Paging ferret fanciers

[ffutures]

A friend has just adopted a couple of ferrets from an animal rescue, and while he seems to be reasonably well clued up on them (and has his first bitemarks), I was wondering if anyone had any hints and tips to pass on, or sites to recomment. They're both females, not very old, that's about all I know.

Comments

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Ferrets love exploring, and can get into surpisingly small spaces, and consequently the house should be "ferret-proofed"(1) before letting the little weasels roam about. Even in a ferret-proofed house, ferrets should only be allowed out of their cages under supervision.

Ferret-proofing includes taping up any openings in the bottoms of your kitchen cabinets. And bathroom cabinets, should you have any. It also includes making sure your dryer vent cannot easily be prised open or dug through.

Ferret-proofing also includes getting rid of any recliners you may own. The scissor-like reclining mechanism is a deathtrap for ferrets.

All dirty socks, fresh banana peels, and rubber erasers belong to the ferrets. If you do not want to crawl under the sofa to retrieve them, put them out of ferret reach.

Your feet are fair game.

Your cats are fair game.

Anything resembling your feet or your cats is fair game. This may include plush penguins.

You can turn a ferret off by picking it up by the scruff of the neck. This is seriously useful for cleaning out their ears, and giving them baths.

Ferrets simply adore raisins and banana slices, but they are obligate carnivores, so fruit snacks should be kept to a minimum.

Ferrets simply adore Petromalt anti-furball laxative. This is good, because it's actually good for them. It may also mean that your Marmite is fair game.

Ferrets invented ADHD. This means that sometimes they get distracted on their way to the litter box. When this happens, it will not be their fault, so just be prepared to cope.

Ferret claws play havoc with the loops in terrycloth towels, so pick up some cheap towels second hand to use on Weasel Washing days.

(1) And when I say ferret-proofed, I mean, doing your level best to reduce or eliminate hazards, because actual, bona fide 100% ferret-proofing is just not possible.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I think he's run into the "getting distracted on the way to the loo" thing from what he said - I'll pass all of this along, many thanks!

[elementalv.livejournal.com]

I second everything akirlu said and offer this bit of warning:

When I lived in the apartment, I thought I had managed to ferret-proof the kitchen. I hadn't reckoned on Royce's determination, however. One night, I heard noises in there, and when I went to investigate, I found that not only had he managed to get to the top of the stove, he was in the process of attempting to steal the tea kettle.

Think about that.

Yeah. Ballsy.

Pretty much anything they can get their teeth around and drag is fair game, and they are a textbook definition of "ankle biters". They're also hella fun to watch and play with.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Thanks!