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Post by xoxoEbzxoxo on May 4, 2011 16:59:28 GMT 10
Well yesterday I bought home 2 ferrets and a cage. They are VERY playful and do not bite (which is awesome). I have never kept ferrets before so this a learning curve for me.. I absolutely love them though! Little female (Elly)  Male (Remy)  |
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Post by anzac on May 4, 2011 18:03:15 GMT 10
Not sure what cage you are using but us rat owners swear by Ferret Kingdoms sold by Puppy Power. They are very sturdy but expensive. She sells them on Ebay and if you live in Vic the freight is very cheap. I have joined 2 of the together to make a super large cage for my rats as seen here. It runs nearly the whole length of the room  Have fun with the ferrets I hear they can be a handful but very loving and loyal. They are both VERY cute. |
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Post by anzac on May 4, 2011 18:11:04 GMT 10
Meant to add that GT Mall sell a similar version. It's much cheaper at $165 (ferret kingdoms are around $320) but it's not as well made. I use it as one of my spare cages as seen here  |
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Post by xoxoEbzxoxo on May 4, 2011 18:19:36 GMT 10
wow they are awesome cages.. Mine are currently kept in a rabbit hutch, but I take them out quite regularly to roam around the lounge room. Thinking about getting an aviary to keep them in as it would be much roomier..  |
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Post by jusdeb on May 4, 2011 20:47:07 GMT 10
They love to hide their food and they also love climbing through PVC pipe especially the one that has ridges and can be bent .
Yes we have 2 of them , cant say I love them but my other half does .
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Emma
Addicted Member
My baby Jingo
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Post by Emma on May 4, 2011 20:53:02 GMT 10
They look very cute. I've never see a ferret real life but they look really playful. |
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Post by xoxoEbzxoxo on May 4, 2011 21:06:46 GMT 10
Oh they are VERY playful lol.. so funny watching them trying to play with our small dog, he was scared of them lmao..  |
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Post by meandem on May 5, 2011 8:02:30 GMT 10
I've always wanted a ferret  |
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Post by carlsandclan on May 5, 2011 9:50:35 GMT 10
Ferrets are so cute! A friend of mine has one - so funny!
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Post by anzac on May 5, 2011 10:01:14 GMT 10
The best things about ferrets too is they don't chew! My rats chew through everything  As you can see by the bottom tray in the 2nd pic, a very chewed corner by my industrious boy rat and none of my hammocks (in the 1st pic) look that pristine any more, all chewed. Most of the rat/ferret products cross over and there is a fantastic ferret store in the US called Ferret Depot. The toys and bedding are amazing and I buy alot of stuff on there especially now with the Oz dollar the way it is. It's found here www.ferretdepot.com/Only problem is that the shipping is expensive relative to the purchase price. I have seen people keep there ferrets in an aviary and it looks awesome. I have also heard that you can't get your ferrets out around other animals, is that true? There are so many mis truths about rats I'm sure ferrets also get that. |
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gypsy
Bronze Member
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Post by gypsy on May 5, 2011 15:39:34 GMT 10
Ohh they are soooooo cute Daughter wants to get a ferret, but I know nothing about them! Hope you will share your learning curve with us all one thing kids said is they smell, but you get used to it! - is that true? |
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Post by anzac on May 5, 2011 18:14:30 GMT 10
The ones I have been around (we often do rat shows with the ferret people, gotta keep them apart as they will eat the rats!) and they have a distinct musky smell. They also do poo like a cat, like Mr Whippys, so they have to be cleaned out constantly but like the rats, you can litter train them.
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gypsy
Bronze Member
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Post by gypsy on May 6, 2011 7:54:47 GMT 10
Anything that can be litter trained is welcome in my house and grotty little boys can smell a bit at times too but, litter training rats?  WOW thats something I did not know |
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Post by jusdeb on May 6, 2011 21:19:50 GMT 10
The musky smell is quite pleasant most of the time . Breeding season gets a bit on the nose . The boy can be a bit rough on the girl when they breed , they tend to bite the neck which can turn to absesses.
Cant keep a single female , if she does not reproduce the oestrogen builds up and poisons them so desexing a solo girl is advised .
Urine can be very ammonia scented and poops stink so rigid hygeine is needed .
Funny buggers when they play . Love throwing mice that have been caught in the traps around and playing with them before they eat them .
Must have a high protein diet , bellies are not designed for breaking down other foods .
And our boy loves water , even now in the cold he baths himself daily .
Not chewers but bloody good diggers .
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Post by xoxoEbzxoxo on May 6, 2011 22:03:29 GMT 10
I don't mind the smell either, my mum complains about it though. They are only inside for play time anyways so the smell isn't real bad. My two are a male and female and wouldn't mind a few tiny ferrets.. I think my female is a bit young though and the old owners say she is a runt as she hadn't grown too much since they have had her. My male is huge prepared to my little Ellie. lol.. |
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Post by jusdeb on May 6, 2011 23:08:49 GMT 10
Same here . our boy is huge compared to Slinky ( girl ) . The breeder of Slinky was honest enough to admit that a certain amount of inbreeding had occurred in Tasmania (where she came from ) and thats why she is small .
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Post by twr on May 7, 2011 10:30:43 GMT 10
they are so very cute. good luck with them
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Post by anzac on May 9, 2011 11:28:55 GMT 10
Anything that can be litter trained is welcome in my house and grotty little boys can smell a bit at times too but, litter training rats? WOW thats something I did not know Rats can be litter trained but it takes alot of persistence and I just can't be bothered. Rat poo is just little pellets so easy to sweep up and there is polar fleece that can be washed in my cage and vinyl I can wipe down. Rats are known not to be very smelly compared to mice and ferrets. So it is true then that ferrets are not good around other animals? |
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Post by xoxoEbzxoxo on May 10, 2011 21:05:38 GMT 10
I wouldn't trust them around birds and small animals like that even though I have seen ferrets get along and not bother birds or rats. The do get along with dogs and cats.. our dog loves to play with them and they play back. The cats aren't as amused and turn there backs and run lol.. |
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Post by anzac on May 11, 2011 11:49:49 GMT 10
The ferret people have said that too about their ferrets, some will get along with other small animals. some won't. My friend, whom I breed my rats with, has 2 cats in the house with her 24 rats and all are fine together but they were brought up with the rats. My cat would eat my rats in an instant hence why they have their own (locked) room. Have you got a spare aviary for them or are you going to buy another one? Do you also need a specialized ferret vet? Good rat vets are rare in WA, thank god for the Internet. I first owned rats about 25 years ago, obviously no Internet then and got it all wrong |
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As you can see by the bottom tray in the 2nd pic, a very chewed corner by my industrious boy rat and none of my hammocks (in the 1st pic) look that pristine any more, all chewed. Most of the rat/ferret products cross over and there is a fantastic ferret store in the US called Ferret Depot. The toys and bedding are amazing and I buy alot of stuff on there especially now with the Oz dollar the way it is. It's found here
WOW thats something I did not know 
