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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 11:13:17 GMT -5
Hi everyone, I just wanted to get some opinions from you guys, I know i have to choose whats right for me and my situation but I would appreciate hearing what everyone thinks I don't have ferrets yet, saving money and collecting all the Stuff atm but i'm still undecided about a couple crucial things 2 or 3? I was thinking of starting with two and then probably adding a third down the road but would it be better for the group as a whole to have 3 from the beginning? (so 2 don't get super bonded and one gets left out?) I wanted to try to get all slightly different ages if i could, mostly to try and avoid loosing al of them at once, but i know there are no guarantee's so this is a lesser piont. I was thinking of getting slightly older ferrets because i'll be a first time farent and I figured older less nippy and potentially toilet trained (or nearly  ) might be a better start for me However, older ferrets means longer exposure to kibble which is unforunate and it might be harder to switch them, and I may not have them as long which is sad And then i'm wondering the best place to get them, there are a fair number of ferrets on kijiji that need homes in my area and of course the rescue ferrets. Getting a kijiji ferret means I help them out and give them a good home but i may not get much info about them from the owner (depending on the owner) Also they seem to be a bit cheaper and come with lots of the supplies, which is a bonus Plus it keeps the ferret from maybe going to a shelter some day anyways A shelter ferret might come with more info, more or all of thier shots, it would be supporting the shelter which is great it means a coulple hours drive to the nearest shelter but i don't really care about that I'm trying to make the best choices for me and the ferrets, I'm also brand new to raw (myy ex roomate fed his dogs raw very successfully so i've had some exposure but not done it myself) Any thoughts are very welcome  Thanks! ~WB |
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Post by Heather on Jul 23, 2014 12:39:27 GMT -5
One of the weirdest things about ferrets is that the best laid plans go faulty and opportunity and chance seems to play a big hand in how and when you get your ferret. I started researching and was about half way through when a wee girlie was placed in my hands and became my first ferret. I had planned to do my research (almost done), buy my cage and various ferrety necessities and then buy two ferrets about 6 months apart. I wanted a sable and a panda....hubby had already forbidden an albino because he thought they were creepy. I was in chatting up the sales clerk at the local pet store because I had found out that she had owned ferrets and this was a good source of information (believe me the books were very limited....no ferrets for dummies...no internet)when this woman comes flying in. She had a towel in her hands and basically threw it at the clerk and dumped a bottle on the counter. "He's in college now, I'm not looking after this stinky piece of vermin, it's your problem" and storms out of the store. The towel laying in a heap on the counter started to move....out pops the tiniest little head. With a hop and a wiggle, the wee furball pops out. A ferret. A mottled, little silver well on her way to being a DEW. The clerk looked at me and said.....I can't take it, it's yours, you wanted a ferret. Just like that. Six months later I was involved with a local shelter, my one wee ferret had become 9 and I was fostering, transporting and working with the biters. Trial by fire. What I'm trying to say is that ferrets seem to come into your life when they feel it's time and not necessarily your time. Many will agree with me. Three is the best number to have, ages are immaterial. Do not break up a bonded group even if the person you're getting them from is willing. So, if you want 2 or 3 and there are 4 or 5 in the group, walk away unless you're willing to take on the extras. Breaking up a bonded group or pair is often a lot more work than it's worth and you could loose your ferret in the process. Shelters will not break up bonded groups. Ferrets are a lot more sensitive than people give them credit for. Loosing cagemates, people and serious changes in their life stress them severely and they can and do get sick. Switching to raw can be done at any time if you're willing to work at it. There are more than enough people on this forum to help you do that plus there is the mentoring program as well. Never take on more ferrets than you can afford to vet. Don't look at it as a future event, look at it as if you take on 3 or 5 ferrets today, could you vet all of them tomorrow. If you can say yes then by all means take them on if you're willing. If you cannot say yes then wait. Shelter vs craigslist or any other buy and sell.....you're rolling the dice. The shelter can and does often provide more information and chances are the ferrets have been vetted. The buy and sell....consider it you're buying a used ferret, like a car you can get a wonderful deal or get saddled with a lemon. Buyer beware....some people are honest about the reasons why, ages and treatments but most have selective memories. Ages and vetting are the most common lied about items. I don't know if that helps you at all but good luck  ciao |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 14:11:42 GMT -5
It does! Thanks a lot That's quite a story! Glad she ended up with a caring person though! Appreciate your feed back ~WB |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 14:15:07 GMT -5
It does! Thanks a lot That's quite a story! Glad she ended up with a caring person though! Appreciate your feed back ~WB Just wanted to add that I wouldn't break them up I've read a lot about how bonded they get, I just couldn't do it! Thanks again! |
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Post by bitbyter on Jul 23, 2014 20:56:23 GMT -5
I will always suggest a rescue over Kijiji / Craigslist for one important reason. At least a rescue will have them vetted and generally have a good idea if they have any medical issues. People are notorious for dumping ferrets online and lying about their health.
