hello,

my friend and I, along with 12 ferrets, are giving a bit of an introto
vet students at the university of Guelph next week. we were asked to
make up a double sided sheet of ferret info on "interesting ferret
reference texts, enrichment, behaviour, and any other anecdotes you
have about life with ferrets". what we wrote up is below and I'm
looking for recommendations or corrections. keep in mind that we are
keeping medical info to a minimum as we expect the professors there to
talk about that.

thanx for checking this out for us!

Selina
_____


23Sept2008 - This is meant to be a brief summary of ferrets by 2 ferret
fans. We have strived for accuracy but we recommend that you check our
list of references for details.


Does your life lack chaos?

No

 *  kitten on speed! (they can be a lot to deal with)
 *  Ferrets have a short life compared to dogs or cats (~6 years),
    with high medical bills
 *  litter box hit rate rarely approaches 100%
 *  they require more care than a cat
 *  having a ferret requires a lot of ferret-proofing of the house --
    it's like having a toddler that can fit through a 2 inch hole
    (kits can fit through a 1 inch hole). They jump, they climb, they
    destroy.
 *  they play with their teeth, and they can be rough
 *  they have a strong odour
 *  can't find your keys? A ferret will hinder, not help

Yes

 *  kitten on speed! (they stay playful throughout their lives)
 *  they are affectionate and can form strong bonds with humans
 *  they require less care than a dog
 *  they don't need a lot of room =96 excellent apartment pets
 *  they're small and easy to take along (or even sneak in)

Behaviour

 *  Sleep cycle -- ferrets sleep up to 20 hours a day, although some
    sleep less than that. They are crepuscular, but will happily match
    their human's schedule
 *  When very excited, ferrets will "war dance", bouncing around like
    crazy with their mouths open. This can look aggressive, but it's
    just the ferret having too much fun
 *  Ferrets sleep very deeply, sometimes to the point of appearing
    dead even with handled. This is called DFS ("Dead Ferret Syndrom").
    Kits and deaf ferrets tend to do this more often. The best way to
    test if the ferret is alive is to put some ferretone under the
    nose.

Food

They are obligate carnivores, and require a meat-based diet ideally
with no carbohydrates. If they are fed kibble, it should be a high
quality kibble with as much meat protein as possible. For example,
there is now a variety of grain-free, high protein, evolution-based
kibbles available for cats. Another option is to feed a raw diet (e.g.
raw chicken or turkey, including ground bones). Some people also
supplement with live prey. They have a high metabolism and should
generally have access to food at all times.

Enrichment

Ferrets are intelligent, as carnivores they are capable of problem
solving and will get bored without stimulation. They love new
experiences, but will quickly get bored with just about anything.
Some examples of ways to keep ferrets entertained:

 *  exploring new places -- ferrets live to explore, and will often
    choose exploring over treats
 *  play with them
 *  digging box -- ferrets love to tunnel
 *  scented toys -- ferrets have an excellent sense of smell and are
    very interested in new scents -- the nastier the better (paper
    take-out bags, raccoon urine, etc)!
 *  Toys to stash
 *  Some ferrets love to play with balls
 *  Things to knock down, knock over, dig up, or just generally destroy

Ferret Noises

 *  Dook! This is a happy, excited noise
 *  Hiss! This mean the ferret is really annoyed.
 *  Bark! Usually when surprised or scared
 *  Scream! This only happens when they're in pain, scared, or fighting
 *  Crash! This means the ferret has knocked something over (probably
    something valuable)

Common Geriatric Illnesses - Adrenal Disease, Lymphoma, Insulinoma
Communicable Diseases - Aleutian Disease, Epizootic Catarrhal Enteritis
(ECE) Vaccinations - Canine Distemper, Rabies

References

 * Bob Church's chicken gravy ( Bob Church is now advocating a raw
   diet) http://www.texasferret.org/gravy.shtml
 * a ferret food chart -  http://www.ferret-universe.com/care/food.asp
 * another ferret food chart -
   http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html
 * Ferret Mailing List - for the most up-to-date ferret news -
   http://ferretmailinglist.org
 * Ferret Health List - online group where vets answer ferret questions -
   http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
 * International Ferret Congress - education on domestic ferrets -
   http://www.ferretcongress.org/
   -  check out their Critical Ferret References, an up-to-date list of
   online medical resources
 * Aleutian Disease - http://www.ferretadv.com/
 * Ferret Aid Society of Toronto - http://ferretaid.org/v3/
 * Support Our Shelters - US based organization helping all ferrets -
   http://supportourshelters.org/
 * Prairie Wildlife Research - helping the ferret's wild cousins -
   http://www.prairiewildlife.org/
 * Ferret for Dummies, Kim Schilling - the most complete ferret
   owner's manual you can find
 * Biology & Diseases of the Ferret, James G. Fox - medical
 * Ferret Husbandry, Medicine and Surgery (Paperback), John Henry
   Lewington - medical
 * Essentials of Ferrets, Karen Purcell - medical
 * A Tao Full of Detours, Fara Shimbo - behaviour - available at
   http://www.ferretware.com/
 * Just for fun - http://www.ferretcompany.com/

[Posted in FML 6102]