How to care for a ferret: the pros and cons of keeping at home

Fretka is a decorative ferret adapted to indoor conditions. The pet is unpretentious, gives a lot of joy and fun, but, like all pets, it needs proper care. Before becoming the happy owner of a pet, you need to figure out how to care for a domestic ferret, what it eats, what diseases it is prone to. This will prevent trouble, he alth problems, and premature death of the pet.

Is it difficult to care for a ferret

Like any pet, a ferret needs to be taken care of. With proper maintenance, pets live 10 years, and long-livers live up to 15 years. The maintenance of the animal in the apartment is simple, the care is standard. Main conditions:

1. Having a secluded place for the ferret to live. The cage should be spacious, dry, warm, and kept clean.
2. Comfortable conditions of detention. In the room where the ferret is located, there should be no drafts, sharp temperature fluctuations.
3. Organization of walking and training.
4. Selection of the right diet, compliance with the feeding regimen.
5. Constant supervision of a nimble and curious animal, so that it does not damage the owner's property, does not harm himself.
6. Annual visit to the veterinarian for preventive purposes. Vaccination.

Pros and cons

The decorative ferret is loved for its touching appearance, playful behavior. Before getting a pet, you need to evaluate the possibilities of keeping, consider the pros and cons.

Pros and consinteresting, inquisitive behavior;playful, cheerful disposition;quick adaptation to the owner;non-aggressive, friendly character, subject to competent upbringing;quick adaptation to living conditions;carelessness in care and nutrition;loyal, non-aggressive attitude towards other animals, subject to coexistence from an early age.the playfulness and vigor of the ferret is tiring;the ferret is curious and thieving, without supervision climbs into the wrong places, spoils and dumps things, hides the little thing he likes in secluded corners;under the tail of the animal there are glands that produce a specific secret, although experienced breeders assure that the ferret smells unpleasant only under stress and uncomfortable conditions;caring for a ferret is expensive, tools, hygiene products, food, appliances cost a significant amount;it is difficult to find a veterinarian with experience in working with exotic animals.

What are the breeds of domestic ferrets

Ferret is a predator belonging to the weasel family. There are 3 wild species: steppe (light), forest (dark), American (black-footed). Ferrets are singled out as a separate species - domesticated representatives of the forest species. For many centuries of breeding, ferrets have lost their wild traits of character and behavior, they have gained complaisance, friendliness, and pliability to training.

Home view is divided into breeds by coat color. The natural color of the ferret is dark brown with a light undercoat. The result of the selection were colors:

• white (not to be confused with albino, the first species has dark eyes, the second has red ones);
• sable - deep brown color with white undercoat (most common);
• blaze - a black ferret with a white undercoat, a white strip along the head, a white spot on the chest, white "socks" on the paws, the tip of the tail is also white;
• champagne - light chocolate body, dark belly, limbs and tail, undercoat white or yellowish;
• chocolate - rich brown color with beige undercoat, muzzle decorated with a dark mask;
• cinnamon - cinnamon color, beige or milky undercoat, color darkens smoothly from head to tail;
• dalmatian - dark color with light spots on the back, tail, limbs;
• Siamese - dark or light beige color, undercoat white or milky, muzzle decorated with a dark mask.

White-colored animals often have weak immunity and deafness. Therefore, when buying a pet, you should carefully study the veterinary documents.

Fretki differ not only in color, but also in the structure of wool. Allocate species:

• standard with dense undercoat and outer hairs 3 cm;
• angora - wool 8-12 cm long;
• half-Angora - hairs on the back 5 cm long, on the belly - 3 cm.

Containment Requirements

Most often, a ferret lives in a cage, which should be spacious, made of safe material. If the cage is just a place of rest, and the rest of the time the pet runs freely around the apartment, then its parameters are: 100 × 100 × 40 cm. If the ferret spends a lot of time in the cage, actively moves in it, then the height should be 100 cm. The cage should be durable, the gap between the bars - no more than 15 mm. It is desirable to keep several animals in enclosures.

The cage must be equipped with shelves, labyrinths, toys. It is advisable to hang a hammock in the cage, the ferret will gladly rest in it. A flannelette or woolen cloth is suitable as a bedding; you can buy a bed in a pet store. The bedding will have to be changed weekly, as it will absorb the specific smell of the pet.

The house must be placed in the cage. The absence of a shelter imitating a hole is a strong stress for the animal. Under such conditions, the ferret dies from nervous exhaustion. The house in the cage should be spacious so that the ferret can spread out, stretching out its paws. The optimal shelter parameters are 50×40×40 cm.

A tray is fixed in the cage, litter pellets are used as a filler. The cage is cleaned weekly, the filler in the tray is changed daily.

Hygiene

Ferrets need to be groomed regularly: bathed, brushed, teeth cleaned, nails trimmed. Ferrets love water and are not afraid of bathing.

Ear cleaning

Pet's ears are cleaned once a month using veterinary ear lotion. They moisten a cotton swab, which carefully remove the sulfur coating from the walls of the auricles. Do not stick the stick deep, otherwise you can injure the organs of the inner ear.

Claw trimming

A ferret's claws grow fast. If left untrimmed, the ferret will cling to curtains, floor carpets, and furniture until it dislocates a finger or paw.

