Features of domestic ferrets
Recently, it has become fashionable to have all kinds of exotic representatives as pets. Domestic ferrets are far from uncommon today. These cute puppies conquer with their playful character. Little by little, the tendency to breed them exclusively as a fur animal is receding.
Ferrets
Description of external data
Domestic ferrets are very similar to their wild relatives. Domestic animals are called "ferret". The animal has a squat physique. The body is elongated, very mobile, with a long tail. The body and tail are covered with thick pile. Males are much larger than females.
For wild representatives, a dark brown coat color is characteristic. The domestic ferret can be of any color: from snow-white to almost black. Molting occurs once a year. Pets have a well-developed sense of smell and touch. The animal is distinguished by its mobility and good frost resistance, and it is rather difficult to endure the heat.
Contrary to longstanding belief, not all ferrets stink. These animals are a type of skunks, therefore they give off a musky smell. There are glands near the anus, which, in case of danger, emit a pungent odor. The ferret rarely uses its weapon at home. Many owners have their sex glands removed in a veterinarian.
Pet house
Caring for a ferret at home requires a habitat that is similar to the natural environment to the maximum. Ferrets are very mobile by nature, so at least 5 hours they should be able to move freely around the apartment. Constantly, the animal cannot scurry around the house on its own, because it threatens with destruction and injury. You will need a spacious cage.
Ferrets spend a lot of time in their houses, so arranging them is the most important part of grooming. The space in the cage should be divided into functional areas:
- a place for a feeder, drinker;
- a place to sleep;
- restroom;
- sleeping area;
- resting-place.
A nipple system is used for water. If you use a bowl, then only a heavy one, which the ferret cannot turn over. Place the feeder away from the tray. The container for her should also be weighted. The sleeping place is located in the far corner of the cage.
Ferrets are very fond of coziness, so an old hat or sweater will do as a sleeping place. The ideal option is to install a small wooden house at the end of the cage, fill it with cotton wool or a soft cloth. It is recommended to hang several hammocks in a cage: ferrets are very fond of them. A cat litter can be used as a litter box for ferrets, but it is very cumbersome, it is better to purchase a corner litter box at a pet store.
The cage must have filler on the floor covering. Torn newspapers, sawdust or special filler are used as filler. The localization of the cell is a very important point. It is necessary to choose the quietest, draft-free corner in the apartment.It is also important to equip the cage with all kinds of ladders, shelves and toys.
Care
How to take care of animals correctly? Ferrets as pets are quite whimsical in their care. It is very important to monitor the hygiene of the pet, the state of its health directly depends on it. Care and maintenance include:
- claw cutting;
- ear care;
- water procedures.
Claw clipping
Let's start by trimming the claws. The procedure is performed every 21 days. This is for the safety of the animal. In the wild, the claws grind off themselves, but keeping a ferret at home requires circumcision so that the animal cannot injure itself by catching itself on the carpet or curtains. There are special devices for cutting claws - nail clippers.
Often, animals are not happy with this manipulation, so first you need to carry out a distraction. For example, you can spread something tasty on the animal's tummy, and while it licks it, quickly cut off the claws. You only need to cut off the white dead part, in which there are no veins and blood vessels, it is important not to touch the red line.
If, nevertheless, you made a mistake and spattered blood, do not panic, but treat the affected area with alcohol and try to calm the animal. It is best to leave him alone in the cage for a while, pouring fresh water into a bowl. If the bleeding does not stop after 10 minutes, you should call your veterinarian.
Bathing and cleaning your ears
Keeping a ferret at home requires careful care of the ears. A cotton swab is moistened in special milk or oil. Animals do not like this procedure either, so it is better to carry out manipulations when the animal is asleep. Do not go too deep, as this can damage the hearing aid. If there is too much dirt, you should check the animal for ear mites.
Ferrets as pets are very playful and love to swim. Most of the representatives of the species swim well and play with pleasure in the bathroom, although there are khooryats who are very afraid of water and bathing for them is a living hell. Such representatives must be washed in the sink. For those who like to swim in the bathroom, it is necessary to build an island on which the animal will rest.
Ferrets should not be bathed too often, because together with the unpleasant odor, the fat layer is washed off, without which the animal's body will be in a state of stress. As mentioned above, ferrets are skunks, therefore, under stress, they begin to give off a persistent unpleasant odor. To eliminate it, you can purchase a specialized shampoo at the pet store.
After the bath, you need to quickly dry the puppy so that he does not catch a cold. It will be very difficult to do this, because the wet animals are trying to escape and wipe their fur on everything that gets in the way. The ideal option is to catch the animal and put it in a tall box with a towel, thus giving you the opportunity to dry yourself.
Swimming safety rules
While bathing, it is important to monitor your pet to avoid injury:
- you must never leave the animal unattended;
- if the animal tries to escape, make sure that it does not fall out of the bath and hit its head;
- care must be taken that water does not pour into the ears.
