Fuzzbutts anyone? Ferret pics!!

[luckies4me]

So I just got two new ferrets not that long ago. Nakita about a month and a half ago at the tender age of 8 weeks, and Willow about a week and a half ago. Willow is 3. Nakita came from work. A client of mine brought her in not wanting her anymore as she is deaf. So home with me she went. Of course, there is no way you can have just one ferret, so Willow came home too. I got Willow off craigslist for free. The owner was moving and just couldn't keep her anymore, already having 6 dogs and many cats. She is a biter, but we are working on that. She only bites when she is down on the floor. She likes to crawl into your pants legs and chomp away. And boy does she bite, HARD! Broke the skin a few times. However, when she is being held she is perfectly fine. She loves to give kisses and plays with Kai and Dylan...it's just so weird how the bathroom floor has that effect on her. I've only had her for about two weeks and she has already learned that nipping is a no no.

The previous owner thought it wasn't a big deal apparently so never worked with her on it. I'm glad she's doing better. She was being fed Kaytee and is still pretty thin. She is longer than Nakita but feels so light. You could seriously feel all her bones when I got her. Hopefully now that she's on the right type of diet she will bulk up a bit. She's already put on a little weight. I had her dewormed etc.

Nakita being deaf actually wasn't that hard to train. The first three days I had her she bit very very hard! But boy did she catch on fast. She has not even attempted to nip since! She is such a sweet loving girl. She loves to give kisses too, but is so very very hyper. There is such a difference between the two, and I'm sure age plays a big part. But I'm glad they both have a friend. I can't stand to see ferrets alone.

Willow is a Marshall's ferret ( :( ) while Nakita came from a private breeder in Canada. She has no tattoos. :)

[luckies4me]

The first picture is of Nakita and Willow sleeping together. Nakita has dried egg yolk on her nose. :) They sleep like this all the time, always cuddled up together. The 2nd and 3rd pic are of Nakita the first day I got her. I didn't have a cage so she had to sleep in this rubbermaid container, which is now being used as a litter box connected to their two cages. Their set up is weird. They have two cages that are connected with tubes, and then the rubbermaid container is attached so they have a place to potty that doesn't let them throw their litter everywhere. The 4th picture is Nakita in her "time out" tank. haha. Luckily she doesn't go there often. Only when she's in trouble or I need a quick place to put her when company comes over. They are both litter trained so they pretty much free roam. Luckily Nakita doesn't steal anything and Willow only steals socks. The last photo is Nakita getting ready for her spay.

[luckies4me]

Nakita also got microchipped while she was under anesthesia. I'll be taking Willow in for hers here shortly.:)

I'll try to get more photos of them together sometime soon. My batteries are dead and I cannot find my rechargable ones anywhere.

[luckies4me]

Also, can someone PLEASE let me know what I can do to cut down on the odor?!!! I clean their cage EVERY day, seriously. I cannot take the smell. You'd think with cleaning it every day it shouldn't be that bad, but it is. So if anyone has any suggestions let me know. I'm going to buy an air purifier Monday in hopes that it'll help with the smell...and my allergies. It turns out I am highly allergic to them. Which is weird because I was never allergic to my old ferrets. :confused: However, since being put on meds for my Lupus it seems like I'm getting allergic to everything. Bummer.

[Casper]

Aww! Nakita and Willow are adorable! :love: Congratulations on the new ferrets. Forgive me, but I couldn't help but laugh a little to myself when hearing about Willow's biting issue. King Larry came to us when he was around two years old and he had the exact same problem and hearing about Willow's biting issue brought back memories. Thankfully, with persistence, he was taught not to bite. Best of luck with the rest of Willow's training!

As for the odor, I know that buying an air purifier (one made to reduce odors) did help a bit with me. I also scoop their messes out of their cages twice a day and wash their hammocks and other fabric items once a week. I hardly ever bathe them. Thats about all it takes to keep my ferret's smell away.

I have also heard that young ferrets have a more distinct smell that they lose when they get older. I don't know if this is true, as I have not been around any ferrets younger than one year old.

Good luck!

[luckies4me]

I clean up their "messes" every chance I get. Which is pretty much all day long. :rolleyes: So every day it is being kept up. So I just don't know...I bathe mine. I bathe everything lol. My cats get a bath once a month. Nakita was complemented on her coat condition so it must not be doing too much harm. After their bath I spray them with our coat conditioner we carry at my work. It has made Nakita's coat so soft. Poor Willow though. She is just so skinny. :( There is such a difference between the two. I feel so bad for her. I wish people would care a little more about the pets they choose to adopt.

I told myself I would never get ferrets again after the heartbreak from my last three and the constant trips back and forth to the vet. But when Nakita came in I could NOT let them get rid of her because she was deaf. Honestly, it's no different than having a ferret who can hear.

Anywho, Willow got her first bath ever yesteryday, while Nakita had her second. :) I tried to get some photos of them last night but gosh darn they don't hold still for more than half a second lol.

[k9krazee]

Aww! They're absolutely adorable!

As for the smell - I've heard the LESS you bathe them, the better they smell. If you bathe them too much they over produce oils, which have that distinct ferrety smell.

[luckies4me]

I've always bathed my ferrets about once a month or so. That's not the issue...but I found out what was. Their bedding! I have since changed it and no more smell. :) Now they smell nice and pretty. Almost no smell at all. It's amazing how much that bedding stunk. I was allergic to it too. Since I've changed bedding I haven't been sneezing or having the water eyes anymore. :D

Now if I can just find a way to get my sugar gliders to stop being so smelly!

BTW, Willow had to be taken into the vet because she had watery stools and blood in it. We started her on panacure, even though her fecal was negative, to soothe her intestinal tract. She hasn't had diarrhea since, and has put on a little weight even! :) She does have a suspicious lump on her back though. Hopefully it isn't cancer. Keeping our fingers crossed though!

Here are two more pictures of Nakita playing in her new sleeping bag.