# Ferret mum and 4 kits



## Ben hempstead (Sep 13, 2016)

Hi all. Just looking for some help.. long story short I am a proud new owner of a Jill called penny and 4 kits that are nearly 6 weeks old.
Just after some help because I keep going in all pet shops and no one seems to know anything.. penny is a lovely Jill who hasn't bitten me yet but I think is starting to get bored as every time I walk past her hutch witch isn't massive she is following me. I would like to let her out bit not sure if she would run.. if any one has some advice for a new ferret owner please share.. thanks


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## Frolicking Ferrets (Mar 1, 2016)

Hello and welcome to the ferret section  If you don't mind me asking, why do you have kits if you're new to having ferrets? Just wondering since ferret breeders generally don't start breeding ferrets until they've had about 6 years experience with them.
Pet shops aren't very good places to get ferret info from, they still seem to think that ferrets are rodents when they're :Bored I only know one pet shop that does have good info on them and that's only because the shop owner used to be a ferret breeder himself.
However forums like this one, the British ferret club forum and the All About Ferrets forum are great sources of information  
I'm often in this second of the forum, the others are:
@Babyshoes 
@noushka05 
@Thunderpaws (Also a breeder, like myself)

As your kits are 6 weeks, they aren't completely dependent on their mum and should be weaning onto raw meat or semi soaked kibble or a mix of both, so you should be able to let your jill have some time out to explore, and because the kits are 6 weeks, they will start to wanting to explore a bit now too.


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## Ben hempstead (Sep 13, 2016)

Thank you.. yes they are weaning off mum slowly and eating kibble and the meet. As they live outside do you think they will be okay to roam outside of hutch. if there is no way for them to escape From garden?
As mum is 3 I believe and only had her for 2 weeks not sure if she will just run of.


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## Ben hempstead (Sep 13, 2016)

I have done a house exchange and the gentlemen I got penny of was in property we moved in to.. as he had to litters I brought 1 hob of him from slightly older litter. Long story short I ended up having mummy and 4 kits. So kind of been thrown in to deep end.. just want to make sure am caring for them properly...


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## Frolicking Ferrets (Mar 1, 2016)

If there's no way for the mum to escape the garden then yes outside the hutch is fine, and yes she will likely just run off and explore which is why it's important she definitely can't get out of the garden or you can take her into a ferret proofed room in the house..... Unless you have a ferret harness then you can take her out for a walk, keep in mind that of you do that, you have to follow her, ferrets aren't like dogs and tend not to follow their owners and instead like to take their owners for a walk instead :Hilarious


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## Ben hempstead (Sep 13, 2016)

Thanks I let her out in garden and she managed to get under summer house wich I didn't think she could.. managed to coax her out in the end.. think I will go and find a harness from somewhere tomorrow.. thin I will go and get some chip board and build an extendable enclosure for her as well I think she really enjoyed it.. just one more question will there tails o ly go bushy when they feal threatend as I noticed it was while she was wondering round garden


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## Babyshoes (Jul 1, 2016)

Sorry, a bit late to the discussion here - ferret proofing is harder than you think - they can get through TINY gaps and climb pretty well, and you'll find the kits are worse than mum for extreme exploring. The nipping and crazy behaviour should settle down within a year or so if you handle them a lot every day and keep patient with the training. A room inside is probably easier to ferret proof for run-around time - preferably one with a wipe clean floor! They will choose a corner to poo in, so you can just put down newspaper in future. Also, ferrets tend to be very treat motivated, so it's easy to train them to come when you call - or give some other signal that perhaps you didn't intend to be a signal.... Mine may or may not come to their names, but will always come to a treat packet crinkling and a call of 'who wants num nums?' :Joyful They are amazingly intelligent (some more than others, admittedly), so do need lots of time out of the cage & new toys/experiences/smells etc to keep them from getting bored & depressed. 
A harness is definitely worth getting, as you can take them out and about once you've built up trust walking around the garden - they love to have a sniff round the block, even if it's a boring walk to you! Sometimes Irix likes to sit on a bench at the precinct with me and just watch the world go by, lazy bugger that he is! I like the H shaped harnesses you can buy online, but my neighbour prefers the 8 shaped ones as they are easier to find and a little cheaper. 

Poofy tails are not always a sign of being scared, they can also be a sign of much excitement, especially in a new place. Ferret body language is not always clear to humans - the war dance for example looks scary but is an invitation to play! 

I like the book 'ferrets for dummies' - while some of the info is out of date, specifically their advice to give ferrets raisins (please don't!) and the fact that there is now a new, better treatment for adrenal disease, the rest of the book is excellent for new ferret owners.


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## Ben hempstead (Sep 13, 2016)

Thank you for your reply... yes have brought a harness today just having a little bit of difficulty getting it on her


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## Frolicking Ferrets (Mar 1, 2016)

Ben hempstead said:


> Thank you for your reply... yes have brought a harness today just having a little bit of difficulty getting it on her


This video I made awhile back should help you with getting a harness on your fuzz butt.


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