so after lots and lots of research we have decided to get a ferret. We are going out of town saturday to go get one. we also have found someone who is moving that has a really nice cage for $50 that new was about $300. anyway we are looking at some things like food and litter and I wanted to pick your brains. from what I have researched alot if not most "ferret kibble" actually is not real healthy for ferrets. after researching we think we want to try wysong archetypal 2 food. however because it is so expensive we want to mix it with a little cheaper food that is still healthy or mixing it with wysong epigen 90. however I have read some bad things about it with a newer formula they adopted but not everything online is true lol. what are some good choices?? we also plan to feed it antelope, grouse, deer, elk, beef and anything else that we shoot and eat every year. as for litter I guess from what we read litter is mostly litter but to avoid dusty litter and most cat litters but marshals ferret litter or pellets will work. I was wondering if it would be safe to mix some activated carbon with the litter to help absorb the smells?? has anyone tried this?? any other helpful info would be greatly apppreciated thanks for your help!! we are super excited

Congratulations on getting a ferret. As far as food I feed Dr Foster and Smith or Totally Ferret when I can't get DFS. Others can give more ideas on food. Some feed raw.  On litter a lot of us on here use wood stove pellets. They are very cheap. Between $3.49 and $4.99 for a 40lb bag.  I get mine at farm stores or like the Home Depot. Harder to get in the summer but usually most have some left over and you can still get them. As cheap as they are I usually get at least 10 bags at a time. Personally I wouldn't use the activated charcoal. If you clean the litter box daily it won't smell. I think the wood stove pellets absorb the smell. 

 
Fuzzbutts Rule!

Hi.  
We use pine pellet horse bedding for litter, which we get at a feed store.  It's available all year and does a good job of absorbing odor.  With 8 ferrets, we have to scoop the boxes at least daily and change it as needed.  We lightly wet the pellets so they break down into sawdust.  I think it makes it easier to scoop, but it does get tracked out of the box that way.
FYI, it's better to feed meat raw.  I've never had a ferret eat any kind of cooked meat.  You can also feed organs and let them chew the bones.  I'm not an expert on raw feeding, but Wenminster knows a bit about it.  From what I've read, the new formula Epigen Digestive Support seems to be doing well.

Any kibble you choose should be at least 40% protein and 18% fat, and contain taurine.  
Welcome to the group.  

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

Congratulations on getting a ferret! They bring a lot of joy to life! The litter I use is Yesterday's news and it is made from recycled paper, so it is dust free too. I use marshall ferret litter sometimes too and it is really good as well. I can't use any litter made from wood because I'm really allergic to a variety of wood, and it makes my allergies act up terribly when I've used it. Litter made from paper is a good option if you have any allergies.

Congratulations on getting a fuzzy! I'm a pretty new ferrent as well, I got my first baby last December. Anyways, after doing tons of research and asking around on this forum I chose epigine 90 digestive support, and it has done wonders for my babies health, my boy, Koda, has grown huge, and both my fuzzys have nice shiny coats and are full of energy and are quite happy. So food wise I would recommend the digestive support, I too had the conserns of the change in formula but the digestive support is like the original formula. Good luck,have fun, and welcome to the forum! :)

First time ferrent =)

we got out ferret and he is a cuttie!! he is a bandit named Farro and is about 3 months old. He does pretty good at getting to the litter but has recently had a couple accidents in a row in his cage but that could be our fault as his litter had a fair bit of poop in it. we cleaned it and left some in it and we will see if the accidents continue. when he has accidents: if I catch him I put him in the litter immediatly. if I dont I still show him the poo and show him that I put it in the litter so hopefully that works. we also gave him his first bathe tonight. Im not sure if he liked it or not haha but he seemed to shiver lots and lots afterwards is there something I can do to help this?? we wrapped him in a towel and tried to keep him warm/dry him off. but is there anything else?? the food we ended up getting is the kaytee fiesta at the pet store untill our wysong degestive health and zupreem come in the mail. so we should have plenty of food for a while. we want to teach him "go to bed"meaning get into your cage. but were not really sure how. we have been telling him time for bed over and over then putting him in the cage and giving him a treat hoping that he will get the idea. any other thoughts on this?? we love him to death he is awesome haha however we only have two litter pans for now. he seems to like have them both in his cage so we either will have to transfer one when he gets out or buy another one. any other thoughts or ideas?? we are open to suggestions as we are pretty new to this and he seems to have a angry face that he puts on when he needs to go into his cage he sits and looks at you like "hey what the heck??" and I swear you can see it on his face. thanks for all the help guys!!

They all freak out after a bath.  Even after you dry them as well as you can they'll run around like they're on fire.

We have at least one litter box in every room, plus newspapers in certain corners.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD