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Small Pet Animals Care Guide
Basic care for small animals
Ferret
Housing - Appropriately sized wire cages are generally
the best bet for most small animals. Line the bottom of the
cage with wood or paper shavings. Sawdust or shavings from
softwoods, such as cedar, can cause respiratory problems for
your pet.
Aquariums can be used for gerbils, hamsters, mice and rats,
but often these enclosures are not well ventilated and can
lead to health problems. If you do use a wire cage for your
rodent, make sure it has a solid bottom to prevent foot injuries.
Wooden boxes are sometimes used for rabbits and guinea pigs.
Ferrets are sometimes kept in cages, sometimes not. It depends
on whether you are able to train your ferret to use a litter
box. However, even litter-trained ferrets are often confined
to a cage when unsupervised. Ferrets should have access to
some sort of sleeping area—a basket or blanket—whether confined
to a cage or not.
Whatever you choose, make sure to keep your pet’s environment
clean and dry.
Nutrition - Gerbils, hamsters, mice and rats should
be fed a pellet mix high in protein. The diet can be supplemented
with foods, such as:
Fruits and vegetables
Hay
Yogurt drops (for hamsters)
TIP - Orange juice has been shown to cause cancer
in male rats.
To maintain health, rabbits and guinea pigs need a balanced
diet of the following:
Grass hay
Pellets (fine as a staple)
Dark, leafy vegetables
Fruit or carrots (small amounts as treats)
Ferrets require a diet high in protein and fat. There is
food made specifically for ferrets, but it is generally expensive
and hard to find. Dry cat food works pretty well in most cases—preferably
kitten food. Dog food, however, lacks some essential nutrients
for a healthy ferret diet. Unless otherwise instructed by
a veterinarian, keep your ferret’s dish full at all times
and let him eat at will.
NOTE - Owning a ferret is illegal in some areas or
requires a permit. Check with your local Wildlife Department
for more information.
Fresh water should be available to your pet at all times.
Glass water bottles with metal drinking spouts generally work
better than water dishes for all the animals mentioned above.
Health - The following can be signs of illness in
your small animal:
A noticeable decrease in food intake
Extreme weight loss or weight gain
Watery droppings or no droppings at all
Lethargy Discharge from eyes or nose
Hair loss
Toys - Your pet will enjoy a variety of toys. For
rodents, wheels or plastic running balls are especially popular.
Chewing toys are important so your pet’s teeth don’t get too
sharp.
Ferrets are usually happy with any toys you would buy for
a cat, but make sure there are no small removable parts that
may be accidentally swallowed.
For the best advice on your pet’s specific needs, consult
a breeder or veterinarian.
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Ferret is a type of small mammal that belongs to the
weasel family. Ferrets have long, slim bodies and short legs.
If frightened, these animals can discharge a strong-smelling
fluid from scent glands under their tails. There are two kinds
of ferrets--the domestic ferret and the black-footed ferret.
The domestic ferret is often kept as a pet. It was originally
bred in ancient times to hunt rats and rabbits, but it is
seldom used for hunting today. The domestic ferret is a descendant
of the European polecat, which was once found throughout Europe.
The terms ferret and polecat are often used interchangeably.
Male domestic ferrets are up to 25 inches (64 centimeters)
long, including the tail. Females are smaller. Domestic ferrets
vary in color from nearly white to nearly black. Most have
creamy-colored fur with dark hair tips, feet, and tail, and
a "mask" of dark fur around the eyes. Many owners have the
scent glands of pet ferrets removed, but the animals still
have a musky odor from other skin glands.
The black-footed ferret is native to western North America.
It resembles the domestic ferret, but it is slightly smaller.
Black-footed ferrets have dull yellow fur that is slightly
darker on the back. Black-footed ferrets have black feet,
black tail tips, and black fur around the eyes.
In the past, black-footed ferrets were found throughout the
Great Plains. They depended on prairie dogs for food and lived
in underground burrows made by prairie dogs. Since the late
1800's, however, prairie dogs have been eliminated from much
of the Great Plains by ranchers who consider them pests. Probably
as a result of this decrease in the number of prairie dogs,
black-footed ferrets have become extremely rare. They are
classified as an endangered species by the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service.
Scientists once thought black-footed ferrets were extinct.
In 1981, however, a population of more than 125 black-footed
ferrets was discovered in Wyoming. Over the next several years,
many of these animals died of distemper. Because scientists
were concerned that all the wild ferrets would die from the
disease, the remaining animals were captured. Scientists have
been breeding the ferrets in captivity. In 1991, they began
releasing these ferrets into western wilderness areas.
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