We found a ferret

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tontoandtigger

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yesterday whilst walking her dogs my mum came across a ferret, it ran upto her and was making a fuss of her but becouse she had two dogs with her she coundnt do very much. she put her dogs back in the car and went back but couldnt find it. this morning she had another look but no sign. we went back this afternoon and spent a good while looking and calling when it appeared and ran towards us again.(very rural area with no houses so we think it was dumped.) we had taken a fabric bag and towel and it happily climbed in and curled up in the towel. so now we have a ferret!!!! we have borrowed a cage and bought some ferret food as my mum feels a responsibility for it. (we couldnt have just left it.) we have the number of the local ferrit rescue and mums going to call them later but would like any info anyone can give any tips about keeping them . good and bad experiences welcome.
thanks for taking time to read .
also anyone got old hutch they dont want ?
 
Would be taking it to the vet for a check. Might not have had any injections and if it bites you anything could happen... They would also be good for advising you on where to go from here i imagine.

Sounds lovely though, and like a really nice personality. My friend had ferrets for a while and they were so funny :D

They can be very very smelly if you don't clean the hutch etc out loads though.
 
They like quite confined spaces, something like a 4 or 6 inch drainpipe or maybe a small cardboard box with an access hole.

I don't know too much about them, but I used to fly my hawk with a guy who had a pair. I like them, they are intelligent little beasties.

Good luck.
 
I kept ferrets, two of which we found that had probably been lost by people rabitting but they were never claimed.

If your ferret is a Jill then it will need a Jill jab from the vet or mating/neutering as a female that isn't mated can die, some people keep vasectomised males for this purpose if they don't want baby ferrets every year. We also had our male ferret done so he was a hobble rather than a hob

It sounds as if your ferret is a friendly well handled little soul, they are great pets, but a bit pongy!
 
NeilM said:
They like quite confined spaces, something like a 4 or 6 inch drainpipe or maybe a small cardboard box with an access hole.

I don't know too much about them, but I used to fly my hawk with a guy who had a pair. I like them, they are intelligent little beasties.

Good luck.
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Ahhh a fellow falconer :)
 
They are inquisitive little furries, quite easy to look after I would say. They don't require any injections unless as a girl to stop seasons?
Some ferret food and water is pretty much what they need, and something cosey to snuggle and sleep in - mine have fleecy hammocks but a fleecey jumper or towel will do the job. if it hasn't bitten you yet, hopefully it's quite tame! I assume you know whether it is a hob or a jill (boy or girl) and if it has it's 'bits'... if you keep it you'll probably want rid of them :D
They are quite intelligent and learn, mine come when called and do tricks.
They are carnivores, so do not digest vegetable type things too well, but the odd raisin is very appreciated :)
They should have their claws clipped to avoid them being too long, mine lap up cat milk and let me do it with baby nail clippers.
It may well also have ticks...
 
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they eat most things meat wise, cat food may give them the runs which trust me you wont want to be sniffing! they are like skunks in that they have scent glands, as well as being a bit stinky if scared etc they can give you a nasty wiff.

Generally really friendly and very active, some love water, and a good swim, sad but true.. you can buy ferret harnesses so you can take your new beastie for a walk LOL

the brown ones are generally crossed with polecates, yellows etc are the real deal,

latin name Mustela Putoris Furo... which i think meens bad smelling something.. shall i shut up now LOL .. :D
 
They also need plenty of exercise and running about the place. Get on the Internet - there's lots of info about them on there. How do I know? We found one. too! A little polecat hob, still with his nads. Hadn't got time for another pet so took him to a rescue.
 
Yes, a Harris Hawk for several years. Still miss him, he was a great character.

Easy to keep and fly in comparison to a falcon. I'll have one of them when I win the lotto :D
 
thanks to all who have replied. mum has just been out to check ferret and its fast to sleep. she is going to find something for it to have as abed in the morning.we put loads of bedmax in with it. i think its probably had a stressful 24hrs or so. i have found and bought a used ferret cage from someone not too far from us and hope to collect friday or saturday. then i think we will just give it some time. i have no idea if its male or female or if its had anything done!!!(if you get my meaning). will try and get it to the vet in a weeks time. dont want to put it under anymore stress. i just cant understand someone just leaving the poor thing. surely they could have gone back as we have done and found it. the poor thing was so desperate for someone to take it and it climbed into the open cloth bag of it own free will. i just couldnt leave an animal like that.
maybe i am just a softy!!!
thanks again will let you know what happens. just got to think of a name ???
 
Ah how lovely, what colour is it? They are very sociable creatures and very intelligent. They need company and stimulation and can't be just left in a cage all day like a rabbit. Also great at escaping and have no homing instinct so make sure he can't get out unsupervised. They make the best pets and the only down side is the smell!
 
I'm a ferret - fanatic :D

You can get lots of ferret stuff off the internet, or at Pets at Home. They are best fed on dry ferret food (I use James Wellbeloved) so you know they are getting the right vit and mins, and plenty of fresh water. My girls sleep most of the time, in furry material and old clothes (no hay here), but we have set playtimes in the morning and evening, where anything goes - towel surfing is the favourite, closely followed by getting the insoles out of wellies whilst being timed.

