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Post by ferretbrah on Oct 20, 2014 19:45:12 GMT -5
Sorry I'm bumping this, but I haven't heard anything from anyone in a while and I kind of need to know by this weekend if I need to buy a carrier or if I can borrow one from Lucy. Hopefully she sees this post! Once again, don't feel like you HAVE to let me borrow your carrier, Lucy, I can buy one if need be. Have a great day everybody! On your carrier situation , it may be a good idea to buy one (I think the one I bought at Petco/petsmart was like $17.00) just in case you need to take them to the vet, car ride , or in an emergency, such as AC going out for a few days in the summer. Mine also use it to sleep in with old shirts and scarves inside of it in the closet. If you decide not to buy one, I hope someone can lend you one.
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Post by nancyl on Oct 20, 2014 20:39:01 GMT -5
If it were me I'd just buy a carrier. And you may need more than one. If the hob is still whole and coming in rut you'll be ahead of the game if you don't try to put them in the same carrier. He will harass the jill and she will be far more stressed than she needs to be. And why not wait to buy a carrier till you get to Indianapolis? That way you don't have to ship it and pay freight on it when it's empty. That's what I'd do. You can buy a carrier at a Petco or whatever pet store. I'd still get two. If the jill and hob do not know each other you may have a problem with trying to put them in one.
Also, get playpen (look at the ones Marshall's sell--they'll give you an idea of what you need) to put them in for time out of the cage in the motels. Motel rooms are generally not ferret safe. If you don't get a playpen you'll need to be extra careful and get down on your hands and knees to look for possible openings or places where they can get into.
If these ferrets are kibble fed, it probably won't matter what raw you start with. They are not likely to eat it. You'll need to read over the soup recipe and start from scratch. Adults rarely just take to raw with no issues. Kits are much more willing to try new stuff.
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Post by Heather on Oct 20, 2014 23:25:11 GMT -5
Buy your carriers at destination. Any petstore should be able to supply you with a carrier. You don't want to have to ship carriers. NancyL is correct. You will probably need two carriers. You cannot just stuff two strange ferrets in together, especially if intact. Even if altered it can be very stressful if the ferrets have never met or been housed together. Definitely, get a marshals playpen. I found this to be the ultimate investment. When I drove to the US and picked up my wee ones in Cincinnati, I had bought an eleven panel playpen (I also bought a bottom and a top...the bottom so I would not have to worry about damaging hotel carpets, top in case they were climbers, which they weren't). I was spending 3 days at a hotel in Columbus, while I attended the Bash and gave my little ones (who'd just flown from the UK) much needed break from travelling. I would never allow my ferrets to roam a hotel room. You will also need litter boxes, litter and garbage bags. Do not leave bags of dirty litter at your hotel, but dispose of it in their dumpster or at least where instructed, don't expect housekeeping to clean up after your ferret. I'm sure you won't but this is a common complaint and often results in ferret owners being censured from some pet friendly hotels so remember to keep your hotel room well cleaned of ferret One thing to remember is that your ferrets will not know you, so their stress level and their primary method of communication will be their teeth. It's not fair to figure that they're going to be friendly, outgoing fuzzies who are going to exhibit any type of manners. So, be prepared for the worst and be surprised if they're willing to accept you as a friend. I know mine were not and nor did I expect it, they had lead sheltered lives. This is not an uncommon reaction from breeder's ferrets. This is no fault of the breeder. Kits and adults no matter how much they're handled they've not been placed in the circumstances that most farm ferrets are placed in, so are not prepared for loud noises, different voices and smells. These are often overwhelming and take getting used to. Lastly, do not stress your ferrets or yourself anymore than necessary, especially when you're on the road. Don't do a cold turkey switch, especially when you first get them. Nancy's absolutely correct. Get whatever kibbles the breeder uses. At least enough kibbles to get you home and to deal with a week or so once you get home. At that point in time you should both be on better level of understanding and you will know if you have to do a soupy switch. If the ferret have never seen anything but kibbles and they're over 9 months of age you're going to have to assume that they're going to possibly need a total switch rather than just throwing some meats at them. After 9 months ferrets are usually imprinted on their foods and do not recognize anything outside those parameters. Good luck ciao
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Post by JWest017 on Oct 21, 2014 17:36:53 GMT -5
Thank you guys, I never even thought of buying supplies in Indianapolis, but that would be much more convenient! The breeder has told me they are spayed and neutered, and are a bonded pair. In this case, should they both be kept in one carrier, or be separated into two? How large do you think the carrier(s) should be?
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Post by ferretbrah on Oct 22, 2014 10:49:56 GMT -5
I would think they should be fine together then, and may help reduce their stress.
My two fit in the standard small cat crate fine , but if they are bigger sized ferrets, then I would get a medium to large size one.
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Post by JWest017 on Oct 26, 2014 12:53:33 GMT -5
Thanks for all the advice, I think I'm going to order what I need from Amazon and have them deliver it to the breeder's house, so it will be all ready to go once I get there. And the breeder said that although she does not feed a full raw diet, the ferrets do get occasional meats and chicks. Hopefully that will make switching much easier! I am so excited for Saturday, I will update you guys soon and share pictures as soon as I get them home! (dance)
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