Cut the claws of the ferret with a claw cutter, trying not to touch the living tissue with blood capillaries. The cut line is made parallel to the bend of the claw.

How to bathe a ferret

Bathe the pet once every half a month, using a low-alkaline pet shampoo, so that the hair does not fall out, there is no itching. Kitten shampoo will do, but dog shampoo should not be used for a ferret. The animal is washed under a tap or in a basin filled with water by 20 cm. The water temperature should be approximately 40 ° C. When rinsing off the shampoo, make sure that water does not get into the ears. A bathed pet is wiped with a towel.

What to feed the animal

Domestic ferret eats either store-bought dry food or natural food. Dry food must be at least premium. If the pet store does not have food for ferrets, then it is suitable for kittens. Fresh water must be available at all times.

The basis of the ferret's diet is protein (40%), fats (25%), vegetable fiber (2%). The ferret should get enough calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamins.

What does a domestic ferret eat:

• lean meat (rabbit, duck, beef, chicken, turkey);
• fish;
• chicken and quail eggs (boiled and raw);
• fermented milk products (but not milk, it causes diarrhea);
• cereal porridge;
• broccoli.

He althcare

The ferret is susceptible to infectious diseases and digestive disorders, so it is important for beginner breeders to know how to give the animal first aid, what medicines should be in the veterinary kit.

Ferret Pharmacy Kit includes:

• sorbents (activated carbon) that help with poisoning;
• drug "Smekta" from diarrhea;
• 5% glucose solution for intoxication;
• antiparasitic and anthelmintic medicines;
• antiseptic solutions;
• dressing material;
• medical wound adhesive;
• eye drops.

After providing first aid, you cannot treat the animal yourself, you must contact the veterinary clinic. The pet receives the first vaccinations against rabies and distemper at the age of 3 months. The veterinarian uses the Novibak, Hexadog dog vaccines for the ferret (a third of the standard dose). Further vaccination should be annual. 10 days before vaccinations, the ferret receives an anthelmintic drug.

Periodically, the animal is given a remedy to remove hairballs from the stomach, brush their teeth with animal paste. If cleaning is difficult, you should contact your veterinarian to remove plaque with an ultrasound machine.

Walking

The ferret loves to walk, after a walk he feels better. Features of the pet's behavior (curiosity, the desire to sniff out, seek out) do not allow free range. If the ferret runs away, gets lost, it will die, as it is not adapted to life in the wild.

So that the walk does not turn into trouble for the ferret, the following rules must be observed:

• accustom the animal to the leash in advance;
• don't let your pet off the leash;
• do not walk an unvaccinated animal;
• do not walk in wet, rainy, windy weather;
• walk in a quiet, secluded place.

Training

The ferret needs human attention. Training is not difficult if the ferret trusts the owner. Teaching commands, the animal is interested in a treat, which is given after the successful completion of the task. Training is carried out 1-2 hours after the ferret has eaten. You can not train a hungry or full pet. A ferret is not the best pet if there is a baby in the house. A predatory animal may react aggressively to squeezing and loud noises.

A little ferret is a hooligan and a mischief-maker, but they begin to educate him from 3-4 months of age. Earlier it was impossible: the cub is still quite small, the severity of the owner will scare him away, make him wild. Education requires patience, you can not scream.They restrain the animal by lightly hitting the nose with your fingers, pinching the skin at the withers.

If you do not show the cub who is in charge in the family, then in adulthood the ferret will become uncontrollable, wayward.

Coexistence of ferrets with other animals

Fretka gets along with relatives and other pets (cats, non-aggressive dogs), if the owner does not create a situation in which the pets begin to be jealous of him. Joint keeping with hunting dogs and small animals (hamsters, decorative rats) is unacceptable, since the ferret has a developed hunting instinct.

Possible problems

Becoming the owner of a predatory animal, you need to pay attention to the following nuances:

1. There should be no gaps in the house, holes in which the ferret can get stuck.
2. We'll have to remove plant pots, electrical cables, medicines, cosmetics, household chemicals, breakable objects from the ferret's reach.
3. The ferret loves to make caches, including grocery ones. Hidden places must be closed, leaving one, from where it is convenient to remove the supplies of the ferret, otherwise the apartment will smell of rotten food.
4. You can not let a curious pet into the kitchen, into the bathroom, into the toilet. In the kitchen, a ferret can throw dishes off the table, delve into flour and sugar, or get hurt with a knife or fork. In the bathroom - swallow washing powder. In the toilet - drown in the toilet.
5. Table drawers, wardrobe, chests of drawers will have to be locked. The teeth of a small predator are strong enough to gnaw on plastic, knitwear, rubber.
6. In the room where the ferret is, windows and doors must be closed. The animal can fall from a height, run away for adventure, become a victim of stray dogs on the street. A mosquito net is not a hindrance, a pet will easily tear it apart with its teeth and claws.
7. When the ferret is out of the cage, interior doors must be closed carefully so as not to inadvertently crush it.
8. If the house has a fireplace, check the chimney before starting a fire. The ferret loves to climb into burrow-like places.

Only after ensuring safety in the house of a nimble animal can be released from the cage into the wild. Caring for a ferret is easy, care and constant supervision are important.

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