One of the reasons why ferrets are so popular is that they do a pretty good job of taking care of themselves. Ferrets are cute, cuddly, low-maintenance pets that are easy for anybody to keep. Here are some of the basics of ferret care and feeding that you should know before you get your first one.
The Right Habitat
The perfect temperature for a ferret’s home is between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. If your home doesn’t naturally fit into this range, you should take some special and use a heater or AC. They can deal with temperatures a little bit higher, but they can easily die if it’s over 90 degrees.
Your ferret needs a cage. They now make specialty cages just for ferrets since they’ve become so popular recently, but any cage will do as long as there’s no more than 1.5 inches between the bars. They can slip through if there’s too much space.
They’ll need a pile of soft cloth for bedding and an area where they can go to the bathroom. They’ll become litter trained and only go in that corner after a while. Make sure there aren’t any sharp edges anywhere in the cage that they can cut themselves on.
Your Ferret’s Feeding Needs
Ferrets live on a strictly carnivorous diet. They get no nutrition whatsoever from plant material. Their diet should be high in protein, high in fat and low in fiber. The best way to feed your ferret is with commercially made ferret food. It contains the right amounts of everything they need.
Although in the past dog food and cat food were used, neither is right for a ferret. Cat food has plenty of protein but doesn’t meet your ferret’s fat requirements. Dog food doesn’t provide enough protein and also uses corn for filler, which your ferret can’t digest.
Ferrets have very fast metabolism so have food available for them all the time. They’ll eat every 3 or 4 hours. They also need fresh water. Make sure that their food and water bowls are secured because otherwise they’ll knock them over. Even though they feed constantly, ferrets don’t have any trouble with obesity. If yours gets fat, take them to the vet because it’s probably a sign of some kind of illness.
Plenty of Cuddling
Finally, there’s one more need your ferret has – human contact. Ferrets are extremely sociable creatures and they love to spend time with their human companions. Make sure that you take your ferret out of its cage every day for at least a little while. You might want to take one room in the house and totally ferret-proof it so that they can run around and play in there.
One more thing is that you should pay attention to your ferret’s daily habits. They’ll usually wake up, eat, and poop fairly regularly. If you know its habits pretty well, you’ll know when something’s wrong and it may be sick.
Ferrets are wonderful because not only are they cute, cuddly and interesting, they’re also easy to take care of. Make sure your ferret has all of its food, housing and play needs met and you’ll have a fun fuzzy little companion for many years to come.