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How To Care For Ferrets

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How To Care For Ferrets

If you're interested in owning a ferret or perhaps have one or two already, follow Vauxhall City Farm's step by step guide to caring for your ferret. Learn how to care for these mellow tempered, clean, curious and intelligent animals with VideoJug's advice. If you're interested in owning a ferret or perhaps have one or two already, follow Vauxhall City Farm's step by step guide to caring for your ferret. Learn how to care for these mellow tempered, clean, curious and intelligent animals with VideoJug's advice.

Step 1: Housing and bedding

Keep your ferret indoors, in a large wire cage.

The bottom of the cage should be solid and flat. Cover this with a thick layer of wood shavings or hay. Put some extra hay in for bedding.

Step 2: Handling

Ferrets should be held regularly to keep them tame. They should be held under their front legs, with the rest of their body dangling down. This is good for their backs.

Step 3: Diet

Ferrets are meat eaters. Give each ferret a handful of dried ferret or kitten food every day. Give them occasional small chunks of fresh fruit and vegetables as a treat.

You'll also need to provide a constant supply of clean drinking water in a heavy bowl or drip feed bottle with a metal spout.

Step 4: Exercise and play

Ferrets will often sleep for 15 to 20 hours a day, but when awake, ferrets are very mischievous. The more you entertain them, the happier and less naughty they'll be.

Step 5: Cleaning

Tidy your ferret's home everyday, and give it a thorough clean once a week. Frequent cleaning will make the ferret's characteristic musky smell less noticeable.

Put the ferrets into a pet carrier while you clean. Remove all bowls and toys. Completely clear the old wood shavings from their house using a dustpan and brush, and wipe away any droppings that are stuck to surfaces.
Refill the house with shavings of about an inch in depth.

Step 6: Grooming

Ferrets enjoy being groomed, and it helps keep them tame. Hold the ferret in your lap, and gently brush its fur using a grooming brush or mitt.

Step 7: Health

Check your ferret every day for changes in it's health. A healthy ferret should have bright, clean eyes and a full, shiny coat. It's nose, mouth, eyes and rear end should also be free from any redness or inflammation.

Check the ferret's feet and nails. If they are too long, they'll need to be trimmed. If you've never done this before, get a vet to show you how.

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Tips & Comments
  1. asmadeja

    also depends witch type of cat food you are giving,really good for ferrets acana kitten,with are fresh meat u need to be really carefull,and mix all ingridients corectly,to not have later problems with ferret health,they are in love about hamchocks,also u need to make vakcination for ferrets every year,first in 3 mounth u are making 1 vakcine(nobivac defensor 2ml(1/3 from dog vakcine))after 2 weeks u are making revacinationnobivac defensor and nobivac rubbies,but before all of that u need give tablet against parasites before vakcine 10-14 days,then just every year u are making vakcine,and to get a ferret u need play with it around 3 hours per a day,to ceep a ferret like a pet u need have a lot of pation and love.....but if u are really ready think twice...ferrets are great

  2. ferrats

    l liked your ferrats can get a baby how old is it

  3. thenoonie

    I went to Vauxhall City Farm recentlly where this was filmed and the ferrets all had patches of fur missing/shaved as if they had all got some kind of mite! there are several things wrong with this vid: 1. dry food is not half as good as meet in the long term - will cause nasty health issues 2. Wood shavings?!? who has time to empty them everyday? imagine this is how the fur ended up missing. suggest old jumpers and newspaper in the corner or litter tray 3. It's nicest if you can do it safely to have ferrets 'free range' as you would keep a cat, though they need to be prevented from escaping (v. curious, poor homing instint). If you HAVE togo for a cage/hutch, you MUST take the ferret out for SEVERAL HOURS a day or it will be vicious and stinky. 4. If you don't like the smell, get a girl! remember that girl ferrets will die if they are not spayed or given a hormone injction once a year to take them off heat. neutering boys cuts down on the smell also. 5. I thinks it's fine to have one ferret - I do - just play with it and it won't be lonely. The internet is full of people trying to offload ferrets they have kept in a hutch that have gone bitey and stinky.

  4. mustellamad

    had to put in my 2 cents worth. I run a ferret shelter in tas,aust. wood shavings are not the best as ferts are very prone to lung problems and the dust and oil vapor isnot good 4 them. blankets & hammocks work best with newspaper lining the floor to sop up messes, and are much less messy indoors. as a carnivor they do need fresh meat in their diet!! the fruit they love! the dry food is good for trace minerals but if it is used as the sole/primary food leads to a higher likelyhood of kidney probs. having said all that the ferts look good and are obviously well handled. nice to see them being shown as the smooch monsters they are!!!!

  5. glumley

    Hi I dont have any ferret's. Do you really suppose that the makers of this video would suggest you care for your pet the way shown if it were harmfull. The pets shown are in good health, whats more is they have been cared for that way for years. To suggest that the makers of the video dont know what thier doing is obserd.

  6. ferretlover

    I would really like to share that i have 2 ferrets, and if you're thinking of getting one, don't go by the video provided here. wood shaving for one, is a bad idea. pine and cedar chips have oils in them and it's too strong of a smell for the ferrets to be comfortable, and also can give them repiratory problems. they also would rather have an old shirt or towel for bedding. you should also have a constant supply of food for your ferrets. their matabolizm is very high and they need allot of food often in the day. they wont get fat or eat too much! i would go to a pet store and buy some books on them before you were to decide if a ferret is right for you. they're fun, but they thake allot of work and time to take care of and love, and give them what they need for a lifestyle. ferrets can also be litter trained, so having a litter box is a good idea. they love to play and should not be in a cage all the time. they like to have full rein of the house daily. cageing is just for when you are sleeping or if you can't watch them. if you're not able to do so, don't get a ferret, they're not for you. get a hamster or some fish perhaps. thanks for reading this whomever does. when i seen the video i just felt sorry for any ferret who lived like this.

  8. noahforking

    thats not right, dont give them wood chips, it is very harmful for their respetory system.... so noo... and its really hard to clean and smells awefull bye a cage with plastic or metal bottom but no glass tanks, it is not sufficient to their ventilation... uhh... 10 to 15 centegree tempature... meat eaters... blah blah blah... BUT NO WOODCHIPS! and if they bite dont hurt thme

  9. Jally

    Help My ferrets are brother and sister - I was told that this would be fine - they are about three months old and have just started to really fight with each other, most of the time they play together - should they be kept apart? How do I stop them biting me and any other human in sight - it really hurts! They spend most of their time free running in my house and I set up lots of things to keep them busy but they seem to make a bee-line for any available piece of human flesh. I dont know what I'm doing wrong.

  10. reptile_lover07

    where do u get those grooming mitts????? ive never seen them b4.