My kids found a ferret!

writerterri · Mar 6, 2008

What the hockey sticks am I going to feed this sweet little racoon lookin' creature?

I have veggies, mouse food, cat food, bird food and rabbit food. And corn chips.

I have it in a cat carrier with a cat bed and a towel. It looks well taken care of so I don't think I'll have a problem finding the owner tomorrow. In the mean time it's spending the night with me.

What should I do to make it feel at home until I find it's parents?

Boy this cute little thang stinks!

Help!

JoNightshade · Mar 6, 2008

Wow, watch out. Ferrets are cute but I heard if they get upset, they can totally destroy everything in your house.

Try this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferret#Diet

Mumut · Mar 7, 2008

It's ok if you have one but don't get yourself a fesnyng of them.

Susie · Mar 7, 2008

You mean Shadow Ferret was on the loose again?

So glad you found the cute little guy and will find its owner tomorrow. You're swell, Werri!

eldragon · Mar 7, 2008

Ferrets eat catfood.

Hope you find the owner!

nerds · Mar 7, 2008

They can get mighty grumpy; handle with care, better yet don't handle, and best of luck finding his owner. Good of you to take him in but proceed with caution. As noted above he can reduce your household to a shambles given half a chance, don't let him run about anywhere.

eldragon · Mar 7, 2008

I had ferrets years ago, and disagree that they are dangerous.

The worst that it will do is poop in every corner of your house, so keep it in the carrier.

Don't let it bite you, or it will be painful.

Besides that, I found ferrets to fun creatures.

I even had a mean one once. He bit me often and wouldn't let go for a full 10 minutes sometimes.

Just be careful, but not petrified.

auntybug · Mar 7, 2008

I had a couple ferrets when we lived in Florida. I had to find them a home before we moved. They are a lot of fun - even at several years old - they play like a kitten. Take it out and have some fun! You should know right away if its a nipper or not. Dry cat food is very close to ferret food - raisins are a special treat - I wouldn't recommend more than 2 though.

Update us, Dork!

Haggis · Mar 7, 2008

Ferrets are high in protein, low in fat, and, if prepared properly, are quite delicious.

auntybug · Mar 7, 2008

Haggis said:
Ferrets are high in protein, low in fat, and, if prepared properly, are quite delicious.

Bad Puppy! (everyone knows there's not much white meat on a ferret!)

jannawrites · Mar 7, 2008

I hate to reiterate the point about their meanness, especially when you have him in your home, but my uncle found the same thing out years ago. Makes me wonder... are ferrets related to badgers?

Soccer Mom · Mar 7, 2008

Where's Ed? Have you PM'd him?

Oh right.

He's in your cat carrier.

ETA: I had a good friend with a ferret. We played with him all the time and Fred never bit me once. They aren't all chompers.

auntybug · Mar 7, 2008

My friend ran a rescue - thats how I got mine. She had 16 of her own then there were the ones that came & went. She always got upset at the bad rep that ferrets had but you can't deny that they can bite & some can be meaner than others - just like dogs/cats. My daughter got bit on the tongue by one of hers when she was 2. She was sticking her tongue in the cage... that would also happen with a bird or a dog, etc so I still wouldn't have labeled them all evil. I agree with Janna - use caution.

I'm not sure about the badger thing, weasels & minks I think....

Shadow_Ferret · Mar 7, 2008

Kitten food will do.

I've owned several ferrets. They've never bitten anyone. Not in any mean way, only in a kitten/puppy kind of nipping "hey, we're having fun here!" kind of way.

Ferrets are like that, like little kittens/puppies that never grow up.

The Grift · Mar 7, 2008

jannawrites said:
Makes me wonder... are ferrets related to badgers?

Ferrets are related to badgers, otters, wolverines, weasels, skunks, sables, martins, polecats, and minks.

Like many recently tamed wild animals, ferrets can be aggressive if neglected (such as keeping them in a cage in the garage all day) or mistreated (such as preparing them properly as part of a high-protein low-fat diet). Love your ferret and unless you have a bad apple, your ferret will love you.

