Logic – do ferret owners have it?

March 10, 2011 · Filed under Ferret ownership, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

Ferret
Your probably looking at the title of this blog post and thinking ‘what the hell is she on about?’.

Well, recently I have had a lot of questions on what ferrets should eat and whether they are allowed to have certain things that are OBVIOUSLY not part of a ferrets natural diet. I feel very strongly about feeding ferrets (or any animal for that matter) the right type of foods in order to keep them healthy.

As owners we have a responsibility to educate ourselves on our pets and how they function. Based on this knowledge (eg. knowing that ferrets are obligate carnivores) we should be able to make a logical decision on what we can and cannot feed our ferrets.

Sooo, when choosing foods to give to the ferrets we should encourage each other to ask the following questions (logical questions):

  • Is this food what a ferret would normally eat?
  • Is this food part of a ferrets natural diet?
  • Am I giving my ferret too many of these things lately?
  • Is this HEALTHY for my ferret?
  • How will this food affect my ferret?
  • Have I researched this food enough to know that it is good to give to the ferrets?
  • (Do you now get what I mean?)

As humans we have all grown up with treats. We all love treats but these treats are not necessarily good for us! However, we have these treats consciously knowing exactly what these treats are doing to our bodies – we make a conscious and educated decision to have them.

Albino ferret

Ferrets on the other hand will eat a certain food solely based on the fact that it tastes good (if there are any ferrets reading this blog who disagree with my observation then please leave a comment below). Ferrets would probably love to eat chocolate or other naughty things till their tummy’s explode. But we all know that chocolate and other naughty things are not healthy for them. Thus it is up to us to determine what they should and should not be having.

So please…next time you are thinking of feeding your ferret soy milk, carrots, raisins or any other food that is not part of their natural diet just stop and use your brain for a moment, think about it…do they really need this?

If you want to spoil your ferret then know that there are alternatives to food and naughty treats. You can buy them another toy, play with them for longer, take them somewhere they have never been before to explore, let them steal your smelly socks…in fact why don’t you play tug-a-war with them?!

Food is food. It is there to keep them alive and healthy. That is it. Just because us humans feel we need naughty treats does not necessarily mean ferrets need them too.

Don’t get me wrong…ferrets can have treats but make them healthy! Give them an egg yolk, a cricket, a worm or mince or a rat! There is plenty to choose from. I find that we all think of ferrets as our babies…and they are…but not literally…they are animals with different dietary needs. Please do not get confused with the two!

When feeding ferrets stop, think and be logical.

If you feel that you have learned something from this blog or if you would like to simply abuse me for being too patronizing then leave a comment below. If you are an experienced ferret owner who has noticed the same thing in regards to other owners then I would love to hear your wisdom and what you think about this – leave a comment below 🙂

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Are ferrets dangerous pets? Boy loses 7 fingers to a pet ferret.

January 13, 2011 · Filed under Ferret ownership, General ferret stuff, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , ,

Are ferrets dangerous pets?

Are ferrets dangerous pets?

Ferret owners everywhere are cringing. Ferrets reputation worsens yet again with the tragic story of an infant who lost 7 of his fingers, bitten off by the family pet.

This is a hard blow to both ferrets and ferret owners everywhere who are trying to convince others of the kind and (mostly) innocent nature of their beloved companions.

This is a tragic story from both the ferret’s and infant’s perspective and most would agree that the parents are responsible.

The parents say that they slept through the ordeal and finally woke up to the infants screams…when the ferret was chomping on the 7th finger. Really? I mean…really? Let me get this straight…so the parents are that sound asleep that:

  1. They don’t even realize that the little carpet shark is out of its cage? (Was the ferret even caged, like it should have been, particularly when there is an infant in the house)
  2. They sleep through the infants cries (from what I know about babies…they tend to cry pretty easily, they don’t normally hold back either. Also, from what I know they don’t have a very high pain tolerance! Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong in the comments below)

Now, everyone on the planet knows that ferrets have a pretty bad reputation already mainly for nipping and biting (if not properly handled!) and…everyone on the planet knows that they are not easy pets to keep or train…sooooo…..why the hell did these people get a ferret in the first place? And why was it not in a cage?

There are cases where people take in animals if they are found on the street or if someone gives one to them and they feel obliged to keep it. If this was the case then it is very unfortunate. However, is it not pretty stupid to not do at least a little bit of research on an animal you have taken into your care beforehand or while it is in your house playing around your child?

