Caring for Your Baby Ferret
Like most mammals baby ferrets need a lot of care. Baby ferrets can leave their mothers at 6 weeks of age. But in order to ensure long happy healthy life, they do need to get proper care and attention from us.
Before baby ferrets are born you should acquire the knowledge on how to care for them. The female ferret, also known as jill, shouldn’t be handled while she is giving birth. Handling a female ferret that is about to give birth is dangerous to her young. She can become hostile placing you at risk.
Ferrets typically have kits – a litter made up of about seven or eight babies. The kits are born practically hairless with a pink complexion and are blind. The first part of there lives I spent sleeping, eating and growing. It takes about 20 days for the kits color to darken. Soon after their eyes begin to open.
Finally when they reach 6 weeks of age they can leave their mother. At seven weeks old your baby ferret should get their first series of vaccinations. You should also consider having them de-scented and fixed.
A sudden diet change can prove harmful to the kits. They must be weaned off their old diet slowly. So you should always ask the breeder which brand of food have they been eating when you obtain a new baby ferret before you consider switching?
If you are going to use the same brand food then before offering it to the baby ferret soak it in warm water 5 to 10 minutes. If you are going to change the brand then you should purchase the old brand food and then mix the new brand with the old brand. They gradually you can lower the old brand and add more of your new brand and slowly switch completely to the new brand.
At some point cat food was the only option but now there are other high quality ferret food available in the market. Baby ferrets, in their infancy, need higher quality of protein in their diet which cat food cannot offer. Whichever brand food you choose for your baby ferret, make sure it has at least 20% fat and 35% protein.
Balanced fats like poultry fat has good blend of necessary fatty acids and is better for baby ferrets. Baby ferrets should also have water all times. The water should be changes once a day to ensure purity.
You can keep your baby ferret in a large and clean cage. This cage will serve as a home for your pet. Make sure the cage is large enough to make your pet feel comfortable and safe. It should also have enough room to move around in the cage.
Since ferrets are very active, the cage should provide ample room for safe play. Metal bottom cages corrode easily and should be avoided. Also, if you purchase a plastic coated wire then make sure your baby ferret is not chewing on it.
Baby ferrets need hiding places. They like soft padding to burrow and sleep in. Keep an eye on the bedding to ensure they are not eating it. If they are eating the bedding, it can cause blockage in their intestinal track and may have to removed surgically.
Baby ferrets are very active. They need lots of care and attention. They need our love, proper diet and care when they are babies in order to live a safe, happy and long life.
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