Ferrets

[gambatte]

little loose curls about the size of a 2p piece. You'll know when they do it they waddle backwards into a corner!

I had 2 brothers from the local ferret rescue. Psycho and Pspyder. Its like having kittens that never grow up, when you have 2 together. Fast play, all the time.

Females have to be mated or injected to get them out of season, or as stated earlier, they die.

If you get 2 Males - get them neutered before they're mature. Soon as they're mature they'll Sh4g anything, male, female, related or not! I kept on eye on them and had a cage separator ready!!

The scent does diminish a lot when neutered.

 

[punkypossum]

i've got another question. what is their poo like? is it squidgy or more like droppings that are easy to clean up?

Little sausages, easy enough to clean up, but they poo and wee quite a lot, so expect at least about 5 poos and 15 wees a day...

Males are a lot bigger and tend to be friendlier - sizewise they are better if you are planning to take them out on a harness, jills sort of disappear

 

[punkypossum]

Emu!!! Hooray!!! Feathery wool sounds ace!!! Wooly ferret settled in very well, he is based on the shelf above the computer, so is getting plenty of company!

 

[Arch]

they need a cage that's at least 3 x 2 x 3 tho, because they like to climb.

Feet? Metres? Cm?

I am limited for space, and I wouldn't want to get anything that was going to be unhappy, so I may have to put it off. It's just a thought I have sometimes. I'd sort of like mice, but they are so small, anything less than a rat I worry about picking up and squeezing too hard...

Punky, the emu is on the list, I have a scarf to do first I think... Plus I've never knitted with this feathery wool, so I may have to do a few practice tension squares...

 

[buggi]

Feet? Metres? Cm?

I am limited for space, and I wouldn't want to get anything that was going to be unhappy, so I may have to put it off. It's just a thought I have sometimes. I'd sort of like mice, but they are so small, anything less than a rat I worry about picking up and squeezing too hard...

...

feet. mine is approx 3 foot wide, 2 foot deep, 3 foot high. holds 2 to 4 rats. you can get away with it being a bit smaller if you only have 2 rats.

Ferplast "Jenny" cage is what i have.

 

[buggi]

so if the males smell more than the females, do the neutured males smell more than that neutered females or do they smell the same? i think i want boys with polecat markings. Smokey and Bandit.

 

[gambatte]

I kept mine outside in a homemade hutch.

You can get them for inside, very similar to the mesh crates for dogs. Mates got one with hammocks and 'stuff' inside

 

[punkypossum]

A neutered hob will always smell a bit more than a neutered jill, but there isn't much in it...also, castrating a male is easier and cheaper than spaying a jill or having to keep taking her for jill-jabs - otherwise she will die!

Obviously personality varies from ferret to ferret, but as a general rule poleys tend to be a bit more on the rough side, sandies and albinos tend to be (and yes, I know this is a generalisation) a bit softer and docile...

If you are fussy about the state of your carpets and potplants, don't get one as they can be quite destructive, but if you can live with that they are ace pets. And if they will be running free, make sure you ferret-proof your house, they can get into the tiniest spaces and create havoc in a matter of minutes...

And yes, definitely get some hammocks, they love them...and fleecy sleeping bags, and rattly cat toys, crackly carrier bags, tubes, cardboard boxes with holes, ping pong balls, etc...

And, a must have, some FERRETONE, it's like a miracle elixir, they will do anything for a drop - makes clipping nails, vet visits, etc a doddle - and it's good for them.... Never went anywhere without it, it's magic!!!

 

[buggi]

the only thing i was worried about was them chewing my settee. i found a ferret forum and they have told me that as they are not rodents they don't feel the need to knaw, so now i know that i'm definitely sold on the idea of getting one. carpet ain't a worry either because all my flat is laminated.

 

[gambatte]

great noise they make, when playing!

 

[punkypossum]

They don't gnaw, but they love scratching...although generally things that are flat on the ground like carpets or doors that they want to get through but can't, so your settee should be safe...

 

[Arch]

This thing about the females dying if not mated, it's only just sinking in for me.. I have to say, that doesn't sound like the greatest evolutionary tactic! Kinda puts period pain in perspective!

 

[col]

great noise they make, when playing!

It is isnt it,i tried to describe it earlier,a sort of"uh uh uh uh u h uh uh uh uh uh

 

[punkypossum]

Mine sounded more like a chicken clucking...