Archive-name: pets/ferret-faq/part1
Last-modified: 3 May 1996
Posting-Frequency: monthly (around the 20th)
Version: 3.0
URL: http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/central.html

FERRET FAQ (part 1 of 5) -- ABOUT THE FERRET FAQ
Compiled and edited by Pamela Greene <pgreene@optics.rochester.edu>
Additions, corrections, and suggestions for this file are welcomed!

This document is copyright 1994-1996 by Pamela L. Greene.  See section
0.5 (in Part I, About the Ferret FAQ) for authorship information and
redistribution rights.  In short, you can give it away, but you can't
charge for it or include it in any for-profit work without permission.

The basic Ferret FAQ has five parts, all of which should be available
wherever you obtained this one.  Most people will want to look at
parts 1 through 4, and perhaps skim part 5.  A complete table of
contents for all five files is given in Part I.  Please at least read
section 0 in Part I, About this FAQ.  In addition, there are separate
FAQ's for several common ferret diseases.  Information about those is
given in section [1.1].

Please note: I am not a ferret expert, and I did not write, nor did I
independently verify, all the information in this file.  I have done
my best to include only accurate and useful information, but I cannot
guarantee that what is contained in this file, whether written by me
or by one of the contributors, is correct, or even that following the
advice herein won't be harmful to you or your ferret in some way.  For
advice from an expert, you may wish to consult one of several books
available, or, especially in the case of a suspected medical problem,
a veterinarian who is familiar with the treatment of ferrets.

------------------------------

Subject: CONTENTS OF THESE FILES

PART 1: ABOUT THE FERRET FAQ

0. *** About this FAQ ***

   (0.1) Notes on formatting 
   (0.2) Where to get this FAQ
   (0.3) Goal of this FAQ
   (0.4) Credits and editor's notes
   (0.5) Copyright and redistribution information

1. *** Where to get more information ***

   (1.1) Is there a shorter FAQ to hand out at meetings?  Are there FAQs for 
        particular diseases?
   (1.2) How can I find a ferret breeder/shelter/vet/catalog?
   (1.3) How do I join the Ferret Mailing List?
   (1.4) Where can I find pictures of ferrets online?
   (1.5) Is there any other information available online?
   (1.6) What are some of the books available?

2. *** Revision history of these files ***

   (2.1) Revision history of these files

Part 2: FERRETS AS PETS

3. *** Introduction to ferrets ***

   (3.1) What are ferrets?  Do they make good pets?
   (3.2) Are ferrets wild?  Why are there ferret permits?
   (3.3) What are the different ferret colors?
   (3.4) What do you call a ferret male/female/baby/group?
   (3.5) I'm allergic to cats.  Will I be allergic to ferrets?
   (3.6) Is a ferret a good pet for a child?

4. *** Getting a pet ferret ***

   (4.1) Which color is the best?  Male or a female?  What age?
   (4.2) How many should I get?  All at once, or one at a time?
   (4.3) Are ferrets legal where I live?  Do I need a license?
   (4.4) Where can I get a pet ferret?  What should I look for?
   (4.5) What are these little blue dots on my ferret's ear?  What's 
         the deal with Marshall Farms?
   (4.6) How do I introduce a new ferret to my established one(s)?
   (4.7) Will my ferret get along with my other pets?

5. *** Things you'll need ***

   (5.1) What will I need to take care of my new ferret?
   (5.2) Do I need a cage?  How should I set it up?
   (5.3) Pet stores use wood shavings as bedding.  Should I?
   (5.4) What kind of litter should I use?
   (5.5) What kind of collar/bell/tag should I use?
   (5.6) Any suggestions on toys?

Part 3: CARE AND BEHAVIOR

6. *** Basic ferret care and training ***

   (6.1) How can I best ferretproof my home?
   (6.2) What should I feed my ferret?
   (6.3) Should I give my ferret any supplements?
   (6.4) What are good treats?
   (6.5) How do I train my pet not to nip?
   (6.6) I'm having problems litter-training.  What do I do?
   (6.7) Any advice on baths, ears, and nail-clipping?
   (6.8) Can I teach my ferret tricks?  How?
   (6.9) Do ferrets travel well?

