Hello From Spain

[jonnypalmera]

Hello my name is Jonny I have just finished looking after my friends ferret fr a week and absolutely loved him, I am therefore going to buy two of my own (I have heard they prefer the company), After many hours of research I found you guys, I definitely agree with feeding whole prey due to their instincts so I will feed them whole, preferably live. I do have a few questions though, if any one can answer i ill be very grateful.

1. I live in Spain, the main ferret supply here is Marshall, there are no independents here who sell ferrets, my question is are they really prone to bad health due to their young age of neutering and all the rest Marshall does to these ferrets?

2. Can I start straight away by feeding these pups live mice (Frozen do not really exist where I live) or do I have to give them dry food and gradually change over?

3. Would it suffice with feeding each ferret a mouse each everyday, plus natural treats for just being that cute, or will they need more?

4. One of the ferrets I want to be male, does it make a difference what gender the other one is (Keep in mind that all Marshall ferrets a neutered)?

That is all for now, I thank everyone in advance for the replies they will be very helpful for me in choosing my special ones!!!

[sherrylynne]

Hi, Johnny, and welcome to Holistic Ferret First thing I'd recommend to you is to buy "Ferrets for Dummies", second edition. It's truly invaluable!
Ok, on to your questions:

1. I live in Spain, the main ferret supply here is Marshall, there are no independents here who sell ferrets, my question is are they really prone to bad health due to their young age of neutering and all the rest Marshall does to these ferrets?

One of the theories about adrenal disease is indeed the pediactric spay/neuter of ferrets. It's thought that since they are never allowed to go through an entire hormonal cycle, their homones never stabalize properly. Which can cause them(hormones) to "go out of whack" as it were, triggering tumors on the adrenal glands Not quite a scientific explanation, I know, but the best my poor old brain can come up with right now
As for other illnesses, to much inbreeding can cause problems in any animal(if that is what they do- I really don't know for sure).

2. Can I start straight away by feeding these pups live mice (Frozen do not really exist where I live) or do I have to give them dry food and gradually change over?

The sooner they are started on the food you want them on, the better. If they aren't given kibble, they'll never imprint on it, which is a good thing! Just make sure you don't give them an animal too big for them to handle. It could easily frighten them, and put them off hunting entirely. You'd probably want to start with either pinkies, or fuzzies. Maybe even hoppers, depending on how old the ferret kits are when you get them. Someone on here who does live feeding could tell you more.

3. Would it suffice with feeding each ferret a mouse each everyday, plus natural treats for just being that cute, or will they need more?

Kits eat A LOT!! Let's face it- they're still growing. My adults will eat anywhere from 1- 3 at a meal, two meals a day. Kits eat just as much, if not more, when they are going through a growth spurt. So, let's say a kit could probably eat 2-6 mice per day.

4. One of the ferrets I want to be male, does it make a difference what gender the other one is (Keep in mind that all Marshall ferrets a neutered)?

No difference at all. The only thing you'd have to be careful of is if you got uneutered/unspayed. You wouldn't want ferret kits coming along when the female is too young herself. But since you'd likely be buying from a store, that wouldn't be a concern, since mills fix and descent before they ship them out.

Hope this answers some of your questions! Please feel free to browse, ask questions, etc. The nutritional section will likely prove invaluable!

[Heather]

Hi Jonny and welcome to the forum
Sherrylynne has answered your present questions, so now all that's left is some research on your part.....most of the answers you can find here . Everyone's friendly and more than willing to help you out. Are you sure that Marshals is the only type of ferret you can get? I'm not giving you a hard time, Marshals is just about the only type of ferret we can get here too, but if I have my choices I"m going to try and get a ferret from a private breeder....or at least that's my dream I run a private rescue, so the chances of me actually running out of little marshals ferrets who need homes is slim Baby ferts are basically, little tummies with teeth...they eat everything and a lot of it It is the easiest way to teach them to eat a natural diet though and they're really fun to have around.
I look forward to seeing you around, remember there's no such thing as a silly question, only a silly assumption.
ciao