Getting a Ferret or Fostering

[charlie]

Hi all! I'm new the forum - my name isn't actually Charlie, by the way, that would be my dog.

For several years, actually, since I was little, I have had a very fond affection for ferrets. Their unique behaviors - the ferret dance! and in general, ferrets. Everything about them.

For several years, despite begging to be allowed to get ferrets when I lived with family, it was always "NO they stink!", and even when I moved in with my boyfriend, he was very adamantly against ferrets and cats. But recently, I moved into my own place. It's a large basement suite, with the kitchen shared upstairs on the main floor. No fridge for the critters to get into! Or kitchen, or stove, etc.

I'm considering talking to my landlord(the man who lives upstairs) about letting me get a ferret - or two. For several years, my eyes have been kept on the local ferret rescue adoptables as well. From my understanding, they will pair you with ferrets that are good for beginners.

So what are some things to REALLY consider? I own two dogs, and three reptiles. The reptiles are always caged and left up high out of reach of any other pets. My two dogs are fairly well socialized. Maya is the type to say hi and then ignore any other animal. And Charlie has been raised around all sorts of animals, from rodents to cats, to dogs, and reptiles. I never leave my dogs without supervision around other animals, of course, as that's an accident waiting to happen and in fact, have kennels for the dogs and have thought that if I get ferrets, they will have scheduled play times out of their cages around the suite, when the dogs would be locked up if say, the dogs were too interested in them after all.

My question firstly is - will the rescue look at my dogs and decide I'm not a good candidate? I remember looking at the ferrets once at the Pet Expo for their booth and mentioned to one I had a Beagle and he immediately said it wouldn't be a good fit - was he just going off generalization about the typical Beagle? My dog doesn't have the prey drive of a normal Beagle and has been raised with cats, rabbits, doesn't go after squirrels, anything, so... Not sure.

How do you ferret proof your home for a ferret? From my understanding, they can be little escape artists and can get into places very easily.

Basically, I'm finding out as much information as possible FIRST before I start inquiring on ferrets with any rescue organization.

I also understand that two or more is better than one and that they can bond and get severely depressed if their bonded partner dies.

Should I maybe consider fostering first, with the rescue and getting to know the ins and outs of ferret ownership with the rescues guidance as a first time foster parent?

Any opinions, suggestions or even just any type of ferret information would be great!

Thanks
Charlie's Mom.

[taratee]

im sure everyone else will say this as well but THANK YOU for doing research!!! ferret proofing is a never ending process for me as ferrets learn new ways to jump and new ways to climb every day so its starting with a few basic things like watching lazy boys and couches and cords, and seeing how your ferret deals with the space its given. ive taped cardboard to my computer to hide the cords from the ferrets some ferrets dont like cords but the day you think youre safe is the day they find it after a while it becomes second nature shoes up on a shelf or in a box where the ferrets cant get them. if your reptile cages arent off the ground a bit you might consider putting them up higher. my guys LOVE walking on the snakes cage like theyre supposed to... as for your dogs everyone does it different some dont allow their dog to socialize and some watch very closely and such. its just individual choice. fostering is a good temporary situation where you can get your hands wet. and I was glad to start with oldies then move younger anyhow... i talk too much welcome to the board!

[charlie]

Thanks taratee!

My computer cords are typically left up on the top of my desk anyway which is fairly high off the ground, but if I've heard right about ferrets, they find ways into anything and everything! Lol. The tv cords are definitely of more concern.

I could see why it would be a never-ending process, though, for sure. My friends ferrets decided to go behind her dresser, under it and chew a hole into the bottom of her sock drawer so they could snuggle up in there and hoard any 'treasures' into that specific drawer. Was quite cute, actually and how can you be mad about it, eh?

I've heard bitter apple spray works well for averting chewing, but doesn't that also depend on the individual ferret? I heard of a dog who it was used against and he liked it, lol!

My reptile cages are at least three and a half feet off the ground. I own two snakes and a leopard gecko.

I think with the beginning introductions with the dogs, the dogs would be leashed and the ferret in my hands - if the ferret was already okay with dogs. If the dogs weren't overly interested to the point of concern, I may let them socialize with VERY close watch and the dogs on a constant leash, but if they were too interested, they'd remain put away while the ferrets had out-of-cage time. I know of a lot of owners that let their ferrets free-roam.

I'm going to be talking to my landlord(the man who lives upstairs) about me fostering ferrets and of course, pending his approval, will talk to the rescue. I'm strongly leaning towards fostering to begin with and if I find ferrets I want to adopt as I'm fostering, doing it that way. They do say they set up specific ferrets with the level of experience of the foster or adopter.

