FerretZone.com

Head on over to our forum and post a picture of your ferret!

Also, we will be alternating the picture on the home page with some of your submissions.  What a great way for your ferret to show off his or her greatest act of fuzzy nonsense!

We here at FerretZone, and our readers, have a special relationship with our ferrets.  Losing any pet can be an extremely difficult time for everyone on the family.   We would like to give our readers a chance to memorialize their pet ferrets that have moved on to the great hammock in the sky.

Check out the Memorials section in our forum and add a picture and tell us about your friend.

Ferret Smell & Odor – 4 Tips to Deal With Your Ferret’s Smell
By Seth Evans

They are funny. They are animated. And they smell. Yes, ferrets do have a distinct odor that makes them different from the other pets. They really do not stink as what others may assume but they have a “musky or cheap perfume smell” which some pet lovers do not like. If you are persistent on keeping your ferret, here are some ways on how to make then smell like flowers…well, almost.

Bathe Less Yes, you’ve read it right. Do not bathe your ferrets often. Doing so will only make their coat drier, thus producing more skin oil from their scent glands. The more often you bathe them, the more oil will be produced, the worse their smell will become. Bathe them at least once every two to three months or when they are already too dirty. Making use of shampoo that is specially made for ferrets would be better for your pet.

Keep ‘em clean Cut down the odor by cleaning the cage and washing the beddings. Usually the musk odor sticks to the beddings, in the cloth, on the litter, around your house but not exactly on the ferret itself. Don’t use air fresheners because these might irritate your pets and cause an unexpected allergic reaction. An alternative would be by using scented candles when you have visitors. Vacuum at least thrice a month and also include the place where your ferrets play on, in or under.

Ear ye! Ear ye! After making sure that their sleeping area is clean, it’s time to check the ears. Ferret earwax also contribute to the musky scent. Clean your ferret’s ears once a week. As part of good hygiene, it prevents ear mites and other problems in plaguing your pet. The best product to use in removing the waxy, smelly debris would be a product specially designed for ferrets.

Eat Right A poor-quality diet will result to an extra-stinky elimination. Foods with a lot of “preservatives, artificial colors and flavors and low-quality fats” will make your house smell worse than usual. One way of preventing this is by focusing on a diet with “32% protein, 18% fat and a maximum of 3% fiber”. Never give your ferrets canned food or dog food.

Seth Evans is ferret enthusiast, if you would like more great information on how to rid your Ferret Smell & Odor please visit http://www.ferrets-as-pets.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Seth_Evans
http://EzineArticles.com/?Ferret-Smell-and-Odor—4-Tips-to-Deal-With-Your-Ferrets-Smell&id=2336315

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A lot of people contact us wondering what they could do or use to play with their ferret. Ferrets are very interactive pets and there are lots of things you can do to keep your pets happy.

Basically anything that stimulates your ferrets natural instincts of hunting and digging works well. A box of styrofoam peanuts or rice to dig and hide. Chasing your ferret around the room and letting it chase you is a great idea. (And a lot of fun too!)

Here are some other products that your fuzzies may enjoy:

My ferrets love playing with Kongs. Discovered this by accident because I had originally bought one for my Chihuahua, but since the ferrets kept carrying it off, the dog never really got to play with it. Ferrets love biting the soft, nontoxic rubber material, and it seems to distract them from chewing on electrical cords, remote control buttons, shoes, etc, etc, etc. And since it bounces much like a football, I like tossing the kong and watching my ferrets go crazy trying to catch it.



This is a great toy and since each ball makes a different noise, your ferret won’t be able to resist. Sure ping pong balls work too, but they just aren’t as fancy!



I love these crackle tunnels, and so do my ferrets. They love to jump up and down on it and play hide and seek in it. These things are a lot of fun!



Of course, the Dummies series. This book has a lot of good ideas for toys and activities.

Ferrets are very interactive animals, much like cats and dogs, and should have plenty of toys to play with by themselves or with their owners.

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Ferrets seem to have a two-thought process when it comes time to potty. Number 1: “I need to potty.“ Number 2: “There’s the closest corner, it looks like a nice place!“. Although your ferret will never be 100% consistent and will have the occasional accident, with a little work and patience ferrets can be litter trained.

Begin by obtaining a stable litter pan that has a low edge and a high back. The pan will need to be low enough in the front to allow easy access and high enough in the back so your ferret won’t overshoot the box when it backs in. The pan will also need to be firmly attached to the side of the cage to avoid being moved or tipped over. Ferrets will probably slide a moveable litter pan out of the way and do their business in the corner of the cage. There are several commercially available litter pans for ferrets, so check your local pet store.

To reinforce the idea that the litter pan is a potty area, place a small amount of litter in the pan. If your ferret doesn’t seem to be catching on quickly, use a litter box that covers two corners or half the size of the cage and keep lots of toys and bedding in the rest of the cage area.

