New Ferret Bedding Set

Been a while since I posted since Penny's passing. I did get that bed set I was hoping to win! I just didn't post any pictures yet. I do have a few to share now though! I do love it, its so cheery and bubbly! Its greener then appeared in the picture, I think the flash of the camera must have made it more yellow then green. Still is make the ferret corner much brighter! (Little Ferret Feet Bedding's )

Mint having a stretch, as she thinks I opened the cage to let her out! just wanted clear pictures!

Mint and Yuka sleeping in the sleepers sack!

Latte having a scratch!

I'm also hoping to adopt a fourth ferret soon. Ive been keeping my eye on Petfinder and there is a ferret called Buddy at a shelter not far from me. Hes adorable, young but also deaf and adopted some silly habits from the sounds of it. His sad story is that he never leaned how to be a ferret since he was never let out of his cage apperanlty, prior to the shelter. I hope to make an appointment soon to go visit, and cross my fingers he's still there and gets along with my ferrets!

Penny passed away.

My little Penelope passed away yesterday by euthanasia at the vets. Six months ago I brought her in to see our vet becasue she wasn't doing so well. She was diagnosed with Lyphasarcoma. The vet gave me prednisolone to give to her, but the prediction on how long she would last was about six months, and it seems Penny fought it to the date. The meds did help her swing back for a time, she gained lots of weight, even started to play with the other ferrets, but in time the pred didn't seem to work, she seemed happy, but she kept loosing weight, and anything she ate didn't seem to help her. She was getting to be skin and bones, lethargic.. wanting to come out of her cage, but would just lay on the floor.

Yesterday I was getting worried that she seemed worse, wouldn't walk far, and was wobbly when she did. Even with the meds, Nuti-Cal, Nupro, Zupreem soup mix that she gladly ate, no changes. I could just tell Penny wasn't going to be around long and I didn't think she'd last more then a week, and my vet agreed. We discussed the options and decided it was best to put her to sleep. I didn't see much sense in bringing her home for a day or two where she would just lay around doing nothing becasue she was too weak - then just to bring her back and put her to sleep when she looked and felt worse off. But it was really hard, since she was more stimulated from being outside, she looked more lively then usual.

Selfishly I would have her live a few days longer until she felt horrible so that I could feel better, validated that she wasn't going to spring back, but that wouldn't have been right. I had this secret hope she would get better. Its more frustrating she was so young, two years at the most. I adopted her from a ferret shelter, she was one of a few ferrets that summer who were rescued from a home during a heat wave. We adopted her becasue she was so cute, white little feet, and the softest most lush ferret fur I ever felt!

First Tangy and now Penny , to much to handle so close together. I still have my three, Mint, Yuka and Penny and I hope I get a nice long stretch of healthy ferrets before anything comes up again. But Penny will be greatly missed. :(

South Shore Ferret Care event, in MA.

See their website here - South Shore Ferret Care Diane is a very nice woman, I adopted two of my ferrets from her, Penny and Yuka, and I would go there again :)

This event helps us to care for the hospice and abused ferrets who have found safety at the South Shore Ferret Care Shelter.

* Join us for a Blessing of the Ferrets

* The Forget-Me-Not Memorial Wall

* The Famous Ferret Playground

* Ferret Belly Dancing (ferrets with shaved bellies welcomed!)

* Ferret Items for Sale (including: Wonderful Weasel Laundry Soap, Dry Dook Soup Mix, bedding by Little Feet Ferret Retreat)

* Raffle Items

* Food and Goodies

* Admission: Adults: $5.00 Children: $1.00

* Ferrets: Free Admission

This event is open to the general public, folks who want to learn about ferrets, ferrets and their families. Ferrets who wish to have access to the ferret play ground will be required to provide proof of vaccination. We will also welcome older and special needs ferrets to accompany their family and receive a blessing. We encourage you to bring your photos, ashes, or remembrances of the ferrets who have gone on ahead to receive a blessing as well. Ferrets who have shaved bellies, necks or legs will be particularly featured for Ferret Belly Dancing

Contact Info: southshoreferretcare@comcast.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Diane at South Shore Ferret Care (781) 249-4628

Hospice Ferret’s Fundraising:

You can be a real “Life Saver” to help us buy the medicine that the older & special needs ferrets need each day. We could sure use your help with so gather up and bring with you donations for the coin jars:

“Pennies for Prednisone”

“Dimes for Diazoxide”

We also would be grateful for donations of other daily necessities: Yesterday’s News Litter, Chicken Baby Food, Paper towels, Newspapers, baby blankets or clean cloth diapers.

