| soami going about this right? - CLICK HERE for the Pet Manual Forum Home Page |
| Rico Tico |
I just became Gpa to a ferret face and I sure love that little guy. He will
be living with us for a while, and hopefully we can gain custody because we
have a nice stable comfortable home here, as opposed to running around an
apartment all day untrained and unsnoopervised. He's inside now from the
nippy Great Lakes weather and loves to snoop our basement (ferret proof as
much as we can with closed doors, etc). Carpeted, and paneled and furniture
it is comfort-able just so yooz don't think we leave him on the cold floor.
We leave the large cage open so he can get to his food, water and cat box,
blanket and hammock, but then close him in when we go away for the day and
at night. He arrived one day with a bag of noname cat food and fleas, so
after clearing up the fleas, we got some liver and tuna kibble that he
likes. He does not like ferret food! Now his coat is changing and he seems
to be getting bulkier. Is this normal and seasonal? Now I see yoo folks
talk about olive oil, so I assume you leave it in a bowl for them to consume
at will? I play with him in the morning when he's most active and at night
when I get home. Gma won't touch him but she tolerates him.
Also he makes what I think is a happy noise, kind of "mm mm mm mm mm" as if
he's kind of doing a little ferret laugh. That's a good thing right? His
body langauge is funny because he does this backwards shuffle when i set him
down or stand in front of him. He also reels his neck as if he was trying
to get out of a collar (there is none) so I hope this is normal too. And he
hobbles sideways so much sometimes that his hump back makes him fall over!
He loves paper or plastic bags to rummage in and just loves it when I roll
him in a throw rug and play "protect the home" (finger wiggle by either
entrance as he darts his head in and out as he gently nips at fingertips)
Really he is so gentle, never really bites. I need to trim his nails
though. Well thanks for listnin', hope I dint keep yooz too long. I'll
continue reading all your good advice I see here because I think I have a
lot to learn.
Rico's Grandpa
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| Jason and Holly Harper |
Great Lakes, huh? Are you a Yooper? :) Anyhoo, congratulations on the new
fuzzy. You'll learn that cat food really is not good for a ferret. If you
buy both a bag of the cat food you're feeding him and a bag of ferret food
(one that DOES NOT have dried fruit pieces) and mix the two foods together
he should get acclimated to the ferret food. Decrease the cat food little
by little until you're only feeding the ferret food. Getting bulky and
fuzzier is normal for this time of year, although some ferrets get it
backwards. ;-) No, I don't know of anyone that just leaves the olive oil
out in the open for the ferret to get at will. If you're feeding a cat food
it might be in your best interest to get a bottle of ferretone and mix it
with the olive oil until you get him eating the ferret food. Sounds like
he's a happy fellow. Yes, ferrets do vocalize by making a chuckling sort of
noise some of us call dooking. Kind of sounds like a baby raccoon or a
chicken. ;-) Do becareful when letting him play with plastic bags. Only
let him do this while you're supervising as he can get stuck in them and
suffocate. The olive oil/ferretone will help with trimming his nails. Also
think about learning how to clean his ears. A really good book for you to
pick up is Ferrets for Dummies...it's a ferret bible. :) Good luck and
keep asking questions!!
Holly
"Rico Tico" <ReecohTeecoh@FerretTown.net> wrote in message
news:0W9dd.2453$ta5.241@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> I just became Gpa to a ferret face and I sure love that little guy. He
will
> be living with us for a while, and hopefully we can gain custody because
we
> have a nice stable comfortable home here, as opposed to running around an
> apartment all day untrained and unsnoopervised. He's inside now from the
> nippy Great Lakes weather and loves to snoop our basement (ferret proof
as
> much as we can with closed doors, etc). Carpeted, and paneled and
furniture
> it is comfort-able just so yooz don't think we leave him on the cold
floor.
> We leave the large cage open so he can get to his food, water and cat box,
> blanket and hammock, but then close him in when we go away for the day and
> at night. He arrived one day with a bag of noname cat food and fleas, so
> after clearing up the fleas, we got some liver and tuna kibble that he
> likes. He does not like ferret food! Now his coat is changing and he
seems
> to be getting bulkier. Is this normal and seasonal? Now I see yoo folks
> talk about olive oil, so I assume you leave it in a bowl for them to
consume
> at will? I play with him in the morning when he's most active and at
night
> when I get home. Gma won't touch him but she tolerates him.
> Also he makes what I think is a happy noise, kind of "mm mm mm mm mm" as
if
> he's kind of doing a little ferret laugh. That's a good thing right? His
> body langauge is funny because he does this backwards shuffle when i set
him
> down or stand in front of him. He also reels his neck as if he was trying
> to get out of a collar (there is none) so I hope this is normal too. And
he
> hobbles sideways so much sometimes that his hump back makes him fall over!
