[Skipper]

As some of you already know from another thread posting..Bandit the ferret will be joing our household next week. While I do know a little about ferrets (and he comes with a huge tote Full! of stuff from his daddies!!) any tips out there for a soon to be new ferret mommy? From what his parents have told me...Gabe had him trained pretty well to use the litter box and be loose in the house and not go to the bathroom. But for obvious reasons...the training hasn't been as regular...Do you think it's possible that I will be able to get him back in the habit of using the litterbox? are there any other things I should know...he comes on a pellet diet and Gabes parents will be buying me another bag of that-do they eat fresh foods too?

any help or suggestions would be greatly apprciated!!!

(plus it gives me a GREAT excuse to buy Skip a new cage since his could be VERY EASILY converted into a Ferret condo!! LOL)

[kate]

Im sure that you know this ,just didnt mention it in your thread so that WE know that you know it....LOL. But your new baby would like nothing more in this life but to kill your birdie. So I just wanted to bring this out just in case. If your ferret is gonna run loose please dont let him be able to get to your bird.

[Skipper]

yup I had a feeling that a potential problem might arise from that. So the Fiddos will NOT be allowed out at the same time as Bandit...and he will only have suprvised "free time" out of his cage. That's partially why I want to convert the cage I have Skip in now into a "ferret Condo" and get him a new cage. Since he won't get free run of the house like he did with Gabe I'm hoping that by tripling his cage space (and he has a good sized cage now..as he was Gabe's baby) that he will be almost just as happy. (thank god tax returns came back already!)

[Teresas]

A couple years back we had someone on the forum whose ferret got their quaker. Tore hiw wing almost off. It cost them over $2000 to save his life. His name was Dilly as I recall and I remember he was a very brave little guy to have survived that trauma. I sure would like to know how he is doing but it's been a very long time since his "mommy" has posted.
I just implore you to be very careful. It's the ferrets nature to kill birds. So you absolutely must be smart about introducing them into a household with birds. Good luck. After knowing Dilly's story there is no way I would have one as long as birds are in my home.

[Jamie]

Keep in mind Ferrets can be escape artists so make sure his cage is well secured at all times. I was also going to bring up Dilly the QP... and he did survive, but it was not a cheap vet bill!!!

It might not hurt to put up some signs in the house reminding people to make sure that Bandit is well secured before and after playing with him and to always keep an eye on the birds/any other pets that are out.

Good luck with your new pet

[Movedonandhappy]

I have no really good advice. But I just wanted to say congrats and I hope you enjoy your new family member!

[Tara Rose]

I agree please be careful with the ferret around the birds! Small birds look like lunch to a ferret and they are very quick!!

Anyway congrats on the new addition. Can't wait to see pics!

[echo]

I'll bet little Bandit would love great big gobs of fresh salad and fruit. Our ferrets used to love a big pile of either to root through and make a mess with - makes cleaning their cage a real treat too!

Ferrets can be such great pets. Their antics will amaze you! They loooove to steal pretty shiny things and hide them around the house, and they are super fast, so your gonna have one heck of a lively household soon! Congrats!

[Andie's Mom]

As was stated Ferrets can be real houdini's and escape from almost anything which means even if your bird is in its cage it is not safe while the ferret is out. They can get their paws through the tiniest of spaces and latch on to something like a bird through its cage wire so never ever leave him alone in the same room as your birds.

I too was going to mention Dilly.

[scybrix]

I had 3 ferrets for a very long time. It's not easy dividing your time between the 2, ferrets need at least 4-6 hours of out of cage time everyday. They are also obligate carnivores so avoid the fruits and veggies, and definitely don't let him out around the fids!!!