Ferrets are an exciting and unusual pet that works great for children and folks who like social creatures.
Unlike a cat, they like to be held, so you want to tailor your ferret care around a "high touch" scenario.
To help "bond" with your critter, having people work with them in the first month of life really helps them become better adapted to handling by humans.
Here's the most vital piece of ferret care information I learned: Ferrets also like to "get out of the house," so to speak.
It's not unusual for attentive ferret owners to have them out daily, if not more than that.
If you like the idea of having your ferret run around, it's just important to make sure the room is safe.
Since ferrets can be a bit naughty, you'll want to keep an eye on him or her.
They are chewers, so responsible ferret care (not to mention care of your possessions) requires that you put your valuables out of harm's way.
Ferrets do best when fed a strict diet.
They thrive on a high protein diet, upwards of 35% protein.
They also need sufficient fat, so look to give them about 20% fat content.
High-end cat foods will work, although optimal ferret care will incorporate actual ferret foods.
Available these days are foods designed expressly for their nutritional needs and digestive systems.
The reason for this is that ferrets actually do better with more fat than do cats.
This isn't specifically ferret care information but, as you know with any animal kept in captivity, a fresh supply of clean water is a must.
Remarkably, ferrets tend to drink more water if it's provided in a bowl, as opposed to a water bottle.
Of course, bowls are difficult to keep clean, and you could even end up changing the water more often than once per day.
If this sounds too tedious for your time constraints, water bottles work just fine.
If they get that thirsty, they will drink.
If you're new to ferrets, perhaps you've heard that ferrets can smell.
Well, ferrets do come from the mustelid family.
This means that they do tend to have an "aroma" as they become older.
A common, and simple, solution is to have ferrets de-scented.
Veterinarians accustomed to ferret care will find this to be a very standard procedure.
In fact, it's best to keep your ferret's vaccinations current anyway, so you may even be able to piggy-back the de-scenting on top of one of the vet trips you'd be making anyway.
Another important piece of ferret care information overlooked by many is the whole issue of breeding.
Another thing the vet can help with is sterilization.
If you are positive that you will not be breeding your ferret, then you can have them sterilized.
Otherwise, you could end up with a surprise if your ferret gets exposed to another of the opposite sex.
And sometimes folks determine that one is not enough.
You don't want to have to pass on that new addition just because they are opposite genders and yours is not fixed.
With a primer in diet and de-scenting out of the way, we should briefly discuss a proper cage for keeping your ferret.
You'll do better with a larger cage if you can afford it.
A larger cage means your ferret can stay clean and you will not need to clean as often.
When selecting a cage, however, keep in mind that your ferret may just be able to escape if he is able to get his head through the slat in the side.
Also watch how his feet do on the bottom.
If his feet get caught, this could cause problems too.
A final aspect of ferret care I want to cover is location within the room.
When deciding where to put the cage within the room where he'll be housed, bear in mind that ferrets sleep a bunch...
sometimes as much as 20 hours a day or more.
Therefore, it's great if you can put your ferret's cage in a place where he or she will be able to have a darker place to sleep.