch on threads. DO NOT USE ANY WOOD OR PINE SHAVINGS BEDDING MATERIALS . It can cause respiratory problems for ferrets and possible illness
ADVICE FROM OTHER CONTRIBUTORS:
- I'm not a scientist, but I'm a dedicated ferret owner, and I would strongly suggest a fuzzy blanket. Ferrets like fuzzy and soft things, much like humans, and I think they would hate wood shavings. Remember not to keep your ferrets is a cage the whole day- they're very playful and need exercise.
- i agree i own ferrets too and i have a hammock that hangs from the top of the cage with a fuzzy blanket in it they love it
- So do I! For ferrets I would also suggest using newspapers instead of litter- evidently both work, but mine used the litter as confetti, and presumed to go to the bathroom on the floor.
What are common names for the domestic ferret?
Male intact ferrets are called hobs; female intact ferrets are jills. A spayed female is a sprite, a neutered male is a gib, and a vasectomised male is known as a hoblet. Ferrets under one year old are known as kits. A group of ferrets is known as abusiness. Male Ferret
* Gib - a neutered male ferret. * Hob - a male ferret that is unneutered (another term - Dog)
* Hoblet - A vasectomized ferret * Hobble - a castrated male ferret Female Ferret
* Jill - a female ferret that is unspayed
* Dam - mother of a litter
* Sprite - a spayed female Baby Ferret (under the age of 1) - Kit (in Germany - pups) Carpet shark - slang term for ferret Translations
* Fret - Dutch for ferret * Frettchen - German for ferret * Fretti - Finnish for ferret * Furet - French for ferret * Furetti or Furetto - Italian for ferret * Hurón - Spanish for ferret * Xopek or Domashni Horek- Russian for ferret
* フェレット - Japanese In translation to that, it is hueretsuto.
* Tam-iller - Swedish for ferret
* Fretek - Czech for ferret
Scientific name for the domestic ferret is Mustela putorius furo. Scientific name for black-footed ferrets is Mustela nigripes
What happens if ferret eat cat food?
A ferret can eat cat food, but not as a main source. They should be eating food made especially for ferrets only. A high quality kitten food can be a second source of food for ferrets.
How long is it before baby ferrets eat solid foods and can be separated from their mother?
Kits are totally dependent on their mother for the first four to six weeks, although the kits will began eating softened food from about three weeks. At 10 days of age, a kit gets its milking teeth, which are its first set of teeth. A kit`s canine teeth, appear at 6 weeks or older. Weaning is from six to eight weeks. Kits are mature enough to leave their mother at eight weeks.
From another contributor:
Well, when i raised my ferret kits i gave them water-softened hard food around 4 weeks of age and then around 6 weeks started giving them unsoftened food.
What does launder your ferrets bedding mean?
Launder your ferrets bedding means that it is usually a soft cloth material that needs to be washed regularly to keep odors down.
How can a ferret fall 10 feet and not get hurt?
Was the ferret examined by a veterinarian. He may be hurt, but not showing symptoms yet, ferrets will hide or mask their pain.
Can a female ferret still get pregnant even after she's had the Jill jab?
It probably depends on what kind of injectable hormones are used and the timing of the injections when the female ferret is in estrus. As long as the vulva has reduced in size, would suggest she has been brought out of estrus. In either an injection of hormones or inducing ovulation by a sterile male, the vulva decreases to approximately one-fourth of the estrus size, it does not regress completely. These are suggestions from two different books on ferrets:
* For female ferrets, injectable hormones are given 10 days or more after the swollen vulva is first noticed induce ovulation and end estrus in about a week. They will not work earlier. About 5 days after the injection, there will be a noticeable reduction in the vulva. The timing of the next heat in unpredictable, depending on many factors including photoperiod, diet, and the duration of the jill's heat before hormones were used. * This involves the injection of 100 USP units of chorionic gonadatropin, which acts like LH to promote ovulation and terminate estrus, used for this purpose. The injections for female ferrets should be given after the vulva reaches full size, usually about two weeks after you first notice that it is beginning to swell. If this hormone injection has induced ovulation, the vulva should begin to decrease in size within about one week, and then continue to get smaller. If after a week the vulva shows no sign of shrinking, a second injection should be given. If ther is still no sign of regression in the size of the vulva the following week, a third injection can be tried.
How can you train you ferrets not to kill your pet cats?
Ferrets do not kill cats, in fact cats are usually scared of ferrets.
What could a ferret cage be under what category?
Ferret cage category might be under small mammals, small animals or exotic animals
What do you do when two siblings will not get along?
leave them be they will work it out. If u try to enterfere they may turn on u. You didn't mention if you were divorced, single or your husband is still living with you and if he is ... get him involved! If he isn't then remember "YOU'RE THE BOSS IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD!" I disagree that kids of any age should be allowed to threaten their parents. If they are in their mid-teens and if you can, separate them into different bedrooms. If this behavior continues then call the police (they'll work with you) and have them booked at the jail. It may scare the pants off them. Never relent and don't put up with it! Good luck
The vet needs to physically remove its scent glands. It's an unnecessary procedure, but Marshalls, and many other large breeders do it anyway to appeal to a grander public. In Europe, descenting is considered cruel and unusual, and is often illegal.
Descenting is a surgical procedure performed by veterinarians, to remove the anal sacs, which are musk-producing glands on either side of the anal opening.