I was looking at a few ferrets in a pet store once - this beautiful sable little boy, I think it claimed he was four or five months old, was curled up in a hammock. I called to him in little cooing sounds and he looked up and the poor boy just looked SICK. I really don't agree with pet stores taking in and selling puppies, kittens, ferrets, etc. They end up in bad conditions in most... He looked sick, lacked the typical energetic appearance of a typical ferret and just seemed downright depressed. I wanted to steal him out of there, but didn't have the funds at the time and knew that buying would only encourage the pet store to continue sales of the animals... I'm a huge rescue advocate and all of my current pets and previous pets were rescues, which is partly why I'm leaning so strongly to rescue work.

I've always been one to do my research too. I can't stand people who simply don't do their research, get a pet they know nothing about and then don't meet any of its needs or requirements. It's sad. It was the situation all but one of my current pets came from.

Any books or reading material anyone would recommend too, for gathering more information? Heck, even website links would be great!

The rescue I'm thinking of doing rescue/volunteer work with is called FRES(Ferret Rescue and Education Society).

[Heather]

Ferret proofing...the ongoing process when living with a ferret. Get down on the floor and slither around on your stomach. See things from their point of view. Check doors are they flush to the floor or raised slightly....my little girls can get under the doors on every doorway in the house and the closets. Newer houses are set up to allow air flow....ultimate escape routes for ferrets. Check out your air vents for heating and A/C you would be surprised how many are not really tagged down (most are easily removable for your cleaning pleasure...for a ferret the ultimate tunnel system). Holes in the back of closets, around pipes, under the sink....make sure all poisons and cleaning products are on the upper shelves. My guys know how to open closet doors, bi-folds closet doors, drawers, and counter doors. They can climb into the paper slide of your printer (I have a little girl who weighs less than a pound...ya a pound of pure intellegent dynomite ). They can climb up cloth...so bedding, towels, curtains (I have none, I found one of my guys running along the top of my curtain rods ). They dig into the bottom of beds, box springs, between the cushions on your sofa...into the back of your sofa. They love to chew any soft plastic...so stealing the remote to chew the buttons off, your cell phone, ear buds (just had a little one on the forum go through surgery this past week to remove one of those obstructions).
I'm sure I've forgotten many but there are others on board who can add to this list

ciao

[tayrawrrr]

Great job on doing the research before hand! Kudos to you

I've never fostered, but I would love to at some point...so I can't help you there!

I got my guy back in february. I definitely am glad I only started out with one...not for the craziness factor (although that's something ) but because we've bonded very closely...something that is a little less likely with more than one at a time. That's not to say I wont get more (im getting a little girl soon, and want another boy as well).

Ferret proofing, as everyone has said, is a never ending process. As funny as it sounds, I definitely recommend what heather said, about getting on the ground and seeing everything from their angle!

[shilohismygirl]

Thanks for doing research first!!! It truly is a blessing that there are some who do this diligently. The advice given has been great advice. I know I started out with two, and it wasn't a huge trouble besides the trouble ferrets give in general. I now have four, and it's not that much different than with two. More to love, but also more to get into. Every ferret has their own fixations. Some like to dig, some like to nip, some like to chew or tear stuff up. Be prepared for this. Carpet and doorways can be an issue. Just stuff to keep in mind!

[Deleted]

I agree with Tara! Ferret-proofing is forever...

As my introduction to ferrets I fostered a couple. Two was a bit overwhelming, and taught me that when it came time to get my own I only needed a single fuzz, at least to start with. If you check with your local ferret shelter to see if you can foster you might really enjoy it and decide you might want to keep the ferret(s) you foster.

[Sherry]

First thing to do- pick up Ferrets for Dummies 2nd edtion by Kim Schilling. Call it your "ferret bible" ;D
Any space above 1" in diameter is a sure fire lure for a ferret. Keep them out of the kitchen if you can with a gate or something else to block it off. Saves a ton of headaches further down the road. They love getting into cupboards and banging the pots/pans/tuppeware, what have you around. Baby locks for doors don't usually work, since they leave a gap ferrets can get through
If you decide to adopt instead of fostering, make sure you've got an emergency fund put aside. A minimum of $1000 is a good start. Blockage is fairly common, and it doesn't take a lot to completely block up a ferret to the point they need surgery to remove whatever it is they've decided to eat THIS time.
Good luck, and we hope to see you around! Keep asking questions, and after you've decided all of the above are worth it(and it is ), POST PICS!!! ;D

[Deleted]

Two of my three kids are adopted, one I saved from a fatal situation and one who came from a more 'emotionally' abusive situation which made bonding with him pretty difficult, I've helped fuzz find homes and Im also friends with TTFR (another board member) in real life she does a lot of great rescue work (like the group were trying to put together in our area) and she does a lot of fostering, in the short time ive known her I've seen/heard heart breaking stories just because people dont do what you are doing right now. I am so happy to see someone who is dedicated and willing to do their research!

