Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Is a Ferret Right for You? 5
Chapter 1: What You Need to Know About Ferrets 7
First Question: What Is a Ferret? 8
Giving the Ferret a Physical: Examining Fuzzy Characteristics 9
Looking at the life span of a fuzzy 10
In this corner, weighing in at 11
Getting to the point about claws and teeth 12
Making sense of senses 12
Exercise and Time Considerations — Yours and Your Fuzzy’s 13
Taking a Whiff of the Odor Factor 14
To descent or not to descent? 14
Controlling your fuzzy’s odor 15
Getting the Dish on Financial Matters 16
Extreme Cage Makeover: Providing the Space They Need 16
Facing the Challenges of Ferret-Proofing Your Home 17
Ferrets and Kids 17
Ferrets and Babies 18
Ferrets and Other Household Pets 18
Leaping over the Legal Hurdles 19
Chapter 2: Understanding What Ferrets Are (And Aren’t) 21
Yes, Ferrets Are Domesticated 22
Getting to Know Fuzzies in the Past and Present 24
Ferrets throughout history 24
Ferrets have always had a knack for meeting man’s needs 24
Ferrets catching on 25
Spotlighting the Sport of Ferreting 25
Picturing the Physical Appearance of the Domestic Ferret 28
The spectrum of fuzzy colors 28
Fuzzy color patterns 30
Hanging up the question on ferret coat changes and colors 32
Crazy ferret categories 32
Not Just Another Color: The Black-Footed Ferret 35
The one, true North American ferret! 36
Are black-footed ferrets really that different? 36
Habitat (or is that prairie dog?) destruction 37
The Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Plan 38
Chapter 3: Ferrets and the Law: Licensing and Other Issues 43
“A License? But He Can’t Even Reach the Pedals!” 44
Ferret-Free Zones and Why They Exist 44
What’s it gonna be? Wild, domestic, or exotic? 46
Feral ferrets in my neighborhood? 46
Should people fear rabies? 47
Knowing the Law and the Consequences of Breaking It 48
Part 2: Finding Your Ferret and Hanging Up the Welcome Hammock 49
Chapter 4: On the Tail of a New Carpet Shark (Um, Ferret) 51
Ferret Shopping 101 52
Are You in the Market for a New or Used Ferret? 53
Starting off with a kit 53
Adopting an older ferret 54
Should You Pre-Order Blue or Pink Bedding (Get a Boy or Girl)? 55
Pitting Altered versus Whole Furballs 55
Boys will be boys 56
Girls will be girls 57
“You Want How Many Ferrets?” 57
Where to Find Your Ferret 61
Perusing pet shops 61
Picking out private breeders 63
Adopting from a ferret shelter 64
Craigslist and other classified debacles 66
Rescuing the wayward weasel: Stray ferrets 67
Getting a Vet 68
Chapter 5: Home Sweet Home: Preparing Your Ferret’s Quarters 69
Setting Up Fuzzy’s Cage 70
Size matters: Picking the proper cage 70
Fuzzy blueprints: Making sure the design is right 70
A home within a home: Finding a place inside for the cage 74
A room with a view: Finding a place outside for the cage 76
Making Your Ferret’s Bed 78
Setting Your Ferret’s Table 79
Serving your ferret’s food with a sturdy dish 79
Hydrating your ferret 81
Designing Your Ferret’s Bathroom 84
Potty on! Choosing the right litter box for your ferret 84
Picking out the perfect litter 87
Acquiring Accessories and Other Stuff Fuzzy Needs 89
Fluffing up extra snoozing sites 90
Ferret toys galore! 91
Leashes and harnesses for your ferret 93
Finding a good travel taxi 94
Chapter 6: Ferret-Proofing Your Home 97
Inspecting Your Home for Ferret Hazards 98
Laundry room 99
Kitchen 99
Moldings, baseboards, and under cabinets 100
Windows and doors 100
Floor vents and air returns 101
Plants 101
Heights 101
Electrical cords 101
Reclining chairs, rockers, and foldout couches 102
Fireplaces 102