What kind of a parent are you to let an animal,you really do not know much about, be in the house with your baby (and apparently running around freely?)

Another question that has to be raised here is why was the ferret munching on a human being? Yes, ferrets can bite (if scared or feeling threatened they can bite very viciously too) but I have never, EVER heard of a ferret actually eating a human?! This is not normal ferret behavior at all!

Was this ferret starved? Did it not have any other option? What possessed it to eat a baby?

It is a shame the father killed it straight away before anyone could examine the ferret and do a behavior test on it to find out if it actually was aggressive or not. I guess this is something that we will never find out, but hopefully they will dissect the animal to find out whether it was the culprit or not…

In an article written by BethAnn Mayberry from the Examiner (please read the article, it is very interesting) she interviews Dr. Bruce Williams, DVM who enlightens us with some interesting facts:

  • “Statistics on ferrets show that a ferret is about a thousand times *less* likely to cause injury than a dog. Indeed, every year there are hundreds of very serious or fatal dog attacks in the US alone. “
  • “Worst case statistics show approximately 12 ferret attacks ever recorded in the US.”

So dogs and cats are more dangerous then ferrets? Yep.

Ferret bite

Bad ferret bite (this is normally as bad as it can get, this is even fairly rare)

This is such a tragic story, however more investigation needs to be done into the parenting (or lack of) to explain why this happened in the first place. A child and an animal are clearly the responsibility of parents. If the parents decided to bring an animal into the household they just simply should have known better (eg. do more research, make sure the baby was at all times safe, supervise the ferret while out, feeding it, actually keeping it in a cage it would not be able to get out of etc.).

Hopefully people will only see this as a once off freak event which was possibly caused through neglect of the parents, rather then just blaming the poor ferret (D.I.P little fellow) and using it as a stereotype for all ferrets and their owners.

Ferrets when properly handled make great pets and ferret owners tend to be  educated, responsible and well informed people.

Please let us know what you think about this situation in the comments section below.

If you would like to find out some more information about ferrets then please visit my website at http://www.Ferret-World.com

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Free Ferret-World.com Calendar for 2011!

January 4, 2011 · Filed under Ferret health, Ferret life enrichment, Ferret ownership, General ferret stuff, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , ,

Hi guys!
I felt like doing something super special for all ferret people this year and came up with this educational and fun ferret calendar.
Anyone can get a FREE copy of this ferret calendar right now!
All you have to do is:
  • click on the link below
  • download the calendar off Slideshare
  • print your copy of the calendar in the comfort of your own home (or at work).
  • You will probably notice that some of the images are upside down, this has been done to make the printing process easier for you (however you may still need to play around with your printer to get it right).
  • Depending on your printer’s settings, you may need to flip the pages manually or if you have a really good printer then you may already have the option of printing it double sided.
I really hope you like it! Let me know what you think or whether you need any help with the printing process.
P.S. If you like it then please let you friends know about it. Who wouldn’t want something for free? 🙂

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Ferret ownership – Job description

December 28, 2010 · Filed under Ferret ownership, General ferret stuff, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

Is a ferret for you?

▌Detailed Job Description

Job title: Farent (Ferret Parent/Owner)/ Flave (Ferret Slave)

Reporting to: Fuzzbutts (Ferret/s)

Salary: Forget it! Your the one who is going to be forking out the money!

Hours: Min 2hrs- 4hrs/ day

Location: Your place/ your backyard/ your local park/ any nook and cranny they can get into…etc

Purpose of the position

To provide a loving and caring home to a crazy little ferret and then most probably adopt another one…then another…then another…then another…etc.

To always keep them happy and entertained, fed, watered, healthy, take them to the vet when needed and always look out for their welfare.  Love them no matter what chaos they cause, including things like: nipping, pooping accidents, stealing and hiding things you really need, getting into your rubbish bins and scattering rubbish all over the place, stealing your heart etc…

Responsibilities & duties

▌Responsibility 1 – Keep the cage/ sleeping area clean and tidy

Work standard:

  • Litter tray must be cleaned on a daily basis to maintain proper hygiene levels and to reduce smell.
  • Bedding needs to be washed on a weekly or fortnightly basis to reduce smell.
  • Wipe cage down on a daily basis – for the same reasons…
  • This responsibility should take up from 0.5hr to 1.5hrs depending on the size of the cage and number of ferrets being cared for.

