Need ferret info fast

[amilee66]

My husband heard something skittering in our dryer vent yesterday. We knocked on the side of the dryer to try to startle it out. We thought it might be a squirrel or a baby raccoon, when a little pink pointy nose peaked out I thought it was a baby possum. But no, out popped a ferret!

He is sweet little thing. We got on line and found out some very basics (like what ferrets eat, and the fact that we should definitely bring him inside-it was 90+ degrees out) but we know nothing about ferrets. What info do you think we need to know asap.

We are papering the neighborhood with flyers and we've called animal control and the humane society but no one has reported a missing pet. We have offered to hold onto the little guy (we named him Dusty after he came out from behind the entertainment center covered in dust) for a few days trying to find it's owner since I think our house is less stressful than a cage at animal control.

Any advice you can give will be helpful. Thankx

[ordinarygirl]

Thank you for taking in this escape artist and finding this website as a resource!!

Well as you already know, ferrets are great escape artists! And if he came in through your dryer tube - he can get out that way too! So be mindful of where he is at all times and I'm assuming you don't have a cage to keep him in, so try to baricade an area for him so that he's safe.

As for food - you obviously cannot know what he was eating and sometimes ferrets would rather starve than eat a new food. Hopefully this guy isn't so finiky and will accept what you give him. I feed a mixture of foods and I recommend that if you're going to keep them because of the fact that they can be finky (actually has more to do with imprinting on food at a young age) because manufactures often change the formulas of their favorite food without warning so with a mixture of food you'll always have something they like in there.

He needs water and will probably drink it out of a bowl - mine like to lick it off my fingers

You were definitely right to bring him in out of the heat - anything over 80 degrees can cause heat stroke! I leave my AC on all summer for them.

Have a blast enjoying his antics

Becareful if you are letting him run around the house - if you have recliners or couches that don't go down to the floor ALWAYS look to make sure you're not about to squish him, or worse break his spine. Be mindful of the dishwasher and fridge too - your job is basically to protect him from himself. They are fearlessly curious!


If you decide to keep him you'll find a wealth of info here and we all recommend Ferrets for Dummies Second Edition!

Good luck and keep us posted!

[ordinarygirl]

oh and they LOVE to tunnel and wrap themselves up in blankets, towels, tshirts - so that will keep him comfy but always be mindful of where he is and don't step on him! Trust me - even though he will feel the pain it's your heart that will break and I unfortunately know from personal experince so we have a shuffle rule when the ferrets are out and we NEVER step on anything unless we can see both ferrets

[amilee66]

Thanks for the information. I had just made a batch of homemade chicken soup we gave him some of the cooked chicken. He kept coming back to me all night to lick my fingers just to see if I had any more.

We have housed him in our dog's travel kennel (hard plastic) with an old blanket and a few tshirts. And we only let him run around when either my husband or I can keep a close watch on him. He has taken to "going" on the floor behind our toilet (considering how well my boys (11&13) aim I'm sure that smelled like the appropriate place) and because of the linoleum floor and the facts that it's out of the way we have been letting him. Because my husband or I are watching when he's out we clean it up right away.

We are still looking for his "real home" so we are not making any plans to keep him, but it's going to be really hard to give him up.

[ordinarygirl]

Sounds like you're doing great!!! If you do decide to get a litter box for him he can't use cat litter - it gives them respitory problems - I use Mashalls' Ferret Litter but a lot of folks here use "yesterday's news" (literally and it's actually a brand name) or wood pellets.

That is TOO Funny what you said about your 11 and 13 year olds aim LOL

That's awesome that he's interested in the chicken! A lot of people feed their ferrets a raw diet - I go with the kibble because it's easier for me but it's actually better for them to get a variety

[Barbara]

Thank you for taking good care of him even if he's not going to be there for long (but it sounds like you have a wonderful ferret home). He needs to have food available all the time so if you can get some kibble (dry ferret food from a pet store) and make sure he has plenty of water. Ferrets eat about every 4 hours and sometimes have problems with their blood sugar so free feeding is very important. I love the Totally Ferret products, Evo products, and Zupreme. I try to stay away from Marshall's and 8 in 1 Ultimate/Ultra. I used to love the 8 in 1 Ultimate but for some reason it started giving my ferrets runny poo. A small cat litter pan (less than $2 at Walmart) and some recycled newspaper litter (some people just put newspaper sheets in the pan) are ideal. I get my litter at Petsmart, Exquisite brand, because it costs less than the others but comes in a 26 lb bag. I'm sending hugs to the little guy.

[unclejoe]

Awww, that's great that you took him in instead of booting him out. Ferts will pick places to go, especially corners. It's not easy to get them to go elsewhere, so you can put a litter box or newspaper in their favorite spots. I use the boxes Barbara recommends, lined with newspaper and a little litter. Plain paper is fine for one ferret. If you can't cover every corner in a room, newspaper will do.
If you don't find his original family soon, it won't take long to get addicted. Please feel free to ask anything. We love helping new ferret owners.
Btw, the first time my first ferret got out, she came in thru the dryer duct. I heard her in there after looking for her for hours.

[angelle3]

Aug 30, 2010 11:30:40 GMT -5 @amilee66 said:

We are still looking for his "real home" so we are not making any plans to keep him, but it's going to be really hard to give him up.

In the offchance that you do decide to keep him, there's some wonderfull information here in the nutrition, photo gallery under cages, and the medical board are a GREAT reference, as well. They'll pull your heartstrings in days, and before you know it, you'll fall in love with the little things. Maybe he decided you were good people and it was ok not to be scared. That says a lot. He sounds precious. You're doing a wonderful job taking care of him. I'm surprized he liked the duck soupies so fast, lol. My 3 took to it slowly as it was a new food to them. good luck to you and your family and especially the wee one.