Ferrets, Fellowship, Food & Fun Day!

Date: Saturday, July 25 2009 - Time: 12:00pm- 4:00pm

Location: 2 Lantern Road, Holbrook, MA 02343

Contact Info: southshoreferretcare@comcast.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Diane at South Shore Ferret Care: (781) 249-4628

Angora Ferrets!

Just came across angora ferrets in my web surfing! I didn't realize they came in different coat types, just color types. I knew that marshal bred ferrets were typically smaller then breeder bred ferrets, but these angora ferrets are something special!

From my research on the web I've gathered a bit of info on them!

They come from a Sweden breeder who notice a genetic mutation in one of their ferrets who had longer fur on its back and hind legs.

They are apparently very energetic, inquisitive and strong headed.

They can weigh up to 7 pounds! jeez! My heaviest ferret Mint is three pounds, and shes a Marshal ferret, bit of a porker, 7 pounds... that's the size of my cats! Talk about ferretzilla!

And apparently someone named Marc Morrone is the only breeder in the US that sells angora ferrets coming from Europe. If you are interested in getting one, you should get in touch with him. Be prepared though to spend a few more dollars given that they are imported. (Ferrets - the angora ferret)

Found some good articles on angora ferrets, here on Ferret Universe.

Yay Crazy Daisy is MINE!

Husband let me put it on the credit card! he ordered a treat for himself, so of course he had to let me get something I wanted to be fair :P and what did I want? that bedding set made by Little Ferret Feet Bedding's

a set called Crazy Daisy, its a large eight piece set, comes with...

* X Large Hanging 2 pocket Sleeper bed 22" x 14"

*X Large Floor Sleepsack 19" X 14" fleece lined

* Round Snuggly Bed 10.5" x 5"

*Large Reversible Hammock 19" x 14"

*X Large Reversible Hammock 22" x 14"

*ROUND-A-BOUT Jingle Toy

* 2 of our CRAZY DAISY SCOOTIES ferret toys FOR STEALING!


They do custom orders as well, so if your looking for a set I highly recommend them! I managed to get mine on eBay for cheaper, they are always listing new auctions though, so if you want your less then the 52 dollar price for ordering a custom set, check out the LFFB eBay auctions, click here!

I ordered a set of ramp and shelf covers for the ferret nation cage as well. Wanted to be able to swap out my other set for easy washing. Hope to get it next week in the mail, and will post pictures!

Top Recomended Ferret Foods.

Thought id put together this helpful little list! When I first got interested in ferrets and was looking into adopting a pair I tried to do allot of research, and one of those was the best foods you could get on the market. Ferret food is a bit more specialized, as you cant just go to a grocery store and pick up the ideal brands, you need to go to a pet shop, and even then they don't always offer the best variety.

Ferrets are obligate carnivores, and food passes through the digestive system of a ferret very quickly. They also lack the ability to derive nutrition from plant matter. For this reason, a ferret diet must be high in animal protein, high in fat, and low in fiber. Higher then needed levels of carbs may lead to diseases such as insulinoma, gastroenteritis and bladder stones.

Basic Requirements for a Ferret Diet:

• High in protein - 30-40 percent on the label nutrition analysis
• Protein must be high quality, highly digestible, and be animal-based (not plant-based)
• High in fat (at least 20 percent, perhaps up to 30 percent on the label analysis)
• Very low in carbohydrates and fiber (less than 3 percent fiber)

Key:
Green - had the highest rating of the best foods.
Blue - second up in the better choices
(Contains Corn) not recommended.

