Introducing a baby ferret

[Deleted]

Hello all! You may or may not remember me, but I'm Perocore/Arik and my little fuzzbutt is Reginald, who is now 6 months old and weighs 4.5 pounds. We live in a college dorm now (he's my ESA + the campus is pet friendly), and since he's been down after losing the companionship of my dog (the two were constant playmates), I've decided to get him a companion (assuming the Pet Council approves it, though the director said he most likely would). 

Reggie is super mellow, especially about other animals and gets on well with dogs of all sizes and cats. When he was just a baby he had one other ferret in the store with him, but he'd been on his own for 2 days when I picked him up, and he hasn't played with another ferret since. 

I just want some tips, I suppose, on introducing a baby ferret (8-12 weeks old) to an older (6 months old) ferret. Is it fine to introduce two neutered males to each other?


Thanks!

[Deleted]

Congratulations on the baby.
Reginald has really grown into a big boy.

You will want to supervise. Reggie may happily accept him but he is large.
My Roamy became very aggressive towards our baby Mika and we simply waited two months for her to grow up. In the meantime, Juliet mothered her and let Roamy see her every day.

Some ideas:

Swap out blankets so they become familiar with each others smell.
A communal treat shared on a plate.
Make a play time supervision date in a neutral place. Somewhere that is not Reginald's territory.
Sit on the floor with a blanket and let them explore around and get use to each other.
The baby will want to explore and Reginald will want to explore the baby.

If Reginald becomes aggressive or shakes the little ones neck or seems to be hunting for him, then be very careful. If the baby poops from fear, then pick him up and try again later.
Only ferrets seem to be much more accepting of a new one than ferrets who are part of a larger business.

Do you have a good ferret vet? Dr. Clark is in Seminole and owns ferrets. He is wonderful. I was sorry to lose him when we moved.
seminoleblvdvet.com/team/clark-maccullough/

Good luck and of course we need baby pictures, pretty please.
:wave3:

[Heather]

Intros should go comparatively well as they're both babies but that being said the wee baby may be too young for the rough and tumble play of your boy. Napoleon (who was my gentle giant) loved the babies and treated them well. It really is on a ferret to ferret basis. Is there any way that your boy can pick out his new "brother"?
ciao

[Deleted]

Thank you for the tips, poncesmom! I figure that Reggie is so gentle anyways he should be okay doing monitored play. I wonder if the tactics I used to introduce my baby rat to the older two would work? I first introduced them after bathing all three of them, so they were more concerned with drying off and grooming than in investigating the new intruder, but they still became more familiar with his presence, then.

Heather, I have contacted all of the places where I might find a companion for Reggie and all places said they're cool with Reggie meeting the babies to see if he clicks with any in particular!

I'm hoping I can find a babe closer to 12 weeks old than 8, but we'll have to see how that goes.

[Heather]

I would go for a wee one who's closer to 12 weeks than 8 weeks. At that point in time they're much bigger, they're more confident and are much more ferret
ciao

[Deleted]

Sept 2, 2015 19:06:23 GMT -5 @perocore said:

Thank you for the tips, poncesmom! I figure that Reggie is so gentle anyways he should be okay doing monitored play. I wonder if the tactics I used to introduce my baby rat to the older two would work? I first introduced them after bathing all three of them, so they were more concerned with drying off and grooming than in investigating the new intruder, but they still became more familiar with his presence, then.

Heather, I have contacted all of the places where I might find a companion for Reggie and all places said they're cool with Reggie meeting the babies to see if he clicks with any in particular!

I'm hoping I can find a babe closer to 12 weeks old than 8, but we'll have to see how that goes.

Eckerd College allows ferrets and has quite alot. You might check with them, the student union might have posts up about rehoming ferrets.
A baby may not be available but you might find a nice ferret who needs a new home.

[Deleted]

Haha, poncesmom, guess where I happen to be? This year there are only 3 ferrets on campus, and Reggie is one of them, heh.

I do check frequently with shelters and on craigslist, as well, though I do want to get one Reggie's age or younger for the sake of health and diet.

Do ferrets ever fight over food? I have one food bowl that is set down into Reggie's cage, as he kept flipping others over and making an awful mess...so when/if I get another and they eventually move into the same cage will they be able to share a food bowl?

[Deleted]

There's only 3 this year, awww...

I thought you might be there. That's a lovely school.
My daughter Taylor had friends there.
She wanted a pet and everyone there convinced her to bring a ferret home.
That's how my love affair with ferrets began. Tay is highly allergic though, and so I became Ponce's ferrent.

There was a pet store over in the Bay Pointe Plaza, by the Publix. That's where my Ponce came from. Their ferrets are not Marshall's. I don't know if it's still there.
The owner was a very nice man and willing to negotiate. Ask him about a baby.
You might also ask the Skyway Animal Vet office about any ferrets who need rehoming. They're just across the street from the strip mall.

None of mine have ever fought over food. We're free roam and they eat at different times.
They will share a plate, but don't usually want to eat at the same time.
I have a little girl Keller who loves to knock over bowls. I use plates for food and a heavy crystal water bowl that someone gave me. They can't knock that over but they can snorkel in it.

