38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dummies for Ferrets, July 14, 2001
This review is from: Ferrets for Dummies (Paperback)
I can't imagine owning my ferret Tycho without the aid of this book. When my ferret lost weight and began vomiting, I panicked and agonized over what could possibly be wrong with the little guy. After he calmed down and I calmed down, I grabbed this indispensable tome and began reading to see if I could figure out what might be wrong. It turns out that ferrets are some times susceptible to all manner of little bugs just like we are, and while they can be worrisome, do not actual long term harm. And that's all it was, a virus had nailed Tycho and weight loss was a common seasonal thing. A trip to the vet confirmed our what we had read. Tycho is much better, and so are we.
Kim Schilling's book is probably the best there is for owning a fert. She gives all sorts of insights into what makes them tick-how they play, what their body language means-something that taught us a valuable lesson during a thunder storm. Tycho was so frightened by the noise that when my wife picked him up and went face to face with him to sooth him, Tycho sunk his teeth into her chin, then did the same to me. We both missed his frizzed out tail and fur-something that told should have told us to stay away for a little while, but we didn't know any better until after we had read the book. It has a wonderful section on health, including numerous diseases and their symptoms. It covers playing, food, housing, even breeding, plus has a wealth of state by state resources, ferret shelters and contacts for the reader.
Only a dummy would buy a pet, any pet, without doing research into them first. Ferrets more than just about any other pet, need to be researched thoroughly before bringing one home for the first time. We had only read one book before getting Tycho, but we probably should have read more. Now that I have read `Ferrets for Dummies', I am a little wiser in the ways of carpet sharks. I love my ferret, he's a good pal to read with as he bounds around the bed nibbling toes or burrowing under blankets. It's gratifying to know that he thinks I've done a good job raising him with his numerous kisses.
Buy this book and understand what you're getting into. Ferrets are great pets, but they are a high maintenance pet. They require attention, care, and love. But you know what? You will get it all back and then some.
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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Outdated, July 9, 2007
This review is from: Ferrets for Dummies (Paperback)
I first reviewed this book after I had read it and owned 2 ferrets for about a month, and happily gave it 5 stars. But after 7 months of happy fuzzy parenting, I realized I badly needed to revise my review.
The Good:
- an entertaining read, no trouble going cover to cover, genuinely funny writing and jokes
- lots of info to get you ready for ferret ownership
The Bad:
- Outdated - namely, the primary treats mentioned in this book - raisins and cheerios - are now universally considered very bad for a ferret's health, you might as well be feeding them rocks. (see the links provided at http://forum.ferret.com/tm.asp?m=30331 )
- Another result of being outdated - many of the websites and companies referenced in the book no longer exist.
- Many common ferret health problems are not mentioned. In my short time as a ferret owner, I have seen them go through a prolapsed rectum, patterned hair loss, and 'abnormal' behavior, none of which were mentioned in the book. A little research and help from friends and vets eventually taught me that none of these problems were uncommon for fuzzies, leading me to believe that the book should have at least mentioned them.
- No poop chart. Though it might sound gross, I think any long time ferret owner will tell you they have needed a poop-chart at least once. Ferrets poop - a lot, and it's one of the quickest ways to diagnose a health problem (just google "ferret poop chart" to see what I mean), but this is conspicuously absent from the book.
- Scruffing. This is when you hold your ferret by the extra skin above its neck. The action is mentioned throughout the book, but never once described clearly or safely. There is a picture of a ferret being scruffed, but the details of the method are left unclear. How something so essential can be missed is beyond me.
- Poor organization - while for the most part the book is organized reasonably well, there are some key areas that really need improvement. a simple list of toy ideas is essential in any ferret book - toys that every ferret should have (dig box, dryer hose tunnel, etc) are not mentioned anywhere. The index is also weak, making information hard to find - "poop, runny" might be listed, but not "diarrhea".
- Disconcerting. This is a minor complaint, but the author mentions hiccuping and tail wagging as extremely rare behavior, but I have yet to meet a kit who doesn't wag its tail when excited, and both of my ferrets had hiccups within the first month. Things like this make me a little uneasy about how much of an expert the author really is.
Conclusion:
- I would still recommend having and reading through this book, but I would strongly strongly advise against using it as your only instructor before buying ferrets. I found online ferret forums to be a far far better resource than this book - the combined wisdom of thousands of ferret owners turned out to be better than the musings of one (I don't know why I was surprised by this). The usual problem with forums would be that there is *too much* information, that you need to know what you are looking for, making them a bad first source of information, but ALL the major ferret forums I found out there have all the essential information instantly identifiable and accessible, even more so than this book.
- The book could be great with a new edition. For now, don't rely on it.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must have for ferret lovers and first time ferret meeters, September 23, 2000
This review is from: Ferrets for Dummies (Paperback)
Ferrets for Dummies is the only ferret book I have read that can be usefull to both new and old ferret owners a like. For new ferret owners and even first time ferret meeters,this book really helps the reader get to know the general personality of ferrets. Ferrets are a wonderful pet.......for the right person. Ferrets for Dummies helps you know if a ferret is the right pet for you before you go out and buy one. If first time ferret owners read this book before they went out and purchased a ferret, there may be less homeless and neglected ferrets and a smaller need for ferret shelters. This book helps explain what to expect from your ferret and how to care for it, from before your new pets arrival home until its final days!! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested or involved in ferret ownership.
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