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I got these two lil dooks last night. 14 month old neutered jills, India (sable) and Sierra (cream). My dogs are appalled.  They live outside in a big ol' rabbit hutch. We gon raw feed--and maybe look into ferreting (omg!!) Because of my area, they likely come from working stock; and at 14mo they're about perfect to fert with (though lacking in the basics, so fert flirtpole coming soon to a thread near you). itt poast ur ferts because these guys are just hilarious and I already love them (and have already been nipped by Sierra) Fraction fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Sep 11, 2014 |
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Sep 10, 2014 07:11
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I had to Google 'ferreting', and now I want ferrets. Rock on.
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Sep 10, 2014 14:26
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Ferrets are hella cool and hardcore little dudes. We've got an order of chicken necks and backs coming tomorrow, and this weekend I'm gonna hunt down my rabbit scent bottle and make up a rabbit-smelling toy for them to chase around to get them used to the idea. In the meantime: dook dook motherfucker 
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Sep 10, 2014 21:18
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Yay, ferts are back! All my woozles are gone now, and I miss their cute faces. Black  Black again (old and gray as gently caress)  Jak  Pig  Can't wait to see ferreting pics/vids, though.
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Sep 10, 2014 22:13
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Oh wow this came back at the perfect time. This fat gently caress. He has food down below in the cage, but he climbed up top and started eating out of the dish with the extra food I store there cuz he was hungry and it was there. Herp   Derp (Looking so smug after he climbed up there and knocked everything off the shelf.) 
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Sep 11, 2014 08:03
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^^^ My ferts are already proving themselves to be fat fucks too. I'm just defrosting a rat pup for them now - their first raw in a whiiiiile.Serella posted:Yay, ferts are back! These are very, very good weasels. Rip little weasels.
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Sep 11, 2014 20:32
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Cless Alvein posted:FERTS Yo for real, Herp and Derp are like the best ferret names, haha. I especially like your shameless little blaze. From my experience, the deafos are always odd, but not in a bad way. I had one lil tubby deaf dude who would fall asleep in the weirdest places. Head resting on a textbook, sleeping curved around a door frame, inside plastic bags, in the middle of the floor in his back -- he just gave no fucks.
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Sep 11, 2014 22:08
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He is actually probably the more normal of the two. Just shameless about his sleeping and a bit more cuddly. Derp is the one with the weirder quirks like stealing water bottles to hide. Doesn't matter if you're currently drinking out of it, he'll try to take it right from your mouth. He also enjoys snacking on the dog's food while she is outside and they're running around. But she gets back at them since she enjoys snacking on their food if she gets a chance. Let me tell you it is a pain in the rear end having a dog who would like to do nothing more than to use them as a chew toy. It has gotten slightly better lately as she mostly ignores them while they're in their cage now. Obviously if they're running around it is either in a locked room or the dog is outside since she'll never not try to eat them.
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Sep 12, 2014 00:03
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FERTS. I lost most pics of my two old hobs in a computer crash but still have a few floating around. They both came from a rescue in Lincolnshire somewhere. Harley (ballpits = awesome ferret toy) Spike  Fangs   Harley & SpikebuttAfter bath time  Honestly I've been tempted to get more but ferrets here (USA) just seem so fragile compared to UK ferrets from what I hear, especially all the stuff about Marshall farms. My two lived until 9-10 years old and the thought of getting one which would only live until about 5 is just  Are Marshall ferts still the ticking time bombs I've read about or have things improved? Also the fact that it'd be way too hot to keep them outdoors here and idk how bad the musty smell would get inside.e: not my pic but the reasoning for my forum name. 
Sock Weasel fucked around with this message at 05:26 on Sep 12, 2014 |
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Sep 12, 2014 05:21
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I have a ferret called valeyard which in retrospect is a real bad name for a ferret
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Sep 12, 2014 05:54
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Sock Weasel posted:Are Marshall ferts still the ticking time bombs I've read about or have things improved? Also the fact that it'd be way too hot to keep them outdoors here and idk how bad the musty smell would get inside. Yes they are. They WILL get cancer if they live long enough. But you can easily and relatively cheaply alleviate the symptoms and make them comfortable and even have a decent shot at slowing or stopping tumor growth. Your house will smell like a ferret. If you don't clean like a LOT, it will smell like ferret poo poo which is way less tolerable. They poop about every 4 hours, so if you have 2 ferrets that's 12 poops every day! I really think that this is why people have trouble with keeping smells down. They just poo poo way more often than a dog or cat, in addition to getting diarrhea for seemingly no reason/any reason. To keep their space free of poops you have to be cleaning basically all of the time, at least twice a day, although I found that I had to clean more often than that (I was keeping 4-6 at a time though). worst pet ever imo but you can't help but love em. They so dumb. 
