Housing and husbandry: Ferret

 

Cleaning

The pen should be cleaned daily, removing any bedding that is wet or dirty, removing any uneaten fresh food and cleaning the food and water containers. The litter tray or latrine area should also be cleaned out daily and the pen should be completely cleaned weekly. 

Ferrets are very clean and usually choose one or two particular areas for the latrine, usually a vertical surface against which they can eliminate. They can be trained to use a litter tray. Ferret litter trays are normally corner-shaped and have two high sides, because their faeces are soft and they tend to back into a corner and squirt upwards when eliminating.

Social housing

Ferrets are sociable and should be kept in compatible pairs or groups wherever possible. Jills (without litters), young animals before puberty and castrated males should be group housed. A jill and a hob may be kept together, although they may fight when a litter is born and are best separated for this period. Group housed animals should be observed daily for any signs of aggression. 

Enrichment and exercise

A stimulating environment is essential for ferret welfare. Ferrets need things that they can climb on, play with and explore, and access to safe hiding places, such as tunnels and closed hammocks. An ‘artificial warren’ can be created using plastic tubes, branches, cardboard boxes and paper bags, with a sleeping area or nest box, a larder area, and a vertical surface to act as a latrine. Dry food can be scattered around the cage and hidden in tubes, to encourage interest and activity.

Ferrets should be given sufficient opportunities to exercise, and ferrets kept in small cages should be allowed out for exercise regularly, ideally daily. Many ferrets enjoy playing in water; a shallow water bath containing fresh water at room temperature provided once a week can be a good form of enrichment. They should have solid floors, with a thick layer of bedding. 

Environmental conditions

Ferret housing should be well ventilated, dry and draught free. Ferrets thrive in temperatures between 15 and 24oC, but will adapt to colder temperatures (7 to 10oC), with the exception of unweaned kits, which should always be kept between 15oC and 24 oC. Ferrets are susceptible to heat stress above 30oC , particularly if humidity is high. The optimum humidity is between 40% and 65%.

Routine care

• Regular checks should be done on the teeth, skin and hair coat, ears (the ear mite Otodectes cynotis is common) and anal area for evidence of diarrhoea. The nails may also need trimming. 

• It is essential to control oestrus in jills that will not be mated. They should be spayed or treated with hormones to suppress oestrus. 

• Ferrets may need to be vaccinated against canine distemper, depending on the degree of biosecurity employed.

• New arrivals of unknown health status may need faecal screening for pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, and blood sampling for haematology, serology, and biochemistry.

• Ferrets which have been imported and those covered by a pet passport may need to be vaccinated against rabies.

• Ferrets are not regarded as susceptible to feline panleucopenia, canine parvovirus, leptospirosis or mink enteritis.

https://nc3rs.org.uk/3rs-resources/housing-and-husbandry-ferret