Keeping Wild Ferrets

Is a wild ferret for you? You might have to quiz yourself well on that before you head off to the nearest forest and score yourself a brand new wild ferret to have and hold. There are many advantages and disadvantages of keeping wild ferrets, and here are some of the more major things you can expect once you decide to acquire wild ferrets.

Advantages:

More adventure, more fun. People who are just as interested in getting adventures out of their ferrets as much as the wild ferrets are must be open to the idea of keeping them untamed. Wild ferrets are quite exciting to behold, especially for extremists who may find themselves bored with the typical domesticated pet. The good thing about wild pets is that they are extremely resilient and able to bounce back from attacks easily with their speedy and adventurous nature. Their curiosity may also lead to bring you in some surprises you wouldn’t otherwise have had if you had them tamed.

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Non-deviation from their natural genetic makeup. The genetic makeup for ferrets is that they roam free and explore unchartered territories fearlessly. Leaving them to their wild side will enable them to do just that. If you are planning to research on ferrets, keeping them wild is the best way to keep them as close to their natural habitat and actuations as possible. This way, learning about your pet is maximized.

Owners will get the chance to see wild ferrets as they are, sans modifications that can be painful for them. Seeing ferrets au naturel has its perk. Modifying ferrets for domestication such as removing their gland (a big ouch for your mammal!) that secretes the offensive musky smell can really alter your ferret permanently.

One can have the option to train them at a later time. Once you have had enough of the adventures or misadventures of your wild ferret, you always have the option to tame them at a later time.

Disadvantages:

Wild ferrets may choose to be free from your ownership anytime. Since wild ferrets are designed to be free from any form of captivity or ownership, they will have no sense of loyalty whatsoever and will be free to roam around to places in any way they choose. If you truly want this whole thing to work, you have to be prepared to lose your ferret over anytime once they decide to break free and change their surroundings.

They have higher risk to diseases and early deaths. Wild ferrets are not regulated in any way. They will eat anything and everything that they see lying around. In fact, even domesticated ferrets still have this as a common cause of death. This risk of early deaths, lack of digestion and poisoning may be heightened. And treating them with a laxative may be all the more difficult if you have not trained your ferret even to get familiar with you to trust you.

They may pose a danger to you, especially to children. If you let ferrets be, they will remain as wild as ever and they may not be the kind of pet you would want to have around when there are many children who can get hurt. Children and ferrets are both playful and grow wild when untamed, and there is no predicting what kind of explosion may occur if you put them together in the same room and in the same condition.

Younger children are at a higher risk of getting bitten because they may not be able to regulate the way they touch your ferrets and the ferrets might interpret the child’s playful cuddling as an attack.

Once you decide to train them later, they may be most resistant to your attempts. Training wild ferrets when old may not be as easy as when you start them out young. You might have to incur additional expenses and few ferret trainers will be willing to get bitten by an old wild ferret for a fee.

Dealing With Ferret Odors

Ferrets, like many of their cousins in the weasel family, have a natural musky scent. Over time that can build up to an unpleasant level. That happens too often in pet stores and the homes of careless owners, who don't house the ferret, or clean the cage properly. But some odor can be present even in the best of circumstances. Fortunately, dealing with it only takes a little thought and effort.

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Many commercially sold ferrets will have their natural scent glands removed. These are similar to the anal glands in skunks, which the ferret can use to spray with when fearful. The emitted spray is very different than in skunks, by the way. Removing the the glands can certainly reduce the potential odor problem, but some see that as unnecessary and extreme. Some odor will remain even then, since it's excreted through the skin.

A properly maintained cage can help keep the problem to nearly non-existent levels. A bath twice a year, or whenever 'accidents' occur, is another means of keeping the animal clean and therefore nearly odor-free. Keep in mind, though, that ferrets may actually smell more after a bath as they emit extra amounts of new oil to replace that lost from bathing.

If they've become stressed, causing them to emit scent, a simple cleansing with a cloth can reduce the odor. Unlike skunk spray, ferret scent doesn't stain and last for weeks.

Be aware that certain odors can be evidence of possible illness. ECE or Green Slime disease is a condition that causes ferrets to produce highly noxious, green feces. The odor is distinctive and obvious. Looking for any abnormality in their waste, as evidenced in part by the odor, is a way of keeping odors down and detecting possible health problems.

Apart from the natural scent glands and ECE, certain bacteria are often at the bottom of odors, just as they are in humans and other mammals. Look for any evidence of intestinal problems and give your ferret a regular checkup at the vet. Regular, means at least annually.

Bedding and soft toys should be cleaned from time to time. Once per week is average for bedding, but may be needed more often if the ferret has eliminated on it. This isn't common in a properly laid out cage with a litter trained ferret, but hardly unknown either. A dilute bleach can help keep bacteria down that produce odors. Be sure to use a dye and scent-free detergent to eliminate any possible skin problems from contact with the bedding.

