Ferrets at home: the pros and cons, education and care

More recently, people in their homes kept only cats, dogs, parrots and fish. Today, the situation has changed - the list of pets has significantly expanded. Many nowadays prefer to keep an animal from the family of marten - a ferret in apartment conditions. These are charming animals, which immediately dispose to themselves and cause emotion. I want to buy a ferret or give it to someone from close friends. However, there is no need to rush here - it is necessary to take into account many features of the content of this animal.

Ferrets look very cute. They want to be ironed, held in their hands. Very often people, having fallen in love with these animals at first sight, are in a hurry to get them. However, you shouldn’t do this thoughtlessly, because in this case a person can expect many not very pleasant surprises. Before you start a ferret, you need to weigh all the pros and cons that you will have to face when keeping it. First, we will analyze in detail what the positive aspects of these charming animals are.

• The main advantage of ferrets is their small size. Thanks to this, such an animal can be safely kept even in a small apartment.
• It should be noted that the ferret (or ferret) is a very neat animal. In addition, it can be quickly and easily accustomed to the tray.
• Usually ferrets get along easily with other animals in the same territory. And we are talking not only about ferrets, but also about cats or dogs. The ferret itself is non-conflict, therefore, as a rule, there are no problems in communicating with animal neighbors.
• Ferret can be transported without problems, if necessary, because it has compact dimensions.
• Ferrets adhere to a nocturnal lifestyle, but can easily adapt to their hosts' day routine. For example, while you are at work, the animal will sleep sweetly, and when it arrives home it will play with you.
• Ferret coat usually does not cause allergic reactions (hypoallergenic). This is the main advantage of these animals in comparison with cats. In addition, the ferret is very attached to the owner.
• This pet is characterized by a kind and playful disposition. He rarely sits still and prefers to play more.
• It is not necessary to go for a walk with a ferret every day, which makes it a more comfortable and “attractive” animal compared to a dog. Excessive physical activity is also not required for this pet.
• Ferrets surprisingly quickly get used to harnessing - usually from the second time.

As you can see, the ferret has a lot of good qualities. That is why these charming pets won wildly popular and became so in demand. But you should not hurry to buy such a beast until you become familiar with all the difficulties of its contents.

• Keep in mind that ferrets have a specific smell. If a person is prone to allergic reactions or is simply too sensitive, then such animals will not work for him - they smell sharply.
• Ferrets are distinguished by their indefatigable temperament, high activity and rather stubborn character. It is practically useless to fight such qualities of the animal - it is a wayward pet.
• The ferrets' favorite pastime is digging holes, so domestic flowers in pots will be in great danger if such an animal lives in the neighborhood.
• The body of ferrets is not adapted to food from the human table. From such food, the pet can die at all.
• A male ferret will mark his territory during periods of sexual activity. Because of this, unpleasant odors in the home will become even greater.
• Ferrets often get underfoot a lot, and also suffer from kleptomania and may even hide food.
• These pets are great connoisseurs of cleanliness and order, so they can chew and spoil all the things they find.
• Ferrets really do not like high temperatures and exposure to direct sunlight. Moreover, the animal may die if left locked in the car without the air conditioner turned on. Owners often forget about this feature of pets, which has a bad ending.
• There are not so many really qualified veterinarians who would understand the health of ferrets. Sometimes it takes a long and not always successful search for a good doctor for a sick animal.
• Shedding of these animals occurs twice in the off-season, as well as at the 20th week of pregnancy. This period takes from 7 to 20 days.

To keep a ferret at home, it is necessary to consider not only its positive, but also negative qualities.

It is advisable to raise a ferret at an early age, because young animals are effectively trained. In addition, they like it. Without proper education, the ferret will be very difficult to adapt to life in an apartment, because they are unfamiliar to him. It should be moderately strict owner. The animal must be punished when necessary, but the ferret must not be forgotten and praised for good behavior.