Mattresses, couches, and chairs 102
Toilets, bathtubs, and buckets 103
Cabinets 103
Trash cans 104
Changing Some of Your Home Habits 104
Chapter 7: Introducing Fuzzy to His New Family 107
Ferrets as Social Animals 108
You and Your New Ferret: Making the Most of Your Friendship 109
Hold me gently, please 109
Letting fuzzy set up shop in his home 111
The steps to successful bonding 111
Fuzzy Meets Fluffy and Fido 113
Heeeere kitty, kitty! 113
Nice puppy! 114
Ferrets and other small animals 116
Preparing Your Child for the Ferret 117
Pause the cartoons: What your child should know beforehand 117
Fuzzy, meet Junior: Making the introduction 118
Fuzzy Meets Fuzzy: Adding A New Ferret to Your Family 119
Meeting on neutral ground 120
Messing with their sniffers 120
Forcing a relationship 121
Easing your fuzzy into the business 122
Heading Off Stranger Danger 123
Part 3: Basic Ferret Care and Feeding 125
Chapter 8: Filling Your Ferret’s Belly 127
Water, Water, Everywhere 128
Ferrets as Diners 128
Feeding the Traditional Commercial Diet 129
Wet or dry food? 130
Setting a feeding schedule 133
Changing kibble diets 134
Serving Up an Alternative Diet 135
Getting to know the wild polecat’s diet 136
The good, the bad, and the ugly on bones 140
Choosing commercial raw or freeze-dried raw diets 143
The evolutionary diet: Feeding your pet small animals or insects 144
Exploring the alternative way of feeding 150
Supplementing Your Fuzzy’s Diet 154
Omega-3 fatty acids 154
Omega-6 fatty acids 155
Savoring Treat Time! 155
Giving the good stuff 156
Avoiding the not-so-good stuff 157
Chapter 9: Cleaning Time: Not All Ferret Fun and Games 159
Cleaning House for a Cozy Cage 160
Doing your fuzzy’s dishes 160
Stripping his bed 161
Scrubbing (or scooping) the toilet 162
Tearing down the house 162
Getting the gunk off the toys 163
A wall full of turds! 163
Scrub a Dub Fuzz: Navigating Bath Time 164
One bath too many? 165
Picking a shampoo 165
Oatmeal — It’s what’s for baths 166
Choosing the crime scene 166
Doing the deed 167
Caring for Those Little Ears 170
Gathering supplies 171
Executing the ear clean 172
Nailing Down the Manicure 173
Choosing your clipping method 174
Performing the clip 174
Chewing On Chomper Maintenance 176
Performing the dental checkup 176
Brushing his teeth 178
Breaking Out the Hairbrush 179
Odor Control Tips 101 — A Summary 179
Chapter 10: Enrichment: Yours and Your Ferret’s 183
Why Is Enrichment Necessary? 184
What Does Enrichment Do for Ferrets? 185
Relieves boredom and stress 185
Facilitates bonding 185
Keeps their senses alive and well 186
Helps to curb negative behaviors 186
Keeps the flab at bay 186
Encourages curiosity and creative problem solving 187
Helps to keep bones, muscles, organs, and joints healthy 187
Improves heart health and overall circulation 187
Makes humans smile and laugh 187
Understanding Your Ferret’s Senses 188
Hearing 188
Smelling 188
Tasting 189
Seeing 189
Touching 189
Recommended Enrichment Activities for You and Your Fuzzy 189
Organizing your ferret’s play areas 190
Movement and physical-exercise activities 191
Social-development activities 193
Food-related activities 194
Training exercises 194
Using novel objects in activities 199
Finding Your Own Enrichment at Ferret Clubs 200
Participating in Regional Shows, Club Shows, and Competitions 200
So, you want to show your fuzzy? 201
Preparing to bring home the blue ribbon 201
Fun matches 203
Facebook and Other Internet Sources 204
Chapter 11: Have Ferret, May Travel 207
Fuzzy Is Going on Vacation! 207
Checking ahead 208
Packing the necessities 209
On the Road or Flying High 209
