by BarbaraRose » Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:55 pm
No problem...most people know very little about ferrets and I love to educate people about them!
Yes, they do use a litter box (most of the time). They stay in a large cage when I am away from home or asleep, as they can get into all sorts of trouble without supervision. They need to be out of the cage for at least 2 hours each day for exersize and burn off their high levels of energy. They are very playful and friendly but also very curious and get into, onto, under, over and through everything. They also walk well on a leash with a harness. They are pack rats and love to run off with things and hide them in favorite places (like Moxy with his rubber duckies). They are not rodents, like many believe. They actually hunt rodents in the wild. They are related to mink, otters, weasels, badgers, skunks, etc. They were originally domesticated to be used for hunting rabbits (still are in Europe) and keeping mice and rat populations under control on ships and farms, etc. Once they were able to be fixed and decented, they became house pets. I have had 6 all together over the past 15 years. They are extremely suseptable to cancer and almost all die from it after about 6 to 8 years of age. My first 4 all died of cancer. Never easy to deal with but I love them to pieces and am willing to lovingly go thru it with each one. They do have a slight musky odor but, like any animal, if they are kept clean and their cage and bedding are kept clean, it really isn't noticable. They eat dry food similar to cat food. There, ferrets in a nutshell!
Barbie
Barbie, Romeow, and Sophie, missing Lola! (and lots of ferrets running around in my heart!)
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened"-Anatole France