New ferret owner

[leegirdle2000]

Hi I'm new to the forum aswell as new to the ferret world.
I've been doing a lot of research on ferrets as I've been wanting one for multiple years now. If anyone could give any tips or pointers I'd be very Greatfull.

I have a couple questions to ask if anyone has time to answe them.

1: cat towers? Are they worth getting?
2: I was looking more into feeding whole prey. Will that be okay to do a smoothie for AM and a whole prey for PM?

[eclipso]

Hi, welcome! I don't have a ferret yet, but I've done a lot of research and I think I can help. I heard that the tall cat towers are not good for ferrets because they can fall, but small ones are fun for them to play in. They also look nice, so I think they'd be worth it. This is the one I like:
www.amazon.com/Trixie-Products-Miguel-Store-Tower/dp/B00ZUC8B2M/

Whole prey is great if you can get it. Theres a site for reptiles that send whole prey and it's very cheap. It's called Perfect Prey and I think I'll get my ferret food from there. I don't know if the bone could break because of the blades, but if it doesn't that sounds really nice. I'd prefer to offer prey normally because the whole bones helps them clean their teeth. You sound like you're going to be a very dedicated mom to your ferrets 😊 Something that was helpful for me was to organize my whole room while ferret proofing it and getting rid of things I don't need. It's made my room a lot safer for my ferrets. I hope this helped!

[caitmonster]

Hi, welcome to you and your future little one(s) Yes the cat furniture that is low to the ground is fine (ferrets can be scarily good at climbing but not so good once they get up high); although you'd make them just as happy with a couple of cardboard boxes and some drainage ducts assembled into fun little forts.

I assume by smoothie you mean whole prey that's just been thrown in the blender? No reason not to, but is there a particular reason why you'd feel that's necessary? May as well leave it whole and save yourself the trouble and cleanup. If you are planning to make your own grind, on the other hand, you'd have to make sure it is properly balanced with 65%-70% muscle, 10% edible bone, 10% heart, 5% liver, and 5% other organs.

[unclejoe]

Hi and welcome. We have 3 kats that were born here and they love the cat tower. I rigged a tunnel tube to it for the ferrets to get up, but after a few days they weren't that interested. If you have kats, yeah get one for them. It's not really worth the investment for just ferrets. Ferrets are just as happy to sleep in a bottom drawer or under a cabinet or dresser that has a towel, some old t-shirts or a blanket there. Yeah they ca be clumsy. I've had a couple incidents of a fuzz falling out of the top level of the cage. Also, some sources say ferrets can't climb. I call bull.

[lyles]

Yes, ferrets can absolutely climb. Sean is both built like a cat and acts like a cat. He runs low to the ground instead of bouncing and can climb anything his claws can grab onto. I even had to clear the coffee table because he can make a leap from the sofa to it. If I didn't have high thread count sheets on he can climb and get into the bed too.

Aron is a big boy and isn't as acrobatic but can still climb up on the sofa. I see him lots of times trying to position himself to jump but he always chickens out lol

Years ago I had a cat tower but they do tire of it quickly. They do love Amazon boxes though. Tape up a box and cut a round hole on one side and they'll keep using it until it's destroyed.

[abbeytheferret6]

I did smoothies--mouse smoothies in my bullet(skinned). This was mainly to get my Phoebe to like the taste of mouse---a transition from the forum chicken soupies to some variety. Older ferrets--- the one year olds and older--- will generally have to be hand fed soupies first before eating a whole prey animal. Later, I used salmon oil rather generously on a whole cut up mouse. This was after getting her to like the salmon oil. Before long she would eat the mouse with less and less salmon oil.

I use Perfect Prey, Layne Labs, and Hare Today. Layne Labs has most expensive shipping cost for me. They r in California and I am in the southeast.

[Charlie]

Welcome to the forum!! Congrats on doing all the research before getting a ferret! I did the same thing. You will make a great ferrant and provide all the best to your new family member with all the research! There's so much information on here!

Ferrets lose interest real fast with some store bought toys. They seem to like bags, boxes, blankets and tunnels the most. I have a cat tree from my cat but the ferret doesn't use it much even though it's in his room.

I like the idea of whole prey. If I could, I would feed exclusively whole prey if I could offer him a large variety but it's not in the budget for me. I do a blend of whole prey and frankenprey.