Be prepared for the fact that the animal will literally test your character for strength. In the natural environment, these animals usually subjugate weak individuals, so the ferret will certainly try to build a hierarchy in relations with the owner. This behavior is especially characteristic of animals in adolescence. In this case, you need to be as consistent and moderately strict as possible, raising a beast. If everything is done correctly, the ferret will understand who is in charge of the house and who is worth obeying.

Many people holding ferrets at home are interested in how to wean these animals from biting. Before you figure out how to raise a baby so that he does not bite households, you should find out what is the reason for this behavior of the pet. In most cases, ferrets bite a person due to:

• stressful situations (for example, it can be a change of scenery, the appearance of another animal in the house);
• random actions during the game (these bites are not dangerous, just the little animal did not calculate the efforts a little);
• dominance (relevant if the ferret considers himself a dominant individual over a person);
• changes in behavior (may indicate a rutting period or an animal disease).

If the animal bit you while playing, then you should not worry, but you can’t completely ignore such events. Gently take the baby by the scruff of your neck and do not shake it too much, saying "fu" or "no." In most cases, ferrets understand these signals and then try to be more careful when they play with a person.

If we are talking about the dominance of an animal, then you can not leave bites without attention. This situation needs to be dealt with. It is advisable to begin to accustom the ferret to the hands gradually, starting from a very young age.

Start holding the baby for a few minutes, and then slowly increase the time. While you are holding the ferret in your arms, treat it to some goodies to evoke good associations. So you can make the baby understand that superiority remains with the owner.

Try to convince the pet that an inevitable punishment will surely wait for a bite of his hands. The ferret should be punished only after he has committed the wrong thing. If you punish the pet later, then he simply won’t understand why you reacted to him that way. Be sure to alternate punishments and rewards. If the baby is sitting peacefully in his arms, then he should be given a treat.

If we are talking about changes in the behavior of the ferret, then usually you need to be patient. Such changes are usually temporary and soon disappear. However, it should be borne in mind that such problems can arise due to diseases of the central nervous system. If you have such suspicions, then you should not waste time in vain. Must visit a veterinary clinic.

You should know what penalties and incentives can be applied to a ferret. First, let’s figure out how to praise a pet.

• Always praise the baby for the right actions, so that he was interested in behaving correctly. So, if you see that the pet went into the tray, then it should be praised, stroked and given some refreshments.
• If you took the animal in your hands and it behaves calmly, does not bite, then it should also be treated to a treat and pet. Let your baby associate positive emotions with the baby.
• It is necessary to praise the baby, but it is important not to overdo it. Do not pamper the animal while you are raising. Give goodies only as rewards.

Now consider the subtleties of measures to punish a domestic ferret.

• Punish the ferret right away - do not wait for time, otherwise he will not understand anything.
• You should not behave too cruelly with the animal when you punish. Otherwise, the ferret will perceive you as a danger and begin to hide.
• Only regular punishments will achieve a good effect in raising a pet.If today you punished him for some bad deed, and tomorrow and the day after tomorrow you didn’t punish the pet for the same wrong actions, then you should not expect the desired success in education.
• The animal’s classic warning is “fu”. The same command is used when training dogs. As soon as you find the pet behind the misconduct, you need to say "fu!" Several times. Unfortunately, at first it’s impossible to limit ourselves to this word only - you will need to resort to other punishments. But it won’t take much time. Very soon, the animal will begin to understand such a warning and you will not have to resort to additional measures.
• It is necessary to scold the ferret at the time of punishment. Of course, strict words alone may not bring the proper effect, but they will increase the impression of punishment as a whole.
• As a punishment, the baby can be put into a cage. For many animals, it is the most severe, since ferrets themselves love freedom. As a punishment, you can hold the animal in the cage for about half an hour. But it must be borne in mind that such a method will be effective only if the animal usually moves freely around the apartment.
• You can click the ferret on the nose, but, as mentioned above, this should only be done in especially “acute” situations, for example, when the animal bites a person’s hands. It is advisable to click on the nose of the animal not with your fingers, but with a wand or other similar object. You don’t need to make extra efforts, otherwise the ferret may begin to be afraid of you. If after this punishment you see that the animal began to avoid you, it is better to abandon such a measure and pick up something else.
• It is permissible to combine different punishments for a ferret. Thus, you are more likely to wean the animal from wrong actions. For example, if a baby has bitten your hand, then you can click on its nose, shake it by the scruff of the neck, and then close it in the cage for about 20 minutes. So you show the ferret your extreme disapproval.

