Ferret Care
If you are planning to own a furry ferret as a house pet, educate yourself about the basic ferret care tips. In addition to feeding a proper diet and hygiene maintenance, you need to take out time for playing with the ferret. Read on to know more.
How to Care for Ferrets?
By appearance, a ferret has a long and slender body, about 20 inch length, from head to the tail. Generally, the male is larger than the female ferret. Available ferret colors are white, brown, black and mixed fur. This mammal has been domesticated since a long time ago, at least 2,500 years ago. One of the interesting ferret facts is that it is neither a rodent, nor a relative of the rabbit. A ferret is very curious by nature, hence keeping it as a pet is fun for kids and children. If you are ready to face the challenges of rearing this cuddly pet, the following ferret care info will interest you.
Choosing a Ferret
Obtain a bright-eyed and lively ferret from your local pet store, after confirming that it is sprayed. Majority of the ferrets sold today are neutered ones, so as to make sure that they have less health problems in future. Otherwise, breeding becomes a necessity for this mammal. Failure to do so may cause increased aggressiveness and hostility in males, while female ferrets experience aplastic anemia.
Cage for the Ferret
A lot of space is required for your ferret to stay active and lively. Nevertheless, it is wise to keep your pet in a large wire cage of about 2 feet x 2 feet x 14 inch size, in a shaded area. You can remove the ferret during playtime, and when you have time for direct supervision. Place a soft towel in one corner for serving as a resting area. Also, do not forget to keep a litter pan in the other corner.
Feeding the Ferret
So, what do ferrets eat? A true carnivore, ferret requires a high protein food for healthy growth. As per nutrition requirement, the diet should contain 18-20 percent fats and 36 percent proteins. Purchase high quality cat foods or food brands that are specially released for ferrets. You can serve fruits and veggies occasionally as treats. Water should be made available at all times. It is best to feed water in a bottle, rather than filling it in a bowl.
Maintain Good Hygiene
Cleanliness and hygiene go hand-in-hand for rearing ferrets as pets. It is of utmost importance to bathe ferret, twice or thrice in a month. This will help in controlling skin diseases and flea infestation. You can use a ferret shampoo for bathing purpose. Regular tooth brushing (with baking soda and cloth), trimming of nails (every alternate week), ear cleaning (once in a week) and fur brushing are included in the ferret care guide.
Playing with the Ferret
Pet ferrets are full of energy and remains playful for most of the time, especially in early morning and dusk time. You can purchase hard plastic toys for your pet. It tends to nip and bite during playing. To avoid this behavior, give correct training and teach some commands. You might have already decided on ferret names. Call it with a name and use a strict 'no' to change unwanted behavior.
Other Tips
Routine cleaning of the cage and removing litter are a must to perform tasks for ferret owners. While litter box cleaning can be done once or twice a day, washing hammocks and cleaning cage should be done on a weekly or monthly basis. As far as ferret health problems are concerned, vaccination for rabies and other common diseases are essential as preventive measures.
In a nutshell, the ferret is a fun-loving pet that needs special attention from the owner. If possible, select two or more food products for creating variety in the ferret diet. Consider all the factors of owning a ferret and make a final decision carefully. Provided that you give correct ferret care tips, this furry pet has a lifespan of about 7 years or more in captivity. So, be ready to give long-term commitment for this lovely house pet.
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