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Tip 1: Reward and Praise
Training
a ferret isn't that difficult, but it does take perseverance.
You have to reward for the good behavior and scruff and
hiss or a loud "NO" for the unwanted behavior.
NEVER under any circumstance EVER physically strike or
hit your fert. They are fragile and usually they will
start to bite in defense from what is hurting them. Of
course abused or neglected ferts are a totally different
story and since none of mine came from that background I
cannot relay any experience in that area.
Tip 2: Feeding Ferts
There
is a lot of controversy about what an obligate carnivore
should and shouldn't be fed. I feed my fuzzies a 50/50
mix of 8 in 1 Ultimate and Ultra. I also have my own
version of chicken gravy (my recipe is on the links
page) that they get once a week to
every 10 days. They have all gained an adequate amount
of weight since we got them and their coats are soft and
fluffy. You know the old saying "If it isn't broke
don't fix it". 
Tip 3:
Supplements and nail clipping There
are quite a few "additives" out there and I'm
not an expert, but all my animals (except the dog) gets
laxatone at least once a week to every 10 days. We clip
everyone's nails weekly and ferretone on the belly does
the trick, even with the cats and ferretvite follows
before being let down to finish trying to lick their
belly without mom's help (pretty funny to watch). Check
out this nail clipping diagram for detailed information
on how I clip. 
Tip 4: Litter I
have found something that all 9 of my ferts like
and will use consistently. It's All Pet Pine, it helps
control odor and is so easy to keep clean. A little goes
a long way too! There is no pine oil left in it after
they bake it so no respiratory problems. I like everyone else have
never expected a 100% hit rate when it comes to a
litterbox. You can train them to use the box, but you may
find it hard to teach them to find it when they're
free-roaming and they just gotta go. Multiple boxes in
key places will help insure that you are closer to that
100% hit rate than not. I occasionally catch one of the
boys climbing out of the cat box too. 
Tip 5: Bedding Well,
it seems that if they sleep in it or on it, they usually
won't poop in it or on it. If they can wipe their butt
on it after they get out of the box, it's is considered
fair space for pooping on at another time. Basically if
it smells like urine or poop it will get pooped or
peed on. I have had to take the blankies off the floor
where they eat and drink and put small area mats in
front of the food dish and water bottles. For some
strange reason they were coming up the ramp from the
litterbox and wiping their butts on the blankie that was
where the dish and bottles are. I use care fresh in the
bottom of the cage outside of the litterbox and they
just want to lay around in it, until someone decides not
to use the box and goes in the corner of the cage. I
have used odor removers and scrubbed, but to no avail. I
think somebody is getting lazy at night and doesn't want
to go all the way downstairs to the potty. All the other
bedding we use are baby blankets I bought at the thrift
store for just a few bucks and baby blankets are so
soft. My hammies are all hand made, got a great pattern
if you want it on the links page (thanks Betty). 
Tip 6: Proofing One
trip to the vet with intestinal blockage was all it took
for me to become very cautious about what is laying
around the house. Raz got a hold of a cardboard tube and
ate a piece the size of a dime. I didn't know about that
yet so that's not what scared
me, somehow he had gotten a balloon that had
popped from underneath the entertainment center and
proceeded to try and eat it. He spent most of the night
vomiting and most of the next day at the vets. Part of
the balloon he threw up and the other part he passed
after a very large amount of laxatone. He was severely
dehydrated and had sub-q's to get his fluids back up.
But the biggest surprise is that his very next stool
passing contained this piece of cardboard. How lucky I
am to still have this little bubba boy at my house. His
stool never got pencil lead thin and if he had not
gotten a hold of the balloon I would never have known
about the cardboard. Everything stays picked up and
vacuumed around my house all the time now. 
Tip 7: Flea Control OMG,
We're being invaded!!! We didn't have a very good freeze
here last year in Northern Texas so we had fleas pretty
bad this year. I have fogged several times and treated
my cats monthly before we got the woozles so I thought I
had them under control. Wrong! I actually saw a flea
jump from Smokie to Sadie a few days after they
arrived and I grabbed her and lo and behold, she
had quite a few. Off to the vet to buy Advantage, the
purple tube for cats and kittens under 9 Lbs. 2-3 drops
on the back of their neck between the shoulder blades is
all it took. Sadie is petite so she only got 2 drops, so
is Mitzi, everyone else got 3. I changed out everyone's bedding and hammies and sleep blankies and washed all
the plush toys. Within 24 hours I did an undignified (or
so they all thought) flea check and can't seem to find a
single flea. 
Tip 8: More to Come I'LL
put another one here later. Tip 9: More to Come I'LL
put another one here later. |
