I got FERRETS!

samlovesba

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they are so ugly their cute... lol
thier names are Ellie and Eddie. They smelled so bad when I got them. I cleaned them & their cage, so now their smelling better


** they love the new kittens by the way, Ellie carries them to the cage and sleeps with them. I don't know what it is about the kittens, but I think Ellie wants babies too.. ugh.

oh, and if anyone is in the McConnelsville OH area and wants a new kitty, I've got 7 that need a new home.. Fizzle & the 6 kittens. I'm moving in a few weeks and I can't take them all with me


alrighty, just an update!! peace out
 

trillcat

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I love ferrets, the weird little goofballs! Where did you get them from that they smelled so bad? Rescues?
You MUST post a pic of Ellie carring away the kittens to snooze with them, too adorable! When I had my Rocko (ferret) the first thing he did when I got him a buddy (Jasper) was to carry the new baby off and hide him in his stash spot under the entertainment center!
 
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samlovesba

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she only does it when I'm not looking.. argh, but we got them from my boyfriend's mom.. We showed up while Ellie was getting a bath, so really only Eddie was stinky.. LOL.. They are goofy.. They've both made hiding places, that I don't think are very healthy.. Ellie goes under the refrigerator, and Eddie goes under the gas cooking stove
scares me A LOT!

I can get a photo of Ellie and the kittens sleeping, but I'll have to wait till she gets back up.. hah.
 

trillcat

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Oh yea, I had to ferret proof the fridge and stove. Both places are dangerous for the little guys. You havent lived till you have bathed a grease soaked baby ferret after a stove extraction. (And also didn't realize just how dirty I had let it get under there, yikes!)
ETA: if you have never had ferrets before, they WILL find any space they can to get into, just when you think you have gotten everything, they will head straight for anything you have forgotten. A good idea is to get down on their level, crawl around on the floor and look for spots they could get into and get into trouble.
 
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samlovesba

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oh, I will.. when I find Eddie.. he crawled off somewhere and fell asleep.. Ellie fell asleep in her hammock..

and no, I've never had ferrets.. but really there isn't much they can get under.. they have found a way to get into desk drawers though.. they scare my boyfriend when he's on here
 

goldenkitty45

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One day I'd like to own a ferret (either chocolate mitted or silver mitted only). Hubby says I need to get a "zoo license" first.....


What color are your ferrets?
 

trillcat

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Originally Posted by SamLovesBA

oh, I will.. when I find Eddie.. he crawled off somewhere and fell asleep.. Ellie fell asleep in her hammock..

and no, I've never had ferrets.. but really there isn't much they can get under.. they have found a way to get into desk drawers though.. they scare my boyfriend when he's on here
Careful with the drawers, ferrrets can dehydrate very fast, and with their fast metabolisms can't really go without food for too long, accidentaly being closed up in a drawer could be trouble! They are also little poop machines, so that could be quite the mess to clean up. (though I am laughing at the image I have in my head of your boyfriend going to get a pen or something out of the drawer and having a ferret pop out)
Also get used to looking down, a lot!
They will trip you up and appear out of nowhere right in front of your feet. I only steped on Rocko once, got his tail, did you know ferrets can scream? I didn't hurt him, I was barefoot, more of a shock thing, sure scared the bejezus out of me! I was the one who got the injuries stopping short to not step on them and crashing to the floor, into coffe tables, etc.

You should also get some hairball stuff, and brush them often. They can't cough up the hairballs like cats can, and they groom a lot. They love the stuff so giving it to them should not be a problem.
Don't go crazy with the baths, it can really dry out their skin, keeping their bedding clean goes a long way to not have stinky ferrets.
Good ferret toys, tubes tubes tubes! They will spend hours chasing eachother through them and it is just hilarious to watch! They can turn themselves completly around in the smallest of spaces and to watch them do this in the tubes is a bit errie, but cool! Have you played chase with them? I use to run around my apartment I am sure looking like an idiot with two ferrets chasing behind me! They also like chasing a blanket. Similar to running around like an idiot only with a blanket dragging behind you, they jump on for the ride.
Dont use a towel, their nails can get caught in the terrycloth loops.
 

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Don't let them "play" with the kittens!!! They WILL kill them, even if it's accidental. Until the babies are big enough to play and pounce and fight them off if they get too rough, don't let the ferrets near them. They are serious predators, and even if they're just playing, they can easily get carried away and get too rough.

Ellie won't be having babies of her own, thank goodness. All ferrets available to the public are spayed/neutered at a very young age, as an intact male is impossible to live with and an unspayed female will die if not bred every heat.

What food are they eating? Nutrition is a big deal for ferrets, and that "ferret food" crap you can buy at Wal-Mart is NOT adequate for their needs.

Have they had their shots yet? Ferrets need canine distemper and rabies vaccinations. However, DO NOT allow the vet to give both vaccines on the same day, as ferrets are very prone to serious anaphylactic reactions to vaccines, and giving them both on the same day greatly increases the chances of a reaction.

Have fun with the little weasels!!! They're high-maintenance, but so much fun!
 

mrblanche

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Oh, you liked the surprise ending?

You can wash a keyboard in the dishwasher. Did you know that?
 

trillcat

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Originally Posted by Willowy

Don't let them "play" with the kittens!!! They WILL kill them, even if it's accidental. Until the babies are big enough to play and pounce and fight them off if they get too rough, don't let the ferrets near them. They are serious predators, and even if they're just playing, they can easily get carried away and get too rough.

Ellie won't be having babies of her own, thank goodness. All ferrets available to the public are spayed/neutered at a very young age, as an intact male is impossible to live with and an unspayed female will die if not bred every heat.

