ferrets

Don’t worry, I haven’t run out of photos. I just thought it was time to start talking about something a little more serious than photography (but I WILL be back to that topic!).

This weekend I’ll be at the International Ferret Congress Symposium in Pittsburgh, PA. They are having 3 days of talks, workshops, and shopping. I particularly like shopping. :)  I’m the resident shelter operator, so they asked me to do a talk on nursing care of sick and post-op ferrets, something I do a lot of in the shelter.

First, I’d like to talk a little bit about why you’d want to do this. Many vet offices keep post-op animals; why would you want to take them home and take care of them yourself?

Well, first of all, it can save you money. But more importantly, it will be more comfortable for your ferret. Ferrets stress out in unfamiliar places, and stress is a bad thing when they’re sick or recovering from surgery. Ferrets enjoy their own home, their own cage and most of all, their own food.

Another reason to take care of the ferret yourself is that no one knows or cares about your ferret more than you do. You can check on them more often, and with proper guidelines from the vet, you can usually handle post-op care. Mostly what a ferret needs is food, hydration and warmth. They might need some medication, too.

Another facet to keeping a ferret comfortable is his buddies. If they are gentle, especially with elderly ferrets, they really are much happier in the same cage with their friend.

Most of all, ferrets respond to affection. Vets and vet techs might have more knowledge, they might even think your ferret is adorable, but no one loves them like you do, and the ferret knows that. They respond to affection by eating just because you want them to. You can carry them around in a sack (if they like that). Sometimes, especially with old ferrets, they need a reason to stay.

Tomorrow: The Basics

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