A world of ferrets

Welcome to the the world of Ferrets.

                                                         Here we hope to provide you with
                                                          important information covering all aspects
                                                          of being a Ferret owner; from how to
                                                          prepare 'yours' and 'its' home, to the
                                                          illnesses that can kill your pet.

                                                          We also offer a lot of information on the
                                                          linked pages, so take your time and have a
                                                          good look around and please, if you have
                                                          time, sign our guestbook and leave your
                                                          comments on any other subjects you would
                                                          like covered.


So let us begin.................my name is Walt Roberts and I'll be your guide around the World of Ferrets!

Let's start with some basic information.....what are Ferrets called?

A male Ferret is a is a Hob (although if he has been castrated he is now known as a Gib), a female is a Jill (although when she has had a litter she becomes a Dam) but if she is then spayed, she becomes a Sprite, a young or baby ferret is a Kit and a group of Ferrets are known as a Business.

The male is a lot larger than the female, which should be remembered when buying your first one. They can grow up to 20 inches in length and have a 5 inch tail which can get in the way occasionally. They come in a selection of colours; black, white, brown or mixed fur and although quite light in weight, can grow to be as heavy as 4 pounds (or even heavier if it isn't on a proper diet).

When choosing a place for your Ferret to 'live', think of its safety and comfort; remember, it can sleep up to 18 hours a day, so this is the place where it will spend a great deal of time.

If you are going to buy a proper Cage or Hutch, please ensure that it is big enough for your Ferret to run around and have fun in and don't forget, Ferrets, like all living things do grow, so make allowances for this.

A couple of tips for you. If the Hutch is a multi-level one, ensure that there are no gaps between the levels as it easy for the Ferret to fall between the two and seriously hurt itself and also make sure that any internal doors are large enough for it to get through.

There is also the base of the Hutch to think about. Don't forget, although you can train a Ferret to do a number of things, such as use a litter tray, if it is slow on the uptake or locked in a hutch without a tray, it is going to go to toilet and probably an awful lot. If you have a hutch with a plastic base it is much easier to clean than a hutch with a metal base, which after time, will start to rust and decay. But just get the animal trained to use a litter tray and save all the work!

There's more to this than you first thought eh?

Think about bedding and toys. Ferrets have incredibly sharp teeth and can chew their way through a multitude of things. If you have soft bedding or soft toys, you have to make sure that your new pet can't chew off great lumps that it can then swallow; Ferrets are prone to having intestinal blockages which can kill them or require expensive surgery.

Their odor! This is something that can freak-out
the unsuspecting! Ferrets have a very strong Odor
and are forever marking their territory. They do this,
in much the same way as a dog or cat does, the
difference is, the Ferret sprays its musk from the
anal gland. It marks its territory for a number of
reasons such as to tell it where it has hoarded
food - the problem is, that although this is an
act of nature, if can stink and quite badly at that!

There is a surgical procedure which can stop this
from happening. Your Ferret can be neutered and
de-scented at the same time and your home should
remain Ferret musk free.

Voila, smells like a Rose!

Regards

Walt

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