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Post by alphafem on Nov 8, 2013 20:46:00 GMT -5
I checked craigslist this morning. 3 ferrets 1 male 2 female plus cage $75... Omg... I live outside of Houston. The ad cued me that there was something wrong, so I called. I went to a very low socioeconomic section of town that happens to be close to me. The woman I spoke to on the phone did not even know what I ment by ear tattoos! When I got there the cage they were in was disgusting! To top it all off, all three were females and tattooed! I brought them home ; they range in age from cirrca 6 months to cirrca 1 year. I cleaned them up put them in comfy quarters and beds and they are soooooo sweet (she said the oldest bit but she hasn't even nipped since being cleaned and show love).
I saved 3 wonderful ferrets today!
They reaked of cigg smoke when I picked them up. All 3 have clean ears bright eyes and are double tatted!
She even told me she had put them outside!! With plastic over them!! I was disgusted! Had to save them!
Welcome Goldie, Gidjet, and Nora to our family!
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Post by unclejoe on Nov 9, 2013 0:01:33 GMT -5
Good for you. I hope you have long lives together. Please stay in touch and post updates and pics. Don't know your history, so don't be afraid to ask for anything.
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Post by Lazy-Ferret on Nov 9, 2013 10:16:33 GMT -5
well done, it's so rewarding when they show you how much they like being with you, in such a short time. As UncleJoe says, feel free to ask anything you need, no question is too silly, and obvoiusly, have a good look round the older posts, there is an amazing amount of info hidden in them.
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Post by alphafem on Nov 9, 2013 13:16:06 GMT -5
So, yesterday when I brought the new girls home I allowed Butters to smell them through the carrier door (when I got him he was already socialized with other ferrets). Throughout the evening as I handled all 4 of them individually I let them see Butters through his cage and visa versa. Everything looked good everybody seem really excited to meet their new friend(s). This morning I baby gated off the living room like I usually do when I want Butters to stay in the living room and I lets them all out! The girls have been locked in their cage for at least 2 weeks no free roam playtime at all so getting them some play time was imperative! Everybody gets along great! Butters couldn't smell each of them fast enough  . As soon as the girls hit the ground they were off, excited to smell their new home and were soon chasing the cat and dog with Butters. I did discover they are not litter trained (which is not much of a surprise given the way they were being cared for). They had two levels plus ground floor. I put one litter box on ground floor then I noticed they were eliminating on the first level so I cleaned it really well and put a different litter box in the corner (which was stained due to them eliminating there and it not being cleaned). This morning I woke up and they had been using the top floor corner. I cleaned up the mess and put their poo in both litter boxes them removed the top level completely. Is this a good way to approach getting them litter trained? |
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Post by Lazy-Ferret on Nov 9, 2013 14:36:13 GMT -5
I have found that starting small, and then adding, helps a lot with litter training. So like you have done, reduce the cage size, which is not a problem when they are getting "Out of cage" time, then as they grasp the litter tray, you can add the space back. I have also found ferrets will never go up a level to use a tray, and will only go down one level, so if you have 3 levels, you have to have 2 trays.
Also what are you using as litter, and do you know what, if any, they had before. Some ferrets, especially the jills can be very fussy about what they will use, but we have found news paper works for most. In the past, we have put paper in the bottom of the litter tray, and a sprinkling of wood pellet on top, which over time we increased, until we could remove the paper.
Same rules for out of cage, start with a small area, and several litter trays, then as they get the hang, you can tune how many you need, and also increase the play area. You are doing right putting any that is in the wrong place into the litter tray, and another thing is, for the first couple of weeks, do not be to fastidious about cleaning the tray, just empty it, but don't wash it out, so it retains a litter tray smell for them. Helps them find it.
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Post by alphafem on Nov 9, 2013 15:29:22 GMT -5
They came with "ferret litter" that is newspaper pellets, which is great because I am already using Yesterday's News for Butters. Since my post I caught Gidget using the corner across from lvl2s litter box then right after Goldie (the oldest) looked like she was getting ready to go and I was able to put her in lvl2s box which she used! So we are having some success already. I think they may have been litter trained but due to lack of cleaning they fell out of practice.
