| Whether you have purchased your own baby | | | | to introduce the kits to the litter box as early as |
| ferret or if you have your own litter, there’s | | | | now. Place a small amount of waste in the new |
| no sweeter moment than looking at how sweet | | | | litter to remind the babies what to do and where |
| and cute these babies are. Upon birth, a | | | | to do it.4 |
| normal-sized litter is usually made up of 7 or 8 | | | | VACCINATIONS |
| kits. They are tiny, blind, pink-skinned and mostly | | | | For initial checkups and vaccinations, look for a |
| hairless. Most of the time, they spend their time | | | | god veterinarian. Baby ferrets can receive their |
| suckling, sleeping and growing. Because they are | | | | baby booster shots for canine distemper at 9 |
| still young, they also have special needs that need | | | | weeks and their first adult distemper will be at 12 |
| to be taken care of. 1 | | | | weeks of age. For specific information about this, |
| FOOD and WATER | | | | talk to your vet. 5 |
| Wean your baby ferrets at six weeks and | | | | PLAY |
| provide them with the same calorically-dense and | | | | Just like their parents, baby ferrets love to play. |
| nutritious ferret food that was provided by the | | | | You can take your ferret out of its cage twice a |
| mother. As carnivores, their diet should be high in | | | | day. They also need to exercise despite their age. |
| meat-based proteins, high in fat but low in fiber. | | | | You can also provide them some toys that they |
| Soak the food in warm water for 10 minutes to | | | | can play with. Make sure that these are safe and |
| make it easy to digest.2 | | | | are not made of cloth, foam, rubber and latex. |
| Baby ferrets need to have access to fresh water | | | | How about providing tunnels to help them out in |
| and food 24/7 because food only stays in their | | | | their hunting instincts? Toys which produce sounds |
| system for three hours or less. Don’t forget | | | | are also attractive to these little creatures. 6 |
| to also provide a water bowl for drinking. Avoid | | | | SOCIALIZATION |
| water bottles first so that with a water bowl, | | | | After a month, baby ferrets can now be |
| they can maximize their water drinking. 3 | | | | introduced to other ferrets and humans. Adult |
| HOUSING | | | | ferrets will be sniffing the cage for a while to be |
| The cage should be spacious, safe and easy to | | | | comfortable with the kits. Supervise while they |
| clean. It should also have a large door to offer | | | | interact with each other and gradually increase |
| easy access for ferrets in sleeping in their nest | | | | their time together every day. Always be there |
| box. Cover the flooring with linoleum or just make | | | | for your baby ferrets every time they are out of |
| it solid so that their feet or toes won’t be | | | | the cage because they may hurt themselves or |
| trapped in between. The bedding materials must | | | | get injured. When they nip, teach them to stop |
| be cleaned weekly. Hammocks, sleep sacks and | | | | by firmly saying NO. The earlier you teach them |
| other beddings can also be used. Don’t forget | | | | about this, the better. |