Ferret care, do I have everything?

Long question, but it's okay. ;)

Okie dokie:

http://holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi A good website with raw diet tips. You can message me if you need any help :)

Cat toys with bells aren't a good idea unsupervised. Anything they can chew (paper, cardboard, stuffed animals) should be supervised play.

For the bottom of the cage, I use newspaper. My ferrets don't use litterboxes as I find it easier, and newspaper is a million times easier and cheaper.

As the bowls, they're okay, but I really like these bowls I got at PetSmart. I have no idea what the brand is, but they attach to the side of the cage. They're gray, and they use butterfly brackets. VERY useful; the bowls themselves come out of the holders for easy refill. Get at least four; two for water, two for food.

My ferrets don't use bedding; a hammock suits them. Again at PetSmart, there's a fleece-lined cube they LOVE; keeps them so cozy in the winter.

You slowly start adding raw meats to their kibble, then eventually add less kibble as you go.

Four hours of play, twenty of sleep. I let them run around the house for a few, then play with them for one or two.

Look for bright eyes, no biting, being friendly, cleanliness, and just acting playful and sweet. If they're lethargic (laying flat), they're probably just depressed, bored, or tired.

Yes, you do need the oil and the brown stuff :).

Put a little poop in the box, then everytime they get into a corner to do their business, put them in the litterbox until they get it. It'll take a while.

Statistically, the best introduction successes come from male-to-female. Least is female-to-female. Good luck and have fun with your carpet sharks! :)

I use to work at a pet store, PETCO to be exact, and ferrets though smelly, were on of my favorite animals. I had one myself when I was younger.

Amount of playtime is up to you, but at least an 30mins-1hour is good. Ferrets are very social and friendly animals. They love palying and socializing. I use to tell people they are like little kids that love your attention. The fact u plan to get two is a good idea, especially if you're not always able to spent a lot of time with them.

You can switch their diets. However when changin a ferrets diet you must do it gradually. Mixing a very little of the prey diet into the old and gradually increasing the amount. It keeps from hurting the ferrets stomach, or giving it diaherra. Ferrets tend to imprint or favor their food and sometimes refuse other foods so it also helps that way. If they still refuse to eat try putting the foods in plastic bags so they absorb the smell of the food they like. As for the bowl the ceramic bowl will be fine. It doesnt really matter to much considering they are very playful and will try and play in or with it anyway.

Also ferrets have little dot tatoos on their ears showing that they have been fixed, if it matters.

Litterbox training is easy. Put them in the corners or area they tend to go. When cleaning out their cage or litter box, save some of their waste and stick it in the clean litterbox. Eventually they'll start using it, though some are more stubburn about it.

You seem to have what you need mainly, and it's always great to hear people researching before buying. Hope this helps, good luck.

First of all I noticed that this question was in the category "rodents", this may have been an accident but just in case I thought I'd let you know that they aren't, they are actually very closely related to cats. Food: Most people buy ferret food from pet stores which is a good option. Many people buy cat food instead because it's cheaper and they think that it has the same or similar ingredients which is true but the very high salt levels in cat food is not good for ferrets and can lead to heart problems. If you do buy cat food, make sure it is premium brand and preferably for kittens. Ferret food is not easy to find so a lot of people feed them "people food". You do have to be careful with this because they do have different needs to us, here are some ideas of what to feed them. Eggs are great for ferrets as they are high in protein, cooked or raw doesn't matter. Raw meat should not be fed to your ferret due to risk of parasites so make sure all meats are cooked. Chicken and lamb (human grade) are both ideal meats. Do not leave bones in their meals as they can splinter and break, hurting your ferret. Raw bones can be provided to help your ferrets have healthy teeth and as long as they are human grade it is safe. To supplement your ferrets diet you can include rice, various vegetables and some fruit as a treat- raisins are a favorite. Like cats, all ferrets like to socialize with their owners for different amounts of time every day but I would recommend at least two hours per day out of their cage, more if the cage is small. By giving your ferret treats, restraining from violent behavior around you pets and spending as much time as possible with them you can tame just about any animal. Make sure you get ferrets with human friendly attitudes and handle them before you decide which one you want. You can teach the tricks in the same way you would teach a dog. Say the command until the ferret does what you want and reward it's behavior with food. Ferrets love to hide and hoard things so keep an eye on your things and thoroughly clean out their cage at least once a week. They like to hide and mess around in things (not to sure about dust baths) so provide them with hay/straw or shredded paper. Ferrets do smell, especially males and it can be hard to litter train them so I suggest lining the cage with kitty litter so reduce the smell, it really helps. To clean out their cage throw out everything disposable and give it a wipe down with vinegar. Do not use cleaning products as they make all pets sick. Vinegar is a good disinfectant and does not harm animals in any way. To avoid boredom provide your ferrets with toys, normal dog and cat toys provide hours of entertainment. This website will answer any other questions you might have. I hope this helps!!

Ferrets need at least 4 hours of run time a day! They are high maintenance, but a lot of fun. As far as litter box training. Do not use a corner box, they don't use them. Get a 4 dollar cat box from Walmart. Use pine pellet horse bedding (it doesn't clump). Or just put down newspaper for them. Keep in mind, ferrets are not 100% litter box trainable. Also, keep in mind that ferrets do better in groups of 3 or more. I recommend adding another to your pair down the road. Pairs have depression when their cage mate dies and it can cause them to die as well.

And THANK YOU for RESCUING & NOT BUYING!

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=ferret+care&fr=us...