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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2014 12:52:21 GMT -5
Hello everyone!
I'm new here so is like to introduce myself my names Katie I'm 18 years old and I have a cute furry little ferret child named Rico who I call Rico Dico! I have had Rico for about 10 months now and I have absolutely fallen head over heels for him and soon after I got him I wanted to get another furry little friend. But I have a couple of questions before I do that:
Do I need to get a larger cage for him if I decide to get another ferret?
Will they use the same litter pan?
Will they eat out of the same bowl?
Do ferrets get along with other ferrets when they meet or will I have to do a special introduction?
Those are my questions!
Thank you for all who respond and if there is any other information I should know before I get another furry little child please let me know (:
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2014 14:58:39 GMT -5
Hi and Welcome to the HFF. (wave) I think it would be wonderful for Rico to have a friend. My first was an only ferret, and now when I see my four play together, I wish Ponce could have known such fun and joy. What size cage do you have now? Usually they end up sleeping together, so you probably won't need a bigger cage.
Some will share a litter box, some won't.
Mine will eat out of the same bowl, but usually they take turns. I have four, so most of the time, someone grabs a bite and runs. I usually have several bowls out, offering a couple of choices.
As far as getting along, well that can be complicated. My Roamy and Juliet were a bonded pair and when I brought home Mika, Roamy didn't like her. Juliet was fine with the baby. Then after a few months and Mika got bigger, everyone played well together. Then I brought home Wynstan and Roamy took a few weeks to get along with him. Juliet and Mika accepted him right away. So, you will have to let Rico decide. If there are problems, the ferrents on the forum can offer tips to help make them friends. Often, ferrents will take their ferret with them to meet, and or choose a friend.
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Post by Heather on Jan 29, 2014 15:59:12 GMT -5
First you have to decide, can you afford a second. It's not so much about more food or general care but can you afford the vetting if they both get sick at the same time, or one right after the other?
Caging...what cage do you have presently and how much time does Rico spend in it?
Intros...they're always a crap shoot. Age and experience of both ferrets often comes into play. Kits often accept new play mates without any issue, while older ferrets might take a bit longer to warm up to another. I've got ferrets who do not, will not in any way accept another playmate. I've got two wee girlies who hate each other on sight...they don't mind sharing one or any of the boys with each other but just don't ask them to share space with each other.
If you get them to be friends, they will probably share litter box (as long as it's kept clean) the food bowl and the water bowl. I've got a business of 4 right now who share space with each other. They've even graduated to sharing the same cage without too much issue. Everyone else sleeps on their own in their own personal cages.
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2014 21:21:35 GMT -5
Hi and Welcome to the HFF. (wave) I think it would be wonderful for Rico to have a friend. My first was an only ferret, and now when I see my four play together, I wish Ponce could have known such fun and joy. What size cage do you have now? Usually they end up sleeping together, so you probably won't need a bigger cage. Some will share a litter box, some won't. Mine will eat out of the same bowl, but usually they take turns. I have four, so most of the time, someone grabs a bite and runs. I usually have several bowls out, offering a couple of choices. As far as getting along, well that can be complicated. My Roamy and Juliet were a bonded pair and when I brought home Mika, Roamy didn't like her. Juliet was fine with the baby. Then after a few months and Mika got bigger, everyone played well together. Then I brought home Wynstan and Roamy took a few weeks to get along with him. Juliet and Mika accepted him right away. So, you will have to let Rico decide. If there are problems, the ferrents on the forum can offer tips to help make them friends. Often, ferrents will take their ferret with them to meet, and or choose a friend. Ricos cage is a fair size, but he is a pretty big ferret. My vet says shes never seen any Ricos size before so hes fairly large. I have never measured him before but he is almost longer than my cat. His cage is pretty tall he has 3 shelves and a hammock in there! But I think it would get pretty crowded with 2 ferrets, especially with Ricos size. I will post a picture of the cage as soon as I can. Thank you for responding! (: |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2014 21:26:16 GMT -5
First you have to decide, can you afford a second. It's not so much about more food or general care but can you afford the vetting if they both get sick at the same time, or one right after the other? Caging...what cage do you have presently and how much time does Rico spend in it? Intros...they're always a crap shoot. Age and experience of both ferrets often comes into play. Kits often accept new play mates without any issue, while older ferrets might take a bit longer to warm up to another. I've got ferrets who do not, will not in any way accept another playmate. I've got two wee girlies who hate each other on sight...they don't mind sharing one or any of the boys with each other but just don't ask them to share space with each other. If you get them to be friends, they will probably share litter box (as long as it's kept clean) the food bowl and the water bowl. I've got a business of 4 right now who share space with each other. They've even graduated to sharing the same cage without too much issue. Everyone else sleeps on their own in their own personal cages. ciao My fiancee' and i have talked it over and we are 110% sure that we CAN afford another furry child (even in an odd situation). I went to school with my veterinarians children so she gives me a HEFTY discount on shots, exams, medicines, etc. I work from home so he usually only spends 6 hours in his cage a day (when we sleep) Rico is only about a year old now so he is still fairly young I think? So hopefully he will bond well to his new brother or sister. Thank you for responding! (: |
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Post by Sherry on Jan 30, 2014 9:25:14 GMT -5
My fiancee' and i have talked it over and we are 110% sure that we CAN afford another furry child (even in an odd situation). I went to school with my veterinarians children so she gives me a HEFTY discount on shots, exams, medicines, etc. I work from home so he usually only spends 6 hours in his cage a day (when we sleep) Rico is only about a year old now so he is still fairly young I think? So hopefully he will bond well to his new brother or sister. Thank you for responding! (: Sounds like he might enjoy another buddy then! As for intros- do you have a shelter nearby where you could bring him to let him pick out his own friend? At a year, yes he's young but still an adult. If not, you can certainly work at having them get along. Introduce in a neutral space, etc. Do understand they WILL have to sort out their pecking order themselves and that can look quite rough at first. Good rule of thumb is "no blood, no poop, no foul", as the more you interfere the longer it will take them to sort it out. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 10:13:47 GMT -5
Sounds like he might enjoy another buddy then! As for intros- do you have a shelter nearby where you could bring him to let him pick out his own friend? At a year, yes he's young but still an adult. If not, you can certainly work at having them get along. Introduce in a neutral space, etc. Do understand they WILL have to sort out their pecking order themselves and that can look quite rough at first. Good rule of thumb is "no blood, no poop, no foul", as the more you interfere the longer it will take them to sort it out. The nearest shelter is about 4 hours away. But we are more than willing to drive there and take Rico with us to have him pick out a new brother or sister. He travels with us when we go on vacations (to the beach, mountains, etc). So he's not a stranger to our car. He actually loves it. Thank you for responding! (: |
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Post by Heather on Jan 30, 2014 15:02:04 GMT -5
My guys love travelling too....they've got a comfy travelling cage that allows them to watch the world go by and has all the comforts of home too (hammy and litter box)
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 15:17:17 GMT -5
Have you looked at Petfinder? If you type in your zip code location and under Breed, put ferret. You can change the within how many miles to 100. Petfinder is a little finicky, but ferrets and ferret shelters will pop up. You may find one closer to you.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 21:58:03 GMT -5
My guys love travelling too....they've got a comfy travelling cage that allows them to watch the world go by and has all the comforts of home too (hammy and litter box) ciao Precious! We usually just take Rico's while cage. I have an SUV that it fits perfectly in! So he has his home while he's away from home. (: |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 21:58:55 GMT -5
Have you looked at Petfinder? If you type in your zip code location and under Breed, put ferret. You can change the within how many miles to 100. Petfinder is a little finicky, but ferrets and ferret shelters will pop up. You may find one closer to you. No I haven't tried that! My fiancée and I will have to do that tonight! Thanks for telling me that! |
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