Training Ferrets - 7 Tips That Will Stop His Biting and Nipping

"Ow!" If you're someone who has a ferret, this can be a common sound you'll hear in the household. Ferrets like to bite or nip playfully when they want to have some friendly fun. Though it really hurts sometimes, remember that they do this because their skin is much thicker than ours. But before you change your mind in keeping the ferret you have, here are some tips that can help you in training your ferrets not to bite.

Avoid Punishments When your ferret accidentally, or intentionally, bites you, do not punish him by thumping, flicking, scruffing him with force. Violence, even in this way, can never be the answer in trying to instill discipline in your ferret's mind. Just place the tip of your finger in his nose and say a forceful "NO".

Encourage good behavior Positive reinforcement will always do result to something good. Reward your ferret for good behavior so it will know how to distinguish bad from good. Focus more on its non-biting behavior rather than reacting stressfully to biting or nipping. They might get this as a clue to bite you more so they can get your attention. Give them treats (but not too much) or praise them when they did a good behavior.

Let them know you're hurt Make a noise in a high-pitched, shrill voice of "ooooww" or "aiiiiyyy". This way, they will know that they have hurt you. Most of the time, they do not mean to cause you pain but they will immediately know if you show them. Again, a firm, loud NO would also help in getting your point across.

Get a breather If a certain time comes when your pet just keeps on nipping for no apparent reason, give her a timeout. It is best that a special cage is used so that the ferret can identify this as his "punishment". He will associate this with bad behavior. Let it stay there for a couple of minutes just so it will understand the impact of the behavior.

Just Like the Mother Do what a mother ferret does-shake the ferret gently by the scruff or drag him along the floor while you hiss. These are the natural ways on how a mother ferret disciplines her kits. But again, don't be rough. You may end up hurting him. Don't forget the usual, forceful "NO."

Push it This isn't about pushing the ferret away. After your ferret bites you, immediately push a finger into the ferret's mouth (sideways, behind the back teeth) or hold the mouth open from behind. Be careful not to choke your pet. They will find this really uncomfortable because of the unpleasant feeling plus the taste of the finger.

Distractions You can also try spraying him with a water bottle when he's playing rough. Making his face wet usually brings him back to his senses. You can also blow in his face to distract him. One recommended way is by using a bitter apple spray on your hands. This tastes gross so your ferret will stop biting. Covering his face with your hand may also work.

Seth Evans is ferret enthusiast, if you would like more great information on Ferret Training please visit http://www.ferrets-as-pets.com/

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Ferret FAQ - 10 Questions and Answers That Every Ferret Owner Would Like to Know

Do you have a question that keeps on bothering you? Do you want to know more about your pet ferret? Would you like to have some information before purchasing your own ferret? Here are 10 quick answers for the questions you have about your pet ferret.

Question 1: Are ferrets related to rats or other rodents?

No. Ferrets are small domestic animals related to weasels, skunks and otters. They are not rats or rodents. In taxonomy, they are in between cats and dogs, but leaning more towards dogs.

Question 2: Can I breed the ferrets?

Unless you're a professional, no. Breeding ferrets are not as easy as breeding cats or dogs. Instead of breeding your own, why not visit your local ferret shelter. There are ferrets and other pets that are in need of a home and a responsible owner.

Question 3: Is it okay to give a child a ferret as a gift?

It is important to remember that ferrets require attention and care because they get easily get depressed. If you think that your child is responsible, careful and not too young, perhaps a ferret as a pet can be negotiable. Make sure, though, that you will always be willing to supervise and help out with care. If this will cause you a lot of hassle and stress, get a pet which doesn't require as much attention and care.

Question 4: My ferret is losing hair! What should I do?

First, let me tell you that they shed their coats during fall and in winter. However, if there is serious hair shedding, you need to take your ferret to an experienced ferret veterinarian. Don't look for solutions from your neighbors or from other people who you think knows something. Be sure by consulting a doctor that specializes on ferrets and not other self-proclaimed ferret gurus.

Question 5: What are some toys I can make for my ferrets?