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Sep 12, 2014 15:41
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Sock Weasel posted:
CompactFanny posted:Your house will smell like a ferret. If you don't clean like a LOT, it will smell like ferret poo poo which is way less tolerable. They poop about every 4 hours, so if you have 2 ferrets that's 12 poops every day! I really think that this is why people have trouble with keeping smells down. They just poo poo way more often than a dog or cat, in addition to getting diarrhea for seemingly no reason/any reason. To keep their space free of poops you have to be cleaning basically all of the time, at least twice a day, although I found that I had to clean more often than that (I was keeping 4-6 at a time though). I can't imagine how much crap 4-6 ferrets would pump out. I just go around the hutch corners and clean poop twice a day with a dog bag, takes ten seconds and it doesn't bother me much. It's more like dog poo poo than rodent, but again that doesn't much bother me. 2poop2care I opened up the yard more to the dogs today, and man it is hard to ferretproof 100%. I thought I had this poo poo down, then spent the whole time running after the ferrets as they quickly figured out the weak points in the system. Little assholes. It's a good thing they're cute  
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Sep 12, 2014 21:17
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Where the hell do I get a harness small enough for my jills? I got a rabbit/guinea pig thin strap harness, which was obviously way, way too big; and a 'small n furry walk n vest' (rat size), which even my fatter dook was able to wriggle out of. I've taken them out to the grass without harnesses but it's very nerve wracking.    India is my favourite  eta: Dook castle 
Fraction fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Sep 14, 2014 |
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Sep 14, 2014 14:18
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Yeah, something made for tubby little guinea pigs would be too large for a noodlekitten. These were the best harnesses I ever found. It's a collar that has a clip-on attachment to make it into a harness, and both parts are individually adjustable for the best fit around both the neck and the chest. It also has a bell, id tag, and clip on the chest piece for a leash, which are super useful for tracking and containment. I've rarely had a ferret get completely out of one of these -- they can occasionally wiggle out of the chest piece if they wedge themselves somewhere with the intention of getting free, but the collar usually stays on once you figure out the best adjustment for each ferret. Even my smallest, who was 1.2 lbs at her frailest, was pretty well contained within one of these things, and they get used to them over a few weeks and stop trying to escape.
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Sep 14, 2014 23:07
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^ I didn't manage to get anything quite so awesome/technical is that, but I did get my hands on a harness that, as yet, India hasn't wriggled out of. I've not tried Sierra in it yet because I value having fingers   Black and white polecat ferret by straygiraffe, on Flickr  Close up sandy ferret by straygiraffe, on Flickr Such cute, much mayhem
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Sep 17, 2014 20:48
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I want a ferret now, god drat it.
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Sep 17, 2014 20:59
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Get a fart. They are cute and flop around like spineless lil worms. I've decided Sierra just doesn't like it when I stop her from doing something she wants to do (i.e. go on floor, continue standing on a precarious object, climb something yet again). If I just reach into the cage/stroke them she's fine, but if I hold her too long or stop her doing something she gets all and bitey. Bitch.
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Sep 18, 2014 21:52
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I have ferrets at work, they're all rescue/rehomes and get used a lot for education and handling. This is Ned. He is the best ferret. 
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Sep 18, 2014 23:27
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Meles meles posted:I have ferrets at work, they're all rescue/rehomes and get used a lot for education and handling. Omg his black whiskers
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Sep 21, 2014 17:27
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Have any of you named your ferrets Elie weasel
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Sep 22, 2014 17:06
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I was gonna do ferret bueller but I got vetoed
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Sep 23, 2014 00:05
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2 reasons why u should get a fart; 
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Sep 25, 2014 20:43
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post moar farts India the polecat ferret by straygiraffe, on Flickr
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Sep 28, 2014 21:09
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welp I forgot to update itt but Sierra escaped on Thursday and I haven't seen or heard anything of her since 
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Oct 5, 2014 16:39
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We have three. Last year we had two but it looked like Rocky was going to die so we got a third to keep Bella company. Rocky pulled through and the third turned out to be a hyperactive fat bitch who bosses the other two around. Rocky is now almost 6 and has had insulinoma and adrenal. Had surgery for both and pulled through but he's a shadow of his former self, he's all grey and his rear legs are very unreliable. He's still a happy energetic little guy but lately he's been wheezing a lot so think he has a flu or something. Sorry if I brought the thread down  we gave them baths earlier today which they HATE but now they're clean and their cage is fresh too.
