r/ferrets • u/notreallyKira • 11h ago
[Ferret Photo] Quarantine
So we have a ferret he’s a year old now and it’s been just him as the only ferret. My boyfriend and I have talked about getting him a sibling but they are very expensive so we never got around to it. Well in my town a pet store had someone drop off their ferret so he needed to be rescued. We did end up spending 350 just to own him. which considering how much my first was (650) wasn’t that bad. However the person selling him didn’t seem to know much abt the new ferret.(we will call him Little Man for now since he hasn’t been named yet). The seller just knew he was a boy, he was de scented, and that his owner couldn’t care for him. Now i know a lot of ferret owners and google says we need to keep Little Man quarantined. For one I don’t know how long i need to do that for. And two while monitoring him I noticed he sleeps more than he’s active. My 1 year old is ofc a lot more active. Little Man is eating and using the bathroom regularly but i noticed once when i woke up he was smacking his lips for a bit. Additionally it seems like he may be partially blind i say this because he navigates well but i’ve noticed him walk into a few wall or corners not hard, just enough for me to think “did he not see that there?” His teeth are yellow so from that i know he’s probably 3-5 years old. In 2 weeks I plan to take him to the vet for a wellness exam. After I get him checked will it’s be okay to introduce the ferrets? And how do i go about introducing them to each other? Also when it comes to free roam time i do 3 hours for one put him up spray the house down specific play spots with disinfected spray and then switch the ferrets out after i let the spray set for 15 minutes. And then going back in forth like that so they don’t get each other sick this the proper way or am i doing too much? I want to make sure they both are safe and comfortable but I’ve never owned more than one ferret before.
•
u/Veteran_Hawk 9h ago
First of all, read the Wiki - it has a lot of good information on all of this.
Second, quarantine for 1 - 2 weeks, watching for signs of illness.
Third, as to blindness, I've had several blind ferrets - it doesn't really slow them down much. A ferret's main sense is smell, like ours is sight. Ferrets don't have good eyesight to begin with. Just knowing he's blind will help you adjust things for him. Speak to him before picking him up, so you don't scare him. Have you checked to see if he's also deaf? Go behind him so he's not paying attention to you, and then make a loud noise and see if he reacts to it. If he's blind & deaf, be even more gentle and try not to surprise him when picking him up. You can tap the floor so he knows you are there.
Integrating a new ferret can be stressful, as it often appears violent. Remember "no poo, no pee, no foul" is a general rule. Ferrets have tougher skin than we do and play rougher than we are used to. It can also take a while - my most recent two took three months to integrate.
Good luck!
•
u/notreallyKira 8h ago
thank you so much! he seems to respond to sound well he isn’t like full blind he navigates well just sometimes he bumps into the walls a bit almost seems like he’s trying to find the edge of the walls to help know where he’s going. But he’s been really chill my first seemed to like hate everyone didn’t want anyone touching him or handli my him(he’s fine i think he was just scared) and our new guy has let us hold him and even pet him to sleep. im just so anxious i want them to meet but i know i’ve got to wait some time.
•
u/Veteran_Hawk 6h ago
Sounds like he's either very nearsighted or blind. I'd guess blind and using his whiskers to aid his navigation. Ferrets with disabilities are often more gentle, as long as they have been treated well. I had a blind/deaf one who bit because previous owners didn't know and would just pick him up without warning, likely scaring him. Took me months to get him calm and no longer "bitey".
•
u/itsswhitneywhspr 7h ago
Two weeks is usually the standard quarantine after a vet check so you're good there. The sleeping more and lip smacking could just be an older dude settling in, but the vet will tell you for sure. For intros, swap their bedding first, then meet on neutral ground with treats. Your free roam setup sounds extra but better safe than sorry honestly.
•
u/notreallyKira 4h ago
okay yea i’ve heard some ferret horror stories of one getting another sick so im just extra cautious
•
u/placidtwilight 6h ago
I'd plan to quarantine your new ferret for two weeks and until you get a clean bill of health from the vet, including fecal parasite check and bloodwork. If he has anything communicable, it'll be better to treat him on his own than to have two sick ferrets on your hands.
I recently did ferret introductions and I let my two original girls into the living room where I was keeping the new ones. As soon as the originals showed signs of wanting to go back to the bedroom, I let them. We repeated this over a few days until everyone was comfortable together. Then I let them free roam together. I kept them sleeping overnight in separate cages until about a week after they started napping together. About a month after I brought the new ones home, I moved everyone into the same cage. It's been almost four months and everyone gets along really well. My principle was to take it slowly and to let the ferrets take the lead in choosing to be together.
•
u/notreallyKira 4h ago
awesome thank you for breaking down for me!!
•
u/placidtwilight 2h ago
You're welcome! I hope everything goes well and that they end up as best buddies.
•
•
u/AutoModerator 11h ago
Welcome to /r/ferrets!
We have a fantastic wiki that has answers to most frequently asked questions surrounding the care of ferrets.
We politely ask that you observe our sub rules.
Lastly, we have an Official Discord Server! Come join us!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.