By Holly

🥩Ferrets are “small pets” but they are far different from gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, etc. Think of them more like a small cat with the personality of a dog. Ferrets are obligate carnivores! :) That means their body is designed to eat meat only - no grains, no veggies, no wheat, no sugar, no dairy! Their bodies are not designed to digest these foods. With such tiny bodies, anything they eat that they are not designed to eat can be very detrimental to their health. Make sure you know what you’re feeding them, and read every label. Raw is the healthiest way to go, but that’s not an option for everyone. Freeze-dried-raw is next best, followed by a *select few* high quality kibbles. Kibbles need to be available AT ALL TIMES. It is rare for them to over-eat, and they digest so quickly, they need to eat every 4 hours or so. (Check our Food page and it's subpages for food suggestions!)

🛌Their respiratory system is sensitive and prone to illness and infection, so any paper/wood/shredding bedding should be avoided! They are also very clean animals and often groom themselves or eat things they shouldn’t - if they ingest this bedding, it will cause blockage. (Unfortunately, this shredding type of bedding is what you’ll see ferrets in at a lot of pet stores. You’ll also notice most ferrets in pet stores are having trouble breathing, are sickly, or their noses are colored by the bedding. Can you imagine sleeping in paper shreddings? My nose would get gunked up too!)

🧣Spoil your babies with blankets. From towels, linens, baby blankets, even scrap fabric from thrift stores. Please watch your ferrets at first, since some like to chew on certain fabrics (mine goes crazy for towels) which could result in a blockage. Usually when you have a chewer, linens (bed sheets) are a safe way to go. If you want to get fancy, there are some lovely designers for hammocks and full ferret bed-sets on Etsy. Also while they are in the cage, please make sure they have a sturdy flooring - if you don’t have a cage tray, you can buy a replacement one, or use cardboard temporarily. Ferret feets on cage wire with no support can cause irreversible damage!

💩Ferrets can be potty trained… but their little one-track minds mean that there’s guaranteed to be accidents. People like to say they’re 95% potty-trainable. You’ll be looking at your ferrets poo a lot more than you would with a dog or cat. Their poo can tell you a lot about what’s going on inside. (There is a poo chart to help you troubleshoot funky poos!) You’ll want to avoid clay & clumping litters, since these can cake to their paws/bums/eyes/etc. Wood stove pellets, walnut pellets, paper pellets, or pee pads are the safest litters!

🏃‍♀️Ferrets are interactive and need a lot of attention, exploration time, and play time. At least 4 hours out of their cage a day (6 if they are under 1 yr old)! I let my boys out in the morning while I get ready for work, and they are immediately out again when I come home up until I go to bed. On the weekends, they are only in their cage when I sleep. Think of them as cats - would you lock up a cat all day? Heck no! They are crepuscular, which means they are most active during dawn and dusk.

🚪You must ferret-proof the room that your little guys will play in! Most people have one room, but I caved to their guilt-tripping and let them have the whole house. Make sure you ferret-proof beforehand, or they might find a hole to disappear into and you’ll never see them again! Otherwise some people tight on space do play-pens. The safest ones for ferrets are Marshall's 11 Panel or ClearlyLoved.

👭 If you are gone/sleeping more than half the day, get 2 ferrets. Ferrets are very social, and the food/litter cost of one vs two isn’t much of a difference! That way you don’t need to devote all your free time to playing with your single ferret - they can play with each other (but some hooman play-time is always great!)

🏠 Ferrets need ROOM. When you are gone, big cage with multiple floors, or a ferret-proof room are best. The floors must ALWAYS be covered/solid. Wire flooring can do serious damage to their feet! If you don’t have a cage tray, you can buy a replacement one, or use cardboard temporarily.

👄 Most ferrets start out a bit bitey. Like toddlers, they learn with their mouth. They bite your feet to invite you to play! Most biting issues can be resolved with simple socialization and building trust. Remember they aren’t always meaning to bite so hard, they’re just learning with their mouth, and need to understand that humans are more delicate!

🛀Ferrets shouldn’t be bathed regularly. They are a bit smelly by nature, so hopefully you grow to love their musky smell. If bathed with ANY soap, it strips the oils from their fur and skin. This dries out their skin, and their body works over-drive to replace the oils that are suddenly gone...making them even stinkier! You can use warm water, or for extreme situations an oatmeal bath.

💅They will need their nails trimmed and teeth brushed (if they aren't on a raw diet). Brushing teeth is pretty easy though! I just get the q-tip with a little ferret toothpaste (or just water if he's had a bad day) on it, scruff him, and GENTLY rub the gums and teeth like you would brush your own teeth, paying attention to the gums specifically. Bonus points if you can get your fuzzy to bite down on it.

💊Ferrets are prone to many diseases, and it's good to have a savings in case of medical emergency. The top 3 are Adrenal Disease, Insulinoma, and Lymphoma. Please read about these, since nearly every ferret owner will deal with these at some point. Per most laws in the US, they will need a yearly rabies vaccination and distemper. Please stay at the vet 30 - 60 minutes afterwards - ferrets can have serious reactions, and there’s no better place to be than the vet!

👩‍⚕️Since ferrets are not “common” pets, it is a good idea to scope out your vet BEFORE they get sick. When you first adopt, bring them in for a wellness check. A lot of vets say they treat ferrets, but only know some basics about them. Sometimes, not even that… you might need to jump from vet to vet to find one that’s truly knowledgeable!

FINALLY: An Amazon list of recommendations, suggestions, etc

AFA's Ferret FAQ

AFA's "So You Just Got A Ferret" (more comprehensive)