7. *** Things ferrets say and do ***

   (7.1) How do I know if my ferret likes something?
   (7.2) My ferret trembles a lot.  Is that normal?
   (7.3) Help!  My ferret is going bald!
   (7.4) Is he really just asleep?
   (7.5) What does such-and-such a noise mean?
   (7.6) What games do ferrets like to play?
   (7.7) What else should I probably not worry about?

Part 4: HEALTH CARE

8. *** Basic health care ***

   (8.1) Do I need to spay/neuter my pet?  How about descenting?  
         Declawing?
   (8.2) What vaccinations will my ferret need, and when?
   (8.3) Can I vaccinate my own ferrets?
   (8.4) What kind of checkups should my ferret be having?  
   (8.5) Are ferrets really as prone to disease as it seems?
   (8.6) How do I contact Dr. Williams?  I hear he'll help with 
         diagnoses.

9. *** Problems to watch for and related information ***

   (9.1) What warning signs of disease should I watch for?
   (9.2) My ferret's had funny-looking stools for a few days.  What's 
         wrong? 
   (9.3) What are these little (black oily)/(red waxy)/(orange crusty) 
         spots on my ferret's tail/skin?
   (9.4) How well do ferrets handle heat?  What about cold?
   (9.5) How can I get rid of these fleas?
   (9.6) How do I tell if my ferret has ear mites?  What do I do about 
         them?
   (9.7) Do I need to worry about heartworms?

Part 5: MEDICAL OVERVIEW

10. *** Common health problems ***

   (10.1) Overview of common health problems
          (10.1.1) Noninfectious health problems
          (10.1.2) Parasites
          (10.1.3) Infectious diseases
          (10.1.4) Neoplasia (Cancer)
   (10.2) Other common problems and more information

11. *** General medical information *** 

   (11.1) What are normal body temperature, blood test results, etc.?
   (11.2) What anesthetic should my vet be using?
   (11.3) Do I need to worry about toxoplasmosis?
   (11.4) My ferret won't eat.  What should I do?
   (11.5) What's Duck Soup?  Anyone have a recipe?

12. *** Medical reference material ***

   (12.1) What books can I get or recommend to my vet?
   (12.2) Are there any other useful references?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

0. *** About this FAQ ***

------------------------------

Subject: (0.1) Notes on formatting

The answers in this file are given in a "digest format" which should
make it easier for you to scan through it for the information you want.
Each question begins with a line of hyphens, followed by its number and
the question itself, as given in the Table of Contents above.  In many
newsreaders, including rn, trn, and strn, you can jump from one
question to the next by hitting CONTROL-G.  You can also look for a
particular answer by searching for its number or for words from the
question.

Cross-references to other questions are in square brackets; for
example, [1.2] means that more information may be found in section
1.2.

------------------------------

Subject: (0.2) Where to get this FAQ

This FAQ is posted around the 20th of each month to the rec.pets, 
alt.pets.ferrets, alt.answers, rec.answers, and news.answers
newsgroups.  It's stored on various internet access systems and BBS's,
including Compuserve and (I think) AOL, and it can be found in either
English or Japanese (possibly a slightly older version) in library3
of the FPETS forum in Japan's NiftyServe system.

The FAQ is also available by anonymous FTP in the directory
   ftp://ftp.optics.rochester.edu/pub/pgreene
(that is, ftp to ftp.optics.rochester.edu and cd to the indicated directory).
The files themselves are called part1.faq through part5.faq.

If you don't have access to FTP, or if the server is busy (as it often 
is), you can also request the files by mail.  You can receive all five 
parts in separate email messages by sending a message to
<listserv@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
with the single line (in the body of the message)
GET ANSWERS PACKAGE FERRET
To receive only a single part, instead send a command like
GET ANSWERS PART1 FERRET

The Ferret FAQ is also available on the World Wide Web, as a fully-
indexed, cross-linked set of documents for browsing with Mosaic, lynx,
or a similar WWW client.  Open the URL
<URL:http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/central.html>

If all else fails, send me <pgreene@optics.rochester.edu> email
and I'll be glad to send you a copy.

