h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've just adopted 2 ferrets from a shelter just outside of London. Otak and Hoeg have settled into their new life really well and I am finding them to be fascinating pets. Considering that they've come from a shelter they are incredibly well behaved. They've nipped me a couple of times but out of fear rather than naughtiness. I really would recommend ferrets as pets, they're much more fun than any other pet I've had to date. They are quite hard work though, and so not suitable for everyone.

A quick note about the War Dance - Otak will war dance at the slightest provocation and flings himself about so much he frequently falls of my bed or bangs his silly head on the wall. I was very worried that he'd properly hurt himself - but they're sturdy little creatures.

Enough - I could go on all day!

QB

Oh, you lucky, lucky person!!!

I have had the honour of having a ferret in the past, lovely guy called Felix, who travelled al the way from UK to south of France with me. Sadly deceased now, but he had a pretty happy life!

The "war dance" is amazing isn't it? The absolute naughtiness when they go bouncing around ""! Anyone who could watch that & not is emotionally in bad trouble!

They will quite possibly always be prone to a nip if they are in a bad mood, but i found Felix reseved his nips only for me! I was working on a campsite & Felix was a star attraction with the kids, he never made any attempt to bite them, no matter what they did to him (exploited that lovely flexible spine to its limits, honestly, i doubt they will get damaged!)

I could ramble on all day about them, but maybe i will just send you here, hope the link still exists: "Zen & the art of ferrets"

http://www.zenferret.com

One tip: if you are keeping them solely as pets, not for rabbiting, DON'T give them any meat, they don't need it so long as they get high protein bikkies (cat bikkies are apparently just as suitable as the special ferret ones & lots cheaper & more easily available)Fresh meat keeps up the hunting instinct & makes them less amenable (& smellier!) Do try them on every sort of snack, mine adored cucumber with a passion, if the fridge door opened & he didn't get a slice, oh dear, war dance time!!!

Give them a from me, i would have ferrets again, but now have a who would not be very impressed!!

Have you got leashes for them? They are very co-operative (once you've managed to fit the leash around a wriggling excited, very long little body!)



Terri

Lucky you. I wish I'd been able to keep the one that I rescued.

Hello Terri and Odo! (and anyone else that's lurking around!)

It was so nice to get two replies to my ferret posting already - I thought I was posting on a graveyard forum and no one would ever notice! I've been chatting about my ferts non stop ever since I got them last weekend. My family and colleagues are terribly bored with my ferret gushings! I'll just whaffle here instead.

I didn't know the ferrets could go to France, do they need a passport and quarantine to travel in Europe? My parents are in West France for 8 months a year and I'd like to visit with the ferts. How did you travel with them? Are you still in France now?

Otak and Hoeg certainly do make me laugh with their crazy dancing! I'm starting to learn their other weird little mannerisms too. Otak like to gather up all the jingly cat balls and hide them under the bed. He also lines up the biscuit treats along the skirting board for some weird reason. Hoeg completely ignores all the toys (apart from long plastic tubes) and I'm his main source of entertainment. He has to be involved in everything I'm doing. He's taken to launching himself at me from on top of tables, chest of drawers etc. I'm really worried that I'm not going to catch him. Both of them have got no sense of height and will jump to the floor from my shoulders. It's a bit scarey! But as you say, they don't seem to damage easily.

I'm keeping them as pets and I've got no intention to take them rabbiting (I live in London!) However I am feeding them meat! Everyone that I've talked to so far has recommended a meaty diet as it is their natural food and keeps their teeth clean. There seems to be a rise in insulinoma's in the UK that links to the increase in dried ferret foods. We're going to the vet next week so I'll ask there. Otak likes all the treats that I've bought but Hoeg hasn't eaten a single one. I'll try cucumber instead!

I've got them collars with bells on (in a very unmanly purple and pink colour) so that I can find them when they're in the garden and they've got a harness too. They're not bothered by the harness although it takes a lot of effort to get them strapped in. Otak doesn't seem tomind being on the lead although he's a bit confused by the restriction. Hoeg on the other hand goes mental each time I try it. I don't think he'll ever get used to it, so I might well stop trying as it just upsets him. I'd really like to take them both out for walks in the park though.

I found Zen and the Art of Ferrets on my initial web searches about ferrets. Lovely site! There are loads of really great ferret sites out there. I'm thinking of making my own site for my two - but they won't give me back my computer mouse!

By the way, s seem to tolerate ferrets pretty well so you could give it a go?!

And Odo, is it possible that your current cicumstances might change and allow you to get ferrets? It actually took a very negative event (boyfriend of 6 years left me) in my life to pave my way to ferrethood.

to you both

QB

Hiya QB'n Odo, Otak & Hoeg!

Getting them into France is no problem, but bringing them back into UK is, i imagine you needs all the same "pet passport" stuff that you do for cats & dogs, which takes time, organisation & money!

All that Felix needed was a rabies jab & health certificate from the vet, which was a joke; as i said, he had never even handled one before! He was more than a little worried 'cos he was supposed to examine his teeth, he jabbed nervously with his pen & i just said "here!" & opened Felix's mouth! He said "my god, you are one brave lady & that is one pet!" & handed over the certificate.

We (ex!) were coming here to live, so we were travelling by car, with everything possible crammed in, Felix's cage in the back, but most of the time he was on my lap but in harness, looking interestedly out of the windows!We took several days to get to Antibes & stayed at small hotels, the trick is one of you signs in, gets the key, if it's on the ground floor, F gets passed through the window, otherwise it's up the jumper & stroll nonchalantly through reception praying he won't pop his head out!

Once in the room, newspaper in the corner for toilet, feeding station in place, off to the bar & let him explore. He slept with us in bed obviously.(honestly, some people, men mostly, thought my BF some kind of masochist or super hero when they heard!)

At customs, they didn't even look, they were more concerned with why we had African, Middle East & Pakistani stamps in our passport!

I live in Angoulême, south west France now (find Bordeaux & work inland & up a bit) & if you are anywhere near please do come & say hi!!!

When you say your two go in the garden, Do be really careful they don't escape, as you know, they are incredibly fast & devious!

If you have any carpet warehouses nearby, a wonderful addition to their life is one of the two metre tubes from inside the carpet rolls, we left it in the hall & he adored the game of "one human at each end, , pretend to attack, reverse & repeat process at other end!" tired him out nicely!

god, i bet the are embarrassed by the cute collars!!!

Sorry to hear about the "neg-event" *sigh*. i can relate to that sort of thing! Having said that, the guy i am "sort of? seeing" right now nicknamed me "Belette", which means "weasel" in French, so i promptly named him "Furet" which is ferret!!! (he knew nothing about my ferrety past at that point, which is both funny & worrying!)

I found a great ferret Tshirt somewhere, i will look for the link. Unfortunately they have stopped supplying individuals though, so we would need to find about another 50 ferret lovers!

Anyway, you seem like JUST the sort of person who would be made very welcome on my "Bird's Eye" journal space, it's a general meeting place for my but hootoo friends, do pop by & say hello, at least half of them are completely nuts (including me of course!) but nice nuts if you know what i mean!

i am currently making a cheesebox which includes ferrets, it's entitled "You can't get blood out of a turnip!" & refers to the "sort of" Monsieur Furet i referred to earlier!

*QB thinks "what the hell is she on about?*

Go lurk my space, "Cheese boxes?" thread, then toddle off to Bird's eye, where you will find recent backlog of me wittering on about my exhibition!

off to have a lurk at your space!



zdt

Afternoon all.

QB - It is possible that circumstances might eventually change, but they won’t for a while yet.

Ahh well, one day.