When wiping, if the animal breaks loose too much, it is better to let it go: the animal may want to go to the toilet. At the end of the water procedures, it is worth leaving the pet alone so that he has the opportunity to put himself in order.
How to raise the beast
Ferrets are active, and therefore care and maintenance in an apartment includes their upbringing. Weasel is a wild animal that belongs to predators. The difficulty of socializing will depend on which pet is sold. If you buy a ferret from experienced breeders who have been breeding for more than one year, the animals will already be accustomed to the hands and will not be afraid of people.In this case, the training process will be quick and painless. If you buy a pet at a pet store, the likelihood that the animal will be wild and will not make contact immediately is very high.
It can take weeks or even months to tame a “savage”. Much in this process will depend on the age of the animal. It is best to take young puppies no more than 2 months old. Already at 4 months, the animals have a fully formed character, the habits are already established, so it will be very difficult to retrain the animals.
A wild animal will bite, so you need to start accustoming it to hands only with a pair of thick gloves. A good option is to lure the ferret with a treat. You need to take the food in your hands and wait for the animal to come up on its own to pick it up. After the ferret begins to eat from his hands, you can gently stroke it, but you should not pick it up right away: the animal will get scared, and all the work will be in vain.
Gradually, you can feed the animal without gloves. It is important that the ferret gets used to your scent.
For the first time, it is better to take the sleeping beast in your hands. Ferrets sleep very deeply and don't even wake up when picked up.
The animal can continue to bite, even when it is already used to its hands. This can happen when the kid is playing too much or if the owner distracts him from the business. Aggressive behavior is also observed in adolescent ferrets when they want to influence the owner. Experienced breeders recommend stopping this behavior in the bud, for this they practice slapping the butt with a newspaper, lightly shaking the scruff or splashing water on the muzzle.
Feeding
Ferrets are predators, in the wild they eat their own game: mice, insects, birds. At home, you need to ensure that you have a balanced diet that is right for your ferret. Many owners try to feed their pet with cat or dog food. Doing this is strictly prohibited.
All recommendations for keeping domestic ferrets must be strictly followed in order for the animals to grow up healthy and develop correctly. The first method of feeding closely resembles that of a ferret in the wild. In this case, the diet of the animal includes the carcasses of chickens, mice and insects. However, this method is not suitable for everyone.
The second type of feeding involves feeding the ferret with cooked food. All types of meat, fish, vegetable and animal fats, cartilage, vitamin and mineral complexes, as well as a small amount of cereals must be included in the diet. Ferrets can only be given cottage cheese from fermented milk products. Any other food will cause indigestion in the animal.
Coarse fiber should not be given to your ferret. The body of the animal needs protein of animal origin, therefore, the basis of the diet should be meat products, and not vegetables and fruits. The easiest feeding method is to use ready-made combination feeds, which include a complete list of essential vitamins and minerals.
It is not only the balance of the feed that is important, but also the correct regime. The pet should have constant access to food throughout the day. Animals are extremely active, therefore they need constant replenishment of energy reserves. Drinking water should also be freely available.
Whether to start a ferret at home
Ferrets as pets have pros and cons. Before you buy a friend for yourself, it is worth weighing the pros and cons, because there are a lot of pitfalls in keeping such an animal in an apartment.
The advantages of ferrets are:
- they do not leave waste products anywhere, go to the toilet in one place;
- caring for them does not require much effort;
- they are highly intelligent and trainable;
- they can be kept in a cage.
The downside is the high cost of the content in the first place. Feeding your ferret will be expensive.Ferrets, at the slightest danger, release a fetid stench, so they will have to remove their sex glands. If you do not sterilize the female, you will have to take her to the boy, and this is additional waste, and then there is nowhere to put the offspring. These animals are not cheap, and buyers do not line up in line, they are also in no hurry to take them to pet stores.
If the trochee is not brought up, they will bite, and they can grab a stranglehold. With such animals, there will be a constant pogrom in the apartment: they gnaw on everything rubber and dig up houseplants. They also do not become attached to the owner. In winter, they feel much better than in the heat, so additional spending on cooling the room will be required.
Full description and types of ferrets are presented in the video.
Conclusion
It is very important to understand before buying such an animal that it will take a lot of money to maintain it, and it will also take a lot of effort to raise the animal. If it is not possible at first to tame the ferret, then you should not buy it. Before buying, you need to find out everything about the desired pet ferrets so that some aspects of the content do not come as a surprise.
Feeding your ferret is also very costly. Pets need a balanced feed that includes animal proteins. Ferrets eat a lot, because they lead an extremely active lifestyle and their body must constantly replenish energy reserves. Taking care of energetic animals is quite difficult: they require a lot of attention to their person, especially when they are outside the cage.