Fortunately, ferrets almost always pick a corner to potty in and will rarely leave a mess in the middle of the floor. The best thing to do in the room your ferret will play in is place litter pans in several corners of the room. Your ferret will likely not travel far from where it’s standing to potty, so having several pans will keep accidents at a minimum. If you start to notice your ferret returning to the same spot to potty, you might consider moving a litter pan to that area.

You may also consider using newspaper in corners or where litter pans just won’t work. This is a good idea especially if you have cats in the house as cats generally will use a litter pan and not newspaper.

Before taking the ferret out of the cage, wake it up and let it wander inside the cage for a few minutes. Another good idea is to take the ferret out and hold it for a minutes and then place it back in the cage so it will do it’s business.

Keep an eye on the ferret while it is out and place it in a litter pan if you see it back into a corner. Allowing them to be out of the cage for 2-3 hours and placing them back in their cage is also a good idea.

Since ferrets aren’t likely to use the litter pan if it is too dirty, regularly scoop and clean it with a mild soap.

Ferrets are delicate creatures and your choice of litter is important. Dusty litters and clay litter can be harmful to your ferret. The clay may cause a clog in your ferrets throat or nose, or get into the ferrets anal opening and cause a blockage. Pellets and dust free litters work better and are safer than dusty clays.

Never yell or strike a ferret for having an accident as it will not understand the purpose of this discipline. Remember that the best policy when litter training your ferret is patience and repetition.

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CA Wire: In effort to legalize domestic ferrets in California, PETCO shoppers encouraged to save receipts : Fri, 29 May 2009 AddThis

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A lot of people ask the question: Is it better to have only one ferret, two, or maybe more.   Of course the first qualifier to this answer is how much time and money you have to spend on your little guys.  After all, a good quality ferret food can be fairly expensive.  They also frequently require rather expensive treatments and surgeries. Otherwise, is it The More The Merrier?

Although I would love to have a house full of the little critters, I currently have two ferrets and feel like it’s the perfect number for me.  Even when I’m not playing with them myself, just watching them war dance with each other is absolutely hilarious! Never gets old.  They are also a lot more active together than when I had only one since they can keep themselves entertained very well!

Now, there’s nothing wrong with owning one ferret, especially if you want to get that one-on-one bonding experience with your little guy.  And since ferrets can be high maintainence pets, owning one may be more suitable for you. 

Lets hear from some of you.  How many ferrets does it take to make a happy home?

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Fun Ferret Games
By Scott Reinheart

Even though your ferret will spend hours a day sleeping in his cage; that in no way means that he is a “cage pet.” On the contrary, ferrets need to be out and playing when they are not sleeping in order to rid themselves of all that energy. Ferrets are a lively bunch that will get into anything and everything in an attempt to stimulate the senses. They are too intelligent of an animal to lie around all day or spend too much time in the cage. Leaving your ferret in a cage, or alone too much can cause behavior problems or even depression.

The best thing you can do as a ferret owner is play with your ferret. Because of their natural tendency to be a bit hyper, a ferret needs to play 4 hours a day. Any game you can make up to play with your ferret will undoubtedly be met with excitement. Having more than one ferret can also be good because then they can play ferret games with one another while you are busy. Watching your pets play their feisty ferret games can be endlessly entertaining!

As you get to know the wild world of ferrets, you will see that these animals will happily play with just about anything. While some adore their store bought toys such as tunnels or jingly balls; others prefer home-made toys like paper towel or toilet paper rolls. If you offer these to your ferret for play, just be sure to cut them lengthwise so they are still shaped like a tube but your ferret cannot get stuck in them.

A favorite in ferret play is something that requires no toys at all – it’s simply a lively game of chase! If you have more than one ferret, or your ferret has befriended the family cat, you will see plenty of chasing going on between them. But even if your ferret has another pet to play his ferret games with, he will also readily play them with you. You can hide behind a door and then chase your ferret around the room when he comes to find you. He is likely to return the antics by chasing you back to where you came from.

Ping pong balls are a popular play item for ferrets. Many owners report that their pet ferrets play with ping pong balls by pushing them all over the room with their noses. So popular are these balls with ferrets that the animal will remain engaged in ping pong ferret games for long periods of time!

Your ferret will play with anything that attracts his natural tendencies. Hunting is something that comes natural to a ferret, so finding a toy that is attached to a string will induce hours of play. Drag the toy across the floor and watch as your pet “hunts” it down and carries it off. Ferrets also love to dig. You can foster his need for digging by creating a special box filled with sand and potting soil or rice and hiding his favorite toys inside. Your ferret will revel in digging messily though the box to find his toys. If your pet doesn’t immediately understand the point of this ferret game, try dabbing a small amount of a moist treat on each buried toy to get his attention. When he comes up with his toy, praise him. He’ll get the idea very quickly!

Scott Reinheart is a ferret enthusiast and author. He resides in Centerville, MD. He spends his time teaching others how to raise and properly care for ferrets. For more tips on ferret behaviors, visit his site by clicking here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Reinheart
http://EzineArticles.com/?Fun-Ferret-Games&id=2384111

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