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Health information for your ferret

About Ferrets

Baby ferrets are called “kits.”

Aging your ferret:

• Infancy - birth to three weeks of age
• Toddler - 3 to 6 weeks of age
• “The Terrible Two’s” - 6 to 10 weeks of age
• Adolescence - 10 to 15 weeks of age
• Teen years (Puberty) - 15 weeks through 12 months of age
• Adult - over 1 year of age
• Senior - A ferret over 3 years is considered middle-aged

Ferrets, by law, must be vaccinated against rabies.

New Ferret Owners

Although ferrets are very loving, cute, and playful, among other things, you should ask yourself a couple of questions before buying/adopting/rescuing one:

• Are ferrets allowed where I live?
• If I have other pets, will they get along with a ferret?
• Do I have enough financial security to care for a ferret?
• Can I set aside time every day to play with a ferret?
• Can I set aside any necessary time to train a ferret?
• Do I have the time to ferret-proof my house, to ensure a ferret’s safety?

Before bringing a ferret into your home, you will need to ferret-proof your house and buy any needed supplies.

Supplies:

• A multi-level cage
• A food dish and water bowl
• Litter boxes (corner ones work well for many ferrets) and litter (wood stove pellets or Yesterday’s News)
• Bedding (e.g., hammocks, sleep sacks)
• Toys (tubes, chew toys)
• Ferret-approved food (e.g., Totally Ferret, Zupreem)
• Any book on ferrets you can find to read
• Nail clippers
• Ear cleaner
• Ferret shampoo
• A brush
• A harness and leash (if you intend to take your ferret outside)

Before buying/adopting/rescuing a ferret, you should first educate yourself about their behavior and care (resources include books and the Internet).

For more information

If you’re a new ferret owner, you may want to check out the Your New Ferret section.