When getting ready to become a new ferret parent (ferrant) there are many things you will need to purchase and consider before you adopt. Let's take a dive into looking at things to buy before you own your ferrets.
CAGING
Ferrets are Houdini's, this is not joke or an over OR under exaggeration. If they can find a way to get out, in, around, under, up or over.. THEY WILL DO IT, and not just once, they will do it again and again AND again! This means we need to ensure the cage we choose to house our fuzzybutt is secure and safe for them.
Wooden hutches are a disaster waiting to happen in my personal opinion; they harbour smell and moisture and lets be honest, your weasel is going to be lazy sometimes and not use his litter tray so you don't want a wooden cage soaking up urine and stools - it just isn't pleasant. Wooden hutches are designed to house rabbits and guinea pigs whom generally do not stand as tall as a ferret can. Some ferrets stand up 60cm or more in height so a hutch just won't cut it. I also find that the metal bars used in hutches are spaced quite far apart allowing ferrets to slip themselves straight through the bars to (what they think is) freedom!!
So, when looking for a cage you need something that is going to be safe, allow adequate room to move, is easy to clean and most of all, easy to set up and easy to relocate. This is when I point everyone to a Ferret Kingdom cage, I own 6 Ferret Kingdoms and I honestly wouldn't purchase anything else. Yes, they do have a large price tag (upwards of $310 each) BUT that price tag is definitely worth every cent when you see just how easy it is to manoeuvre a FK, clean a FK, rearrange bedding in a FK and most of all, it is large enough to house up to 6 ferrets (ensuring these 6 ferrets have a minimum of 2 hours outside of their cage on a daily basis). The ONLY place you can buy a Ferret Kingdom cage is from Puppy Power on eBay, if anyone else says they're selling a ferret kingdom, they probably aren't so always make sure you know what to look for.
As a rescuer, I hear of way too many ferrets getting out of their cages (especially during breeding season) because their cage wasn't secure enough, or they simply bent the bars to get out or locks didn't work properly because I bought an easy-to-make Cheap as Chips/Reject Shop cage. Making sure your ferrets cage is correct can definitely be the difference between life and death so MY best advice, save those pennies and buy a Ferret Kingdom!!
The left cage is a Ferret Kingdom and the right cage is just a 3 tier metal cage you can also purchase off eBay. The right cage, you will notice, has wire levels and ramps, these will need to be covered up with something as toes/feet/legs can slip through the gaps and causes breaks or fractures or even trapping them for hours, so always ensure you are covering your ramps and levels with something like carpet or vinyl to ensure they do not injure themselves.
CAGING
Ferrets are Houdini's, this is not joke or an over OR under exaggeration. If they can find a way to get out, in, around, under, up or over.. THEY WILL DO IT, and not just once, they will do it again and again AND again! This means we need to ensure the cage we choose to house our fuzzybutt is secure and safe for them.
Wooden hutches are a disaster waiting to happen in my personal opinion; they harbour smell and moisture and lets be honest, your weasel is going to be lazy sometimes and not use his litter tray so you don't want a wooden cage soaking up urine and stools - it just isn't pleasant. Wooden hutches are designed to house rabbits and guinea pigs whom generally do not stand as tall as a ferret can. Some ferrets stand up 60cm or more in height so a hutch just won't cut it. I also find that the metal bars used in hutches are spaced quite far apart allowing ferrets to slip themselves straight through the bars to (what they think is) freedom!!
So, when looking for a cage you need something that is going to be safe, allow adequate room to move, is easy to clean and most of all, easy to set up and easy to relocate. This is when I point everyone to a Ferret Kingdom cage, I own 6 Ferret Kingdoms and I honestly wouldn't purchase anything else. Yes, they do have a large price tag (upwards of $310 each) BUT that price tag is definitely worth every cent when you see just how easy it is to manoeuvre a FK, clean a FK, rearrange bedding in a FK and most of all, it is large enough to house up to 6 ferrets (ensuring these 6 ferrets have a minimum of 2 hours outside of their cage on a daily basis). The ONLY place you can buy a Ferret Kingdom cage is from Puppy Power on eBay, if anyone else says they're selling a ferret kingdom, they probably aren't so always make sure you know what to look for.
As a rescuer, I hear of way too many ferrets getting out of their cages (especially during breeding season) because their cage wasn't secure enough, or they simply bent the bars to get out or locks didn't work properly because I bought an easy-to-make Cheap as Chips/Reject Shop cage. Making sure your ferrets cage is correct can definitely be the difference between life and death so MY best advice, save those pennies and buy a Ferret Kingdom!!
The left cage is a Ferret Kingdom and the right cage is just a 3 tier metal cage you can also purchase off eBay. The right cage, you will notice, has wire levels and ramps, these will need to be covered up with something as toes/feet/legs can slip through the gaps and causes breaks or fractures or even trapping them for hours, so always ensure you are covering your ramps and levels with something like carpet or vinyl to ensure they do not injure themselves.
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CARRY CAGE
Carry cages are much the same as above; Houdini is going to try and get out of their carry cage if it isn't secure enough, so let's ensure you get yourself a solid, safe carry cage to transport your ferret. Material carry cages will get dug out of, zips will get unzipped by pearly whites and they will get destroyed by ferrets who are carry cage raging with their claws so it is best to stay away from materials and zips and stick to plastic.
Below are 2 great examples of carry cages. The left carry cage is something you can pick up from Cheap as Chips or The Reject Shop for as little as $25 BUT keep in mind, these aren't fantastically made, they are good but the plastic clips on the top and sides snap and break easily. The right carry cage is an Airline approved carry cage, made from much thicker plastic and is much more secure, these carry cages can be purchased at most Vet Clinics BUT they do have a price tag of generally $45-$75 each. I personally have 6 of the Airline approved carry cages and have never had an issue with them, they are very secure and last a very long time.
Carry cages are much the same as above; Houdini is going to try and get out of their carry cage if it isn't secure enough, so let's ensure you get yourself a solid, safe carry cage to transport your ferret. Material carry cages will get dug out of, zips will get unzipped by pearly whites and they will get destroyed by ferrets who are carry cage raging with their claws so it is best to stay away from materials and zips and stick to plastic.
Below are 2 great examples of carry cages. The left carry cage is something you can pick up from Cheap as Chips or The Reject Shop for as little as $25 BUT keep in mind, these aren't fantastically made, they are good but the plastic clips on the top and sides snap and break easily. The right carry cage is an Airline approved carry cage, made from much thicker plastic and is much more secure, these carry cages can be purchased at most Vet Clinics BUT they do have a price tag of generally $45-$75 each. I personally have 6 of the Airline approved carry cages and have never had an issue with them, they are very secure and last a very long time.
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BEDDING
Bedding is a big one, it is hard to find suitable bedding that is going to stand the test of time, 18+ hours of sleeping day in and day out, is going to be easy to set up and remove from the cage AND is actually going to survive in the washing machine.
Do not use wood shavings, shredded paper and or straw as bedding for your ferrets!
Ferrets are not rabbits or guinea pigs, things like wood shavings, shredded paper and or straw will cause your ferret terrible respiratory tract infections and can lesson their quality of life. Always ensure when looking for bedding you stay away from things like wood shavings, straw and paper and and stick to things like hammocks, sleepy sacks, cuddler beds and items as simple as towels, old sheets or old clothes.
Below are some fantastic bedding sets that have been designed by my beautiful friend at Pink Woozel Ferret Bedding, Amy and I have worked together over the past few years. She creates the designs and makes the masterpieces and I get to test them out and provide constructive criticism and feedback to perfect her products. Prototype after prototype after prototype I got to test and her final products are just STUNNING! Where ever you are in the world, you can't go past Amy's bedding, it is just beautiful and is so well made that you cannot fault it and even if something does happen to your bedding Amy will happily replace it for you.
Bedding is a big one, it is hard to find suitable bedding that is going to stand the test of time, 18+ hours of sleeping day in and day out, is going to be easy to set up and remove from the cage AND is actually going to survive in the washing machine.
Do not use wood shavings, shredded paper and or straw as bedding for your ferrets!
Ferrets are not rabbits or guinea pigs, things like wood shavings, shredded paper and or straw will cause your ferret terrible respiratory tract infections and can lesson their quality of life. Always ensure when looking for bedding you stay away from things like wood shavings, straw and paper and and stick to things like hammocks, sleepy sacks, cuddler beds and items as simple as towels, old sheets or old clothes.
Below are some fantastic bedding sets that have been designed by my beautiful friend at Pink Woozel Ferret Bedding, Amy and I have worked together over the past few years. She creates the designs and makes the masterpieces and I get to test them out and provide constructive criticism and feedback to perfect her products. Prototype after prototype after prototype I got to test and her final products are just STUNNING! Where ever you are in the world, you can't go past Amy's bedding, it is just beautiful and is so well made that you cannot fault it and even if something does happen to your bedding Amy will happily replace it for you.
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BOWLS
When looking for bowls there are few tips I can give you before you purchase the right bowl;
1) Ferrets WILL dig the water out of the bowl
2) Ferrets WILL tip the bowl upside down and turn their cage into a swamp
3) Ferrets WILL scratch, dig and try to destroy bowls that hang from cages
SO, how do we fix this? Easy!
Below is a porcelain bowl, we're going to use this for food, it is heavy so they can't tip it over and I just always find porcelain bowls are much nicer than plastic. In the middle you will see a green bowl, this bowl is going to become your best friend; a lockable cage door bowl. This bowl locks to the cage door/wall and it locks in place as well SO this means NO tipping of the bowl so they will always have water available. To the right you will see a hanging water bottle, I personally don't use them and that is because no matter how many times I bought them and ways of attaching them to the cage my ferrets ALWAYS managed to get it off and smash it so it was a hazard for my babies. BUT it may not be for your ferrets, I tend to advise people to have TWO water sources because if they do manage to dig all their water out of the bowl at least they will have water available elsewhere until you come home from work and have to clean up the mess ;)
When looking for bowls there are few tips I can give you before you purchase the right bowl;
1) Ferrets WILL dig the water out of the bowl
2) Ferrets WILL tip the bowl upside down and turn their cage into a swamp
3) Ferrets WILL scratch, dig and try to destroy bowls that hang from cages
SO, how do we fix this? Easy!
Below is a porcelain bowl, we're going to use this for food, it is heavy so they can't tip it over and I just always find porcelain bowls are much nicer than plastic. In the middle you will see a green bowl, this bowl is going to become your best friend; a lockable cage door bowl. This bowl locks to the cage door/wall and it locks in place as well SO this means NO tipping of the bowl so they will always have water available. To the right you will see a hanging water bottle, I personally don't use them and that is because no matter how many times I bought them and ways of attaching them to the cage my ferrets ALWAYS managed to get it off and smash it so it was a hazard for my babies. BUT it may not be for your ferrets, I tend to advise people to have TWO water sources because if they do manage to dig all their water out of the bowl at least they will have water available elsewhere until you come home from work and have to clean up the mess ;)
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LITTER AND LITTER TRAYS
This one is always fun as well.. Choosing the right litter and litter tray could well be the difference between emptying a tray twice a week OR cleaning up urine and poo EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! So let's look at a few things:
Your ferret will need a large litter tray with a high back. A litter tray that is small won't allow them sufficient comfort and room to move around and it will result in a cage covered in poop, which will then turn into a ferret slowly un-training themselves to use a litter tray. So... Always think BIG!
High back square and triangle litter trays are great and allow enough room for your ferret to back up to the tray and do his business without hanging out of the tray awkwardly, BUT these trays once they have fresh litter turn into a dig/play box and you will find clean litter sprawled across your ferrets cage in a matter of minutes. I have recently replaced all of my triangle high back litter trays with the no-spill rectangle litter trays (that I purchased from Cheap as Chips for only $10 each). This tray is large so allows room to move for them to decide which corner feels right to poop in AND if they do decide to play in their fresh litter it doesn't end up all over the cage because of the no-spill lip! Best decision I have made in 7 years changing to the rectangle trays but again, you need to choose something that suits you, your ferret and their cage.
This one is always fun as well.. Choosing the right litter and litter tray could well be the difference between emptying a tray twice a week OR cleaning up urine and poo EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! So let's look at a few things:
Your ferret will need a large litter tray with a high back. A litter tray that is small won't allow them sufficient comfort and room to move around and it will result in a cage covered in poop, which will then turn into a ferret slowly un-training themselves to use a litter tray. So... Always think BIG!
High back square and triangle litter trays are great and allow enough room for your ferret to back up to the tray and do his business without hanging out of the tray awkwardly, BUT these trays once they have fresh litter turn into a dig/play box and you will find clean litter sprawled across your ferrets cage in a matter of minutes. I have recently replaced all of my triangle high back litter trays with the no-spill rectangle litter trays (that I purchased from Cheap as Chips for only $10 each). This tray is large so allows room to move for them to decide which corner feels right to poop in AND if they do decide to play in their fresh litter it doesn't end up all over the cage because of the no-spill lip! Best decision I have made in 7 years changing to the rectangle trays but again, you need to choose something that suits you, your ferret and their cage.
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NAIL CLIPPERS, HARNESSES AND TO COLLAR OR NOT TO COLLAR
Nail Clippers
This one is always a tough one for new fuzzy owners and unfortunately you cannot use your own human nail clippers on your ferret. I personally have used both of the below Nail Clippers over the years and I find that both are great, I prefer the right clipper but this is just personal preference because it allows me more room to see what I am doing and where the quick in the nail is so I can ensure I do not cut it.
Harnesses
Harnesses will be something you will have to test and try time and time again, some ferrets are as small as 600 grams and physically don't fit in a harnesses because they are so small, other ferrets are 2.2kg and you feel like maybe you should purchase a dog harness for your monstrosity. I have used and tested many harnesses in my time and I personally LOVE Living World Harnesses, they are thick, well made, easy to adjust and I haven't had a fuzzy escape one, yet (touch wood). My smallest girl and largest boy could all use the Living World Harnesses and they aren't that expensive either. Take a look around and find something that is going to suit you all, my best piece of advise would be to stay away from Harnesses that have Velcro as they will be very easy to escape.
To Collar or not to Collar
I get asked this all the time and to be 110% honest a ferret should NEVER wear a collar. I can't even count on my fingers and toes how many horrific stories I have heard of ferrets strangling themselves, catching themselves, hanging themselves and choking themselves on a collar. You will VERY quickly learn that your ferret will most definitely attempt suicide a number of times every single day, this is normal. They will get under, in, up, behind, on top of, next to and inside anything they can try to and when you add a collar it very quickly becomes a recipe for disaster. If you are worried about not being able to find your ferret in your house while out for play time PLEASE use a harness with a bell and avoid collars.
Nail Clippers
This one is always a tough one for new fuzzy owners and unfortunately you cannot use your own human nail clippers on your ferret. I personally have used both of the below Nail Clippers over the years and I find that both are great, I prefer the right clipper but this is just personal preference because it allows me more room to see what I am doing and where the quick in the nail is so I can ensure I do not cut it.
Harnesses
Harnesses will be something you will have to test and try time and time again, some ferrets are as small as 600 grams and physically don't fit in a harnesses because they are so small, other ferrets are 2.2kg and you feel like maybe you should purchase a dog harness for your monstrosity. I have used and tested many harnesses in my time and I personally LOVE Living World Harnesses, they are thick, well made, easy to adjust and I haven't had a fuzzy escape one, yet (touch wood). My smallest girl and largest boy could all use the Living World Harnesses and they aren't that expensive either. Take a look around and find something that is going to suit you all, my best piece of advise would be to stay away from Harnesses that have Velcro as they will be very easy to escape.
To Collar or not to Collar
I get asked this all the time and to be 110% honest a ferret should NEVER wear a collar. I can't even count on my fingers and toes how many horrific stories I have heard of ferrets strangling themselves, catching themselves, hanging themselves and choking themselves on a collar. You will VERY quickly learn that your ferret will most definitely attempt suicide a number of times every single day, this is normal. They will get under, in, up, behind, on top of, next to and inside anything they can try to and when you add a collar it very quickly becomes a recipe for disaster. If you are worried about not being able to find your ferret in your house while out for play time PLEASE use a harness with a bell and avoid collars.
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IT'S PLAYTIME - TOYS
What do you get your ferret for playtime? Simple, TOYS! BUT we need to make sure these toy don't turn into a choking hazard or death trap (remember how I said above they will try to commit suicide, well, they will do it with toys too). Here are a number of toys you can safely use for play time BUT this MUST be supervised at all points in time to eradicate any possibility of injury.
Cat Jingle Balls
PVC Piping Tunnels
Ball Pits
Rice/Pasta Pits
Cat Toys
and more
When looking for toys for your ferret you will need to consider what is safe and was isn't. Basically, anything that your ferret can chew/swallow/eat off the toy is not safe. If there are googly eyes on a plush toy remove them, if there are buttons on a toy remove them as well because your ferret will chew things like this off toys and they will quickly become a choking hazard and or if consumed can kill your ferret if you aren't quick enough to notice and have a blockage surgery performed. If you are ever unsure if a toy is safe, feel free to send me a photo and I can let you know :)
What do you get your ferret for playtime? Simple, TOYS! BUT we need to make sure these toy don't turn into a choking hazard or death trap (remember how I said above they will try to commit suicide, well, they will do it with toys too). Here are a number of toys you can safely use for play time BUT this MUST be supervised at all points in time to eradicate any possibility of injury.
Cat Jingle Balls
PVC Piping Tunnels
Ball Pits
Rice/Pasta Pits
Cat Toys
and more
When looking for toys for your ferret you will need to consider what is safe and was isn't. Basically, anything that your ferret can chew/swallow/eat off the toy is not safe. If there are googly eyes on a plush toy remove them, if there are buttons on a toy remove them as well because your ferret will chew things like this off toys and they will quickly become a choking hazard and or if consumed can kill your ferret if you aren't quick enough to notice and have a blockage surgery performed. If you are ever unsure if a toy is safe, feel free to send me a photo and I can let you know :)
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