Road trip! 210
Taking to the friendly skies 211
Going international 213
Leaving Your Furball in Good Hands 213
Let the interviews begin: Finding the perfect pet sitter 215
Away to camp: Boarding your ferret 216
Ferrets as Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) 217
Part 4: Tackling Your Ferret’s Health Issues and Treatments 221
Chapter 12: Setting Up Your Ferret’s Health Plan: Vets and First-Aid Kits 223
Selecting Your Ferret’s Veterinarian 224
Interviewing potential vets 224
Going for a visit 227
Developing a good working relationship 228
Putting Your Vet to Work with Vaccinations and Checkups 230
Kits — The office visit 231
Adolescents and adults — the office visit 232
Recognizing allergic reactions 233
Titer testing 234
Stocking Your Ferret First-Aid Kit 235
Ensuring Emergency Preparedness 240
The basic (quick) evacuation kit 240
Collecting and evacuating your fuzzy 241
The deluxe (and orderly) evacuation kit 241
Chapter 13: Helping Your Hurt Ferret: First-Aid Basics 245
Behaviors You Usually Don’t Need to Worry About 246
Shivering 246
Itching and scratching 246
Yawning 247
Excessive sleeping 247
Sneezing, hiccuping, and coughing 248
Butt dragging 249
Drinking urine 249
Pain Management and Care 249
Determining if your ferret is in pain 250
Caring for a ferret in pain 251
Setting Up Fuzzy’s Home Hospital Room 252
Feeding the Sick or Debilitated Ferret 253
The Assist Feed Recipe: Better than Mom’s chicken soup 254
The feeding method: Just as effective as the airplane into the mouth 255
Handling Actual Emergencies 256
Shock 257
Dehydration 257
Bleeding 259
Vomiting 260
Diarrhea (and other fecal issues) 261
Seizures 263
Heatstroke 264
Hypothermia 265
Eye injuries 267
Fractures or spinal injuries 267
Poisoning 268
Animal bites 269
Electric shock 269
Burns 269
Blockage protocol 270
Chapter 14: Ferreting Out Ferret Pests 271
Booting External Critters That Go Bite in the Night 271
Fleas 272
Ticks 278
Ear mites 279
Sarcoptic mange (scabies) 280
Battling the Internal Bugaboos That Threaten Your Fuzzy 281
Heartworms 281
Extra care for your ferret 284
Intestinal worms 284
Coccidia (coccidiosis) 285
Giardia 286
Chapter 15: Handling Viruses, Infections, and Other Conditions and Illnesses 287
Gastrointestinal (GI) Diseases 288
Epizootic Catarrhal Enteritis (ECE) 288
Ferret systemic coronaviral disease (FSCD) 291
Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) 292
Intestinal and stomach blockages 293
Helicobacter Mustelae (H mustelae) Infection 294
Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis 296
Megaesophagus 297
Dental Problems 298
Faulty teeth 298
The dreaded dental disease 301
Heart Disease 302
Influenza (The “Flu”) 304
Disseminated Idiopathic Myofasciitis 305
Urinary Tract Problems 306
Bladder or urinary tract infections 307
Prostate problems 307
Stones and blockages 308
Eye Problems 309
Aleutian Disease Virus (ADV) 310
Canine Distemper 312
Diabetes Mellitus 313
Enlarged Spleen (Splenomegaly) 314
Hairballs 315
Rabies 315
Ulcers 317
Chapter 16: Finding and Treating the Big C and Other Lumps 319
Adrenal Gland Disease 320
Making the diagnosis 322
Treating the disease 323
Insulinoma 326
Making the diagnosis 327
Treating the disease 327
Lymphosarcoma (Lymphoma) 328
Making the diagnosis 329
Treating the disease 329
Chordomas 329
Itchy Growths: Skin Tumors 330
Mast cell tumors 331
Basal cell tumors 331
Sebaceous cell tumors 331
Chapter 17: Saying Goodbye When the Time Comes 333
Letting Go of Your Family Member 334
Learning from Fuzzy’s Death with a Postmortem 335
Selecting Fuzzy’s Final Burrowing Place 336
Choosing cremation 337