------------------------------

Subject: (0.3) Goal of this FAQ

A number of books exist which were written by experts and are intended
to be comprehensive discussions of all sorts of ferret behavior and
medical problems.  This FAQ is not intended to replace any of those.
However, there seemed to be a need for a document which covers many of
the basic questions in a fairly light way.  Originally, this was
intended to be a FAQ in the purest sense of the term: a document to
answer questions which keep coming up in the newsgroups and Ferret
Mailing List.

Over the months, however, the FAQ grew, and its purpose broadened.
More general questions, and especially more medical information, were
included.  Although I can't claim that this is now a comprehensive
guide to ferret ownership, it is a good source of information and
collective opinion about a wide range of subjects.  Whether you're new
to ferrets or a long-time owner, chances are this FAQ will have
something interesting for you.

------------------------------

Subject: (0.4) Credits and editor's notes

Contributions of individual respondents are marked as such and
indented.  Other sections were either written by me (Pamela Greene, 
<pgreene@optics.rochester.edu>) or compiled from a number of
contributions.

Special thanks to Kelleen Andrews for rewriting the section dealing
with introducing a new ferret to established ones [4.6], and to 
Dr. Bruce Williams, DVM, Dr. Charles Weiss, DVM, Dr. Susan Brown,
DVM, and Dr. Mike Dutton, DVM, for all their efforts on behalf of the
members of the Ferret Mailing List and all "ferret friends".  Thanks
also to Ayumi Takeshima for her excellent (I'm told) Japanese
translation of the FAQ.

Many thanks also to the following people who contributed (perhaps
unwittingly!) responses, comments, and corrections: Rob Alexander,
Carla Almaraz, Heather Bilicki, Jason Bolduc, Dick Bossart, Leonard
Bottleman, Karen Branzoni, George Campbell, Anne Charbonneau, Sukie
Crandall, Todd Cromwell, Ann Davis, Diane Emery, Deane and Tina
Felthauser, David Finster, Katie Fritz, Robert Galvin, James Garriss,
Mike Golobay, Pam Grant, Jenni Gray, Steve Greene, Jaime Greenfield,
Bill Gruber, Jeffery Haremski, Nancy Hartman, Skip Hartmann, Stan
Hurton, Sue Kocher, Arlyn Kerr, William and Diane Killian, Carolyn
Kinsey, Sue Kocher, Laura L'Heureux Kupkee, Jim Lapeyre, Chris Lewis,
Ed Lipinski, Dave Ljung, Jim Long, Jan Lovell, Charlene Lowe, Jean
MacGregor, "Miss Mary," Steve Matthews, Rick May, Shannon McAllister,
Mac McClure, Roger McMillian, Tryntje Miller, Linda Mooring, Greg
Mortensen, Rochelle Newman, Kate Pappas, Robert Rhode, Debbie Riccio,
John Rosloot, Bob "Rudy the Ferlosopher" Rudich, William Sebok, Sheena
Staples, Ayumi Takeshima, Karen Vance, Marilee Warner, Marc Wilson,
and anyone else I may have missed.

------------------------------

Subject: (0.5) Ferret FAQ copyright and redistribution information

This compilation, which comprises five individual files as described 
in the Table of Contents above, is copyright 1994-1996 
by Pamela L. Greene.  It may be freely distributed by electronic, 
paper, or other means, provided that it is distributed in its entirety
(all 5 files), including this notice, and that no fee is charged apart 
from the actual costs of distribution.  It may not be used or included
in any commercial or for-profit work without prior written permission.
(For-profit service providers such as Compuserve and America Online
are granted permission to distribute the files provided that no
additional fee beyond standard connection-time charges is levied.)

