# Female Ferret Advice?



## SarahLily (May 18, 2012)

Hi guys...I usually post on the Dog section, but as of today, I will be a new ferret mummy 

Basically, one of the local vets found a female ferret on the roadside, so far no owners have come to collect her, so they tried to find her a new home. I sat back quietly despite knowing i'd love to offer her a home - i've always wanted ferrets, but never ended up having them, i've had rabbits, hamsters, and soooooo many rats, but never ferrets.

However, after last night, the vets said they really needed someone to take her, even if only for a temporary stay, as they will be closed over the weekend and there will be nobody to look after her. 
I couldn't believe nobody had offered to take her, she is stunning. Perhaps i'm not the most experienced, having never cared for ferrets before, but no one else seemed willing and the vets said rescue spaces were hard to come by. 
So, today i'm going to pick her up. I've got cages and a few toys, hammocks etc, still from having the rats, and the cage i'm thinking of housing her in is really large.
I've looked into female ferrets and it looks like getting her spayed is a sensible option, i'm going to speak to the vets about this today though when I collect her. 

If anyone can offer any advice on anything related at all, from feeding through to anything else, that would be fab


----------



## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Im still in the learning all about ferrets before I get them stage but the few things Ive learned so far are, they need to eat very regullarly, much more often than dogs and cats and they need a good quality ferret food, they need somewhere dark to sleep or they can become ill, and they are like kittens on speed . Ive ordered a book called The complete guide to Ferrets by James Mckay which was reccomended to me, so that might be worth getting. Well done for helping this little girl .


----------



## SarahLily (May 18, 2012)

Thanks for your reply 

That book does sound good, I might have a look out for it  Yeahh I'm going to have a nose in [email protected] today for some bits and I think i'll pick up some of their ferret food, I think that's good? I used to get [email protected] rat food and that was pretty good. I've got some fruit and veg in for her too  I'm going to try and root out a shoe box or something for now to make a nesty thing out of until I can find something else for her to sleep in.


----------



## DKDREAM (Sep 15, 2008)

Hi and welcome to the world of ferrets! You'll be hooked before you know it and find yourself getting another ferret. 

Well done on taking her on, what are her teeth like? if they are pearly white with no staining then she is this years kit. Ferrets are carnivores so like meat and plenty of it. The best food for her (dry) is Vitalin ferret food (but this is expensive) and the next best food but affordable is Alpha ferret feast. You need to try and determine her age, my advice would be leave her over winter and see if she comes into season, should this happen she can be given an injection to bring her out of season and then be spayed.


----------



## SarahLily (May 18, 2012)

Ooh thanks for all the advice  

I grabbed a bag of their own ferret food when I was in [email protected] the other day, is that any good? I feed my dog on James Wellbeloved, and I know they do ferret food but they don't seem to sell it in [email protected] which is where I usually do the food shopping.

Also, can I keep her cage outside? I have a sheltered deck and would like to move her cage out there and partly cover it with blankets to stop her from getting cold, is this possible or should I keep her inside?


----------



## DKDREAM (Sep 15, 2008)

SarahLily said:


> Ooh thanks for all the advice
> 
> I grabbed a bag of their own ferret food when I was in [email protected] the other day, is that any good? I feed my dog on James Wellbeloved, and I know they do ferret food but they don't seem to sell it in [email protected] which is where I usually do the food shopping.
> 
> Also, can I keep her cage outside? I have a sheltered deck and would like to move her cage out there and partly cover it with blankets to stop her from getting cold, is this possible or should I keep her inside?


it would be better to keep her outside but make sure her cage is locked well as ferrets are escape artists. The pets at home one is ok she will be fine on it but alpha is better. why not get her a rabbit hutch?

as ferrets are brought into season due to light so if she was in the house and exposed to long periods of light this would bring her in season and confuse her.


----------



## DKDREAM (Sep 15, 2008)

If you do decide to keep her outside, give her a big bed some people use meadow hay as this will keep her lovely and warm, I personally wouldn't bother with blankets for an outdoor ferret but that isn't to say its wrong its a personal choice. My ferrets sleep in a shredded soft tissue paper that I change weekly or whenever its showing signs of being dirty. Please be more aware of water bottles freezing too if she is to be kept outside in cold weather check it 2-3 times a day. A cover will help keep the rain of her too


----------