Make her enjoy indoor camping by providing her a small tent made from old pieces of cloth. You can also look for a pair of old sweatpants or outgrown jeans. Cut off the legs and give them to your pet. Make use of your old shoe boxes or a cardboard box and turn it into a wagon. She'll definitely enjoy this! (Note: No plastic bags, please.)

Question 6: Do ferrets also have hiccups?

Yes. Hiccups are common to them especially to the baby ferrets. Give them a drink of water or a small treat. These would be able to help your pet in stopping the hiccups.

Question 7: How much do they cost?

Prices vary in different places and it also depends on where you're purchasing one. Stores and breeders price them from US$ 75-250, usually it's around $100. Don't forget to also include within your budget your cage and supplies (at around $100-$250) plus initial vaccinations ($75). Keep in mind that other costs may include food, treats, remedies, annual checkups and vaccinations. Have an emergency stash, too, for vet visits and other medical emergencies.

Question 8: Is it okay to bring my ferret along when going outside?

With the right accessories, why not? Ferrets love to travel. When it's just around the town, a shoulder bag with a litter pan, water bottle and food dish will suffice. Just check if the establishment you'll be entering welcomes pets to avoid embarrassment.

Question 9: Can I bring them when I'm traveling in a car or an airplane?

When traveling by car, plane or any other means, carefully weigh the consequences when planning your trip. Remember that not anyone is educated about ferrets. In some places, it's even illegal to have a ferret. In case you really want to take your pet with you, bring his medical records, health certificates, medications, travel carrier, food, water and other essentials to make the trip as comfortable as possible to you and your ferret. And please, do not let a stranger handle your ferrets!

Question 10: How should I know if my ferret is a male or female?

Turn over your ferret on his back and locate the anus just under the tail. If the ferret has a little round bump that looks like a bellybutton, which in actuality, is the penis. Girls have vulvas which are immediately forward of their anus.

Seth Evans is ferret enthusiast, if you would like more great information on Ferret FAQ, please visit http://www.ferrets-as-pets.com/

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Pet Housing Matters - Making the Right Choice

Choosing the right place for your pet is very important. For a lot of people, their pet is like another family member. When looking for pet housing, taking the time to find something great and spending a little extra money to get pet housing that's special is recommended if you want to keep your pet happy. While normal pet housing might be okay for some people, if you care about your pet, getting the very best place for them to sleep is important.

Whether you're looking for a dog house, a dog kennel, a cattery or even a chicken coop, making sure your animal has the best available will go a long way in making them happy. And when your pets are happy, they're better at making you happy. For every ounce of love you give them, they give back a pound of love. This is what makes getting them great pet housing such a good idea.

While some people will be satisfied with throwing a few pieces of wood together and nailing them will do the trick for a dog house. Even if you don't have a pampered pet, though, they surely deserve a little more effort for something that is going to house them from the elements. For the price, getting something a little above average for you pet just makes sense.

There are other thing to think about when it comes to pet housing For example, sustainable pet housing. If you care about the environment and are eco-friendly, why not make sure the housing for your pet is also environmentally friendly? There are a lot of sustainable pet housing options available if you search around. Even if you don't go with a recycled wood dog house, there are a lot of things you should take into consideration before you rush out and buy the first pet house you find. Your pet will thank you.

To find an appropriate housing solution for your pet, access Pets UK, or do you need a general list of Pet Services?

Mark Esho

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Choosing a Veterinarian For Your Pets

It is inevitable that you have to seek the services of a vet if you have even just one sorrowful eyed puppy, more so if you have a dozen adoring dogs and cats. The choice for a good and reliable veterinarian is critical because in his hands lay the health and life of your pets.

Choosing a vet among so many is difficult especially if each vet says that he is an expert in treating this illness or a specialist or trained at this Vet school with experience somewhere.

First rule, is he or she really a vet? Of course, it would be difficult to be a fake one, but there may be instances where a paramedical person may misrepresent himself. The best way is to check the veracity of diplomas or licenses that are often displayed in a vet's clinic. If the vet college is familiar to you, chances are he is a genuine one.