▌Responsibility 2 – Feed and keep them hydrated

Work standard:

  • Educate yourself on what ferrets should and should not eat to keep them healthy and provide them with a high quality of life.
  • Feed the ferrets a healthy diet on a daily basis.
  • Always monitor your ferrets water consumption and replenish when needed so that they have fresh water at all times.
  • Monitor their eating and drinking patterns to make sure they are healthy and notice when something is not right.

▌Responsibility 3 – Keep their little intelligent minds stimulated

Work standard – Ferret Enrichment:

  • Play with ferrets for a few hours each day to grow a loving and trusting bond between you.
  • Always come up with new fun games to keep them interested, you can check out homemade ferret toys to make cheap toys!
  • Take them for excursions and road trips to take them out of their comfort zones so that they can explore the world and have lots of fun in different places. This stimulates and expands their minds.

▌Responsibility 4 – Lots of TLC and always further your education on ferrets to be a responsible ferret owner.

Work standard – LOVE THY FERRET:

  • Love your ferret no matter what trouble or mischief it may cause.
  • Love thy ferret for being a ferret and do not try to change it in any way shape or form eg. de-clawing and de-scenting (although some ferrets already come descented…unfortunately). Know that a ferret is supposed to be: a bit smelly, nippy (unless trained properly), crazy and very energetic and a MEAT EATER!
  • Learn and keep educating yourself about ferrets. There is a lot of misconceptions and misleading information about them out there so be sure you are educated enough to tell the right from the wrong…
  • The love and education are long term commitments for the entire lifespan of the ferret.

Academic & trades qualifications

Essential Desirable
No specific qualifications needed, however a desire to further learn about ferrets is essential. Read articles on 

http://www.Ferret-World.com
Become a part of Ferret-World on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/FerretWorld
Subscribe to the Ferret-World Youtube channel at http://www.YouTube.com/PartyFerret 

Work experience & skills

Essential Desirable
A love for animals Previous animal care and ownership
Education on ferrets before purchase and adoption
Contact with ferrets before purchase eg. through ferret welfare society

Personal qualities & behavioural traits

Essential Desirable
Patience , Caring and loving nature, great sense of humour, Quirky personality
Attention to detail

Employee Signature__________________________________________Date________________

Manager Signature___________________________________________Date________________

Performance review period: Everyday for the rest of the ferrets lives

Next review date__________________________

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Loosing a ferret friend – it never gets any easier…

December 2, 2010 · Filed under General ferret stuff, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

Ferret looking into the sun

Dook In Peace

When you loose a ferret it crushes you! You can’t believe that they are gone never to come back. It is amazing what an effect a small animal can have on a human…

A ferret’s personality is electrifying and you get infected with their joy and happiness. In a way, when they pass it is like they take that magic power with them and you feel empty. You have lost a great companion and cherished friend.

How do you get over your loss?

It is always important to remember all the love, joy and happiness your ferret brought you. Think about all the great times both of you had together and cherish those memories.

Another great thing to do is to ask yourself the question…Would your ferret want you to be crying and sad for too long? Probably not. The chances are they would have much rather seen you be happy, just as they always were.

Also, know that you probably gave your ferret a great life and they would have been really happy to spend their time with you…I’m sure you spoilt him/her rotten! No matter what circumstances they passed away under I am sure you did the best you could with the little fuzzy throughout their life. So don’t feel guilty (although I know this can be hard at first).

There is always a positive side to a negative experience

I know it’s hard to think of any positives, especially after such a big feeling of loss. However, if you choose to think of the flip side you may actually see a few positives from this experience too.

  • One less ferret to take care off – as horrible as this might seem, sometimes it is nice to have a bit of a break from cleaning poop and changing their bedding (this is more for people with one ferret).
  • Your bond will grow stronger with your other fuzzies – if you have more ferrets, you will find that the love you had for the ferret that passed away has to go somewhere and your other ferrets will be the ones to benefit from it.
  • Different ferret dynamic – sometimes you will find that the dynamic might change and that one of your ferrets that was more distant from you might become closer to you.
  • Maybe another ferret needs your help more – your ferret had a great life but perhaps he died for a reason…perhaps there is another ferret out there that will need your tender loving care more?
  • Your bond with your family/ partner may become stronger – lets face it…ferrets do need a lot of time and attention. Perhaps now you will spend more time with your human family and strengthen your bond.
  • Your keys won’t go missing – you will never be late to work again! Oh wait…maybe that’s not necessarily such a good thing…

As hard as it may be, always try to see both perspectives and both sides to an experience (both negative and positive) as this will help level out your emotions and let you move on without excess heartache. It is never easy though, in time you will look back on your time together, smile and be grateful for the opportunity you had to have that wonderful little fuzzbutt in your life.

