Ferret News
Pet Ferret Care Tips
and Information
By Mary R. Shefferman & Eric Shefferman - along with Gabby, the ferret
www.ferretnews.com

Ferret News #49: Teaching Your Ferret Tricks
November 4, 2003

by Mary R. Shefferman and Eric Shefferman
along with Trixie, Koosh, and Gabrielle (ferrets)

contact: marymodernferret.com

Hello Ferret Friends!

  Can you believe it's already November? Eric and I went out shopping the day after Halloween (you can get some excellent deals on Halloween stuff if you do this) and stores have already started pushing Christmas stuff! I thought the Christmas shopping season officially started the day after Thanksgiving, not Halloween!

  Well, if you're one of those people who starts holiday shopping early, we have some neat ferrety stuff for ferret lovers on your shopping list at: www.FerretDesigns.com

  Remember, shopping at our sponsor web sites helps to keep this Newsletter free
 - -Mary & Eric & the Fuzzies

Note:

  If you've missed any previous newsletters (or if you're a new reader and want to learn more about ferrets), you can read past newsletters online at:

http://www.ferretnews.com/archives.html

In this Newsletter

• Fun With Your Ferret: Teaching Tricks
• Vaccination Reminder
  

Fun With Your Ferret: Teaching Tricks

By Mary & Eric Shefferman

"Ain't Too Proud To Beg"
From the Tricks for Treats column in Modern Ferret Issue #5 (sold out)

  After listening to several impassioned arguments on either side of the "Ferrets Can/Can't Learn To Do Tricks" debate, we decided to conduct a little experiment with one of our own ferrets.

  We chose Ralph because his particular body shape lends itself to sitting up or begging; his body is wide at the butt and it narrows as it proceeds up to his chest. You might say his shape is similar to that of any of your garden variety Weebles. But, while his body is well designed for sitting up, his lack of hearing creates a less-than-ideal situation for the teaching/learning process. Or does it? I've noticed that Ralph's attention span and intensity of concentration seem to be a little better than those of a hearing ferret. (Of course, Sabrina can also sit up when she feels like it and she's much more slender and she can hear.)

  Anyway, this is what we did...

  After Ralph had run down a bit and was calm -- but not too sleepy -- we separated him from the other ferrets. We used a treat that he really likes (Ferretbites). You can use whatever your ferret likes best. To help keep things moving along, we broke up the treat into several smaller pieces that he could eat with just a few chews. This way we were able to get him to do the trick several times in the space of 5 minutes.

  We started by standing far enough away from Ralph to prevent him from leaning on us (about a foot). We showed Ralph the treat (usually right in front of his nose), then held it up over his head. If he tried to lean on us, we'd gently push him back and try again. Whenever he successfully sat up without trying to climb us to get to the treat, we gave him the treat (yum!).

  Meanwhile, we worked on teaching him a command so he could do the trick whether or not he got a treat. In many cases, saying the word "up" each time you hold the treat over your ferret's head will help your ferret associate the word with the action. However, since Ralph can't hear (or read lips), we had to come up with something different. We chose a simple hand signal. Using an index finger, we made an upward motion. At first, we'd hold the treat in the same hand we were using to make the motion. That got Ralph's attention on the hand doing the signaling. Eventually, Ralph started to sit up in response to the finger motion alone, even though the treat was not visible.

  After only a few of these 5-minute sessions, Ralph was begging for treats left and right. Now, if you signal him with your finger, he'll sit up. If you look at him, he'll sit up. Even the other ferrets are trying to get in on the game. But only Ralph truly knows what he's doing -- and why. (The others are just copy-ferrets.)

  So, according to our very scientific study, we conclude that ferrets can be taught tricks. What can yours do?

  NOTE: Although our Ralphie is gone, we've recently noticed that our little Gabby seems to have figured out that she can initiate the getting a treat process by approaching us and "begging." Maybe she's channeling Ralph? Whatever brought her to her treat epiphany, we're darned proud of her!

Vaccination Reminder

By Mary R. Shefferman

  Ferrets need yearly booster shots against canine distemper virus and rabies. If you don't know when your ferrets are due for their booster shots, call your veterinarian to check.

  Canine distemper is 100% fatal in ferrets, but it can be prevented. There are currently two vaccines approved for use in ferrets: Fervac-D (United) and Purevax-D (Merial). If your ferret has had a vaccine reaction to one of these, ask your vet about using the other brand.

  Some states require ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies. Even if your ferrets don't go outside, a rabies vaccination is recommended in case your ferret scratches or nips someone. In some states, a ferret will be killed and tested for rabies if he is not up to date on his rabies vaccination. Although the chance of your ferret getting rabies is slim, a rabies vaccination can save his life if he accidentally hurts someone.

  Vaccine reactions do occur and can be fatal in some cases. If your ferret has had a reaction to a particular vaccine, remind your veterinarian. Pre-treating your ferret with Benedryl may help reduce the risk or severity of a reaction. If your ferret has had a reaction to a canine distemper vaccine, ask your vet about using a different brand. If your ferret has had a severe reaction to a vaccine, you and your veterinarian should talk about whether the risk of serious reaction is worse than the risk of illness.

  Remember: Always have canine distemper and rabies vaccinations done two weeks apart and always wait at the vet's office for at least a half hour after your ferret has been vaccinated. If you notice your ferret acting strangely after a vaccination (being somewhat sleepy is normal), get your ferret medical attention right away.

  That's about all for this week. If you have specific topics you'd like to see covered in future newsletters, send an e-mail to: marymodernferret.com.

  Take care and take care of those ferrets! --Mary & Eric & the Fuzzies

    Stay tuned for more. You can always get updates by reading my blog (a blog is an online journal). I keep it sporadically and it usually runs to the more personal stuff. But you might like it. It's at

http://www.modernferretblog.com/mary

Ferret News

Please let your ferret friends know about this newsletter and encourage them to join.

http://www.ferretnews.com

Shopping at these web sites helps support this newsletter so we can continue to send it for free to all who want it:

http://www.ferretdesigns.com

http://www.ferrettradingpost.com

You can provide feedback about this issue at:

http://ferretnews.com/feedback.html

or by sending email to:
marymodernferret.com
or to
feedbackferretnews.com

Disclaimer:
http://ferretnews.com/disclaimer.html
The shortened version of the disclaimer is: If your ferret is ill or you think your ferret is ill, bring your ferret to a ferret knowledgeable veterinarian.

Copyright 2003 Modern Ferret magazine.
All rights reserved.
http://www.modernferret.com

Tell us what you think of this issue.