Ask around your neighborhood, friends or relatives if they can recommend a good vet for you. They can relate to you how their vet had treated their pets, what sound advice he has dispensed, how caring their vet is and who they think is the best. You can always locate vets in the yellow pages, but a real vet story from friends and people is much better than just a name in the yellow pages.

One good factor in choosing a vet is one who ardently and passionately loves his profession as much as he loves his animal clients and patients. You can tell a vet that he is passionate about animals if he has pets of his own. So ask, "How many pets do you have?" Otherwise, it would be like receiving advice from one who has not experienced it firsthand from his pets. You can identify a caring and compassionate vet through their thorough care of animals and give advice even if it is not paid for. Of course, they have to earn too but at times it's not only the money that they are practice but a genuine care and love for creatures that cannot take care of themselves on their own.

If you have a lot of pets, choose multiple vets who are familiar with all your pets. Sometimes vets band together and have just one clinic where they all practice. This is sound advice since if there had been an emergency and your favorite vet is busy elsewhere treating a patient then you can always go to another vet who is familiar with your pet.

A good vet is usually updated on his profession to be competent. You can recognize his competency when he can intelligently discuss different modes or techniques of therapy where he gives you option to choose. Also, he dispenses preventive and promotional advice. Additionally, his license is never expired, which means he currently attends training courses to renew his license as well as improve his competence.

Choose a vet who can do home visits especially in the event of an emergency. This would save your cat or dog a nasty trip to a vet's office or an animal hospital where other ill pets might be waiting in line and may infect each other with different ailments. Also, a home visit by the vet would familiarize the vet the living conditions of your pet that can help him in advising the best home care for your pet instead of a more expensive hospital care.

A good vet charges reasonable fees and he can discuss them with you. In case of accidents, he can tell you that he has a payment plan on how you can pay that unplanned event.

The best advice is still to meet the vet, ask questions and experience how he treats.

Brent McNutt enjoys talking about landau uniforms and landau scrub jackets and networking with healthcare professionals online.

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Frontline Medicine Applications

Many of us use frontline medicine for our Dogs and Cats but there seems to be a real lack of knowledge about applying frontline to larger sized Dogs. While it is recommended that the capsule treatment for our pets is applied in one place on our Dogs, this is not always the best way.

If you have ever tried to empty the contents of a large capsule on to one spot you will probably have had the same experiences as me. Some of it goes where it should (on the animals skin), but a lot simply saturates the fur. This is not how it works at its most beneficial. For it to work effectively it needs to come in to contact with the skin. The larger capsules simply have too much in them to apply it to a single place.

The best way to treat a larger animal is to apply have the capsule in one spot and the other half in another. This means that you are comprehensively treating the whole animal. All of the treatment will now come in to contact with the skin, increasing its effectiveness and meaning that your pet will totally protected from ticks and fleas for the minimum amount of time stated, which is a month. We pay too much for our flea and tick treatments to not use them to their full capacity.

When using frontline medicine always ensure that you apply in two distinct spots to larger Dogs to ensure that the animal will get maximum benefit and coverage.

Use frontline medicine safely and efficiently. Frontline medicine will be most effective when used properly. Frontline for Dogs must always be used as instructed.

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Dwarf Hamster Breeding - What You Should Know

Dwarf hamster breeding is definitely something to consider if you're a serious dwarf hamster enthusiast. It is a fun and rewarding process and it's not a simple matter either. In fact, first time breeders may be surprised at how complex this process actually is. You don't just put a boy and girl together and let them handle the rest, there's certain groundwork that must be done before facilitating dwarf hamster breeding and the first step is to become more familiar with the process. You might be thinking, "But what is there to be familiar with? They mate and give birth, what more is there?" Well, the things you should be more familiar with are the details. This includes the age at which dwarf hamsters begin to breed, how long pregnancies last, and post-birth care.

Learning the details about the breeding process isn't just important for dwarf hamster breeding. Being educated about breeding can help you prevent surprise pregnancies as well as help you deal with one if it happens to occur. An interesting aspect of dwarf hamster breeding is that these details are slightly different with each species. The overall process is the same but with each species, whether it's the Campbell's, Roborovski's, Winter White, or Chinese dwarf hamster, it's slightly unique.

