Today, it became fashionable to breed a variety of exotic animals. In apartments and private houses you can often find even ferrets , who are relatives of sables, martens and ermines. Wild ferrets were domesticated relatively recently - about two thousand years ago. In the Middle Ages, they were taken on long voyages, as they very well caught harmful ship rats. On the ground, they were used to hunt rabbits and to destroy rodents.
Ferrets can be bought only if you get to give him one or two hours of free time. This animal requires constant attention of the owner and pleases with its sociability. If there is a shortage of free time, it is better to buy not one, but two ferrets, so that they have more fun.
Characteristics of the ferret
This animal belongs to the family of predators. It has rather compact dimensions: weight from 350 g to 3.5 kg, and length 30-60 cm. They are quite active, they love to play and frolic.
Many owners in choosing a pet are interested in the question of how many years ferrets live in captivity. After all, I want the animal to rejoice as long as possible with its presence. Specialists say that the ferret's life expectancy is from six to ten years. However, there are cases when the animal survived to 15 years. It should be noted that for how long the ferrets live, the heredity and quality of the conditions in which the animal is kept are affected. If you regularly feed him with a balanced diet, monitor your health and turn to the veterinary clinic on time, the pet can survive a record 15 years.
There are practically no difficulties in choosing food. Specialized food for these animals is sold in zoomarkets, but it can be replaced with standard cat food or meat. By the way, ferrets, like cats, are contraindicated in milk.
Remember that the guarantee of a long life of ferrets, living at home, is proper nutrition, care and compliance with all hygiene standards.
Diseases of ferrets
Like all animal ferrets are susceptible to certain diseases. From that fucked up
The timing of the help will depend on how much the domestic ferrets live. Study a number of diseases of breed-specific ferrets:- Rabies . Disease, passing with the defeat of the nervous system. The causative agent is transmitted by the bite of a contagious animal. Incubation is 0.5-3 months. Ferrets need to be vaccinated every year from this disease.
- Aleutian disease . Infectious viral disease, which spread in fur farms. The causative agent acts on the immune system and provokes a sharp increase in antibodies that cause inflammation of tissues and internal organs. The virus is transmitted through feces, saliva, sometimes by a drip. Vaccines against the disease do not exist, since the virus triggers autoimmune processes.
- Plague of carnivores . Very serious disease leading to death. In addition to ferrets, other species of cuni, foxes, foxes and dogs are susceptible to him. The source is sick animals that are in the incubation period. The carrier of the virus can also be a person (shoes, clothes). The disease occurs instantaneously, and death occurs within 2-3 days. A painful animal should be euthanized. To prevent the ferret should be vaccinated.
- Rickets . Disease, which is characterized by abnormal bone formation due to impaired calcium metabolism. Rickets are characteristic of young puppies with improper feeding and lactation. Concomitant symptoms: poor appetite, bloating, gait tension, curvature of hind paws, pelvic and spine bones, lameness, anemia. For treatment, the animal needs to be translated into balanced feeds containing yeast and vitamins, periodically doing therapeutic massage.
Remember that in many cases the ferret's disease can be prevented. To do this, you should monitor the condition of your pet and contact the veterinarian in a timely manner.