 Introduction to Life With Ferrets : Are YOU Ready? ATTENTION ALL FERRET OWNED !!!! Run, don't walk, over to the 4Lil Paws website to get the Ferret Manual Ferrets change one's life dramatically - physically, emotionally, financially ... Deciding to bring home a couple of ferrets should be the end result of much weighing of pros and cons, figuring out future medical bills, and making a firm commitment for the next ten years or so to spend a few hours each and every day with the ferrets...
As my time with ferrets continues on blissfully into over a year and a half, I am struck by how profoundly my life has changed as a result. If there is one thing that I can stress upon ANYONE interested in having a pet ferret or two [or three] it would be this: Ferrets change the way you live your life. They change YOU; your interests, what you do with your time, things you consider important, things you do for fun, and other priority shifts.
If you are a hard-core ferret enthusiast like we are, you will admit to yourself that not one thing that you do in your day, decision you make for your life, or plans for the seemingly few vacations away from home all take your ferrets into consideration. I can only hope that YOUR ferrets don't realize how spoiled and unflinchingly loved they are, regardless of the havoc they wreak, as ours are. They know that no matter what they ruin, how many times they use the carpeting as a ferret bathroom, and other Extreme Weezil-y things. Ferrets are NOT wild animals. They are DOMESTICATED animals, like cats and dogs. However, unlike cats and dogs, ferrets CANNOT SURVIVE on their own, period. Ferrets are as dependent on you as two year old children are. Ferrets require A LOT of attention. A large amount of your day MUST be dedicated to spending time with, cleaning up after, watching over, and taking both general care and special care of each ferret. If the following situations pertain to you, then a ferret is not your kind of pet: Do you have 5 to 12 years to dedicate to your ferret(s) THROUGHOUT their lifespan? A ferret, as with ALL COMPANION ANIMALS, BRINGS WITH IT A COMMITMENT FOR LIFE. Are you willing to dedicate at least two to four hours a day to your ferret? This means EVERY day, including the day you 'just don't feel like it', the extra super wicked busy days, and the overwhelmingly stressful days. Take time out each day to STOP, pick up a fuzzy or two, and smell the ferrets! Do you already or will you put aside money on a regular basis for your ferrets' potential medical bills? IF YOU HAVE A FERRET, YOU WILL HAVE MEDICAL BILLS TO PAY AT SOME POINT. PERIOD. Are you willing to stay home nights, days off, come home early on holidays, forego extended travel, or do not travel at all? Although this may not be MANDATORY for every ferret owner, the more time spent with your fuzzies, the more loved they feel, and the healthier you both can be! My husband and I chose this as a LIFESTYLE. Let's Review The Basics for Ferret Worthiness, and the Most Life-Changing Mandates YOU MUST HAVE: Know that all ferrets MUST have at least two to four hours OUTSIDE their cage or room to play, and as much as possible WITH YOU.Ferrets are NOT cage animals, and need at least four hours a day outside their cage to run, play, explore, and learn. AN ABUNDANCE of patience, patience, patience. Whether your ferret bites, cannot seem to hit the litter box, or is a finicky eater, all must be handled with a generous dose of patience. Every ferret must receive an outpouring of unconditional love, on a regular basis. Every Day. Every Month. Every Year. From the day you bring that fuzzy into your home until the day said fuzzy passes on, YOU MUST BE THERE AND LOVE YOUR FERRET. You must not even consider getting 'bored' with, not paying enough attention to, losing interest in, or otherwise NOT giving your ferret love EVERY DAY. Money available for necessities AND extra toys. Ferrets need lots of stimulation, including toys and playthings. Also, they get sick and need medical care, just like we do, although they don't have insurance! BEFORE PURCHASING A FERRET FROM A PET STORE VISIT A SHELTER
HAVING SIX FERRETS AND TWO CATS IS A LIFESTYLE. IT BEGAN AS A CAREFULLY MAPPED OUT LIFE CHOICE AS WELL AS OUR DESIRED WAY OF LIFE. We do it because we CAN and we WANT TO. Now that we've been owned by the Extreme Weezils for over a year, our situation is now such that we HAVE to continue this fuzzy-centric way of living. We HAVE to because we LOVE IT! ... and now that the conceptual requirements have been established, on to theGetting your home ready for your First Ferret(s) :  ferret cage
litter pans and litter
food dish(es) and food
water bottles, bowls
hammocks cubes, and other fuzzy habitats
bedding: towels, old shirts, etc.
toys |
 Read everything you can on the web, newsgroups, mailing lists, and have conversation with long - time ferret owners, shelter owners, volunteers, and employees, pet store employees and managers, and even various local and national organizations. Visiting a ferret shelter and speaking in length (if possible) to the caretakers provides the BEST education available, as they can offer so much insight and have experiences one can only hope to never have ... THINK VERY CAREFULLY BEFORE ADDING FERRETS TO YOUR FAMILYConsider : What will they do while no one is home? How much time during the day can be dedicated to human - ferret interaction? Are you willing to limit travelling away from home for more than a day trip to but once a year (and that is if you can find a good ferret - sitter!) Do you have, or are you planning to have, children? We did not know about the availability of so many shelter ferrets until after we purchased our first three, but decided that adding any more ferrets to our family would be done through a shelter. |
 What you need before you bring home your first ferret(s):[see the Extreme Weezils' Habitat page for specific living conditions ....]
  At least one litter box ... we have a triangle pan, as the high back prevents overshooting ... Ferrets naturally back into corners to do their thing, so we have a triangle litter pan in every corner of the ferret room that is otherwise unoccupied. Of course you need ferret litter;we really like the Yesterdays News, as the litter pieces are small, swell up when wet, hold odor, and have low dust.
Food dish ... heavy ceramic seems to work the best, as they have the least tendency to be tipped over. We tried the L - shaped hard plastic dispenser, attached to the cage, but the kits chewed on it and bit it into submission... Food preferences vary among ferrets; our babies eat Marshall Farms Premium and 8 in 1 Pro. Remember, ferrets need a constant supply of kibble (food) and water...  Water, always a fresh and abundant supply ... Make sure the water bottles are either hard plastic or glass, as plastic CAN leech out into the water. Also, a ceramic dish of standing water in the ferret area is a good idea, as it teaches them to drink water out of something besides a water bottle, just in case ... Hammocks and / or some sort of fuzzy sleeping place ... Ferrets LOVE hammocks, cubes, tubes, sacks, and anything fleece lined.
Bedding ... Our six Extreme Weezils have all their platforms fleece lined (purchased from our local ferret shelter) as well as two fuzzy cubes, three hammocks, and three various - shaped hanging sleep spaces, all which are used... Toys, toys, toys!... See the Fun and Games page for details!
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