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Ferrets are wonderful pets. They are intelligent, friendly, can be easily tamed, they can be house trained and they come in a wide variety of colours. Contrary to what most people believe, ferrets are NOT rodents. They are the cousins of weasels and skunks. They are actually similar, taxonomically, to dogs!
The following information should be used as a guide to ensure your ferret is well cared for and that you can share a long, happy and healthy relationship.
General information
The life expectancy of a ferret is approximately 6-10 years. Male ferrets reach sexual maturity at 6-7 months of age and female ferrets have their first season at 1 year of age. Their gestation is 42 days
Female ferrets are called jills and males are called hobs. Baby ferrets are called kits.
Diet
Ferrets are strict carnivores which means that they mainly eat meat. Ferrets need a diet that consists of 35-40% animal protein, 15-20% fat and less than 3% fibre.
Wild ferrets are predators and they eat rats, mice and small birds. They occasionally snack on fruit and vegetables but these make up a very small percentage of their diet.
We recommend feeding a high quality dried ferret mix. These can be hard to find and therefore a high quality kitten food (ie hills science diet or eukanuba) is next best. Supermarket kitten foods should not be fed as they contain high percentages of carbohydrates and vegetable protein. Dog food should not be fed as it doesn't contain enough fat and it often contains too much carbohydrate and vegetable protein. Also ferrets require taurine in their diet and, as cats are unable to manufacture taurine, it is supplemented in most good quality cat foods.
Dry food is far superior to wet/tinned food which can lead to tooth decay.
Ferrets can be offered meat/protein treats such as chicken wings, liver, eggs, balls of minced meat, steak etc. Meat may be offered cooked or raw. They do not like fish. Other treats such as sweet biscuits, fruits and vegies may be offered occasionally.
Ferrets have very short gastrointestinal tracts. Therefore they only eat small amounts at any one time. Dry food should be offered ad lib. Treats should be offered on an empty stomach as ferrets will stash/hide excess food for later and treats such as meat will spoil in their hiding spot.
Water
Fresh water should be available at all times. Water should be changed daily as ferrets love to swim and bathe in their water. This can be overcome with drinking bottles and we strongly recommend these.
Housing
Ferrets are extremely mischievous and therefore should be kept in a cage when not supervised!
The best cages for ferrets are wire cages with ramps and different levels. Wire cages offer superior ventilation and they do not restrict your ferret's view of the world. Ensure the cage has a secure door!
Cages should be 2 feet x 3 feet and 2 feet high as a minimum. Obviously the bigger the better!
Cages should have a litter tray on the floor, a designated sleeping quarter and lots of toys. Ferrets are easily litter trained. As they don't cover up their excrement, the litter does not need to be deep. Recycled newspaper litter is the safest - DO NOT USE CLUMPING LITTER (this can cause intestinal impactions if eaten).
The sleeping quarter should contain a hammock (ferrets love these) or another type of soft bedding. An old T-shirt is a great choice as it can help with bonding.
Ferrets love to play with toys. They also love to destroy toys and swallow pieces therefore you need to choose your toys carefully. Small pieces of a toy can easily cause an obstruction in your ferrets intestine necessitating surgery!!
Environmental Enrichment
Ferrets love ramps, tunnels, hiding holes and toys. All of these items will enrich their cage environment. However they are very social and do not like to be alone. IF you are unable to spend a lot of time with your ferret you should consider getting a second ferret
Exercise
Ferrets are social and curious and should be offered free exercise time out of their cage. This free time MUST be supervised as ferrets are very naughty. Ferret proofing is a never ending challenge. They will chew on anything and everything and they love digging!! They will also steal things and stash them in hiding spots! They are often to blame for missing jewellery, car keys and shop receipts!!
Handling
Ferrets are robust, hardy creatures. They are inquisitive and rarely shy. The more they are handled, the tamer they become. Kits should be handled from a very young age.
The best way to pick up a ferret is to place one hand under his chest (just behind his forelimbs) and then place your other hand under his hindlimbs and lift him from the floor. Ferrets are long and wriggly and do not like to be restrained for long.
If you are unsure how to handle your ferret safely, please contact the clinic.
Medical Information
Desexing
At the Rowville Veterinary Clinic we strongly recommend desexing your ferrets at 6 months of age. Breeding ferrets is difficult and can be expensive.
Female ferrets (jills) have their first season at about 1 year of age. They are induced ovulators and therefore only ovulate once mated. If an 'in season' jill is not mated, she will remain in season. This can have serious consequences. High levels of oestrogen cause 'oestrogen toxicity' which leads to bone marrow suppression and subsequently infections and anaemia (aplastic anaemia). Oestrogen toxicity can be fatal.
Castrating males will greatly reduce their musky odour and will also often reduce signs of aggression.
Descenting
At the Rowville Veterinary Clinic we DO NOT recommend descenting. It is an unnecessary procedure. The scent glands release a musky scent when the ferret is frightened or surprised. Descenting will not reduce a ferret's musky smell as the smell is secreted from glands in the skin. Only desexing will reduce the odour.
Fleas and Mites
Ferrets can suffer from fleas and mites, especially ear mites. Fleas cause itchiness and anaemia and mites cause a build up of smelly brown discharge as well as itchy ears.
If you think your ferret has fleas or mites, make an appointment to see the vet at the clinic
Heat stress
Ferrets are unable to sweat and therefore are prone to heat stress. Temperatures greater than 27 degrees Celsius are intolerable. Signs of heat stress include panting, lethargy and bright red gums, feet and ears. Heat stressed ferrets should be cooled slowly using cool water and then taken straight to the vet.
Vaccination
Ferrets should be vaccinated against canine distemper virus:
Canine distemper virus is a highly virulent virus that is 100% fatal in ferrets.
It causes loss of appetite, skin rashes and crusting, nasal and eye discharges, pneumonia, high fever and can even cause seizures. Ferrets die from secondary infections and brain damage.
It is spread by direct contact with an infected dog or ferret. It can also be spread indirectly. (ie if you contact an infected dog or ferret, you can carry the virus on your skin and clothing for 24 hours and transmit it to your ferret!)
As there is no cure for canine distemper, ferrets that become infected should be euthanased as soon as possible to prevent suffering.
At the Rowville Veterinary Clinic we recommend vaccinating kits at 6-8, 10-12 and 14-16 weeks of age. We also recommend vaccinating adult ferrets annually.
Worms
Ferrets do not suffer from pathological intestinal worms and therefore unlike dogs and cats, they do not need to be wormed.
http://www.ozferret.org.au/
http://www.vicferrets.org.au/
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