8-in-1 Ultimate (Ferret) -
crude protein fat (not less than) 30
crude fat (not less than) 19
crude fiber (not less than) 3
First ingredient - Chicken
Second ingredient - Chicken Meal


The Ferret Store Superior Choice Natural
crude protein fat (not less than) 38
crude fat (not less than) 19
crude fiber (not less than) 2.5
First ingredient - Chicken
Second ingredient - Chicken Meal


The Ferret Store Superior Choice Original
crude protein fat (not less than) 38
crude fat (not less than) 19
crude fiber (not less than) 2.5
First ingredient - Chicken Meal
Second ingredient - Brown Rice


Wysong Ferret Archetypal I
crude protein fat (not less than) 50
crude fat (not less than) 28
crude fiber (not less than) 2.8
First ingredient - Beef
Second ingredient - Beef Liver


Zupreem (Ferret)
crude protein fat (not less than) 40
crude fat (not less than) 20
crude fiber (not less than) 2
First ingredient - Chicken Meal
Second ingredient - Chicken Fat
(What I feed my own ferrets!)

Natural Gold Ferret
crude protein fat (not less than) 50
crude fat (not less than) 21
crude fiber (not less than) 5
First ingredient - Protein Concentrate (Pork)
Second ingredient - Tapioca Starch

Frankie Ferret Food
crude protein fat (not less than) 36
crude fat (not less than) 19
crude fiber (not less than) 2
First ingredient - Poultry meal
Second ingredient - Wheat
(contains corn)

Totally Ferret Active
crude protein fat (not less than) 36
crude fat (not less than) 22
crude fiber (not less than) 1.5
First ingredient - Chicken by-product meal
Second ingredient - Rice Flour
(contains corn)

Totally Ferret Older
crude protein fat (not less than) 33
crude fat (not less than) 18.5
crude fiber (not less than) 1.5
First ingredient - Chicken by-product meal
Second ingredient - Rice Flour
(contains corn)


F.M. Brown's Ferret Diet
crude protein fat (not less than) 34
crude fat (not less than) 18.5
crude fiber (not less than) 2.5
First ingredient - Poultry Meal
Second ingredient - Ground Wheat
(contains corn)

Path Valley Farm (Ferret)
crude protein fat (not less than) 35
crude fat (not less than) 20
crude fiber (not less than) 3
First ingredient - Chicken
Second ingredient - Chicken Meal
(contains corn)


I use Zupreem Premium Ferret Dry Food and I order it online from PetFoodDirect.com - click here. 30 pound bags, so it lasts a while, and I feed four ferrets! The reason I choose this brand is becasue it was one of the top recommended. My ferrets all love it! and becasue its one of the more affordable foods on the market that I can purchase in It has no corn or artificial preservatives. Id recommend it to anyone that owns ferrets :)

There are plenty of other foods out there, Ive only listed some of the better ones. You can see a full and helpful chart here, ( with many more foods, cat food substitutes as well) one of the resources. MD Ferret Paws Inc and also Feeding Your Ferrets on About.com

Also found sourced at Ferret Universe

New Zazzle.com products!

I have a few new products, some bags and two new products lines! Check them out!

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Must have this ferret beeding set!

This is a funny story, well kind of! Ive been wanting another custom bedding set for my ferret cage so I can swap the one I have out now for easy cleaning and washing. Much easier then leaving the ferrets out all morning while they do nothing but sleep and poop in the corners of my apartment while I spend a few hours washing and drying their beds and setting it all up again.

So I was browsing Little Ferret Feet Bedding's eBay auctions, hoping for a good affordable grab. I found this set I REALLY loved. Behold! Crazy Daisy! how awesomely cheerful is this set?

I wanted it so bad, I bid up to 40 dollars, and was quickly out bid! that was my budget before other unexpected expenses came my way. *pouts*

When it ended I deiced to save a picture of it so I could custom order it later when i had more funds to do so. (hoping LFFB still could get the fabrics.)

Then I waited for the feedback to show for the listing once the auction was ended but never saw it! finally I had the idea to check my watched items and happen to notice she listed it again! maybe the first auction didn't go through? I don't know. I just ordered some things I needed more from www.petfooddirect.com More FerreTone, LaxaTone, NutriCal and Nupro so no extra cash in the pet funds!

So, help me get this set! buy my stuff lol! Have ferret things on Zazzle.com and Etsy - original ferret paintings, custom ferret portrait commissions :)

Pictures of my Fuzzles!

I took some picture of my fuzzles today! Been meaning to get some updated photos for a while. Was not easy getting them to stay still of course! They were awake and ready to explore and steal as much cat food as possible! But I got them against a nice white background which looks much nicer then my floor rugs.