If you decide to start a ferret, then you need to consider that he needs to be given due attention. It is imperative to play with such a beast, while studying its habits and behavior. Raising a ferret is a feasible task for beginner breeders. The main thing is to consider how the animal behaves in different situations.

Many people are interested in whether a ferret can be caught and tamed on their own. Of course, it is possible to catch him, but it will hardly be possible to tame him. Ferrets have been domesticated for many centuries. All this time, the excessive aggression of these animals gradually decreased, and confidence in a person developed. If you want to keep an animal caught in a natural environment, then you need to prepare for serious chores. We will have to make sure that the conditions of the animal are as close as possible to their usual - natural.

If you caught an adult animal, then it will most likely remain too shy. In the worst case, an adult ferret may remain aggressive. If the animal is caught small, then there may be different options, but the animal will hardly become as kind and affectionate as domestic animals.

A domestic ferret needs to provide a good and comfortable home. It must necessarily meet a number of basic parameters. It is important to consider that these animals value space most of all. A big joy for ferrets is the small houses and hammocks. The dimensions of the cell should occupy at least 80 by 80 cm.

When the animal is well and has enough space in the cage and he feels good, this means that the "home" suits him perfectly. If you notice that the pet is cramped and cannot find a place, then you need to build something better.

As a rule, in a cage with a ferret is an impromptu mink (imitation). It is made so that the animal can feel safe, closed from the surrounding space. Mink can be made from different materials, for example, from rags.Elongated tubes and dark cardboard boxes will do. In addition, in the "house" of the animal, it is necessary to equip the toilet, put a bowl of food, a drinker and place toys.

The ferret can also be kept on the balcony or loggia and even in a separate room. If you placed the bully on the balcony, then he will need to create comfort there. All holes and cracks, if any, must be repaired beforehand, otherwise the animal will escape. Be sure to provide the windows with reliable and strong nets so that the pet does not fall. From the boxes it is possible to build a house for the animal so that there he can rest a bit from unnecessary attention. Do not forget to warm the balcony, otherwise the baby can easily get sick. Do not forget to monitor the cleanliness of the balcony.

The best solution for a ferret is to keep it in free form, without using a cage. The pet will feel great if not constrained. But this solution will be convenient only for the baby, but not for its owners. In these circumstances, the baby will be active and energetic, will curl under his feet. No matter how neat the ferret is, he will still have to clean up the “traces of the crime” from time to time, because by no means will he be able to reach the tray.

The room in which the ferret will live should be equipped in accordance with all the rules. The animal should have its own personal corner, where the boxes and boxes will be - so the ferret can play and hide. You will also need to put a tray and feeders there. The listed things will require proper care, otherwise an unpleasant specific aroma “settles” in the room. The tray should be washed several times a day. The floors and the feeder must also be cleaned. Do not dispense with a drinking bowl or a separate bowl of water.

It is very important to pay due attention to the nutritional rules of the ferret if you want him to be healthy and active. The diet should be based on natural foods. It is also permissible to feed the animal special dry food. Make a baby menu for your baby, considering what vitamins a ferret needs. If you are an amateur in such matters, then it is better to use dry food.

In the pet store there is an opportunity to purchase special food for ferrets or to choose premium food for cats - the food preferences for these animals are similar. It is advisable to select feeds containing poultry, vegetables and fruits. Be sure to ensure that the animal always has an open path to clean and fresh water in unlimited quantities. If you use special dry food for feeding, then you don’t need to buy vitamins and supplements - everything you need is in the feed.

