You're not making them sound terrible. I used to give the full run down on rats before to people, so I actually appreciate being told all the hard parts
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A bit on feeding them; A raw diet is truly the best diet for them. My ferrets go nuts for their food, have clean and white teeth (no plaque at even 3 years!), don't shed much, have shiny coats, don't have that stinky ferret odor (except right by their ears where glands are), and they poop like half as much. Plus skipping carbs (veggies, potato, corn, grains, etc) in their diets can avoid problems with the pancreas and such
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It doesn't have to be. Some people feed chicken livers (ground up) and raw egg whites. Chicken livers are high in taurine which ferrets must have.
I personally feed Totally Ferret Turkey Venison & Lamb with other things added in. My three are happy, healthy and super playful. One of mine went from being an undersized, beat-up PETCO adoption in September to a 3lb glossy 'can't believe it's the same one' now. We just took him back to the store for a visit (we've got a rapport with the manager) and that was the consensus.
I could do chicken livers no problem. I like the idea of mixing your own food or live feeding. I tried to look into it for my cats but I couldn't find a butcher that would offer me all the parts I needed to make a proper cat diet.
Yeah my parents bred and show'd collies my whole life, and I had my own set of pets so they're deff not my first. Ferrets really do not seem like a good idea for a first pet no matter how cute they are.
I was looking at a ferret nation. I like how they swing all the way open. Cleaning cages through those little door holes where just so hard with my rats, I really don't want to repeat that.
Unfortunately my friend said he might be marshall island ferret. I've been told about how that is a huge ferret mill. He has the two dots on his left ear that they tattoo on them.
It seems all small pets are plagued with cancer. I'm surprised my hedgie is going on four years now without showing anything, but his Dad made it past five before he got sick.
Marshall Farms is the biggest and the most likely source. You can tell them by their eartags. Two dots on one ear. (edited from when I typoed 'in', there)
I'm not wild about Marshall Farms, but you have to be realistic, and sometimes it's not easy to get it from other sources. They're definitely sources of adrenal. I've had six ferrets in the 10 year period, one passed of cancer, 2 of adrenal, and one from a veterinary accident.
Chances are there are tons of things I'm missing in terms of advisement for ferrets. So anything you think of, ask away.
I figured in the very least, its from a rescue so they're not getting any support from me. And he is already here, so ignoring him because of his back ground seems mean. He is a huge snuggler too, so I really couldn't ignore him.
If I think of anything in particular I will ask. I'm going to go to the store and look for that book when I get out of work, thanks for the heads up on that.
In earlier comments you seemed interested in raw feeding, so I have a great site. They will work with you one on one to get your ferret switched to raw.
If you do decide to go with a kibble you want to look for high protein, no grains, and low veggie. We feed our group a mix of evo cat (its the same thing as evo ferret, but a couple of bucks cheaper per bag) and Wellness Core.
Ditto what everyone else has recommended - Ferrets For Dummies book, FerretNation cages and a high-quality food (Mine eat EVO but it did recently get bought out, so I've been watching for changes.)
how much to cage them, Ferrets are naturally crepuscular - active at dawn and dusk. So they sleep all night AND all day. If you can let them out for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening it would be ideal. (For us our morning session is an hour or less, but the evening session is much longer - they adapt pretty quickly. And my almost-7yr old girl sleeps in some mornings, while her 2yo cagemate is always ready to play. :P )
what to hide,Oh, don't worry. They will hide absolutely everything *for* you! :P
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I had not even thought about the box spring board on my bed. I did remove the flimsy fabric when I moved so that it was easier to carry. oh man I'm really going to have to look for more things like that.
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I personally feed Totally Ferret Turkey Venison & Lamb with other things added in. My three are happy, healthy and super playful. One of mine went from being an undersized, beat-up PETCO adoption in September to a 3lb glossy 'can't believe it's the same one' now. We just took him back to the store for a visit (we've got a rapport with the manager) and that was the consensus.
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I tried to look into it for my cats but I couldn't find a butcher that would offer me all the parts I needed to make a proper cat diet.
Reply
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Yeah my parents bred and show'd collies my whole life, and I had my own set of pets so they're deff not my first. Ferrets really do not seem like a good idea for a first pet no matter how cute they are.
I was looking at a ferret nation. I like how they swing all the way open. Cleaning cages through those little door holes where just so hard with my rats, I really don't want to repeat that.
Unfortunately my friend said he might be marshall island ferret. I've been told about how that is a huge ferret mill. He has the two dots on his left ear that they tattoo on them.
It seems all small pets are plagued with cancer. I'm surprised my hedgie is going on four years now without showing anything, but his Dad made it past five before he got sick.
Reply
I'm not wild about Marshall Farms, but you have to be realistic, and sometimes it's not easy to get it from other sources. They're definitely sources of adrenal. I've had six ferrets in the 10 year period, one passed of cancer, 2 of adrenal, and one from a veterinary accident.
Chances are there are tons of things I'm missing in terms of advisement for ferrets. So anything you think of, ask away.
Reply
If I think of anything in particular I will ask. I'm going to go to the store and look for that book when I get out of work, thanks for the heads up on that.
Reply
http://www.holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi
This yahoo board is great for finding suppliers.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CarnivoreFeed-Supplier/
If you do decide to go with a kibble you want to look for high protein, no grains, and low veggie. We feed our group a mix of evo cat (its the same thing as evo ferret, but a couple of bucks cheaper per bag) and Wellness Core.
Reply
I've seen the wellness core becoming more popular in my pet store lately.
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how much to cage them,
Ferrets are naturally crepuscular - active at dawn and dusk. So they sleep all night AND all day. If you can let them out for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening it would be ideal. (For us our morning session is an hour or less, but the evening session is much longer - they adapt pretty quickly. And my almost-7yr old girl sleeps in some mornings, while her 2yo cagemate is always ready to play. :P )
what to hide,Oh, don't worry. They will hide absolutely everything *for* you! :P ( ... )
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oh man I'm really going to have to look for more things like that.
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