Hi my name is Alicia

I've come to love ferrets as I volunteer at the RSPCA and play with the cute lil bugs. I own 4 male rats.

The downside of having rats is their short lifespans... It's hard to fall in love with an animal and then have to let go off them after a year or two. It's depressing to have great husbandry and still get chronically ill pets. I'm researching ferrets as they seem to live a lot longer and are more robust (correct me if I'm wrong) than rats. I don't think il be able to get another rat after my current lot, as they are entirely different than the hundreds I have come across... My boy Rocky has the most amazing temperament like you wouldn't believe, he's a ragdoll cat! 

So basically I'm here to learn more about ferrets, their husbandry and holistic diets. I have a ferret kingdom cage (similar to ferret nation or critter nation ect but the Australian version) for the rats, and it is huge double story thing. What bedding do ferrets use? Can you keep them by themselves? Do they litter train well? Do they have an odour?

Thanks, Alicia :)

Hello and welcome to ferret.com ferret forum.




* What bedding do ferrets use? 
Checkout the cage setup in the housing thread  - http://forum.ferret.com/tm.aspx?m=6154

*Can you keep them by themselves? 


Yes


*Do they litter train well? 


It all depends on how much time you will spend training them.  All my kids use the litter boxes inside and outside their cage.


*Do they have an odour? 



All animals, even us humans have a odor.
Feeding good quality food.  Cleaning out the litter boxes and putting in fresh clean ferret bedding will help keep the odor down.

I hope this helps.  Please feel free to ask questions.  We have a great group here.

Hello and Welcome to the forum! 

 
Fuzzbutts Rule!

Hi there!
You have a great cage to start with.  Ferrets like to sleep in hammocks, but a box with a couple old shirts will work.  They love tunnels, and a clothes dryer vent hose is good for that.  

Ferrets have a mild musky odor.  Personally, I love it.  Where you are, you may get an intact ferret, meaning they have sex organs and anal scent glands.  You'll probably want to have the sex organs removed, but that's your choice.  If you don't fix a female, she can have anemia issues when she's in heat.  

I don't know what kind of kibble you can get there, but they do well on raw meat, especially poultry, as well as organ meat and mice.  If you feed kibble, a high grade cat food may suffice.  Llook for meat ingredients as 4 of the first 6, with a protein content of at least 40% and fat 18%, and low carbs.

This video is from the US, where ferrets are kept indoors, but it should help.  The I agree with most everything the host says.  But you have to do the best you can in your situation  Good luck.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD