Have you already got your ferret / ferrets? Skip this part if so
BUYING THE RIGHT FERRET
Choosing the right ferret and breeder is a crucial part to keeping any ferret. If you buy the wrong ferret (sick or bad breeding) it can cause huge problems down the line and some times huge vet bills. Ferrets are not cheap, they may be cheap to buy but end up costing a fair bit through out their life!
Ferrets do a lot better in groups, a single ferret can get very depressed and ill if left on its own for too long; although NOT all ferrets get along, some will fight.
An unspayed female ferret is a jill and a non-neutered male is a hob. A baby under a year old is called a kit. A group of ferrets is a business.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A FERRET?
If possible you want to know these three things:
1. The ferrets breeding background I.e. mother, father, grandparents
2. Any health issues through out the kit / ferrets life
3. What he/she has been raised on (food) and how much they have been handled
It is important to get all of the kits / ferrets background history as many people tend to inbred which can often enough result in bad health down the line; and remember if working your ferret you will need a good strong team member as they can live up to 12 years.
FEEDING YOUR FERRET
The key to having a healthy, active team member is a good diet...
When feeding your ferrets you really have three options:
1. Kibble
2. Raw food
3. Whole prey
Kibble is a popular choice for ferrets as its easy, doesn't attract flies and doesn't go off, BUT its not the best option when looking to maintain a healthy solid ferret as its completely unnatural and often enough contains ingredients your ferret shouldn't be digesting.
Raw Food is an easier way to feed your ferrets who live in a small group that won't be able to eat full whole prey during the summer months. A raw food ratio for ferrets needs to be 80% meat 10% bone and 10% organs. What I tend to do is buy in raw mince i.e rabbit, lamb, beef, chicken, venison or mince bit of meat from the season just gone and make a daily pack for each ferret group; this makes feeding in the summer ten times easier, there will only be enough food in each cage to last a day and a night which means you won't end up with maggots! Raw food is my preferred method during the summer months...
Whole Prey - unless you have a big group of ferrets that will be able to get though a full rabbit a day, I wouldn't recommend feeding this diet in the summer months as you will end up with bits everywhere and will be covered in maggots with in the first two days. That being said feeding whole prey is the best way to feed a ferret and you don't have to worry about getting the percentages right as this is what they would naturally eat and contains all the right protein and calcium levels. This is my proferred method in winter as there is no flies and everything stays very cool slowing the brake down of your whole prey item. Whole prey can often be the cheapest option when coming to feed your ferret especially if you work you ferrets in the season; you can also acquire pheasants, pigeons and cockerels for a fair price as people normally bin them if they can't be sold after a shoot, or from people who hatch and raise there own game or birds as they will have males they want rid of.
CHICKS and MICE are only to be offered as a treat item....
A single ferret can cost anywhere from £5 to £50 a month in terms of dietary requirements. Please make sure you can supply a good healthy diet year round before committing to owning a ferret
HOUSING YOUR FERRETS
Whether you work your ferret or have it as a pet they need plenty of room to run and play as they are very active animals and feed of each others energy and your company. It is not recommended to just get one ferret as they can become very depressed and unwell if left by there selves, remember ferrets are very social animals.
Keeping your ferret indoors. Many people do keep their ferrets indoor and let them roam around the house when supervised; being inside means they're almost always right in front of you as well. Downside to your ferrets being inside is: they smell a lot, they go to the bathroom a lot and they are very sensitive to hot temperatures. Ferrets are mischievous and will chew wires, steal socks and possibly get into danger if they roam freely in your home. Invest in a large cage with a lot of air flow, a minimum of 2′ by 3′ for a single ferret is needed, though multiple stories and more space will make for a happier pet.
Keeping your ferrets outside. After many years of experience I would recommend your ferret living outside. They often have a lot more space to roam outside and will gain from having a natural day and night cycle; I've seen many ferrets get ill or come into season way too early or too late because there not provided with a natural day and night/ winter and summer cycle. When building or buying an outdoor hutch make sure it has a dry sleeping area (most ferrets spend a large amount of time asleep). A floor should be made out of either wood, concrete or metal as ferrets are excellent escape artists and are made to dig so can do a very good job of it. I recommend having a minimum of 2' by 3' for a single ferret but the bigger the better, and when housing a group of ferrets I would recommend converting a shed, kennel or building your own hutch. The downside to housing ferrets are keeping them cool and out of the shade (DON'T place your hutch in direct sunlight). I freeze water bottles during the summer months and wrap them in a blanket or sheet, they love to lie and sleep on it during the hotter days. On the other end of the spectrum - winter, it gets cold, and although ferrets are built to survive the cold it can get too cold and their water can freeze. If you're keeping your ferrets in groups I wouldn't worry too much about keeping them warm, just add more bedding BUT if you have a single ferret in a hutch in winter you might want to insulate your hutch and add more bedding. To stop your water bottles freezing I use a couple of socks over the top of them.