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Oct 29, 2014 08:10
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It's been years since I had my fuzzy farts. I have lots of pics of my old crew though. Here's a photo dump if you don't mind. Remy   My deaf girl, Lucy. Talk about spazzy and crazy.    My best, most cuddly ferret was Ollie.  The only one I ever had issues with serious biting was with Bo. He was usually nice until I took something away from him that he wasn't supposed to have. He would come for my fingers with a vengeance.   Fin! He was also such a sweet boy.  I once filled their tube with rice. It was a riot. Also messy.   Nappy time.   
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Oct 29, 2014 17:41
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DAD LOST MY IPOD posted:We have three. Last year we had two but it looked like Rocky was going to die so we got a third to keep Bella company. Rocky pulled through and the third turned out to be a hyperactive fat bitch who bosses the other two around. You cannot possibly bring down a ferret thread because ferrets are the most depressing pets. I also did the thing where you get a third because one is on death's door, and he was also fat and boisterous, but in a good way. Ended up having three for a good while and I think it's the optimal number of ferrets.
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Oct 30, 2014 22:30
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DAD LOST MY IPOD posted:Sorry if I brought the thread down Oddly enough, the sad post appears to have given life to the thread so it's all cool by my book. When I washed my ferrets they didn't seem bothered at all by the process but goddamn they loved attacking the towel after. ETA: vampyr fart  DSC_0031 by straygiraffe, on Flickr Fraction fucked around with this message at 23:22 on Oct 30, 2014 |
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Oct 30, 2014 22:45
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Ugh. I think Rocky's time is coming up soon. His back legs are basically nonfunctional; poor little guy drags himself around. He barely moves, but when you play with him his front legs are strong and he's attentive and active, so it's just that his back legs are useless that's keeping him down. I'm seeing the vet Monday. I'm definitely in the Bargaining stage here; I just want him to hit 6 years, 6.5 years, something like that. His sister who is the same age as him is perfectly healthy. If I ever get ferrets again I want to get some of the British ones that have polecat stock bred into them. They're hardy and they live a long time.
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Nov 8, 2014 07:53
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Long time lurker, never before posted. The previous PI ferret thread was instrumental in my decision to get ferrets, then badger my husband into agreement. No regrets! (Some context: we had rats before, so ferrets are a step up in the cruel tragedy of unexpected pet death world). We now have three ferrets. Tristan and Isolde are both about a year old. Tristan is a big stupid doof that likes climbing up on things and breaking things of sentimental value. Isolde is small and cunning. She enjoys naps in the pile of plastic grocery bags under the sink and filling my shoes with reclaimed kibble and pens. I love those little assholes. Artemis is a recent addition, having come to us from the SPCA rescue barn in our town in the last month. A friend of mine who works at the SPCA told me about the poor creature - she had been abandoned in a trailer with two cats but had recovered well under their care and was just getting her medical clearance to go up for adoption. We went out to "meet her" (reality: fall madly in love after one look and take her home as soon as we could get the paperwork signed) and the poor thing was stashed in a back corner all by herself with a couple of bunnies for neighbors. BUNNIES! After bringing her home, she was a little lethargic, her coat was a little crispy from the cheap food they had been feeding her, and she was more than a little confused by the rambunctious nature of the aforementioned terrible twosome. She has settled in amazingly well, though. She romps through the house playing chasey-face, her coat is sooooo flooofy and soft and has gained so much weight that she's now about as heavy as the boy fert. She's about 2 years old, which means that she has slowed down enough that if you pick her up while she's sleeping, you can get some primo cuddle time out of her (as opposed to the other two who go into crazy-play mode immediately upon attaining consciousness). My husband appreciates that, as he was really looking for a creature to sit on his lap and chill out while he works on his PhD dissertation. Below you can see them doing the ferret version of the "how many frat boys in a phone booth" trick. Bottom left is Tristan, bottom right is Isolde, and top is Artemis. I assume their heads are sticking out because their stinky butts take up all of the room in the house. 