> He loves paper or plastic bags to rummage in and just loves it when I roll
> him in a throw rug and play "protect the home" (finger wiggle by either
> entrance as he darts his head in and out as he gently nips at fingertips)
> Really he is so gentle, never really bites. I need to trim his nails
> though. Well thanks for listnin', hope I dint keep yooz too long. I'll
> continue reading all your good advice I see here because I think I have a
> lot to learn.
>
> Rico's Grandpa
>
>
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| KG |
"Rico Tico" <ReecohTeecoh@FerretTown.net> wrote in message news:<0W9dd.2453$ta5.241@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net>...
Now his coat is changing and he seems
> to be getting bulkier. Is this normal and seasonal?
Yes, they bulk up for winter and get longer, fluffier coats. In the
spring they will drop a few ounces and get a lighter, soft coat.
Now I see yoo folks
> talk about olive oil, so I assume you leave it in a bowl for them to consume
> at will?
Too much olive oil can cause the runs. You can give it too him
several different ways. Hold the bottle over his mouth and let him
lick it out. Let him lick it off your fingers or the end of a baby
spoon. Don't leave it out, he will slurp it all down at once. Again,
beware of the runs.
> Also he makes what I think is a happy noise, kind of "mm mm mm mm mm" as if
> he's kind of doing a little ferret laugh. That's a good thing right?
He's dooking. Talk back to him by saying boop boop boop
His
> body langauge is funny because he does this backwards shuffle when i set him
> down or stand in front of him.
This sounds like the weasel war dance. Front legs straight, bouncing
around, dooking a mile a minute. Ferrets get so involved they will
bounce into walls, furniture and each other.
> He loves paper or plastic bags to rummage in
Supervise plastic bags as they can get caught in them and suffocate.
Use the "hard" plastic bags like the grocery kind. Avoid the "soft"
plastic bags like you might get from the pharmacy.
I need to trim his nails
> though.
Here's where you can get some use out of the olive oil. Put it on his
belly. While he is distracted licking it off do his front nails.
Back nails don't seem to grow as fast and can be done slightly less
often. You do want to take the tips off of the back nails.
Do his nails every 10 to 14 days. Less often if his nails grow
faster.
You can get really great ferret info from the book Ferrets for Dummies
and go to the website ferretcentral.org. Try te American Ferret
Association website.
Ask lots of questions. I've had ferrets 10 yrs and there is still
something new to learn. I cringe at some of the things I did with my
first three ferrets. It was considered the best advice available at
the time.
KG
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| Rico Tico |
"Jason and Holly Harper" wuz real nice to answer some of my wunderins in
message news:HIbdd.3274$Pd2.1327292@monger.newsread.com...
\
Great Lakes, huh? Are you a Yooper? :)
Naw, weez flatlanders in the midstate. Farmers, auto workers and edukators
:D
>You'll learn that cat food really is not good for a ferret. If you
> buy both a bag of the cat food you're feeding him and a bag of ferret food
> (one that DOES NOT have dried fruit pieces) and mix the two foods together
> he should get acclimated to the ferret food. Decrease the cat food little
> by little until you're only feeding the ferret food. Getting bulky and
> fuzzier is normal for this time of year, although some ferrets get it
> backwards. ;-) No, I don't know of anyone that just leaves the olive oil
> out in the open for the ferret to get at will. If you're feeding a cat
food
> it might be in your best interest to get a bottle of ferretone and mix it
> with the olive oil until you get him eating the ferret food. Sounds like
> he's a happy fellow. Yes, ferrets do vocalize by making a chuckling sort
of
> noise some of us call dooking. Kind of sounds like a baby raccoon or a
> chicken. ;-) Do becareful when letting him play with plastic bags. Only
> let him do this while you're supervising as he can get stuck in them and
> suffocate. The olive oil/ferretone will help with trimming his nails.
Also
> think about learning how to clean his ears. A really good book for you to
> pick up is Ferrets for Dummies...it's a ferret bible. :) Good luck and
> keep asking questions!!
>
> Holly
Thanks Holly,
We're fixin to get read up at Barnes and Noble about this now.
And Gma likes their $4 coffee so we're headed out now before they close.
And now I know about just dosing the olive oil as a treat and not lettin him
hog swaller it all.
Whilst we're out we'll stop at the music shop for the ferrettone too. Is
that like a barratone? :D
skuz my spellin ifin it ain't rite and I hope you like humor sunny side up.
Rico's Gpa
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| Rico Tico |
"KG" <katgall@voyager.net> wrote in message
news:9ad00fda.0410191214.45647956@posting.google.com...
> "Rico Tico" <ReecohTeecoh@FerretTown.net> wrote in message
news:<0W9dd.2453$ta5.241@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net>...
> Now his coat is changing and he seems
> > to be getting bulkier. Is this normal and seasonal?