The first thing you'll want to know is the age at which breeding occurs. Well this may surprise you but dwarf hamsters sometimes reach sexual maturity as early as one month in age (this is the age they finish weaning!). This usually isn't the case though and the Campbell's, Winter White, and Chinese dwarf hamsters usually start to breed when they're about two to three months in age. Roborovski's on the other hand have been known to breed at four months in age to as late as eighteen months in age. One interesting thing that has been known to happen is after the pregnant mother has given birth, the mother and father sometimes mate again as soon as twenty four hours later! Other times the father and mother wait until the babies have grown before mating again.

Once you have a pregnant dwarf hamster, it's important to know how long the pregnancy will last and when you can expect the birth to happen. Pregnancies usually last an average of three weeks. This is true for all species except for the Roborovski. The Roborovski dwarf hamsters usually have pregnancies that last about a month.

The final aspect of dwarf hamster breeding that we will be going over is an interesting one, the role of the father. The father is an important part of the pregnancy process (obviously) but the father's role isn't just as a mate. After birth the father helps with the raising of the young. With the Chinese, Winter White, and Roborovski dwarf hamsters, the father is usually chased out of the nest and forced to sleep elsewhere right before birth. This is only for a few days though and although he may miss the birth of the babies he does return to help raise them. This is different with the Campbell's dwarf hamsters where the father is usually with the babies from the moment they are born. In fact, with Campbell's dwarf hamsters, the father has a very close relationship with the mother throughout the birthing process. It is believed that this is a trait that has developed due to the harsher environment the Campbell's dwarf hamsters are from. For the Campbell's hamsters, it's important for the father to remain close with the family during and after the birth process to provide much needed warmth in the cold environment they experience in the wild.

Dwarf hamster breeding is an amazing but complex process. Familiarization with this birthing process is important if one of your hamsters ever get pregnant. Basic things you should know are the breeding age of your hamsters and duration of the pregnancy. Each species is different so it is also important to know what to expect for your specific hamster.

George Grayson is an author and dwarf hamster expert. Learn more about dwarf hamster breeding by visiting http://www.dwarfhamstercare101.com

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Russian Dwarf Hamster "Jewels" - Fur Coat Colors and Textures

The Russian hamster is a very tiny creature that is known by a few other big names, such as Siberian Hamster, the Russian winter white or the striped hairy-footed hamster. This dwarf hamster full grown weighs in at 1 to 2 ounces and tends to be about 4 inches in length generally good natured and sociable.

Their basic colors are dark gray, lilac blue or purple gray with a predominately white head. One reason this hamster is also called the Russian winter white is because their coats prominently turn white in response to reduced levels of sunlight. In the wild, where breeding of color is natural, they are commonly dark gray, with a black dorsal strip, prominent white belly and striking black eyes.

Hamster "jewels" colors are obtained when breeding for coat colors and texture of their hair. Sapphire Siberian dwarf hamsters are blue-gray or purple-gray, once again with a dark dorsal strip on it's back, The belly color is ivory with striking black eyes.

The other "jewels" color is Pearl. Their whole coat is pearl - almost all pearl white in color, with black or purple hairs scattered randomly about their coat. On the head and their spine is a bit of color and where there is black hairs on the back one can notice the bit's and pieces of the dorsal stripe and is called the Siberian Pearl.

If your interested in showing off your pet hamsters colors, try contacting your local pet store to find out about local breeders and hamster clubs that facilitate Hamster shows. At most pet shows, the hamster is judged in a class of members of it's own type and sex. Then the categories are split from there into age and coat color. Each hamster is given points for how closely they match the ideal standard, with the condition of it's fur, ears and eyes are all part of the judging. Perhaps you might need to make some room at home for your turn to bring home the trophy!

Kym Sutherland is an Author and pet hobbyist who enjoys raising and caring for pets. For more Russian Dwarf Hamster information, go to the website, http://www.DwarfhamsterGuide.com/tips Sign up for the free mini ecourse and see you soon!

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