A friend is really wonderful for them. Everyone told me that but life was busy and Ponce was happy with us. After he crossed the Rainbow Bridge, I brought home a bonded pair and once I saw how much they loved each other, I was sorry that Ponce did not know that kind of joy.

[Deleted]

That petstore no longer exists, sadly. There's a nice place a little ways away, they have both babies from Marshall's as well as shelter ferrets that they keep there to help get adopted. They only have one older ferret in, and he's about 4-5 years old. I'll be checking back while I wait for my appeal, haha.

I do definitely want a friend for Reggie, he's seemed so sad every time I leave, here lately, I think he needs company. Right now, though, it's a matter of the Pet Council approving my request to get him a companion (though the director said they usually do in these sort of situations).

Reggie is very gentle and good, so I don't think I'll have too many issues with introducing a baby. What's nice is the pet store I'd like to find the baby at now was enthusiastic about letting Reggie meet babies to find a friend he clicks with. They said that as long as he has his rabies shot to certainly bring him in when they have babies. He hasn't seen another ferret in a while, except through the tank when we visit the pet store, so I hope he handles it alright!

[Deleted]

That a shame that pet store no longer exists. They were nice people and cared about their animals.

Reggie would be happier with a friend. He's so young and needs playtime. He remembers his mom and his siblings. Right now, you are his only source of food and fun. He misses you when you are gone.
I know Bentley is there but it's not the same.

I'm glad that Reggie can pick his own friend and his friend will pick him also.
Just wait until you see those two all curled up together or playing and being silly happy ferrets.
Your heart will melt.

[Deleted]

@poncesmom, I actually was looking for places to get food, and I stumbled upon a place called Animal House Naturals, which is in a plaza near a publix...could that have been the place you mentioned? They have an awesome selection of raw premade foods, as well as some top quality kibble, and they do have a wide variety of small pets in the store, apparently even prairie dogs, and yes, baby ferrets. I was planning on calling to ask about pricing on baby ferrets, since the store boasts feeding only grain-free kibbles and such.

And he really does, poor babe needs someone to snuggle with when I can't, and to play with the way ferrets are meant to play.

[Deleted]

No, that's not the store that I mentioned. You could have walked to this one.

That store must be new. It's in the Northeast section of town. That's a nice area.
It sounds like it's a bit Holistic. That's great.

This in is a nice store. Not Holistic but good prices and caring employees. Not a huge selection for ferrets when I lived there but a fun store.

Animal House Pet Center
I see they carry ferrets. Always try to negotiate a price with them.
950 34th St N
Saint Petersburg

This is the best Oriental market and it's right on 34th.
Address: 5944 34th St N #17, St Petersburg, FL 33714
Phone:[phone]
Hours:
Closed now · Hours

Check Yelp. They have a listing of animal shelters in St. Pete and they have have a baby for you.

[Deleted]

I called Animal House Pet Center and they seem very knowledgeable on ferret behavior, as I asked them about letting Reggie play with their babies to see if he gets along with one in particular, and they knew what signs to look out for when introducing new ferrets and such.

I'm hoping I can get a ride some time this week to bring Reggie in to meet some other ferrets, see if he clicks with one in particular!

Does anyone know when it is generally okay for two ferrets to live together? Is it basically when they're getting along just fine out of the cage? I ask because I am technically not allowed to have more than 1 cage set up, so while I can set up a temporary cage, it won't really be able to stay up for very long.

[Sherry]

When I find them sleeping together out of cage is when I cage them together

[Deleted]

You'll know soon enough after you watch them play together.

If they're getting along fine and there is no aggression that draws blood or no fear pooping, then they should be fine to sleep together. It will be comforting for the baby meeper who will be missing his fur mom and siblings.
If the first night, the baby needs to sleep alone then put the temp cage right next to Reggie's and swap out the bedding so that they get use to each other's smell.

If you see signs of aggression, post and we can suggest some tips.
Reggie may act tough. It's his home and he might want to assert his dominance. Don't freak if he drags the baby across the floor or tries to stash him. Their skin is tough and it's part of new ferret intros.
You're watching out for fear pooping, drawing blood or very aggressive shaking of the baby. One or both may bottlebrush their tails.

Your new one will want to explore your room and Reggie will want to play with him.

Show the new one around and let him see everything. Let Reggie follow along and pick him up also.
Give Reggie the first hello and the first hugs to reassure him that he is still important.

It's usually recommended that pet store ferrets have a quarantine first. That's to avoid passing along ECE or green slime disease. It's a bug that babies carry and can pass on to other ferrets.

It's going to be awfully hard to keep Reggie away from the new one in a dorm room.
Mine are free roam and I couldn't do that.
The larger chain pet stores usually have already done that and I suspect the Animal House does also.

Just keep an eye on Reggie's poops for green poops. If he picks it up, a simple course of antibiotics will clear that up. I'm not trying to alarm you, just making sure you keep an eye out.