This is Penny, she looks on the thin side because she has Lyphasarcoma, shed been on prednisolone for a few months now and is doing better, but she remains on the thin side even when eating well. She wouldn't sit still so I didnt really get any good pictures, and its not easy trying to capture her in a way that doesn't make her look ill. Id like to remember her happy and healthy.

These next few are pictures of Yuka. Yuka and Penny were adopted together from South Shore Ferrert Care shelter in Massachusetts.

Here is Mint! aka Mintings. She my little white tub! I adopted her with Tangy, the first two ferrets I ever owned. Tangy recently passed over. I rescued these two from someone who posted them on Craigslist.

Latte! the newest addition to the family! She was unexpected. At the time I already owned four ferrets! When she came in I had five! But we had the room for another. She came from a woman my husband knew from work. Their family had two, Latte's cage mate passed away and they wanted to find her a home rather then get another playmate, so she came to us! She's as big as Mint but not quite the same weight. Shes so fluffly and shes always bristled up. She reminds be of a bear so I often refer to her as my Kodiak ferret!

Ferret Nation Cage

What can I say other then - best ferret cage out there in my opinion! But seriously, there are some reasons why I - and many others, consider it the best. When I first adopted my ferrets (Mint and Tangy) they came with one of those ferret/rabbit/guinea pig cages. One level and mostly plastic and wire and not that secure, at least it never really had my full confidence. It was a good enough size to hold my two ferrets but it was fairly crowded. Once you tossed in a littler box there wasn't much more floor space, between watercolor space and a food bowl. My girls probably could have been comfortable enough in there as they only used it for sleep, I was able to give them plenty out of cage time.




Eventually I blocked off a small corner for my ferrets with pieces of plywood so they would have more floor room and freedom to move around. It was an affordable way to integrate them into better living arrangements, but it proved hard to clean up. Perhaps I could have put more thought into its design, but long story short - lifting the vacuum into that small space was no picnic, and neither was getting in there to clean up stray poops! Once I adopted Yuka and Penny it was just to much to maintain!

I belive I first came across ferret nation cages from browsing a popular ferret forum Ferret Village.org many users had pictures of their own Ferret Nation cages and they all looked so well made. The design was pleasing to the eye, it looked easy to maintain and its teired cages and wide cage doors put the ferrets at an easy to access level, where one could just swing open a door, gab a ferret, put one back, refill a bowl, clean a littler box. This probably sounds silly, but it was the cage of all cages, the one cage to rule them all, the holy grail of ferret homes! and it was expensive! The one down side, the price.

But I assure you the price is worth it! I highly recomend putting aside the money to make the investment. Espaiclly if you own more then one ferret. Owning a ferret is quite the investment just in itself, they are not cheap in terms of medical care, food and supplies - and they are fairly long lived like a cat or a dog. If you plan to own them then you may as well get them the best, and of course the best to make your responsabilites in careing for them easy and enjoyable. I probably love my Ferret Nation cage MORE for the fact it makes my life easier in taking care of my rascals!

I bought the Midwest 142 Ferret Nation Double-Level Ferret Cage with Ramps, I belive from Amazon.com they run around $200.00 usd not including shipping. But you can buy it in sections. I recomend the double leveled if you own two or more ferrets. I owned at one time five and they all lived in my Ferret Nation cage comfortably, I wouldnt recomend placing more then that all in one cage together.

Pros and Cons about the cage as I see it.

• The cage is rather pricey
• For me and my husband it was a bit of a pain to assemble, we have to take it appart a few times to make sure the pieces were in the correct place, and the recommended way to put it together we found wasn't always the best way to approach it. (It could be we are just dense! lol)
• While the cage comes with solid plastic platforms to each level, they do have a bar which can be dangerous to your ferrets feet, and the ramps are made of a series of wire bars. But this can be fixed with shelf and ramp covers, which you'll see in pictures of my own Ferret Nation Cage.
• The cage doesn't come with any ramp for the ferrets to climb so they can come and go from the cage as they please. (I remedied this by using a piece of plywood with a tower over it for traction.

But the pros outweigh the cons!

