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 Hello, new Ferret owner and a bit unsure :-(
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Ragdoll

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Hello, new Ferret owner and a bit unsure :-( - Tuesday, November 25, 2014 12:22 PM
After months of considering what small pet would be right for me and my children and after lots of research on the internet we decided on Ferrets.  

I read lots of web pages, looked at loads of utube videos and from what I could see was that Ferrets make great indoor pets, are friendly and playful, easy to train and dont smell as bad as we are brought up to believe.

Based on all that I started looking to buy a Ferret and decided to go for the part angora ones.  unfortunately because of the time of year I was looking and the massive waiting lists for angora ferrets there were none available.  However one of the angora breeders said they were looking to rehome their 2yr old male and also had 3 other angora ferrets to rehome all aged around 18mths, the youngest one being 8mths.

I decided this would be more suitable for me as they were already trained.  So I took ownership of them and they arrived on Saturday.  

I know I havent given this very long but I am beginning to feel I have made a huge mistake :-(  They smell terribly, it actually gets to the back of my throat and makes me breathless, I clean the litter box in their cage everyday and they have been bathed.  Also the youngest one bites!  Not just a gentle nip but she has grabbed my finger and the flesh on my hand really hard (piercing the skin and leaving deep bruises), even when I scruff her she doesnt let go, its quite frightening!  The other 3 are really good and just gently play nip, but I am now really scared of this youngest one.  Also when I let them out to play they just poop everywhere (not just corners), I have purchased a second litter tray as well to put in the room when they are out playing but they still poo on the carpet which is something I just cant tolerate.

Can anyone suggest any other ideas about this one nipping?  I would have thought at 8mths old it would not be doing this as it has been with another home before coming to me.

Also any suggestions about their smell, the male one I have has been neutered (but I can still smell him), I read on another forum that they smell less if fed on raw meat and not kibble, does anyone have any advise on this.

I am trying to perceiver with them and please dont hate me for sounding negative, I did do all the research I could before getting them and have spent out a lot of money on them along with their cage and toys etc.

Also when watching the utube videos and researching how cats get on with ferrets (I have two indoor cats) and the research showed that ferrets and cats get on, but my cats are really stressed by them even when the ferrets are in the cage, when I let the ferrets out I have to shut the cats out the room as the cats are terrified by them, yet my cats have been fine with other small animals.

Sorry to sound negative as I have ready loads of owners stories who absolutely love them, me being an animal lover and having owned many different animals in the past really thought I would love them, but Im not feeling the love at the moment :-(

Any possitive help would be greatly appreciated.
unclejoe
Re:Hello, new Ferret owner and a bit unsure :-( - Tuesday, November 25, 2014 2:44 PM
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brendan

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Re:Hello, new Ferret owner and a bit unsure :-( - Tuesday, November 25, 2014 9:30 PM
When I owned my first ferret I was kind of having a second thought, but you just need to understand how ferrets are. With the smell make sure there is always a clean litter box/blankets or beds and clean the cage at least once every week. For baths I recommend using kitten flea protector which is only 10$ at any pet store. Ferrets honestly don't smell bad, that is more of a myth than a fact. What smells the most is the food your feeding them... I believe unclejoe posted a food chart of the best foods for your baby's. Changing there food will give you a lot of benefits because 1) Other foods have more nutrients which means your baby will be more healthy, and 2) Better foods smell less and when their food smells less then their poops will smell less also. I would also recommend getting a tasteless mixture to put in your baby's water bottle to help their teeth stay clean. Try a mix ratio of 2 part water and 1 part of the tasteless mixture which you can also find at any pet store. Most owners believe that repeatedly bathing your ferret "helps" their smell, but actually it dry's out their skin and fur which is very bad for them. The common bathe sequence fore them is once or twice a month, but I give mine 1 every 3 weeks and she is perfectly fine. For the nipping problem give them a light flick on the nose or their behind and yell no so they will eventually get the fact that is something they cannot do. If she is a baby still she just likes to nibble and might need some chew toys or sticks, but if her biting is trying to draw blood then go with the flick in the nose issue.
[font="'courier new'; line-height: 1.4"]I hope the following information I supplied helps you in anyway possible..
Ragdoll

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Re:Hello, new Ferret owner and a bit unsure :-( - Wednesday, November 26, 2014 3:58 AM
Thank you all so much for your kind messages and not having a go at me.  

Their cage is a large two tier plastic rabbit cage so easily cleanable.  I have a litter tray in there filled with that compressed newspaper pellets (the litter recommended for ferrets), I am feeding them on James Wellbeloved kibble and the lady who had them said she feeds them raw meat around twice a week.  I did give them a bath the day after I received them as they had been travelling in a carrier for a day so had made a bit of a mess.  The oldest one (the male who is 3yrs old) has been castrated but the 3 females are all still intact.  

Is there a better dried food I should have them on (didnt have much choice in our pet shop which is Pets at Home), or what are your feelings on putting them on a raw meat diet instead, I read somewhere that it makes their toilet smell less???  Also when feeding them raw meat, what meat should I use, do you give them the bones?  I have only given them a bit of chopped up raw chicken breast so far. 

When the youngest one bites me its hard to try and put my finger back into her mouth as she has grabbed me by the back of the hand so I cant push that further into her mouth, so I then get her scruff and hold her but her bite gets harder and really hurts bringing blood so my partner has had to prize her teeth off me.  I may try the flicking of the nose next but I am now so terrified of her I dont even want to put my hand near her but guess I will have to.

The other 3 ferrets are lovely and when they get excited and play they just mouth my finger/hand without nipping so I do praise them and give them a drop of dook oil that the breeder sent me.  What other favourite treats do they like?

The breeder also gave me a couple of leads to walk them as she said one of them has been use to being walked, what are your thoughts on walking Ferrets and how hard is it to get those leads on them?

Thank you once again for your kind and helpful replies, its greatly appreciated. 
wenmister
Re:Hello, new Ferret owner and a bit unsure :-( - Wednesday, November 26, 2014 7:53 AM
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unclejoe
Re:Hello, new Ferret owner and a bit unsure :-( - Wednesday, November 26, 2014 8:22 AM
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brendan

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Re:Hello, new Ferret owner and a bit unsure :-( - Wednesday, November 26, 2014 9:17 AM
I would defiantly try the nose flicking idea it works well with their behavior. Also some ferrets get "fear bites" meaning their just not used to being around humans as often so i would recommend when you take your baby's out to play and she starts biting give her a flick and isolate her from the other ferrets just in her cage or something so she'll get the point that maybe if she stops biting you so roughly she'll have more free time. It's also common that ferrets who are more rough when there baby's ( I don't know how old yours is, just a suggestion..) become less rough and more happily active when they mature. Velcro harnesses i wouldn't choose but the ones i get for my baby's are clip proof and have a Velcro strap so its more of a double protection type technique i use. try putting their harnesses on when they're free roaming the house or playing so they will soon get used to the harness before you let them walk outside. Be very cautions of fleas, and make sure they get to feel all the different type of materials outside, mostly being concrete.  
[font="'courier new'; line-height: 1.4"]I hope the following information I supplied helps you in anyway possible..
wenmister
Re:Hello, new Ferret owner and a bit unsure :-( - Wednesday, November 26, 2014 1:54 PM
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