Anyone who wishes to is encouraged to include a World Wide Web
hypertext link [0.2] to the main Index page of this document set at 
<URL:http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/central.html>
wherever it might be appropriate.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1. *** Where to get more information ***

------------------------------

Subject: (1.1) Is there a shorter FAQ to hand out at meetings?
      Are there FAQs for particular diseases?

There are five parts to the main Ferret FAQ.  The contents of those
parts are listed at the top of this file.  

If you're looking for something to hand out at pet stores, vets'
offices, club meetings, and so forth, you might want the Ferret
mini-FAQ, a much shorter document which covers all the basics and is
formatted to be printed out.  It's available as a Postscript file 
by FTP from ftp.optics.rochester.edu in /pub/pgreene/ , or you can email
your address to me at <pgreene@optics.rochester.edu> to get a copy
on paper.

There are also FAQ's dedicated to several common diseases:

 Adrenal disease (adenoma, adenocarcinoma)
 Insulinomas (islet cell tumors)
 Lymphosarcoma (lymphoma)
 Skin tumors (skin and mast cell tumors)
 Cardiomyopathy (heart disease)
 Splenomegaly (enlarged spleen)
 Epizootic catarrhal enteritis (mystery green diarrhea virus)

These FAQs are not posted to any newsgroup, but you can FTP them from 
ftp.optics.rochester.edu in /pub/pgreene/ .  You can also receive them 
from a mailserver.  To get a copy of all seven files, each in a separate 
email message, send email to <listserv@cunyvm.cuny.edu> with the single 
line (in the body of the message):
GET DISEASE PACKAGE FERRET

To receive only a single part, instead send one of these commands:
GET ADRENAL DISEASE FERRET
GET INSULIN DISEASE FERRET
GET LYMPH DISEASE FERRET
GET SKIN TUMORS FERRET
GET CARDIO DISEASE FERRET
GET ENLARGED SPLEEN FERRET
GET GREEN VIRUS FERRET

You can also send me <pgreene@optics.rochester.edu> email and I'll be
glad to send you whichever files you'd like.

------------------------------

Subject: (1.2) How can I find a ferret breeder/shelter/vet/catalog?

An extensive list of ferret clubs, breeders, organizations, vets and
catalogs is maintained by STAR*Ferrets and is available on the World
Wide Web at 
<http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/for-others/database.html>.

It is also available from a list server.  Send email to
<listserv@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
with the line
SEND FERRET DATABASE 
in the body.  Note that the file is rather long, around 114K, which may
give some mailers problems.

------------------------------

Subject: (1.3) How do I join the Ferret Mailing List?

The Ferret Mailing List (FML) is strongly recommended.  To subscribe
to the FML, send email to its moderator, Bill Gruber, at
<ferret-request@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
and ask to be added.  You'll get a note back detailing policies and
such and explaining how to send letters to the list.  Archives of the FML 
are available at
<http://www.csc.peachnet.edu/~rpoore/Ferrets/Ferret_Mailing_List/>.

------------------------------

Subject: (1.4) Where can I find pictures of ferrets online?

The Ferret Photo Gallery, on the World Wide Web, has a large
collection of JPEGs and GIFs.  It's located at 
<http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/gallery/>.  

There're also the Equipment How-To Photos, at
<http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/gallery/gallery-howto.html>, 
which show and describe examples of cages, shoulder bags, collars, and
so forth.

Bob Nixon maintains an FTP site with many ferret pictures, too, at
<URL:ftp://ftp.primenet.com/users/b/bigrex>.

Most of the pictures at one site are also at the other.  If you
find any that aren't available from those sites, please let me
<pgreene@optics.rochester.edu> know!

------------------------------

Subject: (1.5) Is there any other information available online?

Discussions of ferrets sometimes come up in the Usenet newsgroup
rec.pets.  The FAQ "Fleas, Ticks and Your Pet" [9.5] is distributed
there as well, and is also available by FTP as
<URL:ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/pets/fleas-ticks>.
Several bulletin board systems keep pet FAQs and discussions, as does 
the Compuserve Small Mammals forum (GO PETSTWO).

