Tri-Cities Ferret Group

02/21/2023

Never click on a link that has "ferrets for sale/adoption" on a page. This holds true for other pets. These are scam sites who want you to send a deposit to hold that fictional animal. NEVER send money. Always go in person.

01/20/2022

Critical Care - Carnivore is a premium recovery food for carnivores with poor nutritional status resulting from illness or surgery. This specially-formulated product contains beneficial omega fatty acids and easily digestible proteins derived from premium quality egg and poultry sources to support....

10/10/2021

09/26/2021

An instant classic from Sheh Carcione!

09/26/2021

This is what happens when Meems is left to his own devices… And these said devices shall now be confiscated.What fun facts have you learned on THE INTERNET today?
The facts are from a Buzzfeed article titled "27 Horrifying Facts That I Really Suggest You Don't Read" in case anyone wanted to read more.. but why would you, honestly...

09/24/2021

Hope this helps 💜

Bite protocol for Ferrets:

1) Ferrets use their mouths for EVERYTHING minus digging. So its biting is natural.
2) Ferret skin is tougher than ours, so their level of biting is naturally going to be harder. They don’t know any better.
3) If it’s a baby, it’s going to be more rambunctious. The more time it has out, the less rambunctious it will be.
4) The more hands on you are, the more the ferret will trust you and less likely to bite you in a fear or aggressive response.
5) The ferret might be afraid of you and biting is a response to that fear. Some ferrets take longer to get over this, while some don’t have an issue at all.
6) If the ferret is new to you, then it is going to be stressed, confused, and scared. It may bite you due to this.
7) Any negative response to the baby biting IS going to make it fear you more. Scruffing should only be done for medical purposes. If you scruff the baby, then it is only going to see it as punishment, and when the day comes that you need to force feed it or give it meds, it will fight you and may injure itself.
8)Bitter apple spray is 100% not recommended. It contains a chemical that can cause a ferret to stop eating and drinking.

What can you do then?

Here are things you can do.
1) Hiss at it. I hissed at all of my boys when they bit me in a way I did not find okay. Just a loud SHHH!!!
2) You can put it in time out. Find a travel kennel or a small cage that has nothing in it. Put the baby in there immediately after biting you for THREE MINUTES. It’s long enough for the baby to not like it but short enough that it won’t just fall asleep.
3) Pick it up and gently wrap a finger around its nose and loudly say NO. GENTLY! Again you don’t want to hurt it, but it will get that baby’s attention.
4) The baby may be playing with you, but because the bites hurt, you are taking it as aggression. This is the hardest piece of advice to follow. Do NOT move. Do not run. Do not respond. If you can do this, the baby will get bored and find that this is not fun.
5) Distract it with a toy and show it that this is what it can bite.
6) Use a treat that it likes and put it on your fingers, so they learn that your hands are good things. Salmon oil is great for this!
7) Hand feed while holding the baby in your lap.
8)Loudly screech in a high pitch.
9) Spend more sweet hands on time with the baby. Love, time, consistency and patience will win.
10) Consistency is key. Whatever you decide to do to discourage the biting, it must be done every time an unacceptable bite happens. You must be consistent or the baby will not take it seriously.

Again do NOT scruff, nose flick, s***k, blow in the nose, spray the baby, give the bitter apple stuff or anything that will harm or give it a negative image of you.

Full disclosure....I didn't write this but love it.

09/12/2021

A simple reminder.

04/28/2021

This was set up originally as a Page instead of a Group. A Page means it is more like a business and people can follow and post within. Would you rather see this remain as a Page or change to a Group?

04/18/2021

Let us revive this page. There are a lot of folks in the TriCities and mid-Washington who could use this page.

02/07/2021

This is Kathy of Sammy's Clubhouse who took administrative rights to the page just to keep it going. Would love to hand it over to a local. Also need to figure out how to change it to a group.
________________

(From original owner)
Hey friends. I’ve been putting this off for way to long out of a love for what I started this page for- but I have too many irons in the fire to even remotely keep up with it.
I enjoyed being a resource and a bridge between ferret rescues and people looking to adopt, but I just cannot continue to run this page.

It was a labor of love for years, following me from Spokane to the Tri-Cities. But it’s been several years since our last ferret crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and my responsibilities are moving me in new directions.

I’ll be deleting the page at the end of the month. 💔
I had some interest last year from a couple people looking to take it over- but I never heard back from them. If anyone is interested in running the page or even taking over the name after it’s gone, please let me know.
Otherwise.

I’ve truly loved the journey I had 💜 stay safe out there- and DOOK on!

08/04/2020

💜 cute cousins confusing people

In our area there are minks and weasels. Here someone caught one (looks like maybe young mink?) and thought it was a pet ferret. Once they found out it was wild. They set it free in the field by their home. Ferrets are bred to be very friendly. Typically will walk up to you. They also do not come in this solid color.