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Post by Sherry on Jan 10, 2012 10:27:12 GMT -5
As for increasing the odds of him approving of his new playmate- let HIM pick him or her out.
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Post by miamiferret2 on Jan 10, 2012 12:39:01 GMT -5
you know, this has become a touchy subject for me. I have been criticized a few times for having an only ferret. I get the "oh that is just cruel of you to keep him by himself! he's lonely! they need playmates!" I disagree. he has a d*mn good life. he lives better than most people that i know. he certainly eats better than i do. there are good and bad things about having a single ferret. seeing two ferrets play together and sleep together is very cute of course. but experiencing a very depressed ferret that has lost a bonded mate is tough. sometimes you lose them in quick succession. another thing is, the costs of GOOD veterinary care for ferrets are really high where i live. i find that these animals just get more and more expensive to own. honestly, my ferret is perfectly happy being alone. we play with him alot. i hand wrestle with them just like another ferret would. i get down on my knees and i play with him. he gets alot of exercise and he is free roam so he has plenty to keep him occupied. he plays with the dog (when he can behave himself), he has plenty of toys and he is spoiled rotten. he gets the best of everything. we spare no expense on him. another good thing about having one ferret is, you don't have to ask questions like "who is not eating enough?" "who is having this funky poop or urine?" "who didn't poop enough today?" "OMG who chewed on this toy and swallowed the fabric!" If the poop looks bad, you know who did it. if the toy is chewed up and swallowed, you know who did it. and what a horrible feeling it was to have a sick animal(s) and not be able to afford medical care. mind you, sometimes things just happen and are beyond our control. sometimes people lose their jobs, etc. and they just end up in a bad financial situation that was totally unforseeable. however, I do know quite a few people who have their hearts in the right place, but they just go in over their heads and end up taking on too many ferrets. then they cannot afford emergency (or even routine sometimes) medical care, appropriate food, etc. I find that many people just adopt multiple ferrets but they have no idea how costly they are and how many medical issues they have! If you had spoken to me 20 years ago when i was a teenager, I would have thought nothing of having multiple ferrets. but was it right for me to think that way when i was not earning enough money to care for them appropriately? no. I will be honest with you, my ferrets in the past ate crappy kibbled cat foods and they did not always have the best medical care! i would often have to them to dog and cat vets who didn't always know what they were doing. there were very few ferret vets in this town back in those days and even then they were VERY expensive exotic vets--too expensive for a teenager that worked part time at the mall. my parents bailed me out on a lot of ferret emergency medical treatment. on the other hand, i may not have had the money to give them the best of everything, but I know that I loved them all with ALL my heart. they were never ever abused, they always had food in their bellies, they always had a warm dry bed, they had toys. they all had a good life with my family. so, if someone wants to have multiple ferrets (who otherwise would NOT have ended up in a good situation) who am I to criticize them for that? those ferrets are at least being loved and they will continue to be loved until they take their last breath. what more can anyone ask for. as for me, I'm a paranoid ferret owner so I just can't do it now. I don't have human children (by choice, i prefer my dog and ferret). I'm in my mid 30's and I rush my ferret to the vet for the tiniest thing. and he's less than 2 years old! I just can't handle multiples anymore. I'd go broke with the vet bills. so, I resort to facebook and this forum and I can get my fill of looking at pictures of multiple ferrets doing cute things.
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Post by Heather on Jan 10, 2012 12:54:57 GMT -5
It's all about knowing your limits If it's one or a dozen, no one should give you grief about it. Your wee one gets all the stimulation he needs. It's more work than allowing the fuzz to go play with his friend(s) but if that's the way you want it know one should give you grief. It's not like you lock him away in his cage for hours at a time or days alone. ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2012 2:26:14 GMT -5
He is treated nice, but I have an exhausting personal health concern and busted foot that doesn't let me play with him the way he needs to be played with. Today I started ferret-proofing "Arties room" and he woke up and started exploring and checking things out and helping me sweep the floor (new sport, that is) ;D . But I had to stop in the middle and go to a get together and you know what.. HIS Highness initiated trying to wardance and play with me like his old goofy self. I (had to) left, and yes everyone I felt like a heel. funny though, no protest mess was waiting for me when I got back.? I am doing the work of bonding more with him-blessings heather and everyone for your videos. Still getting used to the idea that they need intelligent interaction if they are going to bond. I was always good at bonding with cats and dogs, ferts are way different. We will see how the new room goes and go from there.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2012 2:34:00 GMT -5
"another good thing about having one ferret is, you don't have to ask questions like "who is not eating enough?" "who is having this funky poop or urine?" "who didn't poop enough today?" "OMG who chewed on this toy and swallowed the fabric!" If the poop looks bad, you know who did it. if the toy is chewed up and swallowed, you know who did it." -miamiferret2 Those questions right there are the one's I hadn't thought of. I do like to be able to be on top of things. Artie is just bored though and not destructively bored either. I'm back to we'll see.
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Post by gabriel on Jan 25, 2012 11:51:25 GMT -5
Great thread. Thanks for the toy suggestions. I'm now planning a complete makeover for the main room my ferrets (formerly only ferret) roam. MiamiFerret, I agree with your statement. I only got a second ferret because I am now in a place where I can afford to have one and Ophelia does have destructive boredom behaviors so I'm hoping where I can't fill in, Baby Willow will but otherwise, she's had a Very fulfilling and active life in which I've catered to her every whim. It irks me as well to see people making derogatory comments because a person keeps a single ferret. Lmao at Sherry's potato chip comment. So true. Thanks again.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2012 22:10:28 GMT -5
Artie's room is working out quite well. We play and chase over and under things there. I move stuff around and keep the floor covered with old blankets and towels except for the potty corner. I still feed him out in the front room or kitchen, where I eat. I guess it's my need to watch and make sure what he eats and what he stashes. I'm going to try and get permission from the landlord. Any suggestions on selling points? He didn't bring anything up when I asked permission for 1 ferret, so I am at a loss as to possible objections.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2012 19:43:18 GMT -5
I had to leave for twelve hours. I stocked up his dish with A LOT of cornish hen and freeze dried and went on my appointment. He was really different when I came back. He nuzzled me with lots of kisses and rested on my lap with no intention of moving for about 20 minutes. (He doesn't sleep on my lap at all.) After I had recovered and slept, he's been about the same as usual. I just worry if I have to be gone longer. I am guessing that he's just worried and lonely. I hadn't been gone that long since he's been here.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2012 2:03:14 GMT -5
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Post by Sherry on Feb 8, 2012 11:34:46 GMT -5
Congrats on the impending ferret math ;D
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Post by katt on Apr 1, 2012 0:55:03 GMT -5
Something to add to the ferret proofing list - oatmeal contatiners! I punched out the bottom thinking "Oh! What a great tunnel!" ..... Koda! Inside of oatmeal containers is a plastic ring where the lid snaps on. This is, naturally, a "chew toy." Remove the plastic ring before giving to your ferrets!
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Post by Sherry on Apr 1, 2012 11:53:47 GMT -5
Oh, Koda ;D
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2012 21:20:29 GMT -5
After reading this I am determined to find a second. I just have to find someone Remus will get along with. I'll give The Craigslist Woman another couple days to respond and then contact the shelter I got Remus from about a potential match.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2012 21:22:17 GMT -5
Haha, it can definitely help. My Pix was an only ferret, and we had a lot of trouble keeping her entertained.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2012 21:27:20 GMT -5
He seems really lethargic, only gets really playful maybe once a day when I get him out and I feel bad about the loooong shifts I have when he's in the cage FOREVER. Are there any threads on here about introducing ferrets to each other?
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