If you would like to do something special for your little friend then you can always build them a memorial page on the Dook In Peace (D.I.P) page on the Ferret-World website. It is a nice way to say goodbye and share their story with other fuzzy owner who may be going through the same thing.

If you have recently lost a ferret and have any suggestions on how to make yourself feel better under these circumstances or have anything else to add to this blog then feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks.

Useful Links:

Baby Ferret Pictures

Ferret Fun

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Ferret play time – Let’s have fun!

December 1, 2010 · Filed under Ferret life enrichment, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

It is no secret that ferret’s love to have fun! They will dook, jump, pounce, war dance, run into, fall off, fall into things and anything else their little imaginations can come up with.

Ferret playtime

Ferrets playing

Ferrets will do anything to have a good time and they are always keen to get you to be a part of the fun too…after all, the more the merrier!

Ferret play time is a time of joy and happiness for all involved, so how do you contribute to playtime?

Ferret’s need to be mentally stimulated during play time

Ferrets are extremely intelligent creatures, which get bored easily… therefore they are not satisfied with just being outside of their cage. They need more!

If you observe them carefully you will find that their little minds are constantly thinking about what they can do next. You can just see them thinking about it…it is very amusing.

Don’t expect your ferret to be satisfied with the same playtime routine over and over again. They need to have their little brains stimulated and stretched with new and exciting things so that they can be happy! Try coming up with some homemade ferret toys.

Your involvement during ferret playtime

Most fuzzies will love you to join them during ferret playtime, they will often tease you, pounce on you or run from you hoping that you will chase them. Don’t just stand there…get involved!

Playing with your ferrets will:

  • Stimulate their minds because you will come up with some fun, creative games!
  • Strengthen your bond – they will wuv you vewy vewy much!
  • Gives you and your ferret some good exercise and boost’s both your endorphin levels (making you happy)!
  • Make you laugh! They honestly do the craziest things, it’s like they go out of their way to put a smile on your face…little clowns.

So make sure you spend the time to play with your ferrets! They deserve to have as much fun as possible and so do you!

I would love to find out how you entertain your ferret during playtime, what games do you play? Let me know in the comments section below .

Dook! Dook!

Useful Links:

Baby Ferret Pictures

Ferrets As Pets

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Ferrets need plenty of love!

November 29, 2010 · Filed under Ferret health, Ferret life enrichment, General ferret stuff, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

How important is it to provide your ferrets with love?

Stroking your ferret

Binxi ferret receiving the loving attention she deserves

The reason I ask this question is because a friend of mine told me about an experiment that was done on two bunnies. One bunny was given a diet full of nutrition and vitamins and left alone while the other was given a poorer diet but plenty of love.

The surprising thing is that the bunny that had an optimal diet and no love died well before the other bunny.

As horrible as this experiment sounds (I wish I could have given that poor bunny some TLC!) it only highlights the importance of LOVE. All living beings whether it be humans, cats, birds or  ferrets thrive on tender loving care!

How do you show your ferrets you love them?

Different ferret owners have different ways of showing their ferrets they love them. Some give their ferrets food treats, spoil them with toys, others give their ferrets hugs and kisses.

Just remember that although it is ok to give your ferrets the occasional food treat it is not necessarily a sign of love. In fact many owners give ferrets food treats such as raisins, fruit, vegies, sweets and other human food thinking that they are just showing their ferrets how much they love them, when they are in fact doing more damage than good.

Always remember that there is only one real universal language of love and that is… touch. When you touch someone or something in a loving and caring way it is like a positive energy jumps from one body to another. The more you play, hug, stroke and spoil your ferrets with kisses the more loved they will feel!

So forget the unhealthy treats (it could make them sick) and don’t worry about spoiling your ferrets with too m

any toys (thankfully ferrets can find and steal their own!) all they really need is someone they can trust, love and play with…so you better make that person YOU!

How do you show your ferret/s you love them? If you have anything you would like to add then leave me a comment below.

Useful links:

Healthy Ferret Food

Homemade Ferret Toys


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Welcome to the new Ferret-World blog.

November 29, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged ,

Hello everyone! Welcome to the new blog.

I plan to write about any additional ferret insights that I may think about or discover.

I am always open for topic suggestions…so if there is something that you would like me to research and write about then please let me know.

Welcome and I hope you enjoy this blog.

Thanks! Dook Dook!

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Hello world!

May 13, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

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