1. How long have you had ferrets?
6 years
2. What got you interested in ferrets?
Beastmaster!
3. Do your ferrets get an Easter basket or Xmas stocking (or any other
holiday gifts)?
Not in particularly. They get special enrichment items for soecial
occasions - like smelling the tree or playing in wrapping paper. They
do have stockings.
About you-
1 Do you consider yourself an owner, enthusiast, or slave?
Enthusiast - educator
2. How many hours a week do you spend tending to your babies?
They free roam in a concrete basement room with floor drains - cleaning
2 hours on Saturdays, medicating daily, playtime daily.
3. Do you have any tattoos, piercings, etc?
Tattoos - 2.
About the FML-
1. Why did you join the FML?
I joined to learn and be able to communicate with other ferret people.
2. What is your favorite thing about this group?
This group saved my first ill ferret. I was living in London with my
first 4 ferrets and one got very ill. My vet said she was pretty much
dead and I should worry about the others. I had recalled reading about
a ferret vet in England. I found the info, drove 1 hour and he lives
quite a while after that!
3. Least favorite thing?
Bickering, lack of feeling one can express an opinion or a question
without receiveing inapropriate replies.
Ferret smells - there are a few things you can do to help with the ferret
smell. Firstly is make sure your ferret is on a high quality ferret
food. I prefer chicken and Natural Gold. Totally Ferret will also help
with smell. My own experience with Marshall is poop smells like old
fish! So food can help. I also use Pa-purr litter in the light green
bad. It is a paper litter and has nice smelling things added to it.
Finally, you may need to empty the litter box more frequently. I use
refridgerator drip pans and they need cleaned out once a week, so a
smaller plan will need it much more ofter - maybe once a day. Leave it
too long and you can breed flies - icky! I also agree that the more you
bath them, the more oils they produce and the more theyt smell. Bedding
can also help - using blankets, towels etc and washing them once a week.
Ferret Whisperer. I am a certified animals behaviorist so let me see if
I can help a bit. You can email me specifically if you want my official
services....
Firstly, re-read Bob Church's posts about enrichment. There are many
quite activities you can do to help keep her stimulated. Ferrets see
a barrier as 1) something to fix. 2) something to climb over and 3)
something you have put up to make them crazy! just kidding - if you
think of the barrier in terms of smell and activity it is like grand
central station. Your feet, food, fun, humans etc all come over or
through the barrier - this is also a reason ferrets poop right in front
of a barrier - marking territory. She has probably also learned that
when she digs or scratches, you come a runnin'. There are a few things
you can do to help after you have tried some enrichment ideas. Try
ignoring her when she digs - it will take awhile, but may help in the
long run. Vary your routine so she doesn't know when you are coming,
when you bring food etc. I'm not sure I totally understand your set up.
If she is out is she alone? Can she access her cage? Email me with a
few more details and i'll see if I can help more.
Ailigh
CABT, Ferret Owner, Teacher
[Posted in FML issue 5220]
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