CARING FOR YOUR FERRET

Feeding

Ferrets are meat eaters so a high quality dry kitten food containing meat proteins and fats is recommended. This will also reduce the incidence of dental disease.
Do not give sugary treats. Acceptable snack foods include fresh meat scraps, baby foods and a very small amount of liver or fish cat treats.
Ferrets don't need a large amount of fibre but they may enjoy small amounts of vegetable or fruit (up to 1 tsp a day).

A vaccination against Canine Distemper is required at 6-8 weeks, 10-12 weeks, 13-14 weeks and then every year for life.
An annual health check is required until they are 4-5 years old and thereafter 6monthly checks are recommended because of increased risk of cancer and other age-related diseases.
Ferrets over 4 years of age need a blood test annually and blood glucose levels need to be measured every 6 months.
Ferrets can suffer from heartworm so they need a monthly preventative medication.
Heart disease, hormonal problems, and tumours are common in ferrets.
Gastro intestinal parasites are rare.
Ferrets are prone to hairballs so a cat Hairball Laxative paste can be used as a preventative.
Ferrets can be bathed. Use only a mild cat or ferret shampoo no more than once a month. Frequent bathing may strip the skin of essential oils and cause skin problems.

Ferrets can be kept indoors or outdoors provided they are protected from the extremes of heat and cold.
Ferrets can be trained to use a litter box but it should be kept close by to prevent accidents!
Do not use any latex rubber toys. Ingestion of these is the most common cause of intestinal obstruction, particularly in young ferrets. Try paper bags, cloth toys for cats, hard plastic or metal toys instead.