First of all, Kahlua is headed to the vet tomorrow morning, Tuesday,
July 19 at 9:30 AM EST. I will quickly let everyone know the status
of the currently unknown lump as soon as I can.
Secondly, I will offer my input on the poll:
How often to bathe a ferret: I try to do it about every 3 months, more in
the summer if they have been out and get dirty. I've noticed that they
both get itchy after a bath, so I try not to do it too often so I don't
dry them out too much.
How often to wash a ferret's bedding: Again, that is something I do about
the time of a bath. I use dye-free, scent free All and color safe
bleach. I'm one who likes the smell of ferret, so a little bit of musk
here and there doesn't bother me. If you're someone who can't stand the
smell (then you shouldn't have a ferret) then you could do it more often.
How often to change a ferret's water: I keep a bottle/bowl combo in their
cage since Kahlua likes to stand and dig at the bottle and get her feet
wet. She'll ocasionally knock the bottle off the cage, this is why I
keep a bowl in there, so they will never go any period of time without
water. That said, I try to change 2-3 times a day, periodically dropping
an ice cube into their water bowl, which they chase around with their
noses until it is melted.
How often to change a ferret's food: Each day, I don't keep the bowl too
full, but I don't keep it empty enough that they will be without food
either. Every morning, I dump the little bit of kibble and put new in.
How often to clean a ferret's ears: I do once or twice a month, depending
on how they look/smell. Kahlua's can be done less often, but Anakin is a
dirty, dirty boy. : )
How often to clip a ferret's nails: Whenever I think they look like the
need it. I don't keep track, but I probably do it about once a week.
Maybe every other week for the back ones as they don't seem to grow quite
as fast.
How often to take an otherwise healthy ferret to the vet: Depends on age.
At about 3-4 they need to be going at least once-twice a year. This year
we've spent more time there than I would like though, since Anakin got
pretty sick when I brought in Kahlua. And now with this lump...
How many hours a healthy ferret is awake in the summer: I think mine
are up for 4, some days more. It depends on what is going on in the
household.
How many hours a healthy ferret is awake in the winter: Fewer.
Your favorite ferret food: Right now, thanks to advice from the wonderful
ladies at the PFRA, I am feeding a combo of Totally Ferret Active formula
and Path Valley Farm Chicken and rice. Soon though, they will be
introduced to the Innova Evo that Mary told me about. I wish Kahlua
would give baby food a try though, in the event she would ever be sick,
if she would eat it willingly, I would bet it would make everyones lives
a lot easier.
Your favorite ferret treat: Bandits, though I will offer them a bite of
almost anything I am eating. Shaking a bag of Bandits will wake my kids
from even the deepest of sleep. Most times Kahlua wants nothing to do
with it, sometimes Anakin doesn't. I've been taught that a small taste
probably won't hurt an otherwise healthy ferret, as long as it isn't
more than 5% of their diet. Though, you have to use common sense when
it comes to this - no chocolate or candy or anything like that.
The worst ferret food: I've heard some of the stuff you can buy at
Wal-Mart by 8-in-1 called 'ferret death in a bag'. Though, I have no
experience with it.
The worst ferret treat: chocolate, candy, anything with excessive amounts
of sugar. Or, anything that can cause intestinal blockage.
Your favorite litter: I know this will cause an uproar, but I use pine.
My ferrets are in a multilevel cage, with plenty of ventilation and they
don't spend a lot of time on the bottom level of the cage, where the
litter is. I know it is not as bad as cedar.
Your most recommended ferret reference book: Ferrets for Dummies or the
Internet
Your most recommended ferret beginners book: Ferrets for Dummies or the
Internet
~Tammy - a.k.a. Kesrael
[Posted in FML issue 4943]
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