My ferret

I feel that on this blog, i talk too much about ferrets in genral but use picture of my ferret without really telling you much about him. So here goes! 

He is called Rambo (Rammy is what i call him) He loves and i mean LOVES to go for a walk on his lead and roll in the grass. He also likes to dig and he gets sooo muddy but it is really cute to watch!

He hates bath time but with all the exploring he has to be bathed every month and his feet are washed all of the time. I love to film him on his adventures so i can remember them forever. They are just amazing!

Unamused!

He also loves chicken. I give him some if he is every being good! One of his other favorite things to do is roll in blankets and play with they toys i have made him. He gets a lot of attention but he deserves it because he is so awesome and the best ferret ever!

The king!!!!

Facing ferrity boredom!

Ferrets git bored just like we do so to keep them amused you have to think f things they can do because it is impossible to be around them all the time. (sadly) However you may think that creating new toys and games for them is expensive. Not if you make it all your self!

I made everything inside of Rammy's hutch and it stops him for getting bored!

It started out as an old wooden hitch so i got some paint, painted it, created a wind chime using string, a bamboo cane and a wooden panel, made a climbing wall using string, tied rope for him to climb on on the ceiling, gave him a tennis ball and created a bed with some wood pieces nailed  together to form a box and them putting a blanket inside it.

Ferrets prefer strips of newspaper and paper bedding rather than hay or straw as hay can get stuck in their feet and it is not good for them. Paper is much softer to walk on and will not cause any damage. 

This shows that you do not have to spend a lot of money to make sure your ferret is not bored. You can make it all you self. Also that way you can make a game or toy that you know your ferret wil love because only you know what they really like!

Ferrets health

Nothing is more important than your ferrets health! That is a fact. So here are some ferret health signs and what they all mean!

 

.Here are some perfect ferret teeth! Your ferret should have lovey pink gums and shining white clean teeth! If your ferrets gums are red in colour it means they are dehydrated and their teeth can rot just like ours so make sure their dental care is good!

.Your ferrets fur should be lovely and soft and not bristle. If there are black dots on your ferrets skin, it could mean that they have fleas. This will also be shown if they are scratching. 

.Their ear wax should have a slight red tint to it- this colour is healthy and if they are constantly scratching their ears, it could mean that they are dirty and have something stuck in them that is irritating.

.Ferrets whiskers should be soft and if they are broken it can mean they are dehydrated. 

Make sure that you ferret has all of these perfected and you can even take them to a vet check up if your not sure something is right with your little fluffy! With that your ferret should be super healthy and happy!

Ferret toys!

There are many things that you can get your ferret to play with so they are not bored! 

One- Jingle mice. You can get these from ferret couture for only 79p! They fight and roll around with them however they make a bit of noise because they have a bell in them but it is so funny to watch your ferret roll around with them!

 

Two- Fuzz ball chasers again from ferret couture (i think i love this website too much!) and only £3.49, you can drag them along the floor and watch your ferret chase after them!

 

Three- A treat ball. You hide small treats inside it and your ferret rolls around trying to get them out! It makes them think and rewards them with treats!

 

 Four- Jittery critters. Pull the chord and it shakes and runs across the floor. Your ferret will hunt it and chase it! Make sure your ferrets don't bite off and swallow the eyes and nose of the critter!
 
 With all forms of play, your ferret has to be supervised because they can choke if they bite any part of a toy off and they will end up finding someway of hurting themselves when you are not there to watch them! Anyway, it is fun to watch because they are so crazy and adorable!

Ferrets and the heat

As you know, it is very hot here in England (for once) and it has not rained for a LONG time! However, have you thought of the effect that the heat can have on your ferret.

Most ferrets do not like heat because it obviously makes them hot! When they get hot, they may drink a lot more and loose their appetite. This means you need to make sure that you are always re-filling their water bottles with fresh cold water so it is cooling to drink. Also you need to make sure they do not over heat because this can make thm dizzy just like it does with humans!

 This can be very dangerous because they can stop eating due to them loosing their appetite and becoming very sleepy. My ferret has this experience. I was watching his food levels for two days and notices that he was slowly eating less and less until the point he stopped eating. He has lost a bit a weight due to this. My next door neighbor came up with a random but very effective solution!

If your ferret over heats follow these steps-

. Make sure they have lots of cold water to drink, even put it in a bowl so they can dip their heads in it to cool down.  

 . Cool them down at a steady rate. I did this by putting Rammy in the outside hutch and standing him in front of a giant electric fan! It works so well and he loved it!

.Get them chicken! Or any other food that contains moisture and is still rather healthy for them. So they can cool while eating if they have lost their appetite. 

.Reduce the bedding amount. If there is too much bedding, take some away because it can still be 18 degrees at night when ferrets are at their most active. 

So in the summer sun, keep a close eye on your ferret and make sure to keep them cool!

Walkies!

Teaching your ferret to walk! (on a lead) 

Ferrets love explore and if they are inside they may not be able to run around, dig and roll in grass! You can just let them run free in your garden but you will run the risk of loosing them. So you can walk them on a lead!

 I prefer to walk Rammy on a harness lead because it gives him that extra bit of support when he is exploring and it means that if he gets into real danger like he has walk him self to the edge of the deck i can pull him up with lead lead a he is fully supported by the harness like a hand.

Others may want to walk their ferret on a lead that attaches onto a collar because to means they can wear a top and people may think that it looks better than a harness. You can also get a lead that is attached using a collar like strap and one that goes across the body to supply support.

You may have noticed that this is not Rammy that is because i had to use an internet photograph as i don't own this type of lead!

You can somewhat control where a ferret walk buy slightly pulling on the lead to direct them. Don't pull too hard as you can hurt them and some will not listen to you as all they want to do is run around and play!

How to make a felt hammock!

How to make a felt hammock!

You may think that you have to buy a hammock for your ferret because either you don't think you can make one or you feel that the one you make will not be very good. However these instructions show that they are simple to make and look really cool if you just have a felt blanket! No sewing is needed!

You will need- scissors, felt blanket and some hooks.

Step one- get three pieces of felt, one large approx. 40cm2, another 5cm smaller and another 5 cm smaller than that. The size of the first square depends on how big your ferret is and how many ferrets are going to use it.

step 2- Cut out 4 thin 20cm strips of felt.

Step 3- layer the 3 squares on top of each other with one of their corners all overlapping. 

Cut a small hole through all of the pieces on the corners overlapping as shown by the cross.

Step 4- you need to do the same with every one of the corners. Re-match each of the three corners as show on the diagram above and thread one of the felt strips through all three of the holes. Make sure you tie it at the top to create a loop. Do this for all the the similar corners.

Don't worry if the hammock looks like it is sagging on the larger piece and less on the smaller piece. This is supposed to happen! You should end up with it looking this this-

 Is has been held up with hooks going through the loops made by the felt strips. Rammy just loves his because he can climb on any of the layers. The layers mean more support, more than one ferret can go on the hammock at any one time and they can climb in and out of the separate compartments!