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Post by unclejoe on Nov 9, 2013 21:57:39 GMT -5
yeah it's a good plan to start litter training. you should clean the whole cage as best you can. take it outside and hose it and use dish soap and a brush at least.
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Post by Lazy-Ferret on Nov 10, 2013 11:12:49 GMT -5
yeah it's a good plan to start litter training. you should clean the whole cage as best you can. take it outside and hose it and use dish soap and a brush at least. In the UK, we have an Enzyme based cleaner, we get from the big pet chain store, and it is pure magic... Not only is it supposed to get rid of every trace of a misplaced litter tray misses, but it also dissolves ferret poo... When we got the rescue kits, their cages were disgusting, I think actually worse than you described yours. Once the mum had had a chance to get to know us, we managed to get her to move the kits into a new, clean cage, we set to trying to clean up her cage... the only thing that worked, was to spray the cage with the Enzyme cleaner, left it to soak, then use a steam cleaner to get everything off and sterile. It really does work a dream, just never use it to clean the litter trays...  |
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Post by alphafem on Nov 10, 2013 11:16:45 GMT -5
We scrubbed and disinfected the cage before we brought it in the house. Update: woke up this morning and there was a pile of pop in Lvl2 box with no mess in the corner! I'd like to take all the credit but the girls are turning out to be well behaved. I was on top of cleaning the corner messes yesterday and tranferring some of the mess to the boxes and they fell into suit. I know they may still make mistakes but I am ready to do whatever they need of me. |
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Post by unclejoe on Nov 10, 2013 22:10:20 GMT -5
Well, that's great news. Congrats!
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Post by alphafem on Nov 11, 2013 17:10:52 GMT -5
Update on the Girls:
All are doing very well. They are starting to put on a little weight. They were not emaciated or anything when I got them but they are pretty thin. Goldie has emerged as Queen Bee and appears to take a motherly way with Gidget and Norah. She actually holds Norah (who is just super small comparatively) while she sleeps and I have caught her grooming Norah, as well. Goldie hasn't sprung any sneak attacks today, but it is still early. Gidget the middle one, size wise, is the most laid back of the three although, she decided to take a ride on the back of one of my cats. Simba (the cat) just laid down and rolled to his side to get her off of him. Norah and her super cute raccoon face, makes sure she gets lots of playtime with Butters who, incidentally, she decided to ride earlier. Butter is gentle with her but he seems a little distant from them at times. I'm sure this will get better with time but for know we still give Butters some one on one play/cuddle time while the adjustment phase takes place. The girls just kinda moved in and kinda took over. There quality of life has improved so dramatically in such a short time and they are livin' it up!
And they are only pooping in the box!
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Post by tiedyed69peace on Nov 12, 2013 9:40:22 GMT -5
Congrats and thanks for saving them! Probably too late now, but in the future, especially when dealing with ferrets from a rough situation, you might want to quarantine them from your resident ferrets for about 7-10 just to be safe. I just read your update and am SO GLAD to hear how well they are doing in your home! Yay! I love how the girls just took over. Typical girls, huh? Here's to a long and happy life with you! |
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Post by alphafem on Nov 12, 2013 10:31:42 GMT -5
They are on a soft quarenteine. The girls don't share food dishes, water bottles, litter boxes or cages with Butters. Day one for them home was spent with close individual inspections. I gently applied pressure to bellys to check for signs of pain or sensitivity. All eyes are super clear ears also free of debris. I also paid close attention to their bowel movements and, even with the diet change, movements were firm and uniform. But yeah, great advice! Thanks. :-)
I also watched closely for any facial drainage. "Critter Corner" at my house is a room attatched to the living room I kept a close listen to them as well in case of sneezes or coughs. After their bath first thing after getting home each girl has a very faint healthy smell and even before bath it was obvious they all have nice glossy coats.
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. As soon as the girls hit the ground they were off, excited to smell their new home and were soon chasing the cat and dog with Butters. 