BenPanced · Mar 7, 2008

Be nice to it. Make sure you give it the car keys when it asks for them and don't ask any questions. This is how "incidents" begin.

Cranky · Mar 7, 2008

Keep the toilet lid shut if you decide to let it run about. They are burrowers, and mine killed herself by burrowing into the toilet and wasn't able to get out. I'm not kidding. I was totally fricken traumatized.

writerterri · Mar 7, 2008

Thanks for the replies! She made it through the night very well. I took her out of the carrier and gave her some cat food and she explored my desk. She's very tame and very sweet and likes kids as well. No bitting or anything more than being a little scared. "Lila" wants to explore my apartment, no go.

If I can't find the owner by noon I'll take it to the SPCA where they can properly care for her until the owner is found or a new one is found. I just can't keep a ferret as cute as it is.

I have to wait another half an hour until the office opens so I can let them know I found her.

Thanks for all the support!

writerterri · Mar 7, 2008

BenPanced said:
Be nice to it. Make sure you give it the car keys when it asks for them and don't ask any questions. This is how "incidents" begin.

Oh. I wouldn't want to be on it's list of places to terrorize. I'm wondering if the owner let it go after a ransacking of sorts.

She's very sweet though and gentle.

writerterri · Mar 7, 2008

Cranky said:
Keep the toilet lid shut if you decide to let it run about. They are burrowers, and mine killed herself by burrowing into the toilet and wasn't able to get out. I'm not kidding. I was totally fricken traumatized.

That's terrible! I'm so sorry. This little gal won't be wondering. I have a very big cat.

Cranky · Mar 7, 2008

writerterri said:
That's terrible! I'm so sorry. This little gal won't be wondering. I have a very big cat.

LOL! Good idea to keep her caged up, then. Good luck finding the owner, and thank you.

Jaycinth · Mar 7, 2008

The Grift said:
Ferrets are related to badgers, otters, wolverines, weasels, skunks, sables, martins, polecats, and minks.

Like many recently tamed wild animals, ferrets can be aggressive if neglected (such as keeping them in a cage in the garage all day) or mistreated (such as preparing them properly as part of a high-protein low-fat diet). Love your ferret and unless you have a bad apple, your ferret will love you.

Actually, ferrets have been domesticated since the time of the early Greeks. Yes, there are wild ferrets, but the pet variety are from a long line of domesticated animals and would not survive in the wild.

I had a co-worker who had a ferret. She brought him to work. He loved to run around and managed to get our beetle and mouse problem totally under control.

Then she moved away and I never saw the bugger again. But he was a good guy. Never bit humans, and used a litter box....most of the time.

Yeah...he did reek even though she bathed him weekly.

veinglory · Mar 7, 2008

I found one once. Well he found me and climbed up my leg. He was entirely friendly. I second the advice about feeding catfood. I suggest odor absorbing kitty litter on the base of any enclosure and lots of out of cage time. You can walk them on a leash although there is a technique to it.

writerterri · Mar 10, 2008

I ended up taking her to a shelter where lost animals are dropped off until an owner can be found. I thought it was better than her sitting in a small cat carrier. And yes, she loved the cat food. I got a case number for her so she wouldn't get lost in the shuffle and I could check on her to make sure she ended up in a good home. But the owner finally came forward a couple of days later. The ferret got out of her cage and somehow out the door. The owners figured she was somewhere in the house but when she didn't come out for food they notified the appartment managers. I called early on to notify I had found her, so they told them where to go find the ferret.

The ferret is now safe and at home again.

Yay!

veinglory · Mar 10, 2008

Ferrets are real escape artists. In shelters I found the were almost always 'escaped' and reclaimed rather than stray.

My kids found a ferret!

It's a dorky day!

has finally arrived

Well begun is half done...

Thanks, special friend for my avi!

in a van down by the river

of all the gin joints

in a van down by the river

teh other evil broad

Evil, undead Chihuahua

teh other evil broad

no, really

Crypto-fascist

teh other evil broad

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Tom Swiftly's Favorite Adverb

THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)

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It's a dorky day!

It's a dorky day!

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It's a dorky day!

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