AboutJacquie Rodgers Expertise Being a ferret owner for over 14 years, I can answer questions about general care, cage ideas and requirements, healthy foods and snacks, things to beware of as far as safety issues with ferrets, common causes of intestinal blockages, appropriate housing, litterbox training, making bathtime fun, toys, games galore, outdoor excursions, "Do`s and Don`ts", how to ferretproof your home, traveling with ferrets by car and airlines, proper temperatures for ferret environment, how to set up a hospital cage, IBS (irritable bowel) in ferrets, helicobacter (ulcers), adrenal disease symptoms, how to help your ferret recover quickly, happily and safely from surgeries; common problems with ferret ownership, illnesses; and taking care of a sick ferrets, hospice and palliative care, ferret death and choices that must be made when a ferret dies, memorializing your ferret online and in your daily life.
WHAT I CAN`T DO: I can`t take the place of your ferret vet; if your ferret appears sick,PLEASE have your ferret examined by a ferret vet IMMEDIATELY. Proper and EARLY vet care is PRIORITY #1 for sick ferrets. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE FOR A SICK FERRET - PLEASE, IF IN DOUBT, GET THEM TO A VET!
Experience I ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS WITHIN 12 HRS OF RECEIPT but I cannot control when the system delivers your question to me.
F.Y.I.GENERAL FERRET CARE/INFORMATION:
http://www.cypresskeep.com/ferretarticles.htm
*/*FIRST AID FOR FERRETS: http://miamiferret.org/fhc/ffaid.htm
*/*FIND A VET HERE: http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html
I have nursed ferrets through many illnesses and a variety of diseases over the years.Ferrets are so very delicate, yet incredibly strong-willed; a well-loved ferret will fight courageously to live if given proper medical care, monitoring, and especially lots of TLC. A ferret can entertain for hours on end when they know they are the center of attention; and they can make even the grumpiest person laugh through life's difficulties. They do require a LOT of time, love and daily care, but the love you give a ferret always comes back to you tenfold! I dedicate the time I spend helping others here to my precious little ones who have gone to the Rainbow Bridge. They taught me how to laugh, to love unconditionally....and how to live each & every day to its fullest, and I am forever grateful.
Organizations Yuma County Humane Society
Publications Yuma Daily Sun recognition for being an outstanding ferret mom.
Education/Credentials I read everything I can get my hands on regarding ferrets.
Awards and Honors Just the love in my little guys' eyes :-) when I kiss them goodnight.
Past/Present Clients I'm just a ferret mom - no clients.
Question Hello.
I currently have purchased two 7 week old ferrets. One female and one male. They get along great and they love to play and sleep together, but they are very aggressive when it comes to sharing food and getting treats. They shake their heads, hiss, growl, and bite very hard. They also do this with certain toys. They act greedy and mean. When they act this way, I say NO and put them in their cage for time-out. If one bites and the other doesn’t, than the “biter” gets “time-out” (for about 5 minutes) and the behaving one can play. This shows the “biter” that if she/he is nice, she/he won’t get time-out. Well it isn’t working. They just keep biting and my girl made me bleed the other day. Also, she is not using the litter box. She does most of the time, but then she has days where she won’t. She poops in her own little corner. The boy has used the litter box since the first day.
The two of them also dig at their food. I feed them the Marshal’s Premium Ferret Diet, with a little warm water (to soften), and some high protein chicken kitten food. They make a MESS! They take their bites of food over to their blanket and leave half of I there making it very dirty. Is this just a baby ferret phase, or is there something I need to do?
Thank you so much!
Meghan
Answer Hi Meghan:
What you are seeing your ferrets do is PLAY! I know that's hard to understand, but ferrets play really rough with each other. The only time we worry is if one is biting the other persistently and the ferret being bit poops or is bit hard enough to cause blood. Ferrets have tough, thick skin and ferrets play HARD and it is often mistaken for fighting - they sound completely normal to me. They are probably confused as to why you are punishing them for playing. LOL
Here is a great website with all kinds of ferret information that every owner should have. Be sure to read the FAQ's and also the Medical FAQ's (frequently asked questions):
As far as their food - by 8 weeks old, your ferrets should be eating dry kibble with no water on it. Water only causes bacteria to form and they don't need it, once they have enough teeth to eat hard food. So, being able to serve it dry *may* help the messy problem a bit, but ferrets do tend to be a bit messy with their food. If you notice, they never eat the whole kibble piece - they always leave a small piece with each bite they take. They don't consider these 'discarded' pieces as food, so you do need to clean them up daily.
My recommendation as far as your little girl's pottying in
*her* corner is to place a litterbox there for her. It's a simple solution, and it works. Sometimes we have to allow them to let us know where to put the litterboxes. If they consistently go in one place, just put another box there - makes life a lot easier.
I hope the 'hi protein kitten food' you are feeding is Iams - that's the only one that meets a ferret's nutritional needs (and it *barely* meets them). You might want to consider blending two foods together for them, but use Totally Ferret with the Marshalls?
It sounds to me like you have two very healthy, very normal little ferret kits! Just enjoy these 'baby' days, they pass far too fast. Before you know it, they will be old - take lots of pictures and enjoy them!