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Post by unclejoe on Jul 23, 2014 22:47:45 GMT -5
I will always suggest a rescue over Kijiji / Craigslist for one important reason. At least a rescue will have them vetted and generally have a good idea if they have any medical issues. People are notorious for dumping ferrets online and lying about their health. That's a good point for a first time ferrent. If you can go thru a shelter you should, at least until you get some experience and save up some vet money. Even volunteer some time there to learn about them. When I got my first pair, their owners called me in response to a missing ferret ad I posted. Eddie and Uncle Joe were supposed to be 2 years old. More like 4. Joe had a seriously infected cut on his face and Eddie was a biter. Neither one ever really used a litter box out of the cage. They had lived in a shed in Florida for a year. The second pair were also supposed to be 2. Larry had lymphoma and Frank had a heart condition. I learned a lot fast, mostly how expensive ferrets can be, and how to tell a good ferret vet from one that needs more ferret experience. They lived in an outdoor cage on the south side of a trailer home for some time. It must have been 95 there when I picked them up. The third pair I got through a family friend. Their older owners kept up the vet visits and shots, but fed them Purina cat chow because "that's all they'll eat." I had them on soups with raw meat in a few days, but a week after I got them, just after their second birthday, Icy was diagnosed with Insulinoma, probably from eating crap his whole life. His partner, Sumo, passed in my arms when he was just 3. Sorry for the rants, but without at least some ferret experience and research I wouldn't have been prepared for any of that. Not that I was an expert... Best of luck. You did come to a good site to learn about ferret husbandry. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2014 3:08:07 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure that the best number is...ummm, however many you end up with.
I got one. Bought River at Petco, she'd been there a little while and had a reputation for biting. (she's not a biter, just gets bored and wants to play) Then I decided, she needed a companion since I work full time. Found a ferret rescue a couple hours away. They had mostly pairs and a couple of loners. One of the loners was a biter, the other a screamer who was terrified of other ferrets. I ended up with the screamer, Kaylee, as for some reason, she actually liked my little one.
Fast forward a few months and two show up at my local shelter together...they got posted the day I happened to be trolling petfinder to look at cute faces and numb up the sadness of losing my beloved mini-Dachshund the day before. I took my now-bonded pair with me to see them, and they all got along, which, frankly, was kind of a miracle given how Kaylee had been at the rescue. I made the mistake of only taking one, he quit eating, and I'm pretty sure he nearly died in the three days it took for me to go back for his friend.
For now four is a good number for me. Kaylee, the deaf, former screamer, is around 4 years old, and is just as loving as one-year-old River is. Shepherd and Inara appear to be around the same age as River,maybe a little older, I'd put Inara probably older than Shepherd.
I have decided that I'll probably stick with shelter/rescue ferrets now. Babies are cuter than anything, but when perfectly sweet, loving, playful ferrets are literally thrown away like Inara and Shepherd were, I want to make it up to them somehow.
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Post by bitbyter on Jul 24, 2014 7:55:38 GMT -5
The best number is the number you can financially support. You should have at least $2000 in emergency funds saved up for medical expenses per ferret. Surgery and other emergency procedures are not cheap for these little guys. Ferrets are well known for eating things they shouldn't and ending up in a life threatening blockage situation (surgery is usually $1000+).
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