Chloe looks like my smallest ferret, Kali, and judging by the posts she is just as inquisitive. I’ve been chatting with the Tim, the owner of Vitamins & Stuff and I realized that although I’ve written how cute they are I really haven’t talked too much about how challenging it can be to own, or be owned by a ferret.

I’ll be working a series that focuses on the challenges one can face as a ferret owner. Although I love my ferrets, a lot it’s not easy owning them and I don’t think everyone is cut to be a ferret owner. Recently, I faced a situation where someone I knew purchased a ferret without knowing too much about them. To say that annoyed me was an understatement. How can a person purchase an animal when they aren’t knowledgeable about them? It’s that mentality that leads to neglected animals. I thought it was appropriate to post this link of those animals that were no longer wanted. Check out ferret rescues from Rocky’s Ferret Rescue & Shelter. All of my ferrets were adopted from Rocky’s Ferret Rescue & Shelter.

Naturally I’m hoping all goes well with the newly purchased ferret; however, I cannot help but think this was something that should have been thought about a little bit more. I have a Shih Tzu that in our home. It was an emotional purchase. I tried to tell my sister-in-law how much work they could be, but she didn’t listen to a word I said. A few months later Mr. Bentley started visiting us for a few months at a time. It was obvious she didn’t want it anymore finally I told her if Mr. Bentley was to come in our hose again he wouldn’t be leaving. Mr. B has been a member of our home for almost two years.

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Albino ferret, Indra

Isn’t my albino ferret, Indra, adorable? Indra is the king of ferret relaxation. This ferret photo was taken this past October. I take my ferrets outside often. They have a huge playpen to play in. One of the first things my ferret Indra does when he is outside is roll around in the sweet smelling grass. I can almost see him grinning as he gazes up at me. It’s nice to see him content. He is a lot different than the shy ferret I brought home from Rocky’s Ferret Rescue & Shelter.

I cannot say enough good things about Rocky’s Ferret Rescue & Shelter.  The director, Barb Clay, is a wonderful woman who truly cares about ferrets.  If you are in the Maryland area I would highly recommend that you check out the ferrets that are available.  They are well taken care of by Barb and the volunteers that make up Rocky’s.

If you are thinking of adopting a ferret before you do please take the time and think if you have the time and ability to bring these loving animals into your home.  Ferrets are adorable but they can require a lot of attention.  Some of them are highly susceptible to disease so this is something to consider also.

Are you willing to spend the money on your ferret if it should become sick? Please don’t purchase a ferret, or any other animal, for that matter and decide later that you don’t want it.  Shelters are filled with animals that were tossed aside by people who simply did not think through their decision when it came to purchasing an animal.

Ferrets enjoy playing outdoors. Ferrets are natural tunnelers. My ferrets have made tunnels inside their play area. Eventually, I would like to build an outdoor enclosure for them. It would be the perfect ferrets haven. Don’t you think?

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Initially, it was a challenge to get my ferrets to convert but I’m happy to say that they’ve done well on their raw food diet. The improvements have been impressive. My ferret’s fur is thicker and glossier. I don’t have to brush their teeth anymore. The raw meaty bones do an excellent job of brushing their teeth. I picked up the book Rawy Meaty Bones by Tom Lansdale last year.

I found it to be extremely informative. He’s a veterinarian and has spoken out against many within the pet food industry. He has challenged the quality of food that has been produced. The book is informative, and I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of adding raw food into their pets diet. Although the book mainly focused on dogs and cats, he does mention exotic pets in the book. I adjusted the raw food that I gave my ferrets.

Interestingly enough ferrets in westernized cultures are more susceptible to disease than their European cousins. The majority of the European ferrets are fed a raw diet.

My ferrets seem to have a lot more energy (as if they needed more.) Today I went to the store and purchase thighs, legs, and chicken backs for them. I did not find their beef hearts (one od their favorite treats) but I’ll try to locate later this week.

Technorati Tags: ferrets, raw fed ferrets, raw meaty bones

Traveling With Ferrets? A Few Things To Remember

1. Make sure you are not traveling to a ferret free zone. In some states, like California, it is illegal to own a ferret.
2. Keep A copy of your ferrets veterinarian records
3. Locate a veterinarian that treats ferrets before you travel

My ferrets had fun running throughout the condo and pouncing and playing with each other along with my daughter and me. We had a blast. I took on video of my ferrets which I’ll probably break down into a few smaller videos simply because I got a lot of good content. I shot about ten minutes of ferret mayhem.Currently my ferrets are all piled up in a huge furry fuzzbutt pile. I imagine they are catching up on some much needed rest.

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Here’s another ferret photo.  Take a look  at my fuzzbutt!  Do you notice how my sable ferrets Ganesh & Kali are awake?  They weren’t awake until I started taking this picture.  Yes all four ferrets are in this furry pile.

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I took this picture of my sable ferret Ganesh yesterday morning. I was hoping to get him sleeping of course he awakened as soon as mommy approached.

My ferrets look so sweet when they are sleeping and of course they are adorable when they awaken. I cannot get over how glossy my ferrets fur have become since I switched them to raw food. My ferrets fur are a lot thicker also.

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Ganesh my Sable Ferret

Isn’t my ferret Ganesh adorable?  I always smile when I look at this picture. This photo was taken in July 2006.  Ganesh, my sable ferret, was one month shy of turning one year old. He looks so young in this picture! My ferrets are such sweet creatures and love to cuddle and give kisses in between there playtimes.

Ganesh has really mellowed out since rescuing him from the Rocky’s Ferret Rescue & Shelter. He will now sleep in my arms and constantly seeks me out for cuddles and kisses.

Although I’m not overly pleased with the compression of my ferret video. I’ll settle for this at least you get to see my fuzzbutts. This is my first ferret video I’ve uploaded to YouTube with my camera.

Technorati Tags: ferrets, sleeping, video