I'm feeling broody....

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buggi

Bird Saviour
Location
Solihull

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krushavik

New Member
Absolutely love ferrets make wonderful faithful pets.
 
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buggi

buggi

Bird Saviour
Location
Solihull
i've got 3 and i've just convinced my mum that you wouldn't notice a 4th would you ?? (she looks after them when i'm on holiday or sick so i have to pass it by her). She taken 3 days to convince and i'm going to see him tomorrow.

First he has to make friends with my other 3 boys. that is my top priority. As my boys are softies so no bullies allowed.
Second he has to be on his best behaviour. i've been told by the rspca that he's capable of drawing blood!!! (mine!) :eek: but then he is only 7 months and i know they don't handle them much so that's why he's nippy. He's got 2 hours with me before i decide (if i can take being with him that long!)

have been to pets at home to buy "treats" (for "treats" read "bribes/distractions")

i fell in love with hiim when i saw the picture (damn, i really shouldn't have gone looking) and i feel it's just meant to be :wub:

also, i know if he's nippy they will have trouble rehoming him and the longer they leave him untamed the more likely he will never be owned :unsure:
 

ttcycle

Cycling Excusiast
oh wow- good luck Buggi- I hope he's a charmer! But sounds like you're sold already!!

I've never had a ferret as a pet- what are they like?

I'm a cat person- my little one is curled up next to me
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Lovely animals, but you do need to know how to handle them.i.e. respect.

We've spent a long time with our kids teaching them how to treat animals...

We have 3 cats, 2 are getting on - 13/14 (kids 10 and 7). It's taken a long time for the two older cats to be 'chilled' with the kids stroking them and stuff. The kids deal with the older cat's different from the young one - i.e. don't pick up and block escape routes etc. The younger one (3-4 year old) is very tolerant and just growls, but she lets them cuddle her and all sorts - she's just vocal.
 

darth vadar

Über Member
The Southerners on this site will love this thread.

"Its grim up North" !!
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
My eleven year old nephew had two ferrets. Six weeks later there were eight of them. I was absolutely terrified of being bitten but he showed be how to handle one (forget how) and it was a wonderful feeling. They are lovely little rascals.....but ,oh boy, sometimes they smell, and that smell lingers on your clothes for a long while.
 
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buggi

buggi

Bird Saviour
Location
Solihull
they are mayhem! They sleep a lot, but once they are awake you know about it. They chase each other round and round and roll around, gambol, and dance like pepe le pew. they are pretty much like this all the time they are awake, like this:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVEe1DMsOq0


they are great fun, easy to keep, I keep them in a hutch when i'm not there, clean out their poo corner once a day (just use newspaper and roll it up and put some new newspaper down), clean water and a bowl of food everyday (they need to eat very regularly as they have a short digestive tract). They are nippy as youngsters but can be trained not to nip. It takes me about 3 mins to clean them out during which time they have pretty much wrecked my living room by mooching through everything!! They also make a noise that sounds like they are giggling. if they haven't got other ferrets to live with... you are their playmate and you don't have any say in the matter... prepare to have nipped toes and be stalked and jumped out on!

they run around my flat when i'm there, they are toilet trained and go on a puppy training mat.

They don't scratch or chew but they do dig, so beware if you have carpets and not laminate or wood floor. If you have a reclining settee you need to be careful for two reasons.
1. they can get into the settee/chair and could get trapped if you spring it open (i open mine before i get them out)
2. Once they find that foam in the settee.... bye bye settee! they love to dig it out.

I've heard that sometimes they can dig into a settee through the bottom so the best way to avoid this is to stable a cotton sheet to the bottom as they can't get their claws through. My non-reclining two seater has not suffered this fate though. Anyway, i just keep an eye on them so they don't do damage to my recliner and that's also why they get put in the hutch when i'm at work! LOL

They are basically lots of fun. O yea, and they love holes! and once they've discovered it, no matter how much you block it off, they will hunt for it and never forget it was there. they are very clever. i had a new tumble dryer, they ran up the hose in the back (i thought i had secured it!) and next thing Zero was running around with a rubber ring around him! had to phone up and get the repair man out, and i hadn't even used it! (of course "I found it like that when i unwrapped it! LOL)
 
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buggi

buggi

Bird Saviour
Location
Solihull
My eleven year old nephew had two ferrets. Six weeks later there were eight of them. I was absolutely terrified of being bitten but he showed be how to handle one (forget how) and it was a wonderful feeling. They are lovely little rascals.....but ,oh boy, sometimes they smell, and that smell lingers on your clothes for a long while.

O yes... the smell. that is probably because your nephews were not neutured (hence the 8 babies). The smell is caused by their hormones and if they have not been neutured it's very potent and does get in your clothes. once they are neutured it almost completely goes.

However, be warned... when frightened they can drop a "skunk bomb" which smells like you've murdered your grandma and she's been rotting in your flat for 6 weeks". It's really bad! but of course, a bit like when your dog drags it's arse across the floor, this only happens when a date who is potential marriage material comes around!

In america they have these scent glands removed, but here they won't do it. The vets argue that if the ferret gets out it is the ferret's only defence if it is attacked by a wild animal, so they won't do it. it's a very effective defence! and I agree with the vets. I think i have only had to smell 10 skunk bombs in the time that i have had my ferrets (3 years) and 7 of those were on the first night when Zero was very nervous of his new home!

Let me tell you, that night was horrendous. I was gagging! LOL.

The 8th time was when i had a hot date round.

The 9th time was when Zero dropped one on my mom's lap the day she met him (that was hilarious... i watched her face crumple and knew immediately what he'd done. she thought he'd pooped on her ha ha)

the 10th time was when Taffy got his claws stuck in my scarf hanging on the kitchen door knob. I don't know how many skunk bombs he dropped to "call me" but i smelt it from my bedroom!

but like i said 10 bombs on 4 different occasions in 3 years ain't bad enough to get them descented.
 

ttcycle

Cycling Excusiast
haha that is fantastic!!!

I particularly love the jealous ferret moment- what a time to choose to drop a skunk bomb when you have a date around!!
 
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