They help me sort washing, we time them running up the stairs, they play with the dogs by nipping their toes, they are partial to raisins, they enjoy helping to sweep, love their cheap plastic tunnel off ebay, go bonkers for squeaky toys (may sound like a baby ferret ?) and love to lick you in return for tummy tickles. They also enjoy trips out on their harnesses, but we only walk about one foot every 15 minutes, so be warned !!

One of my girls is neutered, the other isn't, so has a Jill jab every may/june. Other than basic health care, they do not need jabs.





Any help, just PM me, and I'll try my best !!! sm x
 
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somethingorother said:
Would be taking it to the vet for a check. Might not have had any injections and if it bites you anything could happen...
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Ferrets don't require any injections like rabbits, dogs etc.

Just give him a bath (they are very good) give him a flea spray with what ever you use for the dogs (I frontline both my dogs and ferrets)

Get him a normal cat litter tray with litter and you will prob find he will just start using it if not put a little bit of his poop in there to encourage him - Ferrets are very clean animals.

Don't feed him dairy (although this being said mine do like to drink the last mouthful of tea from my cup occasionally!)

If its a female (a Jill) it will need to be neutered as females come into season and don't come out until they have mated, this can cause them to become very very ill. If he's a male (A Hob) he will smell better if he's neutered but its not a life threatening thing like with females.

Bring him in the house!! They love to run around and mine are really good with the dogs - only make sure you move any rubber dog toys as they have a fetish for rubber and cant pass it - one of mine chewed on a rubber dog bone and became ill and had to be put on a drip and all sorts :(

As a treat they love cat food :)

Have fun with your new baby!!
 
NeilM said:
Yes, a Harris Hawk for several years. Still miss him, he was a great character.

Easy to keep and fly in comparison to a falcon. I'll have one of them when I win the lotto :D
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I cheated a bit there, flew other people's birds, I used to work on one of the American air bases keeping the runways clear of birds.
 
Also apperently the smell of them scares away mice and rats. My friend used to let hers run around her stable now and then to keep it mousey free. Don't know if it is true or not but there were never any mice in there that we saw :D
 
Had a ferret Jospeh for over 6 years, he was a lovely character, but because he was wasn't neurtered he stank to high heaven, but he did love having a bath? Took great delight being chased up the stairs and use to hide under the bath or under the bed and nipping my OH ears when he climbed up on the sofia. We kept him out side in his own run, one day I forgot to fasten it and next morning we heard the cat flap rattle as we were still in bed, thought nothing of it just one of the cats going out, next thing Joseph on the bed, wanting to play and his breakfast, still have a chuckle about it and he's been dead over 10 years.:):)
 
I love our fuzzbutts, (2 year olds name for them, sort of stuck) we have four polecats. They make excellent pets as you can walk them, they love to play under towels in tubes etc, ours love playing in an inch or so of water in the bath, a good rub with a towel and a blow dry! They do smell, mostly the boys, but it is better on th commercial food as it contains a deodoriser. A regular check with the vet is wise as they do get problems like most little animals.
Have fun, you know you have a happy ferret when you see the weasel war dance! (trust me you'll know it when you see it)
 
Ah can't go wrong with a ferret! I have 7 of the litttle beasties including a new jill who I'm pretty sure is pregnant!! The only one of mine who is nasty was given to me as a stray, he was found wandering through the village and nobody claimed him but given how he can bite I'm not surprised!!

I was always told they were obligate carnivores ie only ate meat but the first ferret I had, my beloved Funky, refused to eat meat but was very partial to a biscuit, salad, cake in fact anything he could steal! He would eat ferret food but the only fresh meat he would eat were the mealworms I feed to the lizard. He was a truly lovely ferret who lived loose in the house. He lived very happily alongside scatty Dalmatian, even sleeping alongside him in bed.

Agree with what everyone else has said -intelligent, nosy, playful, clean and affectionate animals.

Walking on leads is as a bit of a nightmare - partly because they can squirm and wriggle and get out of most harnesses and also because you end up following where they lead, usually under ir through things where you don't really want to go.

Your little ferret must have been so scared - he/she has obviously been well looked after for it to have come so readily to you. They don't usually travel great distances as they get side-tracked and end up going round in circles! Although its lucky you found it it would be sad if someone is missing it, have you asked around and looked in local papers and sites like Preloved? But well done your Mum for going back and finding it.
 
hi, just wanted to let you all know that we have picked up cage and taken ferret to our local rescue people. they have been very helpful and got rid of any ticks and put on flea stuff also gave advise on handling and feeding.
so very good also did claws for us . i feel a bit more confident handling now.

OH YES WE HAVE A LITTLE GIRL not very old but fully grown(could be preggers) but will have to wait and see and deal with if it happens, no point in worrying about something you cant do anything about!!!! . havent got a name yet.
thanks very much to all who have answered.
 
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