• Worth the investment, the product is well manufactured. I'm no expect but I would say high grade, this is a cage that will last a LONG time its very sturdy.
• Its pleasingly aesthetic then most cages. It doesn't stand out like some cages, Ferret Nation cages are not an eye sore and in fact they look and feel more like a piece of furniture to your home.
• The size, height and design makes everything reachable and easy to access. Easy to remove plastic bases that clean up well with a bit of water and soap. Because the front of each level are doors you can reach in there to clean even without removing the bases.
• One thing I love is the one-hand operation dual locking door latches. You just squeeze them together and it opens or closes. It looks nicer and after dealing with wire cages Im glad to not have to worry about wire latches.
• The bars on the cage don't appear intrusive and since they are arrange vertical its a good chewing preventative. At least I've found chewing habits to be worse when bars are horizontal.
• And last of all you can stack on more levels if you ever need more room!

I have had fun with my cage, I ordered a matching bedding set from Little Feet Ferret Bedding.org I highly recommend getting a set for yourself! at least order some shelf and ramp covers to keep your ferrets feet safe and to give them traction, the plastic levels can be slippery for ferret feet!

New original ferret painting!

I have a new original ferret painting for sale on Etsy.com! Click Here to see it. Its a little Sable, The size is 9x12 inches on watercolor paper - mixed medium :) only $40.00 dollars. You can also get this painting on products on Zazzle.com - check out my store!

Custom Ferret Portrait

Hello everyone! I have listed a custom ferret portrait commission on Etsy.com! Click Here to see it!

I used my portrait of Tangy who recently passed as my example and inspiration. Only asking $45.00 - you can have your fuzzy commemorated in an original painting.



Hoping to earn from extra dollars for the pet fund! Feel free to contact me if your interested, would love to talk about it :)

Ferret Products on Zazzle.com!

Ive made some products on Zazzle.com featuring some of my ferrets, and my latest ferret painting. Check it out! Ferret mugs, ferret US postage, ferret greeting cards and posters :) Le me know if you would be interested in seeing ferrets on other products such as t shirts or tote bags.

Welcome to my blog.

Welcome :)

This is my blog about ferrets! specifically mine, and my love for them :) The idea for this blog was a means of showing off my little carpet sharks and some of the crafts Ive made in hopes of raising the funds it takes to take care of them, as well as to donate to my local ferret shelters.

2008 I was thinking of getting a new sort of pet. I've always been an avid animal lover. Ive owned a dog, cats, hamsters, gerbils and birds. The family even had a pet rabbit once. When I met my husband and moved to the United States from Canada I had to leave my old pets behind. I owned some hamsters and gerbils, we got two cats. I tried birds again but it turned out my hubby couldn't tolerate the chattery natures of feathered friends. He was also allergic to dogs, so that was out of the question and considering our living arrangements weren't ideal for a canine anyway.

I thought about guinea pigs, but since I have a tendency to get allergic reactions to things like hay and alfalfa and my husband has asthma we though it best not to. My husband suggested ferrets, since he owned them as a child, and they were a hypoallergenic pet, meaning you cant be allergic to them! great for people with allergy to pet dander. I met a ferret once or twice in my life, but never gave them much mind, which now I cant fathom why!

So I decided to give ferrets a try and adopted by first pair on Cregslist. A pair of white females. I decided to name them Tangy and Mint after characters from the Nintendo DS game Animal crossing. Tangy was a dark eyed white, and Mint was a roan mitt. Ferrets are like chips, its hard to just try one or two and not want more! I decided I wanted a dark sable ferret to add to my collection of white carpet sharks. I contacted a local shelter (http://www.southshoreferretcare.org) who I found on PetFinder that had a beautiful black hooded sable. To make a long story short, we came back home with two ferrets that day! Yuka, the black sable, and Penny, a sable mitt that my husband fell in love with for her white feet!

A while later a woman at my husbands work had a ferret she wanted to give up becasue one of the pair had died and the family decided they didn't want ant more pets. Thus Latte came into our lives!

For a long while I wanted to create a way to fund my pets care specifically, and have wanted to give back to the shelters who take care of so many homeless ferrets, and they are not cheap pets to care for, though they are worth the expense! I put it off to long, but the recent passing of my little dooker Tangy I was re inspired to dive into this project Ive wanted to start for a long time.

So in memory to Tangy I make this blog and hope that it allows me to give back all she gave me

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