What food are they eating? Nutrition is a big deal for ferrets, and that "ferret food" crap you can buy at Wal-Mart is NOT adequate for their needs.

Have they had their shots yet? Ferrets need canine distemper and rabies vaccinations. However, DO NOT allow the vet to give both vaccines on the same day, as ferrets are very prone to serious anaphylactic reactions to vaccines, and giving them both on the same day greatly increases the chances of a reaction.

Have fun with the little weasels!!! They're high-maintenance, but so much fun!
Very good point about them playing rough. Ferrets have very tough skin and can take it, and their playing is mock killing really, like most predators it is how they learn survival skills. If you watch two ferrets wrestle, it is almost scary sometimes, they really give it their all. Ferrets also have huge teeth, I believe they have the biggest teeth in comparison to body size of any animal, I could be wrong about that though.
Not to scare anyone, they are wondeful little animals! But as with any animal, you must know what you are getting into.
 

Willowy

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Originally Posted by mews2much

I would love a Ferret but its illegal here so I will never have one.
LOTS of people in CA have ferrets, and most CA vets are very ferret-knowlegable. The pet stores all have excellent ferret supply selections. The law is rarely enforced. But if you're not comfortable flouting a silly law, of course nobody would fault you for that
.

IMO, ferrets are the most commonly mistreated/neglected pets in general. Most people who have them shouldn't. They require so much time and attention and specialized care.

I don't know if ferrets have the largest teeth for their size.....I saw a dead opossum the other day and his teeth were HUGE!!!! He was the size of a cat but his teeth were the size of maybe a 40-50 pound dog's. And my ferrets' teeth are pretty small. But they certainly are sharp!
 

trillcat

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Originally Posted by Willowy

LOTS of people in CA have ferrets, and most CA vets are very ferret-knowlegable. The pet stores all have excellent ferret supply selections. The law is rarely enforced. But if you're not comfortable flouting a silly law, of course nobody would fault you for that
.

IMO, ferrets are the most commonly mistreated/neglected pets in general. Most people who have them shouldn't. They require so much time and attention and specialized care.

I don't know if ferrets have the largest teeth for their size.....I saw a dead opossum the other day and his teeth were HUGE!!!! He was the size of a cat but his teeth were the size of maybe a 40-50 pound dog's. And my ferrets' teeth are pretty small. But they certainly are sharp!
Just a heads up about pet store ferrets, they mostly come from Marshal Farms. It is an animal mill of the worst kind. The also provide animals for medical testing, usually the ones who are to messed up to sell for profit. If your ferret has the dot tattoo on their ear, that is where it is from. People are led to belive that is a good thing, nothing could be further from the truth. I have seen it first hand, to transport them the babies are litteraly packed into mesh crates, some still with fresh wounds from the spay and neuter. They also have many genitic problems from inbreeding. My Jasper had two sets of teeth, like a shark, one set right behind the other. Rocko had pancreatic tumors.
 

mews2much

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It is a stupid law.
Everyone goes to Nevada to get Ferrets and there are Ferret vets here.
My sister knows people with ferrets and my friends sister has 2 she got in Oregon.
I will not get one.
Its not worth the risk.
 

Willowy

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Yeah, the ferret breeding situation is pretty sad. All the major ferret farms are horrible. Almost all pet store ferrets will develop major health issues eventually. I've had 6 ferrets......I have 2 now. Of the 4 who have passed, Nikky had Insulinoma (pancreatic tumors), died at age 8, CaseyBear had Adrenal Disease, died at age 5, Yoshi had both Insulinoma AND Adrenal Disease
, died at age 8, and Pogo had Adrenal Disease but died of liver cancer at age 6. Of my 2 now, Digby is healthy so far but he's not even a year old yet, and Bumper is 6 1/2 and is showing signs of something, not sure what, it's time to see the vet.

The only one I purchased was CaseyBear, and I did regret supporting the ferret farms after I learned better. The rest have all been rescues.
 

trillcat

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Originally Posted by Willowy

Yeah, the ferret breeding situation is pretty sad. All the major ferret farms are horrible. Almost all pet store ferrets will develop major health issues eventually. I've had 6 ferrets......I have 2 now. Of the 4 who have passed, Nikky had Insulinoma (pancreatic tumors), died at age 8, CaseyBear had Adrenal Disease, died at age 5, Yoshi had both Insulinoma AND Adrenal Disease
, died at age 8, and Pogo had Adrenal Disease but died of liver cancer at age 6. Of my 2 now, Digby is healthy so far but he's not even a year old yet, and Bumper is 6 1/2 and is showing signs of something, not sure what, it's time to see the vet.

The only one I purchased was CaseyBear, and I did regret supporting the ferret farms after I learned better. The rest have all been rescues.
Those are the major problems with these farmed ferrets, Adrenial Disease and Insulinoma. What happens to them from this is something no pet owner wants to see, it is truely horrible. I had to have Rocko put down at age 8, it became to much for him and me. I could not keep up with his feeding schedule to avoid insulin shock without quitting my job. He was a tough little guy, but I could not put him through that anymore, after one very, very bad shock episode. He needed to be fed every 2 hours, and wouldn't eat unless I fed him mushed up soaked dry food mixed with a perscription wet food. I called it his num nums. A happy yet so sad memory. His little face would light up when I called that to him. Num Nums time! Now I am just rambling, sorry. Every ferret owner I know has faced similar problems.
 

arlyn

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You know, I live in California and there is a ferret breeder about a mile up the road from me and he's advertising with huge signs right there at his house.

I've always wondered how he can do that, he's actually right on a fairly busy highway patrolled frequently by state, county and local police and AC.
 
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