Ferrets are small, affectionate and playful pets. Their life span is 6-10 years.
They come in brown, white and black colors. Ferrets are domesticated animals but the history of their domestication is unknown. Though it’s believed that the ancient Egyptians were the first to domesticate the ferret.
Nowadays in some countries such as Portugal and Iceland it is not allowed (by law) to keep ferrets as pets because ferrets may carry distemper and rabies viruses. In some states such as California and Hawaii and also several cities of the US they are banned. Though in most parts of the US they are quite popular pets.
It’s not recommended to bring a ferret home if there are small children in your house. Pet ferrets are not the best choice, as they nip and bite especially when children play rough with them. Yet if you are deciding to bring a pet ferret home, take your time reading the following information.
- Appearance: The body of a ferret pet is long, with a 5-inch tail. The average length is 20 inches. Some ferrets have pink eyes and white fur, others have dark coloration. The average weight is from 1.5 to 5 pounds.
- Cage: As ferrets are playful they need a large enough wire cage, so they can play inside it.
- Diet: Ferrets are carnivores. They need protein rich food such as meat, fruit and vegetables. Ferrets are similar to domestic cats and some ferret owners say that it’s okay to give a ferret kitten food.
- Bathing and grooming: You should bathe a ferret once a month. And when bathing never dip it into water — their eyes and ears may get infected. You can groom your ferret daily as they really enjoy it and you can also groom while bathing. Brush your ferret’s teeth with special animal toothpaste and buy ferret shampoo at pet stores.
- Diseases: Cancer is the most common disease among the ferrets. So take your pet ferret to a vet regularly to check his health. Hairballs and dental problems are also noticed frequently in ferrets.
- Taming. If you would like to tame your pet ferret take him in your hands. The more you do so, the sooner he’ll get accustomed and be tamed.
And by the way they sleep long, usually about 15-20 hours a day. So you can easily go to work without thinking of getting a companion for your pet.
Photo © hddod
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