For those who are sensitive to the smell ferrets naturally produce, especially during shedding season, there are commercial products available. Ferret Sheen and similar sprays can be used safely daily, though that's probably overdoing it. Some may be sensitive, however, so monitor your ferret after using and look for any adverse reactions.

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Ferret-Proofing Your Home

For the sake of your ferret's safety and your sanity, it pays many times over to take a careful look at your home. Ferrets are active and highly exploratory animals. They're also extremely slender and agile. They can get into the most unlikely places. Examining your home inside and out for all the ways a ferret can get into trouble will save both you and it a lot of grief.

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First, try to imagine that you are a busy, curious ferret. Get low down to the floor and look at everything low enough or having holes large enough for you to investigate. Rest assured your ferret will! Recliner chairs, couches, beds and a whole lot more that are common around houses are spaces that a ferret can and will seek out.

But those spaces can easily turn a curious adventure into a lethal catastrophe. A ferret that winds up under a chair or fold-out bed that is suddenly jerked open or closed can suffer serious injury or death. It will take considerable ingenuity to keep them inaccessible. When you can't, be extra aware of where your ferret is before making any sudden moves.

Staircases are another possible danger. Ferrets can easily make their way up to the second floor and dash off between the rails. Unlike cats, that fall will frequently be fatal. Either child-proof the rails or put up gates at any entrance to keep them off the steps entirely.

Ovens or stoves, dryers, even refrigerators can represent a fascinating new world for your ferret to investigate. But if they wind up there without your knowledge they are likely to get harmed. Even when you don't accidentally turn on the device, getting caught inside an appliance can be harrowing for ferret and human. Keep anything low enough to be accessible off limits.

Since they're so exploratory even closed cabinets are a likely place to find your ferret when you least expect it. If the cabinet is low, they'll roll over and claw the bottom to open it. Then, in they go!

Unfortunately for the health and safety of your companion, most of the things in those cabinets are harmful. Keep cleansers, sponges and other items out of reach by employing a locking system of the sort familiar to parents with infants.

Any hole small enough to fit a head through is irresistible to (and accessible by) a ferret. They were bred to chase rabbits out of burrows. But they can make their own holes too. Sharp teeth and claws mean the ability to get through a screen when they're motivated. Consider an add-on section that makes the lower portion impervious.

The most important element is simply being aware of where your ferret is. That can be harder than keeping track of a two-year old human. But your peace of mind and the safety of your friend depend on it.

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Ferret Cages: What to Look For?

Keeping your ferret properly caged and supplied with toys isn't just for its (or your) amusement. Though that's not a bad reason! The proper cage and accessories will help keep it safe, healthy and out of trouble.

Ferrets sleep about 18 hours per day, but the other six hours they can be (and usually are) extremely active. Many human companions of ferrets (they don't like to think they have owners) will let them run around the house. That's fine if the house is properly 'prepared'. But there are many times when a cage is best for the ferret and essential for your sanity.

There is, not surprisingly, a whole set of criteria that go into making for a good cage.

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Size is paramount. Ferrets need space to run around and explore. They need a place for food that's far from a litter box. Most avoid eating where they eliminate and vice-versa. Two cubic feet (a 12 inch by 24 inch floor with 12 inch high walls) is the absolute minimum. But, really, a cage that size would be useful only for transporting or temporary 'housing' when a ferret is ill or recovering.

The larger the better, and the cage should have some complex features. Ramps, tubes, sleeping hammocks, soft bedding and more are all part of a good ferret cage. The more complex features will amuse you when you watch, but it also helps keep the ferret fit and mentally active. They're very exploratory animals and the more things they have to explore the better.

Cages come in a variety of styles, some that can be expanded and hooked together as your ferret family grows. But whichever you prefer, make sure the mesh is small enough to keep the ferret from poking a head through and escaping or, worse, getting stuck. Males have slightly larger heads than females, but even those are about the same size as their shoulders. That makes escape easier, and partial escape dangerous.

Stainless steel is preferable, but many experts recommend coated wire with the caution that the coating should be high quality. Ferrets like to chew on everything and can get intestinal blockage or poisoned by plastic coatings on metal wire cages. Make sure it doesn't become rusted. A solid floor is easier to walk on, and actually easier to clean.

Fish aquariums, hamster cages, bird cages and others should never be used.

Fish aquariums don't have proper ventilation and the moisture buildup on the walls and floor encourages the growth of bacteria that can be harmful. They also don't have the proper temperature control characteristics. Ferrets don't tolerate high heat or extreme cold well, unlike some of their cousin species. Anything higher than approximately 80°F/26,5°C or lower than 45°F/7°C is bad. Hamster cages are too small, bird cages have mesh sizes that aren't suitable for ferrets.

Ferrets are a unique species, just like others are, and have their own unique needs and behavior. A suitable cage will keep them safe and comfortable. That's surely what any owner, er, companion would want.