New ferret mommy please help

[Deleted]

 hello ferret community my name is Samantha and my husband and I just recently adopted a ferret. She is 6 months old and we named her quill Z after Pokemon we like. She is up-to-date on all her shots very healthy, I'm feeding your epigen 90 by wysong and she also eats their brand of raw food as well. She weighs 2 lb and generally she seems happy. I'm a stay-at-home wife so she's never alone I take her out for 2 to 3 hours in the morning then 2 to 3 hours at night and I get down on all fours and I'll play with her the entire time if not she does get quite angry and might not poop in her litter box.   I have several toys for her that I just threw out on the floor and we play together with them. In her cage she has blankets bedding and hammocks I haven't put any toys in there yet so I'm not sure what to put in there. We do only have one ferret because the woman we adopted from only had one. We haven't decided if we're getting a second one or not, I'm not sure what would be best for the current ferret we have. as long as I'm in the floor playing with her at all times she's very happy very playful constantly making a little noises but when she's in her cage like if I'm drinking coffee or after you go to the bathroom she gets very angry and will just just destroy it. I'm not sure if I've told her that being mean Inside the Cage gets her out and that's my fault or she's lonely being in the cage by herself and that's causing her to act out cuz when she's out of the cage generally she's really good she's litter box trained as long as I'm playing with her if I'm ignoring her and then she'll definitely not want to use the bathroom. no matter how many times I block something off she still finds a way to get into it so I definitely have some more training to do with that. but my real thing is I want advice on whether or not she needs a friend what you guys is advice or faults would be on that and if you guys had any other ideas to keep her more entertained or help her not be so hatred of her cage that would be amazing I tried my best to do as much research as possible before purchasing her but clearly I should have done it for 2 months not one month she is a wonderful pet I do not regret her at all but she is a handful I just want to make sure I'm giving her the best and happy life as possible   sorry for the long post

[Heather]

Hi and welcome. Congratulations on your entry into the ferret world. I would tread cautiously at getting her a friend. She does have you. You're going to get a lot of pressure to get her a friend but...you're really new at this and though you've taken this wee one in...committing to two isn't the same thing. The bond you have with her will strengthen with time and you will learn how to deal with her humour. Little she-ferts are strong willed to put it mildly but having them as a friend can be very rewarding. You mention she tantrums when she's put in her cage...that's common. Have you tied down her litter box? so that she can't dump it in her tantrum? Does she have an area in your house that she can play? without supervision? This would allow you to have a little more space away from her. My guys free roam the house but that's not always possible.
Litter training is very hands on and little girls are more difficult as they actually mark using stools. You said she's 6 months....that's about the time when they stop being cutesy kits and developing a mind of their own and wee girlies have a mind of their own. They're not all about pleasing but investigating, getting into things. Cages are boring. Taking her out for as much as you do is wonderful and really helps but she's relying on you exclusively to amuse her. Now this is where most people say....get 2 then you don't have to entertain but then your wee one never learns to entertain herself and you have 2 bored ferrets in a cage instead of one.
Don't hit yourself.....you did more research than many and now you're there. Ask questions...but like I said watch the ferret math. A ferret doesn't need another friend if she's got you and if you commit to another you then have to entertain two furry delinquents instead of one
ciao

[unclejoe]

Welcome to ferretry! Ferrets are all different. I would take advantage of the time you have alone to make that bond stronger before getting more cuteness to take your time. My first ferret was not a people ferret at all. She wasn't vicious, but she didn't care to be held or play with humans much. Of our current business of 7, only 2 are human-oriented, and the older ones just chill.

[bishop24]

Welcome! You two sound adorable 😊

I would also suggest holding off on deciding wether or not to get another furry one. Ferret behaviour multiplies exponentially with every extra ferret. One ferret misbehaving is difficult but two misbehaving ferrets are 4x worse. It works the same way for playtime and mischief so make sure you can handle your current ferrets antics before even thinking of getting one.

I’m not sure if they plan it but I swear that whenever one ferret figures out how to climb up onto the table and knock over the flower pot (I’ve given up on inside plants 😭) the other one will figure out how to get into the baking cabinet and rip open the bag of flour while the third one runs off with my cell phone. It’s hilarious and exhausting all in one.

[Deleted]

Thank you everyone for you quick and helpful replies I'm sorry it took so long to reply back I didn't receive a notification that someone replied to me:) speaking of getting a second ferret I think you guys are right I love that she follows me around and comes to get me to play with her so I would be very sad to lose that bond we already have started. Yes I have almost everything in her cages ziptied down because she knocks everything over:) and I am wanting to put like a big "escape proof" gate around her cage so she will always be able to get in and out if I'm busy cleaning or taking care of my other pets. I bought her a play pen and she hated it.... so hopefully this will work if not it will at least help her get a good stretch out of the cage if she wants to. You guys are so nice and thoughtful! If you guys have any training tips or good toys in mind please feel free to share! 

[Sherry]

Girls are bratty, no doubt about it. They are intelligent and resourceful, and have a temper Think of a combo of a toddler and teenager that can't get their own way Since you've tied everything down in the cage, when she has to be in it you need to absolutely 100% ignore her tantrums when in there. You can't even so much as look in her direction or she'll up the ante. And yes, the cage raging will get worse before getting better. Best bet is to get a cage cover so she can't see outside it.

[Deleted]

Omg every time she throws a tantrum I walk over to her and tell her no... failure on my part haha I have seen the cage covers I didn't know if it was to help them sleep or not but that does sound like a good idea! Yea she is pretty bratty but she's just so darn cute I can't be mad at her but for a second

[Sherry]

Suki's favourite gambit was to start by tossing all the litter out of the box, and every so often if you watched out of the corner of your eye you'd see her stop and look to see if I was watching. If she caught me doing so she'd increase her digging and throwing things around, then progress to digging all the water out of her bowl and tossing bedding/litter into the mess she'd just created

[Deleted]

Yes the water... after I finally got her potty trained she started spilling her water multiple times now she's only doing it at night. I got a new bowl that can't be knocked over so she digs the water out instead but yet she hates a bath... hahah

[Sherry]

Try getting lock on crocs. That way you can raise them a bit so she can't get her "elbows" into the digging action
www.amazon.ca/Living-World-Lock-Crock-6-Ounce/dp/B005F3FCTQ

[Deleted]

Omg that's a great idea!! I'm so glad I found this forum!Thank you