If you feed the animal with natural food, then the daily menu should consist of meat offal, vegetables and cereals, passed through a meat grinder. The following products are prohibited for ferrets:

• nuts
• citrus;
• carrots and apples;
• onion and garlic;
• sweet and flour;
• sausages and smoked products;
• salty foods;
• fish;
• dairy products;
• dog food;
• food for economy class cats;
• any food from the human table.

If you give the ferret food of natural origin, it is sometimes advisable to add the necessary vitamins and minerals to it. This is especially true when it comes to feeding babies, pregnant or lactating individuals. It is advisable to discuss the optimal dosage of useful additives with a veterinarian so as not to harm the pet, but only bring benefits to it.

Some owners feed ferrets full carcasses of chickens, mice, cockroaches, flour worms. In this way an impromptu “copy” of feeding is created, close to the natural habitat.

When keeping the ferret, it is required to provide it with a number of necessary hygiene procedures. Check out their list.

• This is mainly cleaning the ears of the animal. This should be done no more than once a month. You will need to carefully remove the brown wax-like clusters from the ears. As a rule, they do this using an ordinary cotton swab soaked in petroleum jelly in advance.

• If black patches appear in the ferret’s ears, this may indicate ear mite formation. They should be treated in a veterinary clinic.

• Another necessary procedure is clipping. It should be done every 3-4 weeks. It is advisable to cut the claws of a still sleepy pet, otherwise it may begin to strongly resist and break out.

• Clippers need to be cut with special scissors or trimmers, which are used to trim the claws of other pets. Only cut off the bent end of the claw, so as not to harm the vessel that passes inside. In another situation, the pet may be hurt, bleeding will begin. Be very careful. If, nevertheless, the vessel is damaged, then it is necessary to press cotton wool soaked in iodine to the affected area.

• Bathing - Not the most necessary, but incredibly pleasant for the ferret procedure. These animals love to dive and frolic in the water. Bathing your baby in the bathroom will be most convenient. The temperature of the liquid should be approximately 38-40 degrees (not more). It should be poured to a level of 2-3 animal growth. In the middle of the bath, equip an island (you can turn the basin or bucket), for which the animal will be able to catch and on which it will rest.

• You need to wash your baby with special tools. You can use baby soap or animal shampoo on herbs. Try to wash the animal so that water does not get into the eyes and ears.

• It is necessary to accustom the baby to the tray. It can be not only his personal, but also a cat’s tray. You can use a simple container with an additional mesh. In order for the animal to get used to the tray faster, it is advisable to arrange them several in the room where the pet spends its time.

• In order for the ferret to understand where to go to the toilet, his tray should first be slightly stained with feces. Never place trays in a place where the animal is used to sleeping or eating. Under such conditions, the animal will certainly not be able to cope there.

• Around the toilet should also be very clean. If the animal went into the trap, be sure to praise him for it.

• During molting, the animal's hair must be properly looked after. You should regularly comb the ferret using a special soft brush, or gently pluck the fur.

Today, many people keep ferrets at home. The network has a lot of reviews about the content of these pets, as well as about the general impression of them. Here are some of the current opinions of the owners of these adorable animals:

• The ferret itself is a very cute animal, but it is worth getting it only if the person is ready for all the difficulties associated with caring for him;
• the ferrets emit a very strong and unpleasant odor, the corner where the animal lives has to be washed constantly - this is very inconvenient (castration or sterilization can save the situation, but some smell will still remain);
• ferrets learn quickly and with the right approach are easy to educate;
• you need to be prepared for the fact that the animal will bite, grab the arms and legs and it will have to be re-educated;
• in matters of care, the ferret is not too cheap;
• you need to play a lot with this animal, if you rarely appear at home and cannot pay due attention to it, then the animal will be bored;
• according to many breeders, a ferret is a real “harmful child", so you should be prepared for his persistent behavior.

Ferret Care Tips See below.