I recommend litter training your ferret/ ferrets as it make the cleaning out a lot faster and cheaper and will stop any rotting of the cage.
EXERCISING YOUR FERRET.
Ferrets need at least 4 hours a day out of the hutch, in a run or working. While you can't go ferreting during the summer it is very important to still get them out and give them a good run (If you have a big shed conversion or big hutch that they can run and play in its not as important but I suggest your still get them out for a change of scenery). You can get harness' if you want to walk your ferret though always make sure it is in a safe area where no dogs or cats can attack it.
HOW BIG DO FERRETS GET?
Ferrets come in many different sizes and colours. Here at Rabbit Express we have two different groups of working ferrets which we put a lot of pride and work into, making them the best workers and pets possible.
Our first group are the standards, a standard size of ferret can reach 2kg and lengths up to 21 inches. Hobs are male ferrets, Hobs generally get a lot bigger than Jills (Female ferret); it can take up to 5 months for your ferret to reach full size. Standard size ferrets are often the more desirable and cheaper to buy, they are the ones people tend to use for working as they are cheaper and can stand a good kick by a rabbit. A standard ferret depending on its colouring can go any where from £10 to £60 depending if they have there liniage as well..
Our second group are the 3/4 micros or half micros. These ferrets weigh in at about 600g - 950g for Jills and 800g - 1.2kg for a hob. We bred these as our second group for our workers as its what we have found do the best job. I know they're not the biggest type of ferret and can't take as much of a beating from a rabbit, but they are a lot faster than a normal ferret and tend not to kill the rabbit down the hole, just flush. These ferrets go for £50 - £120 with liniage and excellent breeding.
Other groups of ferrets are:
Micros. Micros are the miniature ferrets bred mainly as pets and only weighing anywhere between 250g to 400g for a Jill and 400g to 600g for a Hob; so tiny compared to a standard ferret that they actually fit in the palm of your hand. We don't breed these as they're to tiny to work, however, we can recommend the perfect micro breeder, just send over a email on our website rabbitexpress.co.uk.
European polecat. This is the wild version of a ferret, weighing about the same as a standard ferret and has a polecat colouring. Working and taming a wild EU (European polecat) can be very dangerous and cruel as a cage is no place for a EU often causing them to kill them selves, but that being said some EUs are rescued from a young age and tamed. People now cross your ferret with the EU polecat to produce a wilder ferret for workers or pets. Unless you have enough time and patience to work with the cross - its not worth it, as they are normally more aggressive and harder to work with.
FERRET COLOURING / COAT
Albino: An albino has a white top coat and a cream/white undercoat. The eyes are actually clear but come across red/pink because of the blood flowing behind them.
Black eyed white: White top coat with a cream/white undercoat. Black eyes and nose can be pink, grey or black.
Sable/Polecat: Very dark brown and black legs, tail and mask. Light cream to white undercoat with dark brown to black top coat. Nose is pink, speckled or T line. Eye colour can vary from burgundy, black, green or blue.
Silver: Silver has quite the variation. It can vary from dark silver which normally has a heavier mask or light silver where usually there will be a lack of a mask. Undercoat is mainly cream or white with light silver, dark silver or grey top coat. The legs aren’t a solid colour. Nose can be pink, speckled, T lined, grey or black.
Sandy/Champagne: Light brown legs and tail. Mask can be full or slight and light brown in colour. Light cream to white undercoat with light brown top coat. Nose is pink.
Black: All black top coat and under coat. Mask is black. Nose is black
Cinnamon: Top coat have a rich reddish brown colour and cover more of the body than the sandy/champagne. The undercoat can be cream or white. The legs and tail have the most concentrated colouring.
Chocolate: A chocolate top coat with a dark cream or white undercoat.
Marked white: Basically a black eyed white but with darker marking often on the tail or along the back
Solid: Same colour though out the ferret.
Panda: Fur can be any colour but head, neck and shoulders are fully white.
Mitt: Known for the white mitts on their feet. They can come in any colour.
Bibbed: The ferret can come in any colour top and bottom coat. Under there chin will be a "bib" looking mark often in white or cream
Badger: They're fur can be any colour with a white line down there face. they often have mitts or bibs aswell.
Ferrets can come in all shades and colours...