As far as ferret profing I will say it is a never ending learning experience and the biggest thing you can keep in mind is the lesson I learned today- never underestimate your home (long story short, my ferret room door blew open and I found my lil girl curled up asleep in a plastic bag, she had torn through the cover I had over a hole in the cubberd and gotten to where I keep the bags for cleaning their room as well as other cleaning supplies. It was so scary) You will never stop learning about ferret proofing. A few things I will cover are the fact that carpet protectors should now become your best friend. We have one of those construction style staplers and have stapled ours to the floor. Also cover your wires and thoroughly search for ANY hole especially the spaces where any cubberds meet floors. Child proof things, be SUPER careful of couches. If the fuzz manage to get into them, do NOT let anyone sit on them and do NOT lift up the couch to try to get them out even if you're 100% positive you know they are no where near where lifting/moving the couch would be fatal, 9 times out of 10 you will be wrong. Keep everything high up, they're crafty and theyll run off with things. This ones more for your protection. Keep your keyes and shoes away from anywhere that the fuzz are, I cant tell you how many times ive been late to work because I couldnt find my keyes, shoes or both. Ive never had chewers, thank goodness, so Im sure someone else can cover that topic more in depth.

Dogs- my dog who is a chihuahua was pretty much raised with ferrets. I actually got my first ferret partly because he seemed to miss the fuzz's company. He loves them, you can catch my female cuddled up with him on occassion if your lucky. Sometimes it looks like hes getting rough with them but if you pay close enough attention youll see he never fully closes his mouth when he looks like hes biting them and he actually always ends up being bitten and is always the one to cry. Hes a good sport though. I know what your thinking... chihhuahuas SHOULD be a good match with a fert- there not much different from cats... Tequila is 9lbs, he is all muscle. He likes to spend long summer afternoons at my uncles farm hunting with the pointers and the JRTs. He is a CKC chihhuahua but hes a JRT/Bird dog mix at heart, he points birds and has never been trained to- though I must say, the only time hes ever quite enough not to spook them is when hes around the bird dogs... he sure will point em though- but he barks too, lol. Point is, hes a hunter but not with the kids. As soon as they come out he becomes a giant ferret, hes even learned to shoulder shove from them. If your dog is used to small animals, you will PROBABLY be ok but you have to remember that a dog is a dog is a dog and any dog is a hunting dog, especially dogs in the hunt breed. Keep a good eye on them while theyre with him. Heck my mom has a cockapoo who hunts moles in the back yard.... g2g fiancee needs me outside lol

[Deleted]

Hey Charlie - welcome! I'm a prospective ferret owner as well on here doing my research before getting a ferret - yay for us dedicated pre-owners

I just wanted to comment on what you said about talking to the FRES representative at the pet expo (I take it you're from Calgary - I am also ). I talked to ALL of the reps they had their this year and most of the foster parents I spoke with actually had dogs in their homes where their ferrets free roamed, one even had a terrier if I do recall correctly.

I think they are more worried about those dog breeds with "hunting instincts" but I don't think they refuse to adopt to people with dogs... maybe Sherry knows about this - she's fostered for them before.

So hopefully they will be okay with it - I have 3 dogs at home (2 large breeds, 1 yorkshire terrier) so I really hope it's not an issue also!!!

Best of luck in your ferret research

[Sherry]

We didn't have any dogs at the time we fostered, so it wasn't an issue. I think the main concern is the amount of interaction they'll be having, and the amount of supervision. I do know one of the FRES members has a couple of large dogs and ferrets, but they are never allowed to interact without the ferret being held.

[ttfr]

Oh and Also charlie. Look up storys of people who have had ferrets so you get not just the basics of the species but first hand storys of what your getting into. Basics are never enough and will just send you into a frenzie when your weasel gets him or herself into trouble. Learned the hard way..

[charlie]

Lol, I somewhat figured it would be an ongoing process. I emailed a couple specific questions to FRES and they said they would help me with ferret-proofing, and have brochures they can mail me on that stuff. Also, the doors are in fact all flush to the floor. And the cupboards in my wet bar are all about two inches off the ground, BUT... from there down to the floor is more wooden board, so there's no holes other than ways for the ferrets to pry the cupboards open unless I can find a way to make sure they stay closed.

I do have a pantry door which will be a pain in the butt to figure out keeping closed, but I'm sure I'll find some innovative way that a ferret will figure out how to undermine and I'll end up having to continuously figure out new ways. Lol. Sounds like a ferret.

