Yet another, even newer version of Part 2 of the Ferret FAQ was released
earlier this week.  It includes Kelleen's rewritten section on how to
introduce a new ferret to ones already in your household.  If you have an
archive or plan to hand out copies, please grab the new Part 2, and snag a
copy of Part 1 as well, since the Table of Contents changed.
 
And, finally, a new version of the mini-FAQ ("Your Pet Ferret", the one
designed to be handed out at vets' offices, club meetings, and so on) is
also hot off the presses.  If you'd like a copy (Postscript file or on
paper), let me know.  No major changes, but a number of updates and
clarifications.
 
In FML Issue 1457, Jim Cooper wrote:
>A second question.  If my pet doesn't come into contact with other animals,
>does it really need distempter shots?
 
Yes, definitely.  Canine distemper can be carried in on your clothes or
shoes, and it's nearly always fatal to ferrets, so it's well worth the
annual vaccination.
 
Dawnie & Bob asked:
>Do ferrets see themselves in a mirror?
 
Ours never have.  We've set them in front of and on top of mirrors and
they've never seemed to notice the "other ferret" there.
 
For Lisa Mesply:
Ferrets are often very slow about growing hair back.  It wouldn't be at all
surprising if Bug didn't get hers back until her next coat change.
 
For Joy Twentyman, who asked for a cost estimate:
Prices vary a lot depending on where you are, especially for the ferret and
the vet costs, but here's an estimate.  Some of these things, like the
carrying bag, are of course optional.
 
Initial purchases for first ferret: ferret (US $100), cage (80), litter pans
(20), toys (5-35), vaccinations (75, assuming two distemper, one rabies),
harness & leash (8), bowls & bottles (8), Ferretone, Bitter Apple, Petromalt
(15), food & litter (15), carrying bag (30).
 
Maintenance, each year, assuming a basically healthy ferret:
vaccinations & checkups ($50), food (60), litter (30), toys & treats (100)
(Pixxel made me type that.  Really, maybe $30.), vet visits (70, because
you'll always have something go wrong: a cold, a hurt foot, diarrhea, etc.).
 
So the total initial investment should be somewhere around $370, and say
maybe $250 a year after that, unless your ferret gets sick.  These are very
rough estimates, of course, and undoubtedly lots of people wil jump in to
say I've either exaggerated things or left something important out, but
perhaps it'll give you an idea, anyway.
 
--
- Pam Greene
Ferret Central <http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/>
            or ftp to ftp.optics.rochester.edu and look in pgreene/
            or send INDEX FERRET in email to <[log in to unmask]>
[Posted in FML issue 1458]