>
> Yes, they bulk up for winter and get longer, fluffier coats. In the
> spring they will drop a few ounces and get a lighter, soft coat.
>
> Now I see yoo folks
> > talk about olive oil, so I assume you leave it in a bowl for them to
consume
> > at will?
>
> Too much olive oil can cause the runs. You can give it too him
> several different ways. Hold the bottle over his mouth and let him
> lick it out. Let him lick it off your fingers or the end of a baby
> spoon. Don't leave it out, he will slurp it all down at once. Again,
> beware of the runs.
>
> > Also he makes what I think is a happy noise, kind of "mm mm mm mm mm" as
if
> > he's kind of doing a little ferret laugh. That's a good thing right?
>
> He's dooking. Talk back to him by saying boop boop boop
>
> His
> > body langauge is funny because he does this backwards shuffle when i set
him
> > down or stand in front of him.
>
> This sounds like the weasel war dance. Front legs straight, bouncing
> around, dooking a mile a minute. Ferrets get so involved they will
> bounce into walls, furniture and each other.
>
> > He loves paper or plastic bags to rummage in
>
> Supervise plastic bags as they can get caught in them and suffocate.
> Use the "hard" plastic bags like the grocery kind. Avoid the "soft"
> plastic bags like you might get from the pharmacy.
>
> I need to trim his nails
> > though.
>
> Here's where you can get some use out of the olive oil. Put it on his
> belly. While he is distracted licking it off do his front nails.
> Back nails don't seem to grow as fast and can be done slightly less
> often. You do want to take the tips off of the back nails.
>
> Do his nails every 10 to 14 days. Less often if his nails grow
> faster.
>
> You can get really great ferret info from the book Ferrets for Dummies
> and go to the website ferretcentral.org. Try te American Ferret
> Association website.
>
> Ask lots of questions. I've had ferrets 10 yrs and there is still
> something new to learn. I cringe at some of the things I did with my
> first three ferrets. It was considered the best advice available at
> the time.
>
> KG
Hello KG,
This is all excellent advice and I thank ya so very much.
Heez tuckered out now and snoozin so weer gonna sneek off and do our own
ferreting at the bookstore.
At least I will. Gma pokes around the cookbook section soas to keep me fat.
Yooz have a pleasant evenin'.
Rico's Gpa
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| Jason and Holly Harper |
Hehehe...thought you might be a Yooper because of your spelling. ;-) We're
mid-state as well. :) And your humor will fit right in around here. ;-)
And I've got to agree with Kathy (KG). She mentioned that she's had ferrets
for 10 years and she's still learning... I think that's true with all of
us. Asking questions always gets a gold star around here. :) I do hope
that you decide to keep the little bugger in the house in the summer as
well. Ferrets don't do well in high temperatures (80+ degrees F).
Holly
"Rico Tico" <ReecohTeecoh@FerretWorld.net> wrote in message
news:2lidd.3096$ta5.1021@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>
> "Jason and Holly Harper" wuz real nice to answer some of my wunderins
in
> message news:HIbdd.3274$Pd2.1327292@monger.newsread.com...
> \
> Great Lakes, huh? Are you a Yooper? :)
>
> Naw, weez flatlanders in the midstate. Farmers, auto workers and
edukators
> :D
>>
> Thanks Holly,
> We're fixin to get read up at Barnes and Noble about this now.
> And Gma likes their $4 coffee so we're headed out now before they close.
> And now I know about just dosing the olive oil as a treat and not lettin
him
> hog swaller it all.
> Whilst we're out we'll stop at the music shop for the ferrettone too. Is
> that like a barratone? :D
> skuz my spellin ifin it ain't rite and I hope you like humor sunny side
up.
> Rico's Gpa
>
>
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| MC |
Yeah..I am always learnbing too...my ferrets are ALWAYS training me to do
different things. The brats!
"Jason and Holly Harper" <jhharper@tm.net> wrote in message
news:bcDdd.3331$Pd2.1360789@monger.newsread.com...
She mentioned that she's had ferrets
> for 10 years and she's still learning... I think that's true with all of
> us.
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| Jason and Holly Harper |
I know...it's taken me almost two years to figure out why Stormy climbed the
cage. Duh.... she wanted me to put down more ferret food (which is kept on
top of the big cage). For some reason she thinks the food is different when
she's fed outside of the cage. But she has me trained well now. ;-)
Holly
"MC" <MC@ProgressiveSystemsInc.org> wrote in message
news:cl9n6q07o6@news4.newsguy.com...
> Yeah..I am always learnbing too...my ferrets are ALWAYS training me to do
> different things. The brats!
>
>
>
> "Jason and Holly Harper" <jhharper@tm.net> wrote in message
> news:bcDdd.3331$Pd2.1360789@monger.newsread.com...
> She mentioned that she's had ferrets
> > for 10 years and she's still learning... I think that's true with all
of
> > us.
>
>
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