Hiya

[kaydeejayde]

Hey everyone,

I'm Erin and I'm 21 from Australia.

I don't have ferrets at the moment. I have had two. Sebastian passed away when he was only 5 months old and then I had Jasper who died of old age. I miss them both terribly and I'm now looking into getting another one. I have everything I need, but I like to have some money saved for if something goes wrong, so thats where I'm at at the moment, currently saving my butt off, then I'll head out and look for a new baby.

I found this forum after googling for ferret food recipes, and there is SO much useful information on here, it's like a treasure chest! I want to do right by my ferrets, and I know that I still have a lot to learn about keeping them, so I'm going to be trawling through the forums a lot before I get a new ferret, I think.

Anyways, nice to meet everyone

[Heather]

Hi and welcome on board
Please feel free to prowl the forum, check out the various sections, read threads, ask questions and get involved. Everyone's friendly I'm sorry that you're without a wee one right now, but am very happy that you've decided to do some major research despite having been a ferrant before. There have been a lot of changes that have occured in the last few years in not only the care but with nutrition. I hope that I will be seeing you around
ciao

[Jeremy's Boggle]

Welcome to the forum. There is a lot of great information and people here. It is great that you are already setting up your emergency fund. We will be rebuilding ours this year

[kaydeejayde]

Thank you for the welcome, guys!

I so miss having ferrets, but I really don't think I'm sufficiently prepared yet, and I don't want to mistreat a little one unintentionally thinking I was doing the right thing. They're such rewarding pets, but with that comes a certain amount of research which is why I'm glad I found this site.

As for the emergency fund, I just feel safer having it there. I'm a student, so I don't have a tonne of money, but when I do have a ferret now, I want to have the money there that I just don't touch, so I know I'll be able to have the money there for use in an emergency if I need it. It would break my heart to have a sick ferret and not be able to help them.

Again, thank you for the welcome

[Sherry]

Hi, and welcome That's a fantastic idea having the emergency fund before having the fuzz! Wish I'd done that

[kaydeejayde]

I'm going to wait until I have about $500 before I get my ferret baby. Then after I have him, I'll definitely keep saving. How much would you guys suggest I have saved up? Or is it wise to just keep adding to it when I can?

[Deleted]

I would think just adding to it when you can (say monthly) would be a great idea. That way if they get adrenal or any other desease you'll have the funds.

[Deleted]

I don't know how much vets cost in Aus, but one emergency here (Florida) can cost me upwards of $700. Is that $500 going to be used to buy a cage, food, toys, or is that separate?
A vet visit here costs be about $50, and procedures range from $50-$100. Surgery is expensive - think possible blockages (they are very common). Ferrets are prone (in the USA) to various medical conditions - adrenal, insulinoma, IBD, lymphona, heart issues. These require life-long care and quickly add up.

I would say having anywhere from $500-$1000 is a good place to be. I would always add to it when you can, because ferrets are expensive. You also want to have money in case you lose your job, fall on bad luck etc.

[kaydeejayde]

The $500 is going to be separate. I have a cage already, washed and ready to go from my ferrets I had before, I just need to buy new bedding, food bowls, the general supplies. I'm going to try raw feeding, and by the time I have enough money to go out and choose a baby, I'll have my head around it, one of the main reasons I joined here.

I might just stay on the safe side and wait until I have $1000 saved and then add to it monthly. They are expensive and I'd hate to be caught out with no way to help them.

Thanks guys, you're awesome.

[Deleted]

Luckily, most Aus ferrets are sold intact, correct? That's a huge advantage, because adrenal disease is very closely linked with spaying and neutering too early (like 8 weeks old). A raw diet (hopefully) avoids insulinoma, so you can possible eliminate (or prolong) two of the most common disease us in the USA have to deal with financially.

[kaydeejayde]

Oh cool! That's a relief. Most are sold intact, yes, and I always ask the breeder these things when I buy them. I wasn't aware that adrenal disease and neutering too early are linked. That's great knowledge.

I think I'd still like to have the stash of money, just because I'm overly careful

[Deleted]

Adrenal is tied to several things, like unnatural lighting cycles, diet, and genetics. The most contributing factor seems to be neutering. If you can avoid neutering at all, you (theoretically) can avoid adrenal.

The deslorelin implant is a new drug that can be used to chemically castrate intact ferrets so that you can avoid neutering/spaying at all.

Another Aussie member here recently had her two hobs implanted (Navcot) and posted about it HERE[/b]. There are two strengths available that vary in the length of time they last. The longer one seems to be better suited for younger ferrets.

Definitely something to look into

[kaydeejayde]

Oh my gosh, thank you so so much! That was going to be my next question, whether they HAVE to be neutered. I'll definitely look into that.

[Deleted]

Females have to be brought out of season somehow or else they can die of anemia. This can be done by several different methods including: jill jab, v hob, deslorelin, and spaying.

Hobs don't need to be neutered at all, but when they are in season, they can be rather stinky (so I've read) and some can be agressive towards other males (not all ferrets are). I have no idea how bad an intact hob smells, but I'm sure your breeder can give you some insight on that. Also, if you only plan on keeping a single ferret, the agression wouldn't be an issue

[kaydeejayde]

I haven't decided whether I'm getting one or two. I'm doing a distance university course this year so time I have to offer won't be a problem at all because I'll be able to work my course around my life and around my ferrets. Can ferrets be happy without other ferrets?

I'm leaning towards males. Both of my previous babies have been males and they were just lovely, maybe once I'm able to keep more at once (my landlord has a limit of 6 pets and we already have 4 living with us.) I'll get some girls. I don't plan on not keeping ferrets any time soon