Hello Everyone,
 
For all the new ferret owners, or should I say devout servants, thought I
might pass along some simple, and helpful, tips.
 
Nails- A good way to distract the feret when clipping nails is to put a
little dab of treat on their tummies, while holding them on their backs.
They will lick off the treat and be oblivious to your cutting the toenails.
Good things for this are Ferretone (Linatone), hair ball medicine, or
Ferretvite (Nutrical).
 
Speaking of hair ball medicine, this is the time of year to be giving it
regularly.  Ferrets cannot cough up "hairballs" (wads of hair that has been
ingested during grooming), and this can lead to intestinal blocks and upset
tummies.  Hair ball remedy for cats works wonders, and my ferrets all line
up for it.  The cats run and hide.
 
These things can also be dabbed onto a clean exam table at the vet's, so you
can work on the other end in peace and harmony. hehe.
 
Baths- Although many ferrets like to swim (none of mine seem to), bathing
is always a chore.  Be sure not to bath to often, or you will dry the skin.
And if you dry the skin, nature compensates by making more oil.  And more
oil on the coats means a stronger body odor.  Mine only get washed 2-3 times
a year, unless they have gotten into something or been ill.
 
I say washed because I try to stick with showers, or just putting them into
an unstoppered tub and wetting them under tha faucet.  They seem to tolerate
this more, and we all stay calmer.  Mine like to shower with me, so I will
sometimes grab a victim, I mean volunteer, and give them a bath on the spot.
Since I used veggie based soaps, I generally will just use those.  So I
often have Pookie smelling of patouchli.
 
Since they do like to play in the shower (I have an all in one fiberglass
unit big enough for two people), I will lay beach towels on the floor
outside the shower, and turn it on.  I keep the water slightly warm, since
it will cool by the time it reaches them.  I also keep a filter on my shower
head to eliminate the chlorine, so the water is not as drying.  I will turn
on the shower for around half an hour for them, maybe a couple times a
month.  They love it.
 
Food- I don't want to get into a huge discussion here, nor do I want to make
anyone feel guilty.  The basic diet in the U.S. is a high quality kibbled
(dry) kitten food or ferret food.  I personally order Totally Ferret online
from the Ferret Store.  My cats get the same thing.  I will feed most
anything as treats, even chocolate.  Many folks, paticularly in other
countries, regularly give their ferrets meat.  Ferrets are true carnivors,
and cannot digest the fiber in plant foods.  So it will pass through them
without contributing to their nutrition.  This is why it is very important
to limit treats, so as not to make them feel full with food they get no
benefit from.
 
You must also make sure that the main diet contains taurine, an essential
amino acid.  If it does not (dog food does not), it will eventually lead to
medical problems, including blindness.  Cats also require this.  There is,
however, no proven amount that is required.  Not enough research.  That is
why it is important to feed a high quality food, to insure this is in there.
 
Water- I have ferrets who like bottles, and I have ferrets who like bowls.
I keep both, in mass quantities, out in my house.  I cannot keep self
waterers out since I have two that love to "shovel" the water on the floor
until the storage container is empty.  If you keep larger bottles, you can
add a pinch of powdered vitamin C, sold as Ester-C.  This helps to retard
bacterial growth.  I also use it to keep the water more acidic, to help keep
down urinary problems.
 
Illness- When a ferret gets ill, it can rapidly lose weight.  It is
important to always keep a watch on your ferrets.  It also helps to feed
them a liquidfied mush on ocassion, commonly called "duck soup." I make mine
with meat based organic baby foods and Ensure, with a few herbals for good
measure.  If you feed them this when they are not sick, they can get used to
the taste and it is much easier to feed them when they do get sick.  A added
benefit to this is being able to put medicine into the food, and making sure
they get it.  I use a baby's medicinal dropper to give the food, it is like
a minature turkey baster.
 
Hope this helps out.  Perhaps all the "old" hands can add their own little
tips to this list.
 
blessings,
 
Margaret and the Mid Missouri, currently, 26 (Egads, how did I manage that?)
[Posted in FML issue 2292]