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Nov 11, 2014 16:50
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I really want to get a ferret or two, but I'm worried I might be allergic. I have cat allergies and mild dog allergies. As I understand it, there's no easy way to know if you're okay with ferrets or not outside of actually having one. If I do end up being allergic, is it reasonable to believe it will be fine if I get a girl (I heard they are better than boys because of their urine or something), keep the cage clean and give it regular baths?
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Nov 20, 2014 01:09
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^ Aren't allergies usually triggered by saliva? Lots of ferrets will lick themselves and you. You'd be best off seeing if there's a rescue with ferrets that'd let you hang out for a few hours. Maully that pic is adorable I had to take mine back to the rescue I got her from as my border collie was terrified of them. Stupid dog.
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Nov 20, 2014 07:23
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Fraction posted:
What kind of dog is afraid of ferrets? I've got the opposite problem. The dog would like nothing more than to use them as wonderful little chew toys and gets jealous of them constantly. She'll steal their toys and play with them even though she doesn't like toys in general. Lots of finagling involved trying to get stuff safe for all parties in involved. Mostly involving locks and gates and double checking to make sure dog is outside before meat slinkies are allowed to roam around.
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Nov 20, 2014 08:57
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Cless Alvein posted:What kind of dog is afraid of ferrets? A very sensitive, delicate flower of a border collie
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Nov 20, 2014 13:19
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Alex WS posted:I really want to get a ferret or two, but I'm worried I might be allergic. I have cat allergies and mild dog allergies. As I understand it, there's no easy way to know if you're okay with ferrets or not outside of actually having one. If I do end up being allergic, is it reasonable to believe it will be fine if I get a girl (I heard they are better than boys because of their urine or something), keep the cage clean and give it regular baths? In my experience it's mostly direct skin contact with the ferret that causes a reaction like hives, not so much the sinus congestion and eye itch you get with cat allergies. Washing your hands and arms after holding them helps quite a lot, and keeping their nails trimmed so you don't get scratched. Females vs males aren't going to be noticeably different in terms of your allergic reaction to them. No matter what, you DO want to clean the cage every day and you DONT want to bathe the ferret unless absolutely necessary (ie he has rolled in poop or some other substance and it needs to come off).
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Nov 20, 2014 14:44
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Does anyone here know much about angora ferrets? We are starting to wonder if Artemis may be at least part angora due to her impressive floof and large size. She's about the same size as our boy ferret, and possibly a little heavier. I made my husband hold Artemis and Isolde together so we could compare, but they decided to play bitey face instead. Fraction posted:
Thank you! I'm still not sure how they all smashed themselves in there.
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Nov 21, 2014 03:33
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I guess this is as good a place as any to post this. My brother and his girlfriend recently gifted me a ferret. They had wanted to keep her but their dog was being mean and scaring the poor little dear. Anyhow the lovely little Jill is now mine, and she is a cute, curious, little sweetheart named Piper. Anyhow, I've been able to block most of the doors to areas I don't want her getting into or under fairly well with some thick wooden boards, however I am nervous about her getting into the kitchen area. the cabinets are magnetized and fairly heavy so I am not worried about her getting into those, however, the big issue is my refrigerator, there is a huge open area on either side that she could fit in, and I have no idea how to block it off so she doesn't climb back there and hurt herself. So I guess what I'm asking is, what is the best way to block it off? Are there goon recommended Ferret Barriers I can purchase to block off the area effectively?
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Nov 25, 2014 14:46
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Madmarker posted:So I guess what I'm asking is, what is the best way to block it off? Are there goon recommended Ferret Barriers I can purchase to block off the area effectively? Do you have packing tape and cardboard? Perhaps corrugated plastic?
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Nov 26, 2014 04:08
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Suspect Bucket posted:Do you have packing tape and cardboard? Perhaps corrugated plastic? no but I can easily get my hands on it. Would cardboard and packing tape really be sufficient to keep out an inquisitive ferret?
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Nov 26, 2014 12:58
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Thread's been going well and in a positive direction for a few posts now, so it's time for a bringdown! We are having Rocky put to sleep this afternoon. His back legs are paralyzed and whatever's happening to him is progressive. Poor little guy, he survived insulinoma and adrenal surgery. Time to rest little trooper.
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Nov 26, 2014 17:58
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