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Care of Ferrets

Ferrets are intriguing clever little animals full of personality. They can make great pets and are low maintenance. However, if you are thinking of taking a ferret into your life, or have one but are unsure of their care, you should take into account both their good and not so good points.

HOUSING

Ferrets are escape artists. No matter where they are kept they will try to find a way out. Bearing this in mind whether you choose to house your ferret in a cage, inside the house or in an outdoor enclosed run, remember that any gaps, holes, or weak points will be their target at freedom.

The unfortunate thing with ferrets is that they don't act like cats and dogs in their homing ability. If they escape from their home, it is highly likely that you may not ever see them again. This is not because they are unhappy at home or do not like their owners - it is simply because their curiosity is far too high to turn around and come back. Of course there are always the lucky times when they do happen to be found just meandering around the back yard. However most escapee ferrets will end up either getting stuck at the bottom of a drain somewhere (they can't resist seeing what is down there!) or in a dog's mouth. Some also end up found in neighbour's back yards and handed in to the local animal welfare group or to known ferret owners. Whatever the case, ferrets need escape proof housing.

It is fine to keep a ferret in a cage, provided there is adequate room, shelter and bedding. A rabbit hutch sized cage is good, but only if the ferret gets plenty of play time out of the cage. If the owners do not have enough time to let the ferret play at least an hour a day out of the cage, then a bigger cage, such as an aviary with shelving etc and play equipment is necessary.

If kept in caging, there are a few basic necessities. A litter tray for toilet (unless there is a wire floor in a corner to allow the droppings to fall to the ground). A sturdy, heavy ceramic, untippable water bowl with fresh water. An untippable food bowl and an enclosed sleeping compartment with old clothes or towels as bedding. Straw is also okay with a towel thrown in for extra warmth. Hay is not suitable as the seeds can get caught in their nose and eyes. The cage should also be raised up off the ground to prevent cold and damp.

f kept indoors there should be at least one litter tray (always in a corner.) Keep all poisons such as rat bait etc. high in cupboards and out of reach. Do not put any rat bait, ant rid etc down to kill vermin inside the house at all, as either the ferrets will get to it - or they may eat poisoned mice.

Provide them with untippable food and water bowls in an easily accessible area. Provide warm bedding material in an enclosed space for sleeping. If this sleeping area isn't to their liking they may end up in the sock drawer or your clean laundry!

It is always advisable to have a "time out" area if the ferret lives indoors. This can either be a cage or a small room such as the bathroom to lock them in either when you are sleeping (as they may well wake you at 3am otherwise) or when they have been naughty. This is also necessary for when you are house cleaning, as the bucket of bleach might look very interesting to jump into for them otherwise.

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