Proceeding to a pet cemetery 338
Opting for a backyard burial 339
Grieving for Your Lost Fuzzy 340
Know you’re not alone 341
Face the feelings 341
Give yourself time 341
Help others deal with their loss 342
Helping a Surviving Ferret Cope 343
Part 5: Ferret Psychology 101: Behavior and Training 345
Chapter 18: Understanding What Fuzzy Is Trying to Tell You 347
Say What? Speaking Ferret-ese 348
The dook 348
The squeak 349
The giggles or hee-hees 349
The screech or scream 349
The squeal 350
The bark 350
The honk 350
The hiss 350
You Make Me Feel Like Dancin’! Interpreting Your Ferret’s Jig 351
The dance of joy 351
The war dance 352
Decoding Your Ferret’s Body Language 353
The frizz look 353
The alligator roll and wrestlemania 354
The treasure hunt 354
The chase is on 355
Fuzzy stalking 355
Tail wagging 355
“Why Does My Ferret Do That?” Understanding Other Fuzzy Behaviors 356
Digging to China 356
Ferret fixations 357
The movers are here 357
A felon on your hands? 358
The zig-zag 358
Butt scooting 359
Coveting thy hidey-hole 359
Scoping out boundaries 360
Chapter 19: Putting Your Ferret through Basic Training: Easy as 1-2-3? 361
Just Say NO to Biting 362
This Way to the Bathroom 363
Harnessing Your Fuzzy for a Walk 365
Getting fuzzy used to a harness 366
Following basic rules when you’re out and about 367
Chapter 20: Dealing with the Behaviorally Challenged Ferret 369
Understanding Your Dracula in Fuzzy’s Clothing 370
I’m having growing pains 371
Nobody told me not to bite 371
I’m in pain, darn it! 371
Resource guarding 372
I’m a manly or bully ferret 372
I’m facing a lot of change right now 372
Biting always worked before! 373
I’m still fighting back 373
Some other reasons for my biting 373
Socializing Your Biting Beast 374
Getting a grip 375
Getting unstuck 376
Taming the critter 378
Bonding with the biting ferret 380
Part 6: Breeding Ferrets: The Facts, Fallacies, And Plain Ol’ Hard Work 381
Chapter 21: Should You Breed Your Ferret? Looking at the Big Picture 383
What It Takes to Be a Responsible Breeder 384
Deep pockets 384
The emotional stake 386
Time to care 387
Willingness to find out what you don’t know 388
Avoiding a Need for More Shelters 390
Chapter 22: Unmasking the Details of Ferret Love 391
Fine-Tuning the Organs 392
The boy (hob) 392
The girl (jill) 393
Making a love connection: Enter Neanderthal ferret 394
What Happens If Your Unaltered Ferret Isn’t Bred? 395
Mothering the Mom-to-Be 396
Strange craving? Keeping mom nourished 397
Providing a maternity ward 398
Heading Off to the Delivery Room 400
The typical delivery 401
The difficult delivery 401
Some Problems You May Face after Birth 402
A difficult mother 402
A mother incapable of nursing 403
Calling on the foster mom 403
Chapter 23: From Birth to Bundle of Energy: Walking a Fuzzy’s Timeline 405
Fuzzy Infancy: Birth to 3 Weeks 406
Furball Toddlerhood: 3 to 6 Weeks 407
The Terrible Fuzzy Twos: 6 to 10 Weeks 408
Adolescence Already? 10 to 15 Weeks 409
Part 7: The Part of Tens 411
Chapter 24: Ten Amazing and Creative Ferret-Proofing Hacks 413
Pool Noodles Be Gone! 413
Up, Up, and Over — Not! 414
Cardboard Cut-Outs 416
Yule Get Hung Up on Christmas 417
Dual Purpose Door Blocker 419
Couch Cures 420
Fixing Floors and Revamping Ramps 420
A Room with a View 421
Wired for Trouble 422
Velcro to the Rescue 422
Chapter 25: Ten Recipes that Make Your Ferret Go Mmmmmm 423
Hobbit Delights 425
Karen’s Brew 426
Raw Soupy Recipe 427
Barb’s Recipe for Hungover Ferrets 427
Ferret Bland Diet 428
Tui’s Chewies 429
Family Dinner 430
Mickey’s Meatloaf 431
Clyde’s Seaside Chunks 432
Bluto’s BARF 432
Index 433
