Hi everybody! Im New

[Hermione]

Hi!
Me and My mom just bought a ferret today! We named Him Slim Shady but were gonna call him Shady For short. Im From the hamster board i have a dwarffy named Dude my animal family is growing i also expect to be getting a dog within the next year. But i have a couple questions:
Is there anything We REALLY Should know?
Is it Normal for them to sneeze? or is he sick?
Any everyday household items that may be sitting around toxic to him?
And will he try to eat my dwarffy?

[Daners9278]

Hi. I'm pretty new to the whole site. I really enjoy it here. Anyway, I've had ferrets for about a year now. I know that some ferrets like to chew wires which can be very dangerous. You can stop it by putting bitter spray (but one of mine isn't phased by it) or aluminum foil. I'm pretty lucky because neither of mine do chew wires. Scoobie likes to dig or chew on other things and he ignores the spray. Also it's common for ferrets to sneeze. Especially with litter. We use a clumping litter in which once they got used to it, they didn't sneeze from it. Watch for a runny nose and lethargy as that can be a sign of something going on. Also, if you have the flu or a cold, do not handle your ferret too much. S/He will catch it from you. I recommend letting your ferret loose for at least 2 hours per day. My ferrets (Odie and Scoobie) enjoy digging in our couchs. We put boards up to prevent that. Ferrets can fit into super tiny holes and get loose. They really don't have a sense of where home is so make sure there aren't any holes. If their nose fits in, they probably can squeeze the rest of their body through. As for the hamster, I don't know if they'll try to attack it or not. We just got a mouse and neither of mine have been too interested in her. I do know that ferrets were domesticated to kill rabbits...so use caution until you know how it'll do with your hamster. If you have any other questions, you can email me at daners9278@yahoo.com. I hope this helps.

Dana

[Dooker]

Hi,

Dana gave you really good info. :agree: One thing though, please do not use clumping litter, it is usually pretty dusty and that can cause problems.....you can use recycled newspaper pellets. I think there is a brand out there that is called "Yesterdays News" or something like that.

Hermione:

I reccomend getting the book "ferrets for Dummies" by Kim Schilling. It is a great book!! :angel5: Go to www.ferretcentral.org for some good info too. You can go to my site (www..com) for some new owner info also. You will need to "ferret proof" your house because *anything that a ferrets head can fit through, the body will follow*. Ferrets are extremely curious animals, they find everything and chew everything...espcially RUBBER things. They easily get blockages. And unlike cats, when they get a hairball, they cannot it out (like cats can do). The hairball just stays in their intestines and causes a blockage that can lead to death..So PLEASE give your ferret a laxative to prevent this, especially during shedding season. Also, make sure your food has at least 36% protein and 19% fat. Low fiber. Make sure you do a lot of research because you want to know what your ferret is going through *before* it happens.:agree: And make sure you get a ferret knowledgable vet. Here are some things to look for when finding the right vet: http://www..com/vet

And welcome to the ferret world! :D