Well in my opinion I would have written that ferrets must have a
minimum of 4 hours a day out of the cage! The article states 60
minutes a day for out of cage time. My ferrets just get started
at playing in the first hour! I feel very strongly about ferrets
receiving appropriate out of cage time. When I educate people on
ferret care and ownership I always state 4 hour minimum out of cage.
Protein percentage. Well it states a "minimum of 32%". It would have
been more correct and better to say, "ferrets require up to 45% protein
in a dry kibble with with a minimum of 32%". And, stating that Marshall
treats are a good thing just made my stomach turn!
( http://moredooks.herobo.com/ferretnutrition.php?p=basics ).
A ferret's "natural odor" is discussed as well. I have rarely seen a
farm ferret with intact scent glands! This point is just all wrong. Now
I am wondering who wrote this article. Does not come across as a ferret
owner!
And finally, the expense required to care for a ferret does not even
discuss the initial cost of purchasing a cage. A big cage! Bedding is
a necessity. How many Craigslist photos have you seen where the ferret
does not even have a blanket or hammie? I am not thinking custom
bedding. I am talking garage sale baby blankets, hammies etc. I
believe the annual cost every year would be closer to $1,000 (food,
supplements, bedding, litter, cleaning products). Not including two
annual check ups and emergency trips to the vet. It's the years after
age 3 that start being so costly.
Not mentioning to contact your local ferret shelter for advice,
support, adoption and to purchase equipment from is just sad. The
public should always be directed to shelter/rescues. I am always
surprised how few people know that there is such a thing as a
"ferret rescue/shelter"!
OK. There is my two bits. It is not a horrid article, but it could have
been written far more accurate and correct information. Getting the
RIGHT information out to the public is so hard. Dealing with pet stores
that seem to give out the worst information altogether (yes, your
ferret can live in an aquarium for example) then to deal with poorly
written articles is just more frustration!
I intend to send an email to Jeni, the person who wrote this article,
to help her better understand the needs of ferrets and how critical it
is to get the correct information out to the public.
Kind regards,
Lindsey Tootle
Dallas, Texas
Freeman, Joy, Penny, Love Bug, and Sophia
DIP: Lizzy and Posie
[Posted in FML 7756]
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