They did say they make sure potential fosterers or adopters can provide playtime and free roam without the dogs - which is fully possible in my case. With the doors all against the floor and the dogs having kennels, I can kennel them away in my bedroom when I have the ferret/s loose. I will have to figure out the floor vents. They don't work, BUT don't want a nifty little ferret figuring out how to get into them.

I GUARANTEE my recliner will be the number one spot for ferrets to get into and underneath which, while a very scary thought, makes me realize just how closely I'd have to watch them while they roam around, haha. butt for the rubber buttons and hiding little things they might try to hoard, how fun! Haha. I honestly think that while it will be a constant learning process, it will be a really fun challenge even, to have to constantly find new ways to ferret proof something they figured out how to get into.

I DO have brand new carpeting all throughout my suite, which the landlord put in just before I moved in and spent over five grand on, so that's really my only concern with the carpeting. Chewers would have to be watched! It is all however stapled down and it has absolutely no corners or edges peeking up, so that's a benefit I suppose.

I was also thinking a Ferrets for Dummies book would be a good investment. I find those books to actually be very informative. I'll have to go check out the book stores around here.

Oh man, when I get ferrets, definitely expect lots of pictures. I love taking pictures of my furr-babies AND my scaley ones too. ;D

I guarantee if I foster, I will end up adopting. GUARANTEE. Lol.

I have no kitchen here. The kitchen is shared upstairs, and it's blocked off by a door that is also flush to the floor and up the set of stairs. I would probably find some sort of gate to put at the bottom of the stairs and I would need one for the laundry room as there is no door there.

I would probably only allow any form of interaction between the dogs and ferrets while I was holding the ferrets. Like I said, anything unsupervised when it comes to dogs that weren't raised with them, just seems to me like a sure accident to happen. And I would provide the ferrets with out-time from their cage when the dogs are locked up too, as it just seems much safer to me, just cause you never know. While my dogs were raised with all sorts of animals, they haven't met ferrets yet and that's something that would be a slow introduction to for them and a strongly supervised while the ferret was held intro.

I have a really heavy wooden bench box that has the seat lift up to put things inside so shoes and stuff like that can be tucked into there while the ferrets are roaming.

I am indeed from Calgary! Wasn't sure if there was anyone else here that was closeby or not! I'm going to have FRES mail me the brochures, get the Ferret for Dummies 2nd Edition that was recommended on here and talk to my landlord and see what he says. I'm of course, trying not to get my hopes up, but even if I can't get some ferrets while I live here, I still want to have the research down for when I can! I guarantee when I buy a house, I'll be adopting and fostering several, lol.

Thanks for the tip! Haha, I'll definitely be looking up ferret stories and finding out the different things owners have had to deal with and learn to deal with when it came to their ferrets. I figure it would give a good idea of what to expect JUST in case. I can look on FRES's adoptable list and already pick out ferrets I'd love to meet, I'm so horrible. I torture myself like this regularly, looking at adoptable animals and picking out which ones I think would be good to meet, etc. We'll see what the landlord says first before I go applying of course!

[Sherry]

Apr 22, 2011 11:41:58 GMT -5 Charlie said:

And the cupboards in my wet bar are all about two inches off the ground,

Perfect height for said fuzz to get on their back underneath the cupboard and PUSH with all four paws to pop it open ;D

Apr 22, 2011 11:41:58 GMT -5 Charlie said:

but I'm sure I'll find some innovative way that a ferret will figure out how to undermine and I'll end up having to continuously figure out new ways.

DUCT TAPE!!!! At least til you figure it out ;D Buy several rolls

Apr 22, 2011 11:41:58 GMT -5 Charlie said:

I will have to figure out the floor vents.

See above- I rolled up the tape, and stuck it to all four sides, and pressed it down. They've not been able to get them up yet!

Apr 22, 2011 11:41:58 GMT -5 Charlie said:

I GUARANTEE my recliner will be the number one spot for ferrets to get into and underneath

Sometimes you can fix them so they don't recline. Under NO circumstances allow anyone to sit in it while the fuzz are out and about.

Apr 22, 2011 11:41:58 GMT -5 Charlie said:

I DO have brand new carpeting all throughout my suite, which the landlord put in just before I moved in and spent over five grand on, so that's really my only concern with the carpeting. Chewers would have to be watched!

Ours never chewed the carpet- they dig their way to China I've had more areas of carpet destroyed by these guys than is funny! They go for doorways and corners. In the doorways, I've used carpet protector cut to fit for a goodly distance on either side of the doorframe, and for about 2 feet both in front, and behind each door.

Apr 22, 2011 11:41:58 GMT -5 Charlie said:

talk to my landlord and see what he says.

This is mandatory before FRES will adopt out, or even foster.

[Deleted]

Sounds like you're doing all the necessary research - great work