Making Progress...

The purpose of Ferrets in the North was to connect ferret owners, enthusiasts, future ferrents and people who wanted to re-home their pets, as well as those who were simply curious about the animals... not content to sit idly by, we at Ferrets in the North are taking it ONE STEP FURTHER! Ferrets in the North is becoming a real-life ferret rescue!
Our formal BC government approved name: Ferrets North Information and Rescue Society. Our goals are to educate, rescue and re-home ferrets in Prince George and (as we grow) Northern BC.


We are having a volunteer meet as well as an information day July 12 (location to be determined - we are hoping for Fort George Park), so any interested parties can feel free to attend. We will also be having a member sign up and FERRETS ARE WELCOME! Bring your fuzzies along for the fun! Details of the event will be posted as soon as they become known, so stay tuned!

For those who enjoy reading this blog: don't worry! It will still be here! After all, a little extra ferret information is always a good thing!

The Case for Cat Milk

When a ferret requires a bit of fattening up, many people recommend different supplements and foods such as ferretvite (in the tube, not the multivitamin water additives), cream, ensure, baby food and so forth. One thing that I have never heard recommended, and I feel should certainly be used is Whiska's cat milk, rather than cream.

Cream, due to the lactose, can cause an already weakened ferret's condition to worsen as many ferrets cannot digest cream properly. In other words: if a ferret is already weak, does it make sense to be giving them what amounts to a high fat laxative? This is not a problem with Whiska's cat milk.
Cat milk is a high fat, reduced lactose cream supplement designed specifically for cats who, like ferrets, are often unable to digest lactose as adults. In my experience, I have found that most ferrets that will drink cream LOVE cat milk. Cat milk provides the same benefits as cream is supposed to with a reduced risk of causing your ferret to suffer from diarrhea! Cat milk can also be used to hide the taste of small amounts of Pepto-Bismol (which is great for preventing ferret tummy aches), and, as an added bonus, cat milk is fortified with a small amount of taurine!

Deafness in Ferrets: A bit about Waardensburg Syndrome

If you are familiar with ferrets, you have undoubtedly heard that blaze ferrets are more prone to deafness than other ferrets. This is true. The reason behind it is a genetic condition known as Waardensburg Syndrome.Waardensburg Syndrome results in the underdevelopment of the cochlear of the inner ear, and is found in ferrets with white heads* such as blazes, pandas and DEWs. The same genetic codes that cause the ferret to have a white head can also cause the ferret to be deaf or hard of hearing. This is not to say that ALL ferrets with white heads ARE deaf, simply that they are genetically predisposed to deafness. In other words: ferrets with white heads are not all deaf, but they are MORE likely to be deaf than, say, sable ferrets.

*Albinism is caused by a genetic condition which is entierly different than Waardensburg Syndrome; albinism is not an indication of deafness but, due to the complications with eye development resulting from lack of pigment, albinism in ferrets has been attributed to poor(er) eyesight and potential blindless

How to live with your ferret - 5 tips for successful cohabitation

Because we have been into lists lately, here is a list of 5 'golden rules' that help make life with ferrets a LOT easier!

1) Ferrets are not dogs. They cannot be trained like dogs. The sooner that you accept this, the happier you both will be.

2) Ferrets will NEVER use their litters 100% of the time. Period. End of story.
The very best that you can hope for is 90%. Caging, flicking, yelling at, giving time outs, scruffing and any other type of discipline that you can think of (appropriate or not) will NOT help rectify this. Ferrets just don't care - their litter is the nearest corner or, if they are angry with you, any spot that you will notice (though definitely NOT in the litter box).

*** for tips on methods of discipline, see "Curb your Ferret - Disciplining do's and dont's"

3) Taboo = fun for ferrets. If they know that a room is off limits, for example, a ferret will wait for the door to open and try to race you inside. Once inside they will often run about, bouncing, dooking, and doing the war dance. Disciplining for this is, well, pointless - ferrets won't understand why you hate their game so much, and will continue this game... in fact, by disciplining, you have made it MORE taboo and appealing!

4) Pick your fights. Overdoing discipline will lead to a stressful relationship between you and your ferret, and make discipline ineffective. Something worth disciplining your ferret for may include attempting to bite the family cat because the ferret is in a grumpy mood and that cat is there. This could be an opportunity to use a time out. Disciplining for the following: not using kitty litters, stealing objects, climbing over barriers, onto counters, under door, digging up plants, digging food, etc is NOT a good idea - it is a pointless waste of time that will stress both of you out.

***If your ferret constantly gets into areas that he or she is not allowed, you should be the one being disciplined, not your ferret; it is up to YOU to ferret proof in order to keep the ferret out, not up to your ferret to know to stay out!

5) Ferrets will be ferrets. They do 'ferrety' things such as stealing and hoarding random objects, missing their kitty litters, digging their food and your plants, sleeping in random places, getting into your stuff, knocking things over, getting where they aren't supposed to go and so on... if you don't like it (or feel the need to discipline the animal over such occurrences), they aren't the pet for you. The sooner that you are able to accept that discipline will not stop your ferret from being a ferret, the sooner the both of you can get on living and enjoying each others company. (Yes, I know that this is a bit of a repetition, but the point needs to be stressed!)


Enjoy your little critters for what they are: Ferrets!