OK now that I'm on a computer, just a few major things people really don't normally think about...
A) Cage - I'd suggest a FN, but other cages can do. Rascal lived in 2 rabbit cages side by side for the first 2 1/2 years of his life, and he was fine. After that, he was moved into
a cage similar to this. He lived in a cage like that for about 2 1/2-3 years, I think. As long as you plan on giving plenty out of cage time, a smaller cage is fine
b) Location - Location location location. If at all possible, you want your ferret's cage somewhere where they will get natural sunlight, and as little artificial light at possible. If not possible, putting a cover over the cage, and lots of blankets in sleeping areas will suffice.
c) Bedding - Ferrets loooooove bedding. Personally, I love cat beds for my guys, and they love them too. Lots and lots of blankets to burrow in -- I use burping blankets for babies, dollar stores usually have fleece blankets for $1.25 that work really well too. I use lots of fleece for the winter, since it's warmer than the cotton burping blankets. HAMMOCKS. I've never had a ferret who dislikes hammocks. Again, I like to get covered ones (cubes, cute designed ones (like I have a monkey one... and a banana one). If they are not covered, I just throw a blanket or two on it so they can hide under it.
D) Outside the home - Ferrets really do love to be outside. Of course, safety is #1 concern. Keep an eye out for dogs and cats. I highly suggest getting a simple h-harness,
like this. Stay away from the jacket harnesses, such as
this style unless you can try them on in the store. The sizes are all messed up, and most of them, the "ferret size" is HUGE. You want to get a carrier, as a safe spot for your ferret, and so they can have somewhere to be for vet visits and such. I have both a soft sided one from Costco, and a hard large cat carrier. I also have a front pouch style carrier, meant for small dogs. Each of them has their use.
E) Veterinary Care! - Ferrets are indeed expensive buggers. Before getting a ferret, you want to find a veterinarian that knows ferrets. Don't take their word that they know ferrets -- a lot of times, knowing ferrets means they learned something about them, in veterinary school. Look for a vet that deals with exotics, and ask them the tough questions... what they do for Insulinoma, Adrenal, how many ferrets they have as clients, etc. You want to get Rabies and Distemper vaccines separate visits, if you get them. I highly suggest at least getting rabies vaccines. Distemper vaccine is important if they go outside a lot (I don't think Allie does Distemper shots since her guys mainly stay in her backyard, but I may be wrong. My guys get it as they are out in the bushes with me a lot) on property other than your own. Rabies vaccine
will save your ferrets life if it were to bite somebody.
All ferrets will bite. People say "oh yah, my ferret has never bitten before", but they are animals, and it
will happen. Renegade has bitten -- not seriously, but he has bitten. Even Harley, who does therapy visits, will bite if provoked or if she is in pain. Annual visits are VERY important. Ferrets will not let you know they are sick until it is too late.
I highly suggest having a safety net built up. Medication *is* expensive. It costs me $85 yearly per ferret, just for their annual visit, Rabies and Distemper vaccines. A few other numbers to think about... *Disclaimer: These are off the top of my head, and these are based off vets in Ottawa. May differ by location*
Deslorelin implant (Implant used for treatment of symptoms of Adrenal Disease): $153, good for 18-24 months depending on Ferret
Prednisone (used for a variety of diseases, main drug for Insulinoma treatment): $53 for 30 days worth
Diazoxide (used once Prednisone stops working in Insulinoma treatment): $150 for 100mL (lasts about 3 months)
Surgery: Depending on what the surgery is for. Ranges from $500 (very basic surgery.. removing non-cancerous growth from tip of tail) to $5000+ (I believe it's around $2000 for Adrenal Disease treatment, $3500 minimum for hairball or object obstruction)
Metronidazole: $25 for 25mL (for one round of treatment of diarrhea)
Amoxicillan: $25 for 100mL bottle (Cannot get a smaller amount, as it is made in 100mL batches as needed. For most stomach ailments)
Those are just the "normal" things. I easily spent $5000 in 3
months attempting to keep Rogue alive... and he ended up dying anyway. I don't even want to think about what I spent on vet bills for Rascal. Renegade got sick once, with salmonella and E. Coli poisoning... easily spent $500 on him then).
F) Food - The big question. There is a lot of controversy about this one. Ferrets are
obligate carnivores. This means that anything that is not meat, is not digested. It comes out the same way it comes in. There is absolutely no nutrients taken from it. Allie and I are both big believers of a grain-free diet. Grain-free lowers the chances of cancers, especially Insulinoma. As far as ferret foods go... there is EVO, and there is Zupreem grain-free. 8 in 1 ULTIMATE (NOT the 8 in 1 you can buy at Walmart) is a good food if you absolutely must feed grains (as well as the original Zupreem). EVO tends to be too rich for ferrets, especially if you get an older ferret that wasn't started on EVO.
Personally, I feed grain-free kitten or all-stage cat food. It's so important to feed a mix of foods, 1) because nobody really knows WHAT ferrets need and 2) so if a food is unavailable, you will not have a problem getting them to eat another food. Ferrets are imprinted as kits as to what is food and what isn't. It's much more difficult to get an older ferret to transition to another food than a young ferret. Of course, there is always raw feeding, and I can point you to a good forum that will help you start that out if you so wish
I don't do it because Renegade is allergic to meat -- I have done it before, before I knew he had so many allergies.
G) Vitamins. There are tons of things on the market for ferrets. Really, the only good thing, is FerreTone. I highly suggest it, it will make life so much easier. FerretVite and FerretLax is good, but only a small amount as a treat every so often. They are filled with sugars, and sugars cause Insulinoma. I highly suggest putting the ferret on a dose of Melatonin from the get-go. It will help prevent Adrenal Disease, and you'll easily get them to take it if they do get sick. It's like $5 for a pack of 30 pills or something like that at Walmart. I have the 3mg pills, and give 0.5mg (1/6 of a pill) per ferret. As a preventative, I'd give it 2 times a week,
7-9 hours after sunrise. I just put a drop of water to dissolve it, put some ferretone, and let them drink it up from a spoon.
LOL well I've written a novel... and sadly have more to say
but I'm tired, so I'll leave it at that for now