An index of ferret information is available from Ferret Central,
on the World Wide Web at 
<URL:http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/central.html>.

Various ferret-related information is available from the file server
at CUNY; send the command
INDEX FERRET
to 
<listserv@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
for a complete list, with descriptions.

------------------------------

Subject: (1.6) What are some of the books available?

Lots of books have been written about ferrets, ranging from brief
treatments to extensive discussions of behavior and medical issues.
Introductory books, all most owners will ever need, are usually
available in pet stores.  A few of the more popular are

Biology and Diseases of the Ferret, by James G. Fox.  Lea and Febiger, 
Philadelphia.  ISBN 0-8121-1139-7

The Pet Ferret Owner's Manual, by Judi Bell.

A Practical Guide to Ferrets, by Deborah Jeans.  Contact the author at 
   Ferrets Inc., P. O. Box 450099, Miami, FL 33245-0099; fax 
   305-285-6963.
     "Excellent, easy to read, very thorough and up to date, and
     written with a lot of love and care," says Dr. Susan Brown, DVM.

Ferrets: a Complete Owner's Manual, by Chuck and Fox Morton.  Barron's 
   Educational Series, Hauppauge, NY, 1985.  ISBN 0-8120-2976-3
     A relatively short, but well-written guide.  Not as in-depth as
     some, but a very good, friendly introduction to ferrets as pets.

Ferrets in Your Home, by Wendy Winsted.  T.F.H. Publications, 
   Inc., Neptune City, NJ, 1990. ISBN 0-86622-988-4
     Longer and more in-depth, but still very readable.  Includes, for
     instance, more information on reproduction and breeding, but also
     more expensive.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2. *** Revision history of these files ***

------------------------------

Subject: (2.1) Revision history

The most accurate description of the version of this FAQ is the date
at the top.  For really minor changes, I won't necessarily change the
version number, but I'll always change the date.

 Version 3.0 - 3 May 1996
This is a "major" revision because I've changed the format of the HTML
files for the WWW version.  The changes don't make any difference in the 
plain text version.
    Significant changes to sections 5.2, 6.5, 7.7, 9.5, 11.3
    Small changes to sections 0.4, 0.5, 3.3, 4.6, 5.6, 6.2, 6.9, 8.2, 11.1

 Version 2.8.1 - 22 January 1996 
    Significant changes to section 4.6

 Version 2.8 - 16 January 96
    Significant changes to sections 3.6, 6.8, 8.2, 9.1, 9.4, 10.2
    Small changes to sections 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 1.1, 1.4, 1.6, 3.2, 4.3,
       4.7, 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, 6.7, 6.9, 7.3, 7.5, 9.3, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3 
    Insignificant changes to sections 3.5, 4.1, 9.5, 11.5

 Version 2.7 - 11 August 95
    Added sections 11.1, 11.2, 11.3; renumbered others as needed
    Significant changes to sections 6.6, 8.1, 8.2, 8.6, 9.1, 9.3
    Small changes to sections 0.2, 0.4, 1.1, 5.3, 6.2, 6.4, 6.5,
       6.9, 7.3, 10.1.1, 10.2
    Insignificant changes to sections 5.1, 8.5, 9.2, 9.4

 Version 2.6 - 5 June 95
 Version 2.5 - 16 Mar 95
 Version 2.4 - 7 Feb 95
 Version 2.3 - 26 Dec 94
 Version 2.2 - 1 Nov 94
    Reformatted all files; first version released on World Wide Web
 Version 2.1 - 28 Sept 94
 Version 2.0 - 2 June 94
 Version 1.2 - 3 May 94 
 Version 1.1.1 - 15 Mar 94
 Version 1.1 - 28 Jan 94 
 Version 1.0 - 15 Dec 93 
 Version 0.3 - 7 Dec 93
 Version 0.2 - 29 Nov 93
 Version 0.1 - 23 Nov 93

== End of Part 1 ==
-- 
- Pam Greene
Ferret Central <http